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You can show your love and appreciation to your mother, grandmother, or neighbor my making her a May Basket filled with treats and a Butterfly Gift.

May Basket

By Elizabeth Sphar

To make a basket, you will need: a large empty soda-cracker box or a 4″ to 5″ (10 cm to 13 cm) square box 3″ (8 cm) high, scissors, ruler, tape, decorative wrapping paper, a 1″ x 11″ (2.5 cm x 28 cm) piece of lightweight cardboard, stapler (optional), tissue paper, wrapped treats of your choice, and a Butterfly Gift (see below).

1. Cut the unopened square end of the soda-cracker box so that it is 3″ (8 cm) high (see illustration).

   

   Illustrated by Brian Bean

2. Cover the box with wrapping paper. For the handle, cover the lightweight cardboard with wrapping paper, then staple or tape it in place (see illustration).

3. Crumple tissue paper and place in the basket. Fill the basket with wrapped treats and a Butterfly Gift.

Butterfly Gift

By Julie Wardell

To make a Butterfly Gift, you will need: a pencil, tracing paper, scissors, a 5″ (13 cm) square of heavy paper, a ruler, scraps of colored paper, glue, a 12″ (30 cm) chenille stick (available in most places that have craft materials), and a new pencil or pen.

1. Trace the butterfly pattern on this page on the tracing paper, cut it out, and fold it in half.

   

   Illustrated by Brian Bean

2. Fold the square of heavy paper in half. With the straight edge of the pattern lined up with the folded edge of the heavy paper, trace the pattern and cut out the butterfly. Remember to cut the two slits on the folded edge as shown on the example.

3. Decorate the butterfly with colored paper cutouts (see illustration).

4. Slip the new pencil or pen through the slits. For the antennae, wrap the middle of the chenille stick around one end of the pencil or pen, twist the pieces together to secure, and curl the ends (see illustration).