Bright baskets for Easter

Special touches create an unforgettable array of gifts and goodies.

Fabulous Easter baskets begin with the selection of a sturdy basket large enough to hold lots of treasures. Designer Sherrill Holt of Atlanta chose round and rectangular willow baskets, personalizing one for a favorite little girl and the other for a lucky little boy. An old wire basket, simply trimmed with bright ribbons and green moss, holds colorful eggs in style. JULIA HAMILTON

For a Girl

Sherrill twisted plaid wire-edged ribbon into a perky bow for the handle. On Easter morning, she clipped ryegrass to line the basket and added color with bells-of-Ireland, tulips, and other fresh flowers placed in water-filled florist picks. Along with sugary treats and jewel-bedecked eggs, Sherrill nestled books and stuffed animals into the grass.

PLANTING RYEGRASS

Start ryegrass about three weeks before you need to cut it. Place a layer of small rocks on the bottom of a container with drainage holes. Add 2 inches of soil. Sow seeds; cover them with a small amount of soil. Water with a spray bottle twice a day until seeds sprout. Then water daily, keeping pots evenly moist. Rye seeds germinate best when the nighttime temperature is around 50 degrees.

For a Boy

Using crisp green and white ribbon, Sherrill wrapped the handle of a basket. White ribbon weaves through the rim, secured at intervals with short green ribbons. Sherrill used pinking shears to cut 3/4-inch-wide strips from the comic section of a newspaper. She padded the basket with the paper strips and added furry critters, books, and toys.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Mar 2002
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