Decorate a mini paper bag with a small bunny -- or a self-portrait -- then fill it with treats for a friend. Bunny and his pal have movable arms and legs so you can make them hop, skip and jump -- and set the rabbit ears at full alert or sleepy.

You'll need (for each):
• Small paper shopping bag, approx 21.5 cm (8-1/2 in) tall, in desired colour
• Scraps of medium-weight bristol board or card stock
• Scraps of raffia, ribbon and yarn
• Pencil crayons, markers and/or squeeze-on dimensional paint in desired colours
• Small-hole punch
• Coloured brads or brass fasteners
• Cotton balls (optional)
• White craft glue or Tacky glue
• Pencil
• Clean sheet of tissue paper

Take a look at a larger picture of the finished Easter basket craft.

For bunny:
Scraps of brown, black or grey felt (for body), pink and white felt, and stiff thread (for whiskers)

For child:
Scraps of fabric such as calico and denim

To make:
1. Ask an adult to help enlarge this pattern by the squaring method as follows: On brown paper, draw grid of horizontal and vertical lines 2.5 cm (1 in) apart. Each square on diagram equals a square on your paper. Enlarge pattern by drawing each line onto the corresponding square on your paper. Or photostatically enlarge pattern to desired size.

2. Cut out pattern pieces along solid black lines, then punch hole at each black dot.

3. For bunny: From bristol board, cut out 1 body, 2 arms, 2 ears and 2 legs. From white felt, cut out 1 belly. From pink felt, cut out 2 inner ears.
For child: From bristol board, cut out 1 body, 2 arms and 2 legs.

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To make (continued):
4. Apply glue to right side of each cutout piece; lay it flat on desired felt or fabric, then smooth down and let dry. Turn over and trim felt or fabric even with edges of board. Lay pattern on each piece and mark a dot at each hole; remove pattern and punch hole at each dot.
For bunny: Glue on belly and inner ears where indicated by broken lines; let dry.

5. Using red lines as guide, paint or draw face.
For bunny: Cut short lengths of stiff thread and glue on at either side of nose for whiskers.
For child: Cut short lengths of yarn and glue on for hair (if desired, use longer lengths for girl’s hair and use contrasting yarn or thread to tie in pigtails). If desired, cut 2 short lengths of thread, tie each in tiny bow and glue 1 on each shoe; let dry.

6. For bunny: Matching lettered dots, push brad through each arm (or leg) and body, then open ends against back, to secure. In same way, push brad through head and ear, then secure.
For child: Matching lettered dots, push brad through each arm (or leg) and body, then open ends against back, to secure.

7. Where desired on bag front, glue on assembled bunny or child, attaching head and body only, so arms, ears and legs are free to move. Decorate bag front as desired, gluing on raffia grass, a ribbon path or cotton-ball clouds; let dry.

8. Line bag with tissue paper, ready to fill with Easter treats.

Designer's tip
To make an Easter card, cut rectangle of coloured bristol board or card stock, approx 26 x 22 cm (10 in x 8 in), and fold in half so short edges are even. Glue your assembled bunny or child to card front. Add drawings and decorations – even stickers or stamped designs – as you like.

This story was originally titled "Let's Hop to It!" in the April 2006 issue. Subscribe to Canadian Living today and never miss an issue!

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