Easter Basket Tutorial

I've been meaning to do a blog tutorial for ages, so when I received a box full of goodies from the lovely folk at Lindt, it spurred me into action! Lindt milk chocolate incidentally is my favourite chocolate, so I may just have given into temptation, and fallen off the 'occasional dark chocolate only wagon', but I guess it is Easter, well nearly! We have a bit of an Easter egg hunt tradition in the family, which wouldn't be the same, without an Easter basket to collect all the chocolate in, so I thought I would have a go at making one for the girls myself (closely monitored by those Lindt bunnies).

You will need:

3 x strips of paper 1.5 inches wide by 22 inches long (I used a paper bag for all my strips, but any paper will do)
12 x strips of paper 1.5 inches wide by 15 inches long
1 strip of paper 1.5 inches wide by 15 inches long for the handle, alternatively, you could use the handles removed from the paper bag
Scissors
Glue
Flowers - I used wax flower because their stems are quite firm (optional)

1. Fold all of the strips of paper in half.

2. Weave together 6 by 6 strips of paper (it looks quite messy to start with).

3. Push the strips together to neaten up.

4. Fold the edges of the paper strips upwards.

5. Weave the long strips around the edges, this is pretty tricky, I found it helpful to hold in place with a paperclip to start with. When the strips meet, tuck the ends into each other.

6. Tuck the ends over the top of the basket, and fold them under the strips running at a right angle to them.