Adjusting to an empty nest isn’t always easy, especially during the holidays when fun traditions sort of just stop. I miss my nightgown-clad little girls searching for Easter baskets on Easter morning. And so, even though they are grown, until they have families of their own, I’ve decided to continue the tradition of putting together an Easter basket for each of them.

My girls share my love of chocolate (it’s a girl thing, right?) and eclectic style so this year, I went with a DIY rustic crate-inspired Easter basket.

Materials:

• Small unfinished crates
• TransTint dye (dark mission brown)
• Stamps/ink  
• Wide burlap ribbon
• Spanish moss
• Filler: Lindt chocolates

Tutorial:

I started with staining my crates using a TransTint dye and let dry.

Next, using stamps and ink, I labeled each of the crates with “farmers market, “recycle” and an established date. “Herbs” would have been cute too.

Then I lined the sides with burlap ribbon.

I recycled some brown paper packaging material for the bottom of the crates and topped with Spanish moss.

Garden Markers: I painted two wooden garden markers (Michaels) with chalkboard paint, wrapped the sticks with washi tape and added a bow.

Then filled the baskets with Lindt chocolatates {love those little foil-wrapped chocolate bugs, critters, lambs, chicks and carrots} and other little treasures.

Rather than hide them this year, I’m using them as a centerpiece.

As always, there’s attending an Easter service at church, hosting Easter dinner and a family Easter egg hunt too. Do you have an Easter tradition to share?

*This post was sponsored by Lindt who provided Lindt products and a Michael’s gift card to complete this project. Lindt also partners with Autism Speaks and is donating 10 ¢ for every Lindt Gold Bunny purchased in the US to Autism Speaks. See more about Lindt products at LindtGoldBunny.com.

I’m joining the “It’s a Spring Thing” party with Kim at Design Thoughts today. She’s hosting this week’s party and sharing one of her spring cleaning/organizing projects  with her awesome bar makeover…