Make simple May Day Baskets with over 10 how-to tutorials. If you’re as happy for springtime weather as I am, you’ll want to grab some supplies and get ready for fun! This is one of our most loved family traditions!
It is super easy to Celebrate May Day with these easy to make May Day Baskets and you will be so glad you did! You will especially love the printable templates. All you need to do is download, print, cut and fold your way to a cute basket to bring spring cheer to someone special.
What is May Day?
In some parts of the United States, May baskets are made as part of the May Day tradition, a celebration of Spring that can include activities like a maypole dance and crowning a queen of May. May baskets are small baskets usually filled with flowers or treats, left anonymously on someone’s doorstep. The giver rings the bell and runs away. We call it the ding and dash!
Printable May Day Gift Tags
These tags are perfect to attach to any May Day Basket. They can be printed on any color of cardstock. I used kraft colored cardstock for these tags.
May Day Poem
These gift tags have a cute little poem. Find unique containers at the Dollar Store or a thrift shop and fill with flowers. A child-sized watering can worked perfect!
April shower bring May flowers,
And what do these May flowers bring?
Happy thoughts and sunshine smiles
And wishes for a wonderful Spring.
How to make May Day Baskets
May Day Baskets can be as simple as you like. Most baskets are made from a piece of paper rolled into a cone shape, which is perfect for holding a bouquet of fresh flowers. To make this gift, just use the printable basket template complete with a gift tag. This template is made so you can print on patterned scrapbooking paper.
{Printable May Day Basket Template}
If you want to print a basket and be ready to go, this darling printable basket is the way to go. Download, print, cut and fold. Complete with a selection of cute gift tags. Fill with flowers and you are ready to go!
{The cutest Printable May Day Basket}
Fashion a basket out of crepe paper! These little baskets are the perfect size for a cupcake with a candy flower topper and a ricrac handle make them extra cute!
Some years because of the weather, homegrown or even store-bought live flowers might be hard to come by. If you find yourself in this situation and need something last minute to celebrate, print this basket on some fancy scrapbook paper and make homemade flowers with candy centers!
{Last Minute Printable May Day Basket}
Did you know that an old tin can makes a great recycled basket? Larger steel cans (like the kind spaghetti sauce comes in) are the perfect size for holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Drill a hole in each side of the can at the top and add a wire handle. Or for a larger arrangement, a big coffee can is perfect!
Another up-cycled craft for May Day is to use take out drink holders for your basket. Kids will have fun decorating the cardboard containers. These sturdy and absorbent drink holders are perfect for holding some potted bedding plants, another great solution if you find your own garden flower supply limited.
Petunias add a beautiful scent of spring to your basket – and you can hot glue miniature candy bars to flower picks to make the basket extra sweet. Chocolate is appreciated all year round!
{Up-cycled Drink Holder May Day Basket}
You can even fold up paper to make your own basket. This craft also makes a great classroom activity for Mother’s Day or any end-of-the-year springtime celebration.
{How to make a paper folded basket}
How about turning candy into butterflies and worms to adorn your gift basket? This recycled can has a beautiful wrapper that any child can decorate!
No flowers? No problem! Hot glue a seed packet to a stick and they can grow their own! Or fill with cute flower crafts, candy and crepe paper for a sweet and super simple springtime gift.
{How to make candy bugs for your May Day Basket}
Baskets purchased from the Dollar Store can make great May Day baskets! Make your own gift tag or print off the gift tags above.
{Inexpensive Ideas for May Day Baskets}
There is still time to celebrate! These little flower pot wraps will make a great last-minute May Day Basket! Gather a few supplies, and you will be ready to “ding and dash” and spread some springtime cheer.
These are perfect when you don’t yet have flowers in your yard, because all the garden centers are full of bedding plants and you can usually purchase a large flat for a couple of dollars. We especially like geraniums because not only are they vibrant and cheery, they are hardy and will last for years as a house plant.
{How to make a decorative cover for a flower container}
What is the History of May Day?
In the United States, the tradition of hanging May baskets on neighbors’ doors began in the 19th century. But May Day’s history is ancient – the spring festival has roots in pagan agricultural traditions, when people marked the beginning of planting season in the Northern Hemisphere and the holiday celebrated nature.
In the British Isles, the festival of Beltane marked the division between winter and summer, and when the Romans conquered that region, they incorporated it into their own culture by creating a goddess of flowers named Flora.
That is why so many of the May Day festival activities – like dancing around a maypole with ribbons and crowning a May Queen – involve fresh spring flowers and beautiful bright colors.
The post FUN & EASY May Day Baskets to Celebrate May Day appeared first on Skip To My Lou.