spring fever: simple and easy may day baskets {dailybuzz 9×9}

Our backyard bougainvillea is blooming and taking over, and I thought I would use some cuttings to share one of my favorite spring traditions.  When I was a little girl, my sisters and I would always make May Day baskets to pass around the neighborhood.  My kids and I did a little trial run making some baskets, and they are already talking about doing it again on May 1st.  I am a self-confessed non-crafter, and this is a very simple, cheap and easy project that kids can complete with very little help.  It’s also a great project for community building – my neighbors loved the little gesture and we had a blast passing them out. To get started, you will need some fresh flowers, some craft paper, some tape, and some scrap ribbon.  Since we had an overabundance of bougainvillea that’s what we used, but as a kid I remember hunting for wildflowers (which probably involved a lot of dandelions and other weeds).  I usually keep scrap ribbon from gifts or packaging in a basket in the garage, so I picked a couple pieces that looked like spring.  The craft paper was a scrapbooking pad I bought at Michael’s, but construction paper would do as well. To make a cone, you want to cut a semicircle into the paper about an inch from the top.  It doesn’t need to be exact.  I drew a line on the back of each child’s paper so they could cut independently.   Then, its as easy as shaping the paper into a cone and securing it with tape. Next, cut a piece of ribbon and secure each end to the cone.  Stuff with flowers . . . And voila! Now the fun part . . . time to hang the flowers on the doors of the houses in our neighborhood. Karis spotted some flowers along the way, so with the neighbors permission, we fortified our arrangements with a bit more color.   One neighbor took a basket and traded it for a huge bunch of kale.  Jafta loves kale chips, so he was feeling pretty lucky about that trade. See what a couple of flowers can get you? Last basket! The kids had a blast passing them out, and I’m still getting thanks from the neighbors. Did you make May Day baskets as a child? {Karis and India’s dresses courtesy of Pippen Lane}