Materials:

Sheet of Styrofoam
Serrated kitchen knife
Candle
Toothpicks
Low-temp hot glue and gun
Fabric
Cardboard
Scissors
Metal ruler
Sewing machine
Two ribbon bows

1. Determine the size of the basket, and cut out Styrofoam pieces for all sides and the bottom. Cut a curved piece of Styrofoam in the shape of a basket handle.

2. Assemble the basket by sticking half a toothpick into the Styrofoam edges of the sides and hot-gluing them together. Attach the short ends of the basket to the bottom first, then the long sides.

3. Cut two small notches in the center of the two side pieces to attach the handle.

4. Cover the Styrofoam with fabric, starting with the outside of the basket. Cut a strip of fabric long enough to go all the way around the basket, with a little excess for overlapping, and to extend about 1" around the bottom and top. Start at one short end, and hot-glue the fabric near the corner. Wrap the fabric around the basket, fold the end under to finish the edge, and hot-glue the fabric to the beginning, overlapping to finish the edge.

5. Turn the box bottom side up. Miter the corners of the fabric, and hot-glue the 1" extension of the side fabric pieces to the bottom.

6. Cover a piece of cardboard cut slightly smaller than the outside dimensions of the bottom of the box with fabric. The fabric should be cut approximately 1/2" larger than the cardboard all the way around. Place the fabric wrong side up on the work surface, with the cardboard in the center of the fabric. Run a bead of hot glue around the perimeter of the cardboard, pull the fabric over the edges of the cardboard, and glue the fabric to the cardboard. Hot-glue the fabric-covered cardboard piece to the bottom of the box.

7. Fold the fabric over the top edges of the basket and hot-glue to the inside. Finish the inside of the basket by hot-gluing a strip of fabric around the insides. To finish the edge, fold the top edge of the fabric over 1/4" before gluing. Cover a piece of cardboard cut to fit the inside bottom of the basket with fabric as described above for the outside basket bottom, and hot-glue to the inside of the basket.

8. Cut two strips of cardboard to fit the top and underside of the basket handle. Hot-glue them to the top and underside of the Styrofoam handle. Stitch and turn a tube of fabric, and thread it onto the handle. Hot-glue the handle to the notched side pieces. Hot-glue a bow at the base of each handle.

Tips:

• When cutting Styrofoam, use a serrated kitchen knife. Run the blade along a candle to wax it for easier cutting.

• Place a metal ruler along the cutting line, and score the Styrofoam with the knife. Place the Styrofoam along the edge of a counter, and break it at the scored line.

• Smooth the cut edge of the Styrofoam by rubbing it against the edge of another piece of Styrofoam to "sand" it.

• Be sure to use low-temp hot glue on Styrofoam. High-temp glue will melt it.