Make a beautiful keepsake Easter egg box with cheerful millinery flowers and leaves to add to Easter baskets.  Created by embellishing paper mache egg boxes with clusters of springtime flowers and leaves, these pretty eggs are sure to delight even the most discerning bunnies.  Add small Easter items like hens, chicks and tiny wooden eggs to complete an elegant Easter scene.  Recreate one of our examples as detailed below or let your imagination guide you -- countless variations are possible!  Eggs measure 4-1/2" long.

Supplies: Egg Boxes, Dresden Borders, Small Flowers, Small Leaves, Fruit, Chicks, Hens, Eggs, Berry Stamen, Clear-drying Glue (like Alleen's Tacky Glue), Scissors, Wire Cutters (or Scissors that will cut wire) , Needle Nose Pliers, "Liner" and "Flat" Paint Brushes, Paints, Optional: Base

General Assembly Steps:

Step 1: Gather and arrange supplies: Isolate flowers and leaves to determine combinations and placement.  Hold up Dresden borders to see which match best.

Step 2: Paint both halves of egg box with two light coats of acrylic craft paint.  Let dry.

Step 3: Glue a length of Dresden border along the edges of each egg half.  Let dry.

Step 4: Prepare hen or chick, if using an ornament. 

4a.) Trim hanger away from chick.  Fill hole with a small drop of glue.  Let dry.

4b.) Use a small liner brush to make 5 small dots of paint: 1 over the glue and 2 on either side.  Let dry.  The hens we used have a rustic and slightly distressed look --matching the paint would be nearly impossible.  Instead choose a color that compliments the hues already used.

Step 5: Assemble flower bundles.  With an unlimited number of flower and leaf combos, it's easy to create a completely custom bouquet to top your egg box.  Illustrated below are the steps we used to create the bouquet on the yellow egg box.

5a.) Trim off the bottom 4 flowers, leaving 5 flowers and a group of stamen at the top of the sprig. 

5b.) Form a bouquet by grouping individual flowers and sprigs together in an elongated bunch.  The goal is to keep the blooms facing upward and out to the sides so all will be visible when placed on the egg.  Adjust flower placement as needed to make sure and gaps are filled and flowers are close together but not crowded.  Hold bouquet up to egg and adjust as needed.

5c.) Secure flowers by wrapping 1-2 stems tightly around the entire stem bundle.  Wrap about 1/2" below the lowest-placed flower.  Wrapping tightly is key to forming a sturdy bouquet.