If you have unexpected guests this Easter and need a basket for them, don’t fret. Just grab your cereal and make this DIY Cereal Box Easter Basket.
For more ways to make this the best holiday, check out all of our Easter posts.
If you have kids, chances are they each have their own Easter baskets that they use every year.
But, for us, more often than not, we have guests for Easter, which means the Easter Bunny has to show up at my house on Easter morning. The trouble is, our guests rotate, and I don’t always have extra Easter baskets lying around (because the kids end up taking the baskets and I don’t have the heart to tell them they’re meant to stay here).
I could buy small baskets at the dollar store every year, but if you know me, you know that’s not gonna happen. Instead, I like to put together a homemade Easter basket because that’s more frugal and leaves more money in my budget for Easter treats and basket fillers.
That’s how these DIY Easter Baskets came about. I made them from a recycled cereal box for a couple young kids who were much more interested in the contents of the basket than the actual basket.
If you like crafting, you’re in luck. This isn’t our only Easter DIY on Drugstore Divas. We have a bunch of Easter crafts in our Easy Easter Craft Ideas post.
DIY Cereal Box Easter Basket
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DIY Cereal Box Easter Basket Supplies:
- Cereal box
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Permanent ink marker
- Tape
- Foam brush
- Acrylic paint
How To Make A DIY Cereal Box Easter Basket:
Cut off the back panel off of the cereal box. Cut the sides, top, and bottom from it and set them aside. Do the same with the front panel.
Each panel will make its own Easter basket, so you can make two baskets from each cereal box.
Position the cereal box panel with the blank side on the bottom and the printed side facing up so we can measure the sides on the printed side of the cereal box.
Measure 1.5-inches from each side.
Mark these measurements with a permanent ink marker.
Side note: The cereal box that I used had a back panel was 7.5-inches tall, so I decided I wanted my sides to be 1.5-inches tall, making the basket itself 4.5-inches long. You can change the measurements based on what size you want your Easter basket to be.
Put the ruler against the line and fold the sides up, making the creases strong.
Notice that there are squares formed in each of the corners? Cut one line on each of the squares.
Push the sides of the cereal box up. The squares will now tuck into the box to form corners. Tape down the inside and outside of the corner to hold it stiff.
Using the foam brush, paint a thin coat of paint on the sides of the box. By the time you get finished with one layer, it will be dry and you can paint a second coat.
Flip the box over and paint one coat on the bottom of the box. You’re really just doing this to make sure you are painting the bottom edge of the basket.
While that is drying, grab the side panel of the cereal box that you discarded before. Trim the top and bottom flaps from it. Paint two coats of paint on the side panel and let it dry completely. When it has dried, cut it in half.
Let the paint dry overnight.
When everything is completely dry, take the smaller piece and curve it into a handle. Tape each side of the curved piece onto the inside side of the box to make a handle at the top of the basket.
When you’re ready, fill the basket with decorative mesh, sweet treats, and any fun Easter goodies you can think of.
If you’re on a budget and need a little help filling that basket, our Tips For Creating An Easter Basket On A Budget is filled with great ideas.
DIY Cereal Box Easter Basket: Frequently Asked Questions
You want to make sure the paint on these dries completely before you fill them with Easter treats — and before you set them out on your table. You don’t want any wet paint to ruin your furniture.
If you’re making these at the last minute and you don’t have time to let the paint dry, you can cover the cereal boxes with either scrapbook paper or construction paper. And, if all else fails, you can cover them with Washi tape (which is my mom’s choice, although it will take a lot of tape to cover these boxes).
If you don’t have a cereal box, any box will work. The good thing about a cereal box is it’s wide. So after you fold the sides in, you still have a lot of room at the bottom for plastic Easter eggs and small toys.
But, if you don’t have a cereal box, you could use any food box, like a pasta box. You could also use tissue boxes (which would be so easy because you just cut the top off). We’ve actually made a DIY gift box from a toothpaste box. So you can be creative.
Definitely don’t paint the inside of the basket. Acrylic paint can be non-toxic, but it may not be food safe. So, if you’re putting any loose candy into the basket, it’s not a good idea for it to sit on paint.
Even if you’re putting down Easter grass or tissue paper at the bottom of the box, I still wouldn’t paint the inside. There’s really no need. And it will just take the box longer to dry.
More Easter Basket Ideas:
If you don’t have empty cereal boxes, but you’re still looking for some creative ways to upcycle a cute Easter basket, we have a couple of great ideas using brown paper bags. There’s our DIY Card Stock Easter Bunny Treat Bags and our Paper Bag Bunny Craft.
DIY Cereal Box Easter Basket
If you have unexpected guests this Easter and need a basket for them, don’t fret. Just grab your cereal and make this DIY Cereal Box Easter Basket.
Materials
- Cereal box
- Permanent ink marker
- Tape
- Acrylic paint
Tools
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Foam brush
Instructions
- Cut off the back panel off of the cereal box. Cut the sides, top, and bottom from it and set them aside. Do the same with the front panel.
- Position the cereal box panel with the blank side on the bottom and the printed side facing up so we can measure the sides on the printed side of the cereal box. Measure 1.5-inches from each side.
- Mark these measurements with a permanent ink marker.
- Put the ruler against the line and fold the sides up, making the creases strong.
- Cut one line on each of the square corners.
- Push the sides of the cereal box up. The squares will now tuck into the box to form corners. Tape down the inside and outside of the corner to hold it stiff.
- Using the foam brush, paint a thin coat of paint on the sides of the box. By the time you get finished with one layer, it will be dry and you can paint a second coat.
- Flip the box over and paint one coat on the bottom of the box.
- While that is drying, grab the side panel of the cereal box that you discarded before. Trim the top and bottom flaps from it. Paint two coats of paint on the side panel and let it dry completely. When it has dried, cut it in half.
- Let the paint dry overnight.
- When everything is completely dry, take the smaller piece and curve it into a handle. Tape each side of the curved piece onto the inside side of the box to make a handle at the top of the basket.
Notes
You can make two baskets from each cereal box.
Have you made this DIY Cereal Box Easter Basket? Let us know how it went in the comments.