michaels

5 Easter Basket Ideas for Kids of All Ages

Holidays, kids, Lifestyle

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Some of this post contains affiliate links for the products I use and LOVE. If you take action on these links (like clicking, buying, etc.), I may receive compensation at no cost to you. As always, all opinions are my own, and I’ll only recommend what I truly like and recommend. For more information about affiliates and your privacy, view our Terms & Conditions page here.

Orange color themed Easter gift basket for teens

My mother was the best at making holidays magical when I was a kid, and I have such fond memories of Easter Sunday morning. The night before Easter, my parents would help us set out carrots for the Easter bunny to munch on as a thank you for stopping by our house. We’d wake up early, run downstairs, and see our pastel wicker Easter basket filled with goodies! Some of the top Easter basket filler gifts that I remember were coloring books, a Barbie doll, a VHS of “Beauty and the Beast,” a giant chocolate bunny and Cadbury Creme Eggs. Man, those creamy, chocolatey eggs are GOOD!

These days, I hear of parents giving some outrageous gifts to their kids for Easter, like concert tickets and bikes. When I was growing up, Easter basket gifts were never as big as Christmas gifts. Whatever fit into our small baskets is what we got, and I’d like to keep that tradition for my kids. I try to make the gifts even more practical and fun with themed baskets! By sticking to a theme, parents keep from overspending on unnecessary trinkets and toys. I also love a practical theme, like a “summer” themed basket to prep kids for their summer activities and trips. If your kids are growing like weeds, like mine, then they’ve likely outgrown last year’s swimsuit, and they could probably use a swim goggles upgrade along with some summer vacation road trip activities and crafts to keep them entertained while at home on a hot summer day.

Yep, themed baskets are the way to go, and I have 5 fabulous ideas to share for you to recreate for your kids Easter baskets! Below are my recommendations for Easter basket theme ideas for kids aged newborn to teen!

Baby’s First Easter Basket

An adorably personalized basket for newborns and infants celebrating their first Easter!

A personalized baby’s first Easter themed gift basket from Personalization Mall

There’s nothing more precious than creating memories around your baby’s first Easter, and one way to make the memories last forever is with personalized keepsake Easter gifts from Personalization Mall, like a bib and diaper cover. Personalization Mall provides thousands of unique keepsakes that can be delivered quickly for Easter and beyond. They are the go-to resource for creating personalized gifts that are perfect for celebrating Easter with your kids – especially if it’s your baby’s first holiday! Give baby something to love with a personalized security blanket, stuffy and personalized book, too! For Easter 2024, be sure to place your order by March 19 for the personalized book in order for it to arrive in time for Easter, as this item takes 7-10 days to personalize and ship. For all other items, you can order up until March 29 at 9 am PST to receive in time for the holiday. But, if you order by March 25 you will save big on shipping!

Here’s what to put in the basket:

Personalized White Bunny Easter Basket Liner & Natural Basket with Folding Handle
Baby’s First Easter Personalized Bunny Security Blanket
First Easter Embroidered Diaper Cover
Baby’s First Easter Personalized Baby Bib
Personalized 16″ Plush First Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny is Coming To Where I Live Personalized Storybook

Busy Toddler Easter Basket

A basket filled with age-appropriate arts and crafts from Michaels is sure to keep your toddler busy and creative this Easter season!

  • Busy toddler themed Easter basket with lots of activities and crafts from Michaels

I’ve been a fan of shopping at Michaels for holidays for my whole life. Seriously, I’d go with my mom when I was in preschool to buy craft supplies to make our July 4th t-shirts and paint our Keds tennis shoes! Now, Michaels has more than ever, and it’s your one-stop-shop to make festive and creative Easter baskets for your kids, including stuffers, baskets, Easter grass and decorative cellophane wrapping! I love how many options Michaels has for fun and easy crafts for little kids. Create the perfect Easter basket for your busy toddler with the products below:

