You can make fancy Easter shakers for your cards and scrapbook pages. And you can do it for pennies! Inspired by the Leprechaun shaker I made for St. Patrick’s Day, I made them all print then cut fancy Easter shakers.
Fancy Easter Shakers make such a satisfying sound. And they entertain whoever sees them. But the kits are expensive. I saw some on HSN for almost $29. You can make your own shaker cards for under a dollar with materials you can buy at Walmart.
You will first want to read my general hints and instructions. They can be found at this link.
What you will need:
- Acetate
- 2 mm craft foam
- Shaker parts for the inside (I use sequins or beads mostly)
- Cardstock
- Xyron Create a sticker machine or liquid glue
- Printer
- Download File
Cutting the Foam and Other Parts
In the download files, the blue parts are cut from foam, the black part from acetate and the rest of the parts are print then cut images. You should use white cardstock to print them on.
Cut one design at a time (egg, basket, bunny) and cut out all the parts before you try to assemble the shaker.
I suggest that you cut the foam from a color close to the cardstock color you use. When cutting the foam on the maker, I have found you need a little more pressure than the craft foam setting. The Air cuts twice and does fine.
Assembling the Fancy Easter Shakers
Before you start assembling, run the pieces of foam through the Xyron Sticker Machine putting glue on the foam side without the paper. Leave the center piece inside the outline until after it is run through the Xyron. This makes cleaner glue edges. If you don’t have adhesive foam you will have to run the foam through the Xyron twice, flipping it over for the second pass.
I have found it easier to build from the bottom up, so first put down your solid back on the work surface. Then remove the paper from one of the pieces of foam and stick it to the base. The foam will flex slightly if you need it to. Then put the other piece of foam exactly on top over the first piece, building it up. Don’t put the acetate on yet.
Adding Shaker Parts
Next put your shaker parts (sequins, beads or whatever ) in the center carefully avoiding the glue on the edge. You can add a little or a lot. Your choice, but if you add too much it won’t shake well.
Lastly, put the acetate over the foam to seal the bead area. Be sure the chamber is sealed all the way around. Believe it or not, the most common mistake is to forget the acetate when assembling your shaker.
You can now put the cardstock outline over the acetate. Glue it with liquid glue.
The Fancy Easter Shakers are now ready to attach to your card or whatever you are making. Enjoy!
