Mums making Easter MORE special than Xmas with 5ft trees, decorations from The Range & Home Bargains and egg hunts
AFTER a year of lockdowns, families are aiming to make this Easter memorable.
Queen of craft Stacey Solomon and cleaning guru Mrs Hinch shared their seasonal creations with followers, while says searches for “Easter tree” have more than doubled this year.
Claire Dunwell meets a mum who is branching out this Easter . . . and rounds up the best buys in store and online.
AS soon as the Christmas decorations were packed away, Jessica Williams began the hunt for her perfect Easter tree.
Full-time mum Jessica wanted to go all-out for daughters Ellie, nine, and two-year-old Enea, after what has been a hard 12 months.
Single Jessica, 29, says: “It has been a rubbish year because of the pandemic, so I decided to make Easter really special for the girls.
“It feels like Santa is on his way again because they are so excited.
“They have both missed out on their usual big birthday parties and Christmas was low-key because we couldn’t meet up with family and friends to celebrate.
“Ellie’s birthday is in June and for her seventh birthday I arranged a pamper party for her and eight friends, where they had their nails and hair done.
“We couldn’t do that last year because of the Covid rules, which was disappointing.
"I had a spare artificial Christmas tree which I decorated for Halloween, so I thought it would be great to have an Easter-themed one, too.
“As soon as Christmas was over, I used Pinterest to look for ideas.
“Now our tree is packed full of cute wicker bunnies, fluffy chicks and decorated with eggs.
“I bought most of the decorations from Home Bargains, like the fluffy chicks, which were only 99p for a box, and a pack of six polystyrene carrots for 89p.
"The small straw rabbits were £4.99 each from The Range and the three larger wicker bunnies cost between £15 and £35.
“It all came to just over £100 from start to finish.”
Jessica, who lives in Vicars Cross, Chester, adds: “To really get into the Easter mood, I bought two small white-laced teepees from eBay for £30 each, which I have decorated with yellow and white balloons to colour-match the tree.
"After an egg hunt on Easter Sunday, I have crafts for the girls to do as well as a carpet picnic and film.
“Ellie still believes in the Easter bunny and making a big effort will help keep up the pretence.
“I haven’t gone mad buying the girls Easter eggs but I will cover the room in mini eggs. I can’t wait to see their faces.
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“I am also planning an Easter Sunday lunch with homemade sweet platters.
“Nothing is too much trouble when it comes to the kids. They deserve to be spoilt and I have fun doing it.”
Seasonal crafts
TOILET ROLL BUNNIES:
You will need: Cardboard rolls, cotton wool (or mini pom-poms) for the noses, paint, glue, paper.
Method: Paint the cardboard rolls and let them dry before sticking on the cotton wool or pom-poms with glue. Use paper for the ears.
HAND-PRINT BUNNIES:
You will need: Paper, paint, sequins for decoration, felt-tip pen.
Method: Paint the kids’ hands to create these easy prints, and then decorate with sequins for that finishing touch.
EGG WREATH:
You will need: Paper or old magazines, cardboard, glue, ribbon.
Method: Cut out egg-shaped pieces of paper in different sizes and glue them to a cardboard circle for stability. Add the ribbon to hang.
EASTER VASE:
You will need: Old jam jar, paint, stick-on eyes, glue, paper or foam, pen.
Method: Paint the jar in your chosen colour, stick on the eyes and use the paper or foam for the bunny’s feet.
Pick of the Easter decs
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