Make some pretty paper cup flower baskets with the kids this Easter. You can literally put one of these together in around 5-10 minutes, they are so quick and easy!

You might also like these 20+ Easter basket ideas

I love designing baskets at Easter time, there are so many different ways to make them.

Basically, any kind of container becomes a basket when you add a handle. This time around I’ve used paper cups because we happen to have a huge collection of them.

If you don’t have any paper cups on hand consider substituting them for something you do have, like an empty (and washed) yoghurt tub, a small box (like a tea box), a milk carton with the top chopped off or similar.  If you’re upcycling a recyclable container you might want to paint it first.

The paper flowers I’ve decorated the baskets with are a cinch to make, using a cut and fold technique. We’ve used this technique before to make Mothers Day gift bags and also a decorative flower garland. 

How to make paper cup flower baskets

You will need:

• Cupcake liners in bright colours
• Paper cups
• Pipe cleaners
• Beads
• Dot stickers (optional)
• Hole punch
• Glue stick

How To:

1. Make the flowers by folding a cupcake liner in half, then in half again, then in half again, then in half one more time. This is just as if you’re making a paper snowflake. 
2. Cut the tip from the end of the folded piece of cupcake liner so it resembles the shape of a petal.
3. Unfold to reveal a beautiful flower!
4. Repeat with more cupcake liners in different sizes, cutting the petals consecutively smaller in size so you can layer them on top of each other to resemble a flower.
5. Layer three flower shapes on top of each other, gluing into place with a glue stick.
6. Stick a dot sticker in the middle to finish the flower off.
7. Glue the flower to the paper cup.
8. Punch a hole in the top of each side of the paper cup.
9. Thread a pipe cleaner through one hole and twist back over itself to secure, then thread some beads in a pattern on the pipe cleaner. Attach the other end to the other hole you’ve punched in the opposite side of the pipe cleaner.

All done! Your flower Easter basket is ready to be filled with some yummy chocolate eggs.

If you’re wondering why my daughter’s fingers look red, it’s because I took this pic after a slime-making session (their latest obsession!).

More Easter basket ideas:

• Make some upcycled paper roll baskets
• These printable paper bunny baskets are always popular
• Make a yoghurt tub basket decorated with washi tape
• Cereal box baskets are a super cute upcycling idea. We’ve made them in both a chick and polkadot design.
• Here is a printable paper chick Easter basket we created as a guest post for ETSY