These DIY Strawberries Are Perfect for Spring Decorating

1. Paint the Egg

   Pour some acrylic craft paint onto a paper plate. Using a paintbrush, coat an egg shape (From 100 for $18, Smile Mercantile); let dry. We played with both reds and deep pink hues for a little more visual interest.

   Put a bit of peach acrylic craft paint onto a paper plate. Dip the pointed end of a bamboo skewer into the peach paint and dab the strawberry surface to create the seeds of the fruit; let dry.

2. Make the Crown

   Use green cardstock and a flower-shape craft punch ($11, Amazon) to create the strawberry crown. Put the paper inside the punch and give it a squeeze to cut out a perfect shape.

3. Make the Leaves

   Use pinking shears to cut crepe paper leaves. We did this freehand to give our shapes an irregular look. The creases in the crepe paper add a playful dimension that we liked, but you could also do this with cardstock for a stiff result. Pinking shears give the serrated look of real strawberry leaves.
   

4. Make the Flowers

   Use the light pink cardstock and the small daisy punch (3 for $22, Amazon) to make flowers. Put the paper inside the punch and squeeze to create a delicate bloom. Use a small hole punch to create a hole in the center.

5. Assemble the Flowers

   Once all the elements are painted or cut out, it’s time to assemble them into a berry. Start by cutting a 4-inch piece of floral stem using wire clippers. Glue a mini yellow pom-pom to one end of the wire. This will become the center of the flower. Thread the wire through the hole in the center of your flower so the pom-pom sits on top of the center. Glue the pom-pom onto the flower using clear, fast-drying craft glue; let dry. Repeat for desired number of flowers

6. Attach Berry Crown

   Glue the green berry crown to the top of the painted berry shape; let dry. 
   

7. Attach Strawberry Leaves and Stem

   Cut additional lengths of florists wire about 2 inches long and glue one to the back of each crepe paper leaf for a stem; let dry. Insert the wire ends into the center of the green crown. The wire shapes will hold without any additional adhesive. To make the stems curl, gently wrap them around a pencil once or twice to give each the look of a vine.
   

What Is Spun Cotton? 

A tightly spun cellulose tissue, spun cotton is an all-natural craft material in three-dimensional shapes that’s versatile and easy to use. The texture is not unlike watercolor paper, so it accepts paint and ink well. Glue adheres to spun cotton; it's one of the best ways to attach elements to the sturdy shapes. Spun cotton is available in many basic shapes like balls, eggs, cones, cylinders, bells—even specific figures like mushrooms or fruits and vegetables. Each comes with a small hole in the end.

Spun Cotton History

You’ve no doubt seen spun cotton crafts, even if you didn’t know it. They originated in 19th-century Germany and were often used to make Christmas ornaments. Those Victorian-era Christmas trees filled with glittery fruit? The ornaments were made from spun cotton. The original shapes were made by wrapping cotton batting around wire forms. As popularity spread, so did the craft—to other European countries, Russia, and Japan. We found our spun cotton egg shapes at Smile Mercantile, a company that sells spun cotton using old-world techniques. These blank shapes are gaining popularity in crafting of all types.