Friday, May 1, 2009

May Day Flower Cones


Happy May Day, everyone! May Day (May 1st) is celebrated in many places around the world. The traditions and stories surrounding May Day vary from place to place but there is one thing that is similar in most celebrations - the use of flowers! One of the most popularly known May Day traditions is to hang spring flowers and/or other small gifts on a neighbor's doorknob. One fun and easy way to do this is by using homemade paper cones. Here I show you how to make a small one but you can easily adjust the size by starting with a larger piece of paper.

What you'll need:
7" square of paper (or larger if desired, 8" - 10" work well)
30" length of ribbon (longer for bigger cone)
decorative edged scissors
hole punch
craft glue or glue stick
flowers - fresh, silk, even paper


Use the decorative scissors to cut a scalloped edge (or other design of your choice) along two sides of the paper. These will be the top.


Lay the square flat, face side down, in a diamond shape and apply a dab of glue to the left point. Begin rolling the cone using a pencil to shape the bottom point and hold the glue corner in place until secure.


Next you will punch the holes for the ribbon. Punch three in the front, one on either side and two in the back (see photos for reference). Begin threading the ribbon from the back, putting one end in each back hole, leaving a length to use as the hanging loop.


From the inside, thread the ribbon back out through the next holes, back inside through the outer front holes and finally both ends to the front through the middle hole. Tie a bow and you are done! This size cone will hold a small sprig or a handful of daises or tulips but you can start with a larger square of paper to hang a more impressive bouquet. About 10" is the largest piece of paper you would want to use.



Now all you have to do is fill it and find a doorknob to hang it on! Wouldn't it be a lovely surprise to come home to or wake up to tomorrow morning? And don't worry if you are a day or two late, this May Day tradition can be celebrated through the weekend.

Find more fun and easy craft projects here.

19 comments:

Brenda said...

So pretty and such a lovely tradition - I have fond memories of leaving doilies filled with flowers for the elderly widows in my neighborhood as a kid! :)

Illuminated Perfume said...

Oh, I love this so much! I am linking to this on my May Day blog post for today. Happy May Day Lillyella!!

SarahBeeCreations said...

I love May Day. We used to make little woven paper hearts with handles to hang on doors.
Thank you for bringing back the memories!

Dennice {Fringe} said...

Pure enchantment!

Happy May Day, everyone!

Leila Marvel said...

So alluring, I love it!

June Shin said...

What a great idea! I love it!

Cottage In The Sun said...

What a beautiful idea!

f2images said...

How charming! And you make it look so easy! I wish I had more time to be crafty!

xo
Emi ;)

Beadin By The Sea said...

What a beautiful idea and your instructions make it look so easy to make. Thanks for sharing!

Bette's Bags said...

Thank you for sharing this. It brought back some wonderful childhood memories.

Nicole said...

You always have such beautiful and inspiring DIY projects! I still have yet to try any myself, but they're all bookmarked and waiting for me. :-)

Thanks for posting another great project!

Jewelry By Artwark (all works COPYRIGHT) said...

i love this!!! so pretty :)

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

Beautiful! I saw these over on iDIY. What a great idea for weddings. I'll be linking if you don't mind.

Manualidades said...

Magnífica idea! Gracias!

Amanda said...

Oh I love this, all of your projects are amazing!

Linked you:
http://kindovermatter.blogspot.com/2009/07/diy-double-shot.html

Peace to you!

nouchka said...

thank you for this good idea, it's really cute

Unknown said...

I was looking for a how-to for this project and found your site. Yours are lovely. Mine will be arriving on doorknobs soon! Thanks.

singapore florist said...

so creative. it's adorable looking at the finishing touch.

Love from Valentine day flowers :)

Anonymous said...

I used this idea for my wedding last year and it was just beautiful. I made little paper cones and filled them with flowers from my mother's garden. People loved them and now I cherish them!