This is a simple hybrid craft aimed at beginners using Photoshop. Since Easter is just around the corner, an Easter basket is straightforward to make and can be decorated in many different ways.
Firstly, I created a template in Photoshop. This is available as a download in a .psd file and separate .png files for those of you who do not have Photoshop.

1) Change each layer to the background you want. Start with the basket base, making sure you have the layer highlighted (click on the base layer in the layers palette).

2) Open up the paper you want to use as the basket base, and then drag this onto the basket template. This is done by clicking on the move tool in the tools palette, then left click with your mouse on the paper. Keep the left mouse button pressed down and drag the paper onto the basket template. You should end up with something that looks similar to picture 2.

Don’t worry if your paper is not just above the basket base.  All you have to do to correct this is to highlight the paper in the Layers Palette, keep the left mouse button pressed down and then drag the paper layer so that it is just above the basket base.

3) Then create a clipping mask. Right-click on the new paper layer and click on Clipping Mask.

4) Right-click on the clipping mask in the layers palette and Merge Down. This “fixes” the paper into the basket base.

5) Alternatively, you can copy and paste the paper inside the base and sides of the basket.  This is done by using the Magic Wand Tool (it’s the one that looks like a magic wand in the toolbar!)
Make sure you are on the layer you want to work on (side 1 in my case) and then click on the item you want to change i.e. the side of the basket. You should then get the “marching ants” (a black dotted line) around it.

6) Then go to the paper you want to use in the basket side or base, and copy this. Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool on the tool bar (just underneath the Move Tool) to highlight all the paper or just the part you want to use and then either use Ctrl+C or Edit> Copy.

7) Go back to the basket template and making sure you are on the layer you want to change, use Shift+Ctrl+V (Edit> Paste Into) to insert the paper into the base or side of the basket.

You will probably find that the paper, especially if it is patterned or designed to go a particular way, does not look quite right. This is where the Transform Tool comes in and this can be found by going to Edit>Free Transform or Ctrl+T. Make sure you are on the inserted paper layer and you should see a black line (with circles in each corner and squares in the middle of each side) around the paper.

8 ) Keep the shift button pressed down (this maintains the proportions of the paper) and drag the edge of the marching ants to where you want it to go. You may need to play around with each corner to get the paper to fit right.

As you can see from picture below, my patterned paper does not fit correctly into the side of the basket so I had to keep reducing the size until it fit.

9) It is then a case of repeating this with the other three sides of the basket and the handles. Remember to make sure your paper will be the right way round when the basket is printed out so rotate any papers that are the wrong way round using the Transform Tool. My final selection was as shown below:

10) Then print the basket out, cut it out and bend back the sides as shown in the picture:

11) Stick the basket together, fix the handle and inner handle on and then fill with mini chocolate eggs.

Now my only problem is to avoid eating the eggs between now and Easter!

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