Large White Decorative Basket with Liner by Ashland®
PEEPS® Marshmallow Scented Play Sand Set, 10ct.
Color In Play Pets Bunny by Creatology™ Easter
Easter Egg Shaped Crayons by Creatology™, 6ct.
Easter Bunny Motif Velvet Poster Kit by Creatology™
Easter Pastel Bunny Shape Bead Kit by Creatology™
10.5″ Gray Plush Easter Bunny by Creatology™
Easter Multi-Character Box of Crafts Activity Kit by Creatology™
Easter Bunnies Pom Pom Craft Kit
Pastel Polka Dot Cello Wrap by Celebrate It™
Pongee Stripes Ribbon by Celebrate It® Easter
Iridescent Easter grass

Summer Themed Easter Basket

A practical basket to get your kids ready for summer activities and trips!

A summer themed Easter basket for kids from Maisonette including swimsuits, goggles, egg and bunny shaped chalk, finger crayons, outdoor toys and “seed pops” for your little one to garden!

Maisonette is one of my most favorite online marketplaces for kids apparel, toys, gifts and home decor, because everything they sell is unique and special. Maisonette is your one-stop shop for the best baby and kids products from around the globe! With the warmer seasons right around the corner, Maisonette has all the essentials you need to get your mini ready for Spring and Summer. Whether you’re staying home, taking a vacation, or gearing up for camp, Maisonette is your online destination for quality products of every kind for the little ones in your life; plus, inspiration and intel that’ll make your shopping experience an easy one! For last minute Easter baskets, outfits, activities and decor select 2-day shipping at checkout to make sure you’re Easter Sunday ready. Here’s what to buy to create your child’s summer themed Easter basket:

Seersucker Easter Bunny Bucket, Pink
Seersucker Easter Bunny Bucket, Blue
Food Grade Silicon Beach Bucket Set
Pollinator Seed Pop Trio
Bunny’s 6 Eggs Handmade Chalk
Spring Watering Can Activity Toy
Big Little Universe Finger Crayons
Bling20 Cake Pop Goggles
Bling20 Fish N Chips Goggles
Pacific Blue Stripe Boardie
Pacific Blue Stripe Crossover One Piece

Tween or Teen Beauty Basket

Your pre-teen or teenager will love these age-appropriate beauty and self-care products from Ulta Beauty!

Lots of beauty and self-care goodies for this Easter basket from Ulta Beauty!

You’ve probably heard that pre-teen skincare is all the rage, so if you have a middle or high school aged kiddo, they’ll love a beauty themed Easter basket! Ulta Beauty has all the best products to introduce your beauty and self-care obsessed kiddo to age-appropriate skincare and makeup. Plus, many of the products come in bright spring colors, so the aesthetic of your basket will be perfect for Easter! Consider all these great skincare, makeup and nail polish ideas for your beauty basket:

Ulta Beauty Electric City Eyeshadow Palette
Ulta Beauty Paradise Pout Lip Plumping Lip Gloss
Ulta Beauty Beach Day Jelly Eyeshadow
Ulta Beauty Flamingo Flush Blush Duo
e.l.f. Cosmetics Suntouchable! Whoa Glow Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen
af94 Acid Patch Salicylic Acid Pimple Patches
Beauty Blender MAKE A SPLASH Blending Duo
Bubble Rise and Shine Brightening Kit
Sally Hansen Insta Dri x HERSHEY’S KISSES Nail Polish Quad Pack

Favorite Color Themed Basket

Surprise your child with an Easter basket filled with goodies of their favorite color!

Pink themed Easter basket with gum, Starbucks pink drink, holiday Lip Smackers, lip mask and Easter candy!
An orange color themed Easter gift basket – great for older kids!

