Happy May Day!

Have a wonderful May!!!!

Gifting Botanicals & Mother's Day

Here are some examples of "permanent botanicals" ie: silk and dried flowers that I used to sell in my Christian gift store:

Mother's Day, birthdays, house-warming, thinking of you, etc.:

There are such well-made ones these days. A pretty ribbon and message tag are all you need to add.

May Day / Mother's Day Flower Idea

My sweet daughter and I just had to pick some of our gorgeous backyard roses and bring them inside to enjoy. We selected the biggest pinkest blossoms we could find. And, of course, our pinkest vase. And also a pretty pink ribbon to match:

I decided to dress our flower vase up with a May Day idea - a green tag that reads "May God Bless Your May Day!" I printed the words with a green background design, then layered the paper onto some thin cardboard to make it stiff. With two small holes punched, it fit nicely onto the ribbon, which was wrapped around our square vase twice:

A simple touch like this would be lovely for Mother's Day, too!
(Sharing this post at DIY day at A Soft Place to Land.)

May Day Basket

Happy May Day ... almost! Time to plan May baskets for neighbors or friends! I made a paper cone to hold some roses from my garden. The roses are really filling out and smelling wonderful this week! I chose a palest pink and a budding lilac. [I have NO idea what their real rose plant names are - here at the Winters we go by color!] :-)I created my paper cone with a sheet of card stock. I spray-glued purple tissue paper to both sides, then rolled into shape. Secured the roll with double-sided tape. Trimmed the top edge with scallop-decorative scissors. Punched two holes for the ribbon that I used for my hanging loop -- one purple and one white twisted together. Then I created a tag using my new-to-me-garage-sale-steal giant tag punch. [LOVE IT!] Added "Happy May Day." Inserted the flower stems into those individual water picks, pop inside and I'm all set for gifting!!

Guesting, Giving, Charming

The uber-thoughtful, talented and multi-published writer, Holley Gerth, interviewed me yesterday! She's also hosting a giveaway of my book, Inspirational Home, AND one of my product designs.

To see what the "refreshing" product is, have a chance to win, and read a little bit about me, pop on over to heart to heart with Holley! Holley has a unique gift to connect with women through her writing. I hope you'll spend some time over there and get to know this special lady! :-)

You'll also find a charming idea for some of your spring blossoms. (May Day and Mother's Day are coming up!)Thank you, Holley!

Celebrate May Day!

I love May Baskets. Did any of you make these as a child? I remember making them in school ... along with dancing around the Maypole. We decorated little paper cups, poked holes in them, strung ribbon through to make a handle, filled them with assorted candy and then delivered them to our friends. For some reason, they were to be anonymous. So we hung them on the door knob or set them on the step, rang the bell and ran! Sounds very silly as I write this, but that is what we did.As an adult, I've enjoyed delivering May baskets filled with fresh flowers. Since it is not that common a tradition, I've been able to pleasantly surprise a number of friends and neighbors.

Consider sharing one or more yourself this May 1st with a little blessing sentiment attached. If using fresh flowers, be sure your "basket" can hold enough water. I decorated a plastic cup with a colorfully-patterned paper, punched holes for my cording handle, and printed out a little paper tag. Use simple blossoms from your garden if you have them, or pick up an inexpensive bouquet from the store and divide the stems between a few baskets. The surprise is the most fun, so don't fret too much about buying expensive flowers - or use candy instead.

Let me know how it goes!!