It is about time to make May Baskets.
I have the basket part made...working on the decorations....they will be an animal.
They can be as simple as a cup filled with candy...or flowers...whatever you like to surprise someone.
It is a tradition that I have been able to participate in for over 70 years.
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May Day is on Thursday, you have time to make a May Basket and give it to a small child, a neighbor or a friend. It doesn't have to be fancy just a cup or paper folded with a treat inside. Here is a link to one of the simple May Baskets that I have made.
Mine are in process hopefully I will have them done by Thursday. Yesterday afternoon was spent with my die cutting machine making all the parts. The candy was purchased last week.
I have been celebrating May Day for about 72 years.
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My Mom and I in 1953.
Far Guy is holding his own for now. Must be the excellent care from the day and night nurse!
Far Side
We had rain all day yesterday. No blue skies or jet trails or aircraft sparkling in the sunlight.
April showers bring May flowers or so they say. We are thankful for the rain as everything is real dry here, the chances of wildfire are high. Looks like it may rain a few days.
We ran an errand to town, Far Guy needed some special gasket for his old car Tilly. I needed wanted some different paper for May Baskets. We both accomplished our tasks.
Yes it is May Day next Wednesday...so be thinking what kind of May Basket you can share with a small child, a neighbor or a friend! It doesn't have to be fancy... just fun!
May Day kinda snuck up on me...but I have the whole rainy weekend to putz with paper.
Far Side
I have been playing with paper. The weather has been cloudy/rainy and cool...so time is best spent doing something inside. I made good use of my die cutter to cut out everything!
Pink parts of May Baskets
They are pretty little pig May baskets. I finished them last night...they just need some candy and they will be all set to go on May Day!
Perhaps this is the reminder you need to make a basket or two. I made 25. I will take some into my Mom at Assisted Living and she can share some with the residents there. They should certainly make someone smile!
Far Side
Making May Baskets has begun. May Day happens in six days...so you better get crackin' with the making of the baskets.
The dining table was a flurry of activity over the weekend. I rather like playing with paper. I can be in my own little world, minding my own business.
I happened onto half price Easter Candy at Wally World...love it when Easter and May Day are close together.
I have 28 baskets completed. I need to get a bright piece of tissue paper to stuff inside before they are stuffed with candy.
Far Side
The May basket this year is an owl. I am undecided if I want to put a handle on the baskets...most likely...anyways the playing with the paper and glue is now done. They await handles and candy. This year I made 24 May Baskets.
They are all different..cause I am easily bored. You have plenty of time to find a simple design and make a May Basket for a friend or a neighbor! I missed doing May Baskets last year due to Covid...
There is a new Mosaic CAL (Crochet Along) starting in May. It is a beautiful patchwork afghan. I bought the pattern and proceeded to order the yarn...oh all those colors to choose from...I didn't want it too dark...because darker colors are harder on old eyes. I was supposed to order three colors and 23 skeins then I added another color that Far Guy liked so 26 skeins should show up later this week and I can do a practice square. This gal has a really good way of taking care of all the ends with the color changes so you have minimal ends...we will see. It took me over an hour to decide on my colors.
In the meantime I am working on a baby blanket. With our weather taking a nose dive I should be able to finish it this week.
I brought in the solar bird bath fountain and all of the glass rain gauges so they won't freeze and break.
Far Side
We finally got a bit of sun, probably won't last long ...the S word is in the forecast. It is not my fault either...I was tempted to put the snow shovels away...but I didn't want to tempt fate.
Far Guy changed oil and the oil filter on my lawn mower...so it is ready to go!
My baby brother, his bride and Baxter visited with us in the afternoon. Baxter has sure grown while he was gone...I will take some photos of the cute little bugger soon.
I caught up on laundry, cleaned the bathroom and in the evening we watched the miserable Hockey Championship.
I worked on some of the May Baskets while watching the miserable game. St Cloud lost.
The other day when we were out and about we watched for protesters ...didn't see any but heard there was a bunch of arrests. I am sure they were out by the next day...
This is Line 3 that will carry oil from Canada to Lake Superior. It replaces an older line and will be safer than the old line.
In other news I heard that a major highway will be closed all summer because they are putting buggy lanes in. Making it safer for the people who use horse drawn buggies.
Far Side
Alrighty then time to use up some of those odd craft supplies. Certainly you know someone that would smile when you give them a May Basket on May 1st…someone next door or down the street, or in that coffee shop, an elderly person that may remember this old tradition or a youngster that may recall it one day.
I have my supplies:
This year I have Dixie Cups, Origami Paper(That didn’t work out for another project) and red chenille stems.
I cut the Origami Paper into different shapes and decoupaged it onto the cups added a handle and viola it is a May Day Basket.
I have May Day Candy on my grocery list! Then I will be all set!