Is it just me, or are older kids so hard to shop for? It seems like all they want is gift cards, which takes the fun out of gifting, in my opinion. For an easy Easter basket idea for teenager, college kid, or even your spouse, make a basket filled with items that are their favorite color. This basket idea is also relatively affordable, as you can buy lots of colorful treats at the dollar store, Target, Walmart or Amazon. Here’s what I bought for an orange color themed basket that I put together:

Assorted Easter Bamboo Basket by Creatology™
Mini Toy Basketball
Cheetos – 3.5 ounce bag
Lume Whole Body Invisible Cream Tube Deodorant
artnaturals Vitamin C Serum
Kinder Joy Easter Chocolates
Reese’s Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Bunny Easter Candy

I’d love to hear what type of Easter basket you’re putting together for your children! Let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and TikTok for more fun family-friendly ideas!

XO Maggie

How to Host a Last-Minute Halloween Party

Holidays, Lifestyle

Don’t let short notice hold you back from hosting a party! If you’re low on time and money, I have some easy, affordable ideas for throwing a last-minute Halloween party!

You can see all my Halloween party ideas on KTLA Morning News! It’s always so fun to join the KTLA team live in-studio! On this visit, I shared some spooky snacks and a creepy (but cute!) dessert using products from Siete Foods and Gelson’s Markets. I also made some simple Halloween decor using items from around my home and craft supplies from Michaels Stores. All my Halloween decor used in the KTLA TV segment is from Michaels (as well as almost all the decor I use in my home for every holiday!).

Halloween party food and decor ideas from Lifestyle and Party Planning Expert Maggie Jackson on KTLA Morning News

EASY HALLOWEEN PARTY FOOD IDEAS

Spiderweb Nacho Dip

An easy and festive Halloween party snack with Mexican flair using my favorite Siete Foods ingredients!

Spiderweb Nacho Dip using Siete Foods products

INGREDIENTS:
Bottom layer:
2 cans Siete Foods Vegan Refried Ranchero Beans
2 tbsp lime juice
1.5 tbsp Siete Foods Mild Taco Seasoning
1 tsp minced garlic
3 roma tomatoes, sliced
Middle layer:
1 cup Siete Foods Mild Salsa Roja
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
Top layer:
1 cup guacamole (I used @gelsonsmarkets fresh guac or you can make your own)
1 cup sour cream (I used Daisy brand’s squeezable for the spiderweb piping)
For serving: Siete Foods Tortilla Chips (my favorite are Siete Foods Lime Tortilla Chips)

DIRECTIONS:
Arrange sliced tomatoes around edge of large platter.
Assemble bean mixture and spread in center of platter, leaving some tomatoes showing. Make sure that you create a bit of a “bowl” with the bean mixture for the salsa to sit in without running all over the platter.
Spread salsa on top of beans, leaving some edge of beans showing.
Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of salsa, leaving some salsa showing.
Spoon guacamole over cheese layer and smooth into thin layer.
Use Daisy Squeeze Sour Cream to create spider web design. Top with toy spiders. Serve with Siete Foods tortilla chips.

Pizza Witch Fingers

These “witch fingers” are quick, easy and no special chef skills are required! When hosting a big party, I’m all about cutting corners to save time, so for this recipe, I used a frozen cheese pizza and premade dipping sauce that I picked up at Gelson’s Market.

Pizza Witch Fingers

INGREDIENTS:
Frozen thin-crust cheese pizza (I used Newman’s Own Four Cheese Pizza)
1 red bell pepper, cut into small triangles
Premade pizza sauce or marinara sauce
Litehouse Jalapeño Ranch Dip (or your other favorite dip like garlic aioli, ranch or marinara)

DIRECTIONS:
Cook frozen pizza according to package instructions.
Cut pizza into very thin triangle slices.
Arrange pizza on circular platter with skinniest ends of the slices facing outward.
Use marinara/pizza sauce as adhesive to add red bell pepper triangles to ends of pizza to resemble fingernails.
Add a small bowl of Jalapeño Ranch Dip in the center of the platter for dipping. Enjoy!

Spiderweb Brownie Cake

No baking required for this easy and spooky cake! Take 2-3 brownies from the bakery section of the grocery store and add chocolate icing to make a “brownie cake.” Gelson’s Market sells decadent dark chocolate brownies by Renaud’s Patisserie, which works perfect for this! Melted marshmallows create a spiderweb effect!

