Looking for an easy way to decorate your home for Easter? This simple Easter cross craft is super-easy to make, and serves as a great reminder to celebrate the resurrection of Christ and God’s gift of salvation.
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Y’all, I have to be honest. Since I became a follower of Christ about 15 years ago, something about traditional Christian holidays has bugged me. I grew up in the church, and I always thought the inclusion of Santa Claus at Christmas, and the Easter bunny and eggs at Easter, was totally normal and acceptable. Every year at church, I would participate in the Easter egg hunts, and to me it seemed like that’s all Easter was—eggs and bunnies, and maybe a little bit of Jesus on the side.
Of course, now, I know that Christmas and Easter are ALL ABOUT JESUS! So, in particular, the whole Santa and Easter bunny stuff really bugs me. It just seems to me that having another character in the story takes away from the fact that these holidays are supposed to be all about Jesus!
And I hope I’m not the only one who, every Easter, wants to say “silly rabbit, Easter is for Jesus!”.
But seriously. When it comes to decorating, I prefer to stick to only things that remind of the REAL reason for the season, and what a glorious gift God gave us in sending Jesus to this world to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
The Traditional Easter Basket: Are Easter eggs Christian?
As for the eggs, well, I don’t really have that much against them. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy painting Easter eggs in brilliant colors? Or the sweet pastel colors of spring that adorn traditional Easter baskets? BUT, according to this History.com article, Easter eggs do have pagan origins. Technically, they can represent new life (a.k.a. resurrection), but still, the Easter egg tradition didn’t originate with Christianity.
Also, even though eggs can symbolize new life, they just don’t have the same impact as the cross. The cross of Christ reminds us of all the pain and suffering Jesus went through on our behalf. And the empty tomb, reminds us that “He is not here, He has risen!” (Matthew 28:6).
So, for that reason, I wanted to make a basket with an Easter cross craft, and not eggs. Because really, we don’t need more colorful eggs, but we do need a lot more Jesus in our lives. Can I get an AMEN?
A Simple Easter Cross Craft with Chenille Stems
This project is based on a post I wrote way back in the early days of Divine Creative Love: how to make crosses out of pipe cleaners (also known as “chenille stems”). It’s a super-easy Easter cross craft project that only requires minimal supplies and very little time. Last week, I remembered those crosses, and had a distinct vision in my mind of crosses lined up in an Easter basket. So, that’s what we’re going to do today!
Don’t worry—of all the Easter craft ideas you could try, this one is super easy, and you only need a few basic items…some of which you might already have on hand!
SUPPLIES:
- Chenille stems/pipe cleaners: In whatever Easter/spring-like colors you desire. You’ll need four stems in total, two for the cross of Christ (the biggest cross at the center), and one each for the smaller crosses (representing the two criminals who were crucified to Jesus’ left and right (see Luke 23:32-33)). You can choose a different color for each, if you like, or the same color for all.
- Easter basket: Mine is about 10.5” square, but you could choose a round or oval basket if you like.
- 8.5”x11” paper (and an inkjet printer) to print out the “He is risen” banner.
- A pencil to curl the edges of the banner.
STEP ONE: Make the cross, by bending the chenille stems
A note about the colors: I chose a combo of purple and gold (two stems twisted together) for the biggest cross, because both colors represent royalty, which is appropriate since Jesus Christ is the King of Kings (see Revelation 19:11-16, especially verse 16). You can also buy two-color twisted chenille stems that come that way, but it’s super easy to just twist two colors together and make your own.
Let’s start with the two smaller crosses.
- Okay, first, you just take a chenille stem, and fold it in half.
- Then, fold up the right side of the stem, to form one side of the crossbar. You might need to fold, adjust, re-fold, and work with it for a minute to get it the way you want.
- Once you have the first side the way you want it, fold the left side up to match the right side.
- Now, take the top part of the cross, and use your thumb and index finger to twist it several times.
- And do the same with each side of the crossbar, and then with the bottom section of the cross.
For the cross of Christ, you do the same as with the smaller crosses, but instead of folding a single stem in half, you put two separate stems together (or if you’re making a multi-color cross, you’ll need two of each color). Fold each one, so the first stem makes the left side of the cross, and the second stem makes the right side of the cross. And then, twist each section together, just like you did for the smaller crosses.
By the way, these cute little Easter cross decorations could also make great Christmas decorations, if you choose appropriate colors like the red and green ones in my original post!
OPTIONAL: If desired, you can finish your cross by adding a dollop of hot glue on the bottom, where the sharp edges of the stems are exposed. For the purpose of placing these in a basket, it’s not really necessary. But, if you want to use your cross for something else, like as a pocket piece, I definitely recommend adding hot glue to seal off those sharp ends.
STEP TWO: Fill your basket with crinkled paper or other filling
Super easy step y’all! Just pick a contrasting color that’s different from the color of your crosses (or use white or kraft paper), and fill your basket. I arranged mine so the back half of the basket has more filling, and it slopes down like a hill, with crosses at top, banner at the bottom.
STEP THREE: Position each cross in the basket
You might need to push aside some filling to make room, and then push it back against the base of the cross to hold it in place. But again, it’s super easy.
STEP FOUR: Create a simple “He is risen!” banner
Open up your text editing software of choice (like Microsoft Word or Google Docs), and type “He is risen” or whatever Easter message you prefer (like “The Risen Savior”, or “He is not here, He has risen!”) I used a script font for mine, but just pick whichever font you like. Then, print out your banner text on 8.5”x11” paper, and cut it out. So, you should end up with a banner that’s 8.5” wide, and maybe 1”-3” tall.
STEP FIVE: Curl the ends of your banner, and place in the basket
Take a pencil, and wrap one end of the banner around it. For this step, I used my craft heat tool to heat it up for about 15 seconds, and then let it cool for a few seconds, to ensure the curl would stay. But you could also use a hair dryer, or if you don’t have either of those things, just set a book on top of your banner-wrapped pencil to hold it in place, and leave it there for a few hours.
And of course, repeat with the other side of the banner.
Once you unfurl the ends, they’ll loosen up a bit, so you should end up with a scroll-like curl on each end of the banner. Then, place your banner in the basket for the finishing touch.
Now, you have a cute Christian Easter crafts idea to decorate your home, and more importantly, to serve as a reminder to celebrate God’s amazing love in Christ. Because really, that’s what Easter is all about—rejoicing in our risen Savior. He who conquered death on the cross, who made it possible for us to be reconciled with God…He is worthy of all praise and celebration!
I hope you enjoyed this Easter cross craft tutorial. Please consider sharing it, and your new He is risen décor, with your family and friends! And always remember, how very loved you are.
“[…] And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. “
Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV)
Hi! Thank you so much for visiting Divine Creative Love. I’m a Jesus-lovin’ girl, lettering artist, designer, and general creative-at-heart. And, I have narcolepsy. I blog about faith in God, overcoming challenges, and creative topics such as Bible journaling. If you’re new here, be sure and subscribe to my list so you won’t miss anything!