I always have mixed feelings when around Easter I see little bunnies at the open air markets. The kids of course love them, and many parents just can’t say no. I know they will be petted and cuddled for a week, then one sunny afternoon end up as the Sunday stew. This is the part I prefer not to think about. On the other hand, they are one of the symbols of Easter and you just cannot escape it. And even though when it comes to holidays and symbolism I generally steer clear of them and come up with something else, this time around I thought I’ll give in. My parents had gone for a little winter break and I thought it would be a great idea to surprise them with a little welcome home gift: a new Easter wreath with bunnies.

wreath and bamboo skewersI bought a lovely wreath made from wicker. It was luckily left bare and natural, which I thought would look really nice on my parents’ chocolate brown colored front door. I cut a couple of bamboo skewers and affixed them to the back. Sort of like a little fence against which the bunnies could lean against, something which could make their stance more stable.felt carrotsI believe if you think about a bunny the next thing you think about are carrots (and I am not following the stew theme here!). So I thought I’d make a couple of little carrots out of felt for them. Rolled up some orange felt and glued the sides together. I cut a tiny green piece and made it its leaf.Easter bunnyThe bunnies themselves are quite a simple design. Their bodies are little tubes that I rounded off at the head. The snout is in a contrasting color to highlight the nose and little whiskers. Little buck teeth complete the look. I put a wire through the floppy ears so they could be manipulated in any direction.

For the eyes I was really not sure what to do. Should I use beads again or embroider them on? I took out a couple of sewing pins and put them where I wanted to place the eyes later.  Just to have something while I made up my mind. And the more I looked at it, the more I started liking the idea of having these odd sized and shaped pins as the eyes. So I ended up leaving them as is.Easter wreath bunniesSo here is the mug shot of the Bunny Gang. All of them a bit different, a bit of a character. Different shapes and sizes, all trying to get their paws on the carrots. Of course, as usual, the glutton of the gang gets more. Typical!Easter wreath bunniesAnd this is what the wreath looks like on the door. While finishing I was afraid the brown and white bunnies on a brown door would be too monochrome. However, the carrots add just that splash of color which spice things up. And the light green ribbon that I found – which by the way ended up matching the green of the leaves to perfection – was the cherry on top of the icing.

So as Elmer Fudd very wisely said, “It’s Wabbit season”, so bunnies I had to make. My parents could not have been more surprised to find them on their door when they returned. They love it!