Create a spiderweb effect on chocolate cake with melted marshmallows!

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 chocolate brownies from your grocer’s bakery section (I chose Renaud’s dark chocolate brownies sold in my local Gelson’s Market)
2 16oz containers of creamy chocolate frosting
1.5 cups mini marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:
Remove brownies from packaging. Place first brownie on platter and top with thin layer of icing.
Add second brownie on top of first brownie and add another thin layer of icing. Repeat this step if you are using three brownies. Cover the sides of the “brownie cake” with remaining chocolate icing.
Place marshmallows into a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.
Using a fork, stretch melted marshmallows around brownie cake to create a spiderweb effect. Decorate with toy spiders. Enjoy!

DIY HALLOWEEN DECOR IDEAS

Upcycled Ghosts

I pulled empty containers out of our recycling to make these cute ghosts! I ended up using an apple juice bottle, coffee creamer bottle and smoothie bottle, but you could also use jars. Here’s the list of all the materials:

-Recyclable containers
–Flour sack towels (cheap at Target or Walmart if you don’t have old ones lying around)
-Sparkly black felt adhesive (you could also use regular felt or even construction paper)
-Battery operated twinkle lights
–Clear plastic ornaments or polystyrene craft balls (the clear plastic ornaments are fun because you can add lights inside but I didn’t have enough for all 3 ghosts)

Upcycled Ghosts Decorations for Halloween

Watch how to make these ghosts on my Instagram!

Ghost Garland

This garland is so simple, and there’s no sewing! Create your own cute ghost garland with a handful of items you may already have at home, like safety pins, clear elastic bands and cotton balls. I got my ribbon, fabric marker and fabric shears at Michaels, which has been my holiday craft and decor go-to store for years! What I love about Halloween crafts is that there’s no pressure to make them exactly right – the imperfections make them spooky!

DIY Ghost Garland for Halloween
Ghost garland made with items from around the home and craft products from Michaels

Learn how I made this ghost garland in the video below!

Bats Centerpiece

Look around your backyard to create this easy centerpiece that will surely impress your guests! I cut branches from a tree and spray painted them black. You could also use dried branches found at Michaels floral department. Next, I created a bat stencil from a bat-shaped cookie cutter and used it to cut about 15 bats from black glitter felt that I found at Michaels. Then, I glued the bats to the branches. I recommend using a hot glue gun, Gorilla super glue or Krazy Glue to ensure they have a strong stick. After they dried, I assembled them into a tall glass cylinder vase. It could be fun to use a spooky vase like this one.

Bat Branch Centerpiece seen on KTLA

Which of these easy Halloween food and decor ideas would you try? Be sure to follow me on Instagram and TikTok where I share more easy recipes and fun DIY party ideas!

Happy Halloween!

XO Maggie

DIY Ugly Christmas Sweater Ideas

Holidays, Lifestyle

‘Tis the season for festive parties! And, if you have an “Ugly Christmas Sweater” party coming up, I’ll be on CBS-LA today sharing 5 easy do-it-yourself ideas! Here’s a sneak peek at the tacky sweaters I’ll be sharing!

It seems that the “Ugly Christmas Sweater” theme gets more popular every year! I love that its a bit of a comedic relief from a season that can sometimes come with a lot of stress and buttoned-up holiday attire. Plus, if you decide to create one yourself, there’s no pressure to make it perfectly cute… It’s called UGLY for a reason! Another bonus to ugly sweaters? They’re inexpensive to make! You can use a lot of holiday decor and materials that are already found around your home. Or, check out your local dollar store or Michaels for affordable craft supplies!

Check out this fun holiday stocking sweater I shared on Instagram using all materials from Michaels craft stores:

Below are instructions for creating five easy ugly holiday sweaters – I even included a kids’ sweater and Hanukkah sweater! Feel free to adapt these sweaters to what’s easiest for you and what materials you may already have at home!

