Friday, March 26, 2010

Down with Grass

Ladies, Christmas may be 9 months away, but Easter is 9 days away and I have an urgent issue. What are your creative substitutes for Easter grass? I am NOT bringing that stuff into our home for another year. Last year my five-year-old daughter wanted to stuff it into ziploc bags, put pillow cases on them and use them for her animals. I am still finding pieces of the stuff. Does anyone have an attractive substitute?

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ohhhhhhhh... how cute. Little kids can sure come up with the most imaginative play ideas. Email me your address & I will send her a BIG box of Easter grass, all her very own. The poor little dear... :)

Andrea said...

I always save tissue paper from birthdays, so I'll be crumpling up some of the pastel colors and stuffing it at the bottom of the basket. I hate the grass too!

MomVee said...

Tissue paper, yes. Also, shredded paper grass makes a mess but doesn't have quite the clingy staying power of the plastic kind. Another option? Smaller baskets and no filler at all.

Anonymous said...

It looks like there are lots of ideas online. Some of the best (it seems to me): beaded necklaces, gift bows, a new pair of pajamas, felt, craft supplies. Tissue paper is good, but if it gets wet, it will stain. Good luck!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/648593/10_alternatives_to_decorative_easter.html?cat=24

http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=203732

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/655371/20_alternatives_to_putting_traditional.html?cat=24

Mary Alice said...

it's too late for this year, but I have always wanted to plant some grass seed in a small liner early in Lent and then have a bed of real grass for the baskets!

Anonymous said...

I can't stand that stuff either. Three ideas: raffia, curling ribbon, or green paper that has been ran through the shredder.

Hope that helps!

-C

B-Mama said...

AWOL, I couldn't agree more! The Easter grass is a mother's nemesis!! One additional thought: you could have the kids create colorful pics and then have fun crumpling them up (this is a natural outcome at our house anyway) to place on the bottom of the baskets. I would be kind of cool because they would recognize their handiwork on Easter morning! Combined with tissue, it could be really beautiful!

Right Said Red said...

We also use tissue paper. I hate the fake grass, even if it is the paper kind. It is a huge mess!

Wendy said...

Just found edible Easter grass at Target. Two bucks seemed really too expensive... until I started thinking about last year.

Annie Bizzi said...

We have always used jelly beans as a basket filler--we don't do a lot of candy so the jelly beans and a couple of toy treats do the trick!

Mary Alice said...

My MIL gave the kids easter baskets to put away until Sunday (we will not see her then, so we had a family dinner tonight) - she put a spring outfit in, and that or pajamas would make a great bottom filler for baskets. My kids need new pjs this time of year anyway.

KZG said...

I grew up on Easter grass and still love it BUT today I use, for aesthetic reasons, types of cloth to stuff the basket and then put candy/small presents on top of it. For my toddler boy, last year, I used blue fabric (just a few small squares) with trucks all over them. I will probably use that again b/c he won't remember this year. For our family Easter basket (of food to be blessed Holy Saturday), I use lots of old white antique-y doilies and small small colored floral hankies. It always looks very pretty. Good luck!

nancy said...

Try using Spanish Moss. It's expensive, but pretty and won't fall apart the way cellophane grass does.You can get it at Pottery Barn. Or maybe tell her to leave the grass in the basket, because you don't want it all over the house.

Taryn said...

How about wheatgrass? I found directions here and bought some wheatberries in the bulk section of Whole Foods. I planted the seeds last night and can already see sprouting!

Kate E. said...

ok so i'm way late...but for next year!

I have tons of wool roving laying around for various wool projects & it looks so super adorable in baskets. Just get undyed natural & use it every year (or use it up in projects & have new every year). It is fluffy & lamby & if she stuffs it in pillows it will be oh so comfy :)