‘Cheep’ and Cheerful Easter Craft Projects!

The Easter hols are great for kicking back, relaxing and getting crafty! With the kids on holiday and families taking a few days off work, get creative with Easter-themed projects that will fire up the imagination of little ones making some quirky decorations for the season.

We've pulled together a few ideas to get you started that are easy to follow and don't cost much money. And, don't forget, there's plenty of bargain craft materials and equipment on Preloved that can cut costs even more!

Feathered Nest

This a quick and simple project that uses recycled paper to make an Easter nest that's just perfect for holding a clutch of chocolate eggs

You will need:

Some old newspaper, wrapping paper or scrap paper | PVA glue | Water | A bowl | Clingfilm | Wax paper

• Find a bowl and completely cover it with clingfilm (to protect it from glue and paper)
• Once covered with clingfilm, turn the bowl over and place it upside down on a sheet of wax paper
• In another bowl, mix together equal parts of PVAglue and water
• Tear your paper into strips, about 20cm wide, then dip them into the glue/water mix
• Quickly lay the strips across the bottom of the bowl. Keep adding strips, laid criss-crossed over each other, until the bowl is completely covered
• Gently press down on the strips to make sure they're firmly attached to the bowl
• For the outer strips of paper, leave some curling away from the surface of the bowl to make a feathered look
• Once covered, leave it to dry overnight (12 hours or so), then carefully remove the papier-mâché nest by gently lifting the clingfilm from the bottom of the bowl
• Fill your nest with Easter treats!

How to Blow Eggs

It's an Easter tradition that's dates back centuries – blowing the yolk and white out of eggs. Once fully blown and dried the eggs can be painted with Easter decorations. Here's a blow-by-blow list of how to get your eggs clean.

You will need:

Eggs | Long needle | Straw

• Find the longest needle you have and insert it into the bottom (wider) part of the egg
• Make another slightly bigger hole in the top of the egg
• Push the needle into the egg and carefully move it around to break up the yolk
• Over a sink or bowl, place a straw over the larger hole and blow until the yolk/white drips from the smaller hole
• Next, run water through the hole to wash completely the inside of the egg
• Leave the egg to dry and then get creative with the paints!

Potato Prints

Have a rummage around in your vegetables and dig out any old potatoes – but don't throw them out! They make perfect printing blocks for Easter designs. Use them to print up seasonal pictures and cards, or bunting made from old material cut into triangles to decorate children's rooms

You will need:

Potatoes| A sharp knife| Paper, card or material | Paint

• Get an adult to cut the potato in half with the knife. They then need to carve different patterns into the surface of the potatoes. Zig-zags, stars and stripes all work well
• Carve out the patterns to make raised areas
• Pour the paints into shallow plates, then dip the potatoes in so the print area is covered
• Carefully push the potatoes onto the material or card you are printing
• Try cutting different shapes and using a range of colours for more exciting designs

String Eggs

Here's a way to make some cool looking 'string eggs' that can be great decorations for hanging in a line.

You will need:

String| PVA glue| Blown Eggs (see above) or balloon| Paint

• Get a ball of string and drape it in short lengths into a shallow bowl or plate of glue
• Wrap the gluey string slowly around an egg or balloon
• Once partially covered (don't completely cover the egg or balloon), hang it somewhere to dry overnight
• Once dry, use the handle of a spoon to crack the egg and remove all the fragments. With a balloon, pop it with a needle
• The string egg is now ready to paint!

How to Dye Eggs

Dying hard-boiled eggs in a range of colours is a real Easter tradition and a colourful addition when placed in a bowl on the table for decoration (and eating!)

You will need:

Hard-boiled eggs | White vinegar| Different bottles of food colouring | Water

• Place eggs in boiling water for 7-10 minutes
• Once hard-boiled, remove with a slotted spoon
• Get some cups and fill half-way with water. Add 7-10 drops of food colour. The more colouring you add, the deeper the colour your egg will be. Add half a tablespoon of white vinegar to set the colour
• Mix them all together
• Gently submerge an egg in the mixture and leave for a few minutes
• Remove the eggs and leave somewhere to dry (perhaps back in their box)
• To make stripes and patterns on the eggs, draw on them with crayons before placing in the water/dye mixture