5 UGLY HOLIDAY SWEATER IDEAS:

Kids Christmas Tree Sweater

Your children will have lots of fun creating an ugly Christmas sweater with you, and this simple Christmas tree sweater idea is so easy for little crafters!

Materials Needed:

  • Red sweater/sweatshirt
  • Felt – green and yellow
  • Tacky Christmas decor, like mini jingle bells, bows, mini ornaments, etc.
  • Old craft supplies like mini pom poms, glitter, beads and buttons
  • Needle and thread – the thread should preferably contrast with red sweater and tree, like a bright yellow!
  • Black fabric paint
  • Elmer’s glue
  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks

DIY Steps:

  1. Cut a large Christmas tree shape out of the green felt and a star out of the yellow felt. Sew onto red sweater with needle and thread. It doesn’t have to be perfect – remember, this is an “ugly” sweater!
  2. Let your child take it away with Elmer’s glue and décor items! Add glitter, bows, buttons and pom poms to the tree! Parents can help with hot glue gun for the heavier décor, like jingle bells and ornaments
  3. Use black fabric paint down the arms to create a “string” and add colorful pom poms to resemble Christmas lights.
  4. Allow to dry for 6-12 hours before wearing.

“Christmas Vacation” Tree Sweater

This sweater is perfect for fans of classic Christmas movies! Friends will get a hoot out of the fake squirrel climbing the Christmas tree, just as it terrorized the cast in National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation” movie.

Materials Needed:

DIY Steps:

  1. Wrap tacky tinsel garland around green sweater and hot glue into place.
  2. Wrap LED lights around garland and secure light bulbs to sweater with hot glue. Make sure your string of lights is long enough to wrap around the sweater and the battery pack can fit into your back pocket.
  3. Hot glue mini ornaments around the sweater to make it look like a Christmas tree.
  4. Hot glue a toy stuffed squirrel on the sweater. I preferred to glue it on the sweater’s shoulder.

Tacky Hanukkah Sweater

Not everyone celebrates Christmas, so this tacky Hanukkah sweater is perfect for our Jewish friends!

Materials Needed:

DIY Steps:

  • Cut a menorah out of silver glitter iron-on vinyl paper. Iron the menorah onto the sweater.
  • Cut 9 candles out of white felt and 9 flames out of yellow felt. Hot glue onto the sweater.
  • Hot glue gold sequins to the flames.
  • Stick or hot glue foam letters to spell “Happy Hanukkah” on the sweater.

Festive “Stranger Things” Sweater

Great for a Hollywood Christmas party filled with Netflix binge-watchers, this “Stranger Things” sweater feels festive with its LED lights while celebrating a favorite TV show.

Materials Needed:

DIY Steps:

  • Iron on the alphabet in three rows, as seen on the wall in “Stranger Things,” onto the shirt
  • Hot glue mini colorful LED lights above the letters to resemble the wall in “Stranger Things.”

Easy Stocking Sweater

This easy DIY sweater also makes a convenient pocket to hold your wallet, phone, keys, or better – a bottle of wine!

Materials Needed:

  • Green or red sweater
  • Sturdy stocking
  • Tacky flair, like bells, pom poms, bows, glitter
  • Elmers glue
  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks

DIY Steps:

  1. Hot glue a sturdy Christmas stocking to the center of the sweatshirt
  2. Use Elmers glue and hot glue to add tacky flair to the sweater, like glitter, bows and bells

Let me know if you go to an Ugly Sweater Party and what you plan to wear in the comments below! Or, connect with me on Instagram and TikTok where I share more lifestyle and family tips. Merry Christmas!

XO Maggie

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Some of this post contains affiliate links for the products I use and LOVE. If you take action on these links (like clicking, buying, etc.), I may receive compensation at no cost to you. As always, all opinions are my own, and I’ll only recommend what I truly love. For more information about affiliates and your privacy, view our Terms & Conditions page here.