How To: Build an Easter Basket with Katey McFarlan

First things first, share with us your favorite baskets or ways to display your Easter goodies!

Thank you so much for allowing me to share, I love building holiday baskets for my children. I think it is such a precious way to honor the stage of life they are at with their interests, while also infusing your faith.

There are a few small businesses that I love to purchase baskets from. The Smocked Bear makes precious smocked ones. Colores Collective makes totes that can be used as Easter baskets and then spring purses for your little girl. Recently, I found "DLDesignsBirmingham" on Etsy and purchased painted buckets for my kids. They will be so easy to clean after a day of egg hunting. 

What types of items do you like to include each year - are there core pieces that you use as anchors to the gifting? 

• For other holidays, I like to use pajamas as the anchor of the gift baskets, but for Easter, I like to use swimsuits. In Texas, we're getting ready to use the kiddie pools and sprinkler toys! 
• Matching lavender swimsuits from The Beaufort Bonnet Company.
• Include a devotional book
• My Princess Devotions
• Jesus Calling, The Story of Easter
• Add something your kids are "into" each year.
• My daughter is very into American Girl Dolls, so the Easter Bunny is bringing her Samantha paper dolls and a few accessories to dress them.
• My son loves cars and trucks, and he got little Easter Egg cars.
• They both are getting new Tonies for their Toniebox and an Easter Busy Banner to color together.

Go-to retailers or brands for filling your Easter basket?

• Custom Crayons by Meghan on Instagram makes non-toxic crayons in fun shapes. Her Easter collection is precious and pairs well with my next recommendation!
• Busy Banners is a mama lifeline. They make giant coloring banners that you can tape to the wall or floor, and kids can color together. We have a really long space in between our stove and island in the kitchen, so I always tape these down and they color together while I cook for our holiday dinner. I am including an Easter one in their basket. 
• Fort Worth Shops: Lawrence's and P.S. The Letter are local gift shops in Fort Worth and always have holiday-themed "extras." Think candies, sunglasses, books, and surprise balls! 
• Jo Jo Mommy Dallas is one shop that I always shop from for holidays, while they have traditional children's clothing, they also have what I call a "stocking stuffer paradise." From holiday stickers to dolls, you could grab everything here. 

The display portion is always one that you seem to hit a home run on! Any tips for building your basket in a cute fashion?  

When do you gift your Easter baskets to your kiddos ? Do you talk to them in a certain way about their baskets - i.e. who brought them, why they are receiving them? 

My parents used to hide our Easter baskets from The Easter Bunny each morning and we'd have to race to find them. I think my mother did this until I was 25, or so. Seriously! ha. I vividly remember giggling with my sister trying to find them. My parents actually told me I was going to be a big sister, by giving me a charm in my Easter basket one year, so I guess that may be why I'm so attached to the entire process.

For my kids, I like to make holiday breakfast a really big deal. I decorate our kitchen nook with banners and set their baskets out on the table. This way my husband can read a devotional that morning while they eat. My sister "Kirsten McFarlan Designs" on Instagram actually sells letters from The Easter Bunny that teaches our kids "why" we hunt eggs and ties it back to our Christian faith. I'll share how I set everything up on my Instagram @kateymcfarlan.