Oh, plastic Easter grass, although you are a sweet reminder of my own childhood, I really have no place in my home for you. You’re messy. You’re clingy. You’re plastic-y. You’re earth-unfriendly. I see you for sale. (And by the way, thanks for reminding me that Easter is just a few weeks away.) But still, I won’t add you to my cart.

No, I’m cooking up something greener than (plastic) grass this year. OK, so it’s more “shredding” than “cooking,” but you get what I’m saying. I’m using shredded paper scraps to line my baskets this year, and I’m really excited by how cute this is turning out to be!

Repurpose your scrapbook scraps. Use shredded scraps to stuff Easter and gift baskets! via simplify101.com

These are all scraps from a pastel line of papers. I bought these a very long time ago, and since then the bits and scraps have been accumulating. We’ve used these papers a ton, and honestly, I’m not sure how much more I can look at these! I don’t like to toss paper scraps into the recycle bin because I know a eventually I’ll find a use for it…like right now! 😉

In the past, our Easter baskets have been lined with tissue paper (repurposed from gift bags we received), paper shreds repurposed from other gift baskets, and even nothing at all. No lining at all was my least favorite. It’s just hard to make the basket cute with nothing to help hold things in position. I did like repurposing gift basket paper shreds, and honestly that’s what made me think to make my own with paper scraps.

But here’s the best part. Guess what’s going to happen to the shreds once Easter has come and gone? They’re going into a bag of other papers we’ve shredded to donate to the local pet shelter. Did you know many pet shelters can use shredded paper for pet bedding? I discovered this last fall when our daughter asked to bag up our paper shreds for the shelter when her school was doing a drive for supplies. (I love when my kids teach me things.) Anyway, I really think this is a great way to repurpose all our shredded paper.

Shredded scrapbook paper in place of Easter "grass" via simplify101.com

Here is what my stuffed baskets look like with the shredded paper scraps. What do you think? I love them. I love that this paper can go on to be repurposed or recycled. I love that this was free. And best of all, I love how they look!

If you make Easter baskets, do you use anything to stuff them? What do you do with your bits and pieces of paper scraps?