A Martha Stewart Easter

You know me, I love crafts! Martha Stewart has so many idea's on her website for Easter, I wanted to share two of my favorites. I'm attempting both of these crafts this weekend. I will post pictures of my final product.

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Set inside a rustic boat-shaped birch basket, this cheerful yellow hilltop vista is a breath of fresh air. You can practically hear the chicks peeping and feel the warm sunshine on your face. We contoured the moss and the soil below it (both are inside a plastic liner) to effect a more realistic look, and we planted the daffodils ('Small Talk' and 'Tete-a-Tete') individually, rather than in clumps, to make the flowers appear as if they are growing naturally.

TipsVarying the posture of the chicks' legs will give them slightly different personalities. Planting the bulbs individually rather than in clumps will give them the appearance that they are growing naturally.

Making Chicks

1. You will need a 1 1/8-inch pom-pom maker from a crafts store and yellow yarn (this is a thin mohair, but we used various thicknesses for different piles). Wrap yarn around two of the kit's plastic pieces placed back to back, until the middle is filled with yarn. Repeat with the other two plastic pieces. Hook the two sides into each other to make a yarn 'wreath.' Cut around sides of the wreath. Use yellow twine to tie yarn in the middle. Remove plastic pieces to reveal pom-pom. Trim again to make pom-pom round. To make a smaller pom-pom for the head, use less yarn or trim down a large pom-pom. Sew pom-poms through centers with yellow thread to connect the head to the body.

2.Trim the nap from orange pipe cleaners to create legs. Cut two 2 1/2-inch pieces, and bend them in the middle for 'knees.' Notch at the bottom, as shown. Bend a 3/4-inch piece into a V, dab white glue on outside corner, and cinch inside notch to create feet. Put a dab of glue on the top of the legs, and push into pom-pom so that chick will be able to stand; adjust position of legs, and allow glue to dry with chick standing up. Cut two small triangles of felt for the beak, and adhere with dabs of glue. Thread a needle with black embroidery thread, and tie a knot at the end. Insert needle where eye would be, and push through head, leaving knot flush with pom-pom surface; knot and trim other end for second eye.

Planting a Basket

1. Place a plastic liner inside a basket and fill it with soil so it is mounded in spots, like a hilly field.

2. Turn daffodils out of their plastic pots, and plant in soil; for a more natural look, carefully tease apart daffodils before planting.

3. Place cushion moss on top. Plant additional daffodils between the moss seams and into the soil to fill in bare spots.4. Place pom-pom chicks on top. Set the basket in a sunny location, and water frequently so it will last for several weeks.

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In Germany and Austria, it's customary to celebrate Easter by hanging hollow eggs from the branches of trees. This year, bring the tradition indoors by creating a unique display for your blown and decorated eggs.

Fill an ice bucket with floral foam, then insert grass and pussy willow branches. Or place pebbles and water into a vase, and make an arrangement using any type of fresh-cut branches, such as flowering quince, magnolia, forsythia or cherry blossom.

To thread and hang the eggs, center a slipknot on a length of ribbon, and thread the ribbon ends through a large-eyed needle (or fashion a needle by folding a 12-inch length of 27-gauge wire in half; use the loop end to thread ribbon). Gently pass the needle through the holes at each end of the egg, and pull ribbon through. Before inserting the needle, decide which end of the egg will be the bottom; the hole from which the ribbon ends protrude will be the top of your egg. Double-knot the ribbon above and below the egg, then tie the loose ends to a branch with a bow.