Here are some more ideas for you. May Baskets through the years. Not fancy..not expensive. Just fun!
May Baskets 2010 Tutorial
May Baskets 2011 Tutorial
May Baskets 2012 Bee Basket Tutorial
May Basket 2013 Red Cup with Heart Tutorial
May Basket 2014 Triangular Shaped Basket
I hope you will help me bring alive this old tradition by decorating one basket to give away to a neighbor or a friend…you can also fill the baskets with flowers!
I got started on the May Baskets. Last week I searched for an idea. I found one here for a Bee Bouquet.
I headed to the local “Dime Store”..I am not sure why I call it that..nothing there costs a dime anymore.
I needed colored paper and pipe cleaners.
This is the first one I made..the prototype..the others are in process on my desk.
It is taking longer than I thought. It is putzy work, but I love playing with paper. Cutting and gluing and creating.
This is what I used. I made my own pattern. The black piece is cut out of a 12 x 12 piece of black paper. I could get three sometimes four wings out of the blue 12 x 12 paper. The yellow strips are torn. I used my heart punches for the eyes. Three pipe cleaners are used per bee.
Fold the black piece into a cone shape..then staple in place.
Glue on some yellow torn stripes.
Glue on the yellow hearts for eyes and then the black.
Form one pipe cleaner into the antennae and staple into place.
Punch holes into both sides of the cone and add two pipe cleaners to form the handle.
Position the wings and staple them on.
Add a smile and heart shaped eyes with a silver pen.
Fill with candy or flowers.
On May 1st you take the May Basket and put it on someone's door. You knock on the door or ring the door bell. Then you run..if you are caught you might be kissed!
I challenge you to bring in the May with me on May 1st. I will report back on May 2nd with a blog post and photos of my deliveries on May Day…and possibly an old photo of me on May Day a long time ago.
I have celebrated May Day as long as I can remember. I made baskets with my brothers and my sister. I made baskets with my children. Now my children make May Baskets with their children. Now I make May Baskets to deliver to my great nieces and nephews..some day they will remember me as the old woman who used to bring them candy in a basket on the first day of May:)
I like May Day. It should be a Holiday..it is USUALLY warmer May 1st..warmer than say Halloween or Valentines Day. May Day should be promoted by someone besides me. Perhaps you can mention it to a non May Day person..or better yet take them a May Basket..it is not too late..you have the rest of the day.
Lets look at May Day 1954..I was a very tall 2 years and 8 months old. My baby brother was just a little over a month old, way to little to be outside in the snow.
That is my dog in the background..My parents cannot remember his name..I think it was Frosty..because he was white. My maternal Grandparents always saw to it that I had a dog.
It snowed that May Day. It snowed last night.
The wind is blowing and the snow is stacking up on the ground..so far it is not melting. Winter has returned. I have had it with winter..I could take the rain..but the snow is fairly depressing.
I want spring..and I want it now! This is what spring should look like…
This is the picture tree that is in the old black and white photo. It is a Honeysuckle. Barb has Lupines and Iris planted nearby. After all these years the picture tree still retains its haphazard form.
The tree is older than me. It is still in the yard at the farm. With the same hedge of lilacs in the background…they will all bloom in late May or early June if it ever stops snowing. 
The fragrance of the Honeysuckle blooms will attract every bee in the area..I will look up at the blooms again..just like when I was a little girl.
Happy May Day and Happy Birthday to Hunter who lives next door..he is thirty something now:)
Are you thinking about May Day? Are you thinking about making a small basket to deliver to a small child or an elderly neighbor? You still have time..May Day is Sunday.
This is how I made mine this year.
I cut some fancy strips on my 12 inch wavy pattern, that is the red round cutter in the background.
Then you flip flop one over the other so it looks like a braided handle…sometimes they curl up on you are are hard to photograph.
This one didn’t curl..and looky that I have half of a circle…to make a cone!!
I stapled my cone on the seam.
I have been celebrating May Day since I was just a little girl. It is almost a forgotten tradition. I hope it gains in popularity.
Make a basket, hang it on the door knob or set it near the door, knock on the door or ring the bell..and run away so you are not caught and kissed:)
When I was little May first was one of my favorite days. Here in Minnesota, we celebrated the first day of May by making small baskets, and filling them with goodies. The baskets went into a cake pan and then we hopped into the car and delivered them. We delivered them to old ladies and children, you drove into their yard, ran from the car to the house as fast as your little legs would carry you, knocked on the door and then left the May Basket on the door knob. Then you ran back to the car, if they came out of the door before you made it safely back to the car... you ran willy nilly all over their yard..so that they couldn't catch you and kiss you. Once all your deliveries were made, you hurried home to watch for cars to come down your drive..and for kids to coming running up to your door. So you could chase them around your yard.
