How to Make a Basket Out of Cards

Make beautiful baskets out of cards by recycling your old Christmas cards. These tiny baskets make wonderful favor baskets for a Christmas party, or hang several on your Christmas tree as ornaments. Use recycled baby shower cards as lovely and thoughtful nut cups for your baby's christening reception, or wedding cards for a special anniversary party. These card baskets are an easy project for children to assemble in the classroom and to present as gifts to their families.

Things You'll Need

• Thin Plexiglas or hard flat plastic packaging
• Permanent marker
• Scissors
• Greeting cards
• Decorative edge scissors
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Bone folder
• Paper punch
• Two brad fasteners

Instructions

1. Draw a 4 1/2 inch square on the thin Plexiglas or hard plastic packaging using the permanent marker and cut out. This is your basket pattern. Draw a 1/2 inch wide by 5 inch long piece of Plexiglas or hard plastic packaging. This is your basket handle pattern.

2. Place the clear plastic basket pattern over the front of a card and position to the best part of the card that you would like to use for your basket. Trace around the pattern shape using a pencil. Cut the square shape out of the card using decorative scissors.

3. Turn the greeting card square over and using a ruler and a pencil, section the square into nine equal 1 1/2 inch squares. Using the decorative scissors, cut two vertical lines on the bottom row of squares to the bottom of the second row. Turn the square around to the opposite side and repeat. You will have four cut slashes in your large square.

4. Using a ruler as a straight edge and the bone folder point, score all the lines on the nine square grid. Fold all the scored lines to the back of the card.

5. Punch a hole a 1/2 inch from each end of the handle using a paper hole punch. Lay the card on your work surface with the nine square grid facing up. Work along the bottom three squares. On the bottom left-hand square, mark a dot on the right bottom hand side 1/4 inch from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the middle square. Mark a dot on the bottom right-hand square on the bottom left-hand side a 1/4 inch from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the middle square. Place a mark centered along the edge of the middle square and 1/4 inch from the edge. Turn the nine grid square around and mark on the opposite side in the same way. Make a hole using the paper punch on each mark.

6. Fold the middle square up on one side of the grid. Overlap the two squares on each side of it so that all threes holes are lined up. Place one end of the handle on the inside of the card basket, lining its hole with the side holes. Insert a brad fastener through all four holes from the outside of the basket to the inside. Open the prongs of the brad on the inside of the handle to hold. Turn the basket around the repeat on the opposite side to complete the basket.