Tag: Mother’s Day

May Day Gift Cones … DIY Project

by Trenda

“Dear old world … You are very lovely, And I am glad to be alive in you.”   ~ from Anne of Green Gables

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It’s May!  The darling month when everything seems possible.  Look at this sweet description of May Day from The Old Farmer’s Almanac established in 1792.

“With winter’s retreat, colts and calves kick up their heels and frisk over fresh grass, seedlings seek the sun, and birds call for mates….And we humans join their revels for one day: during spring’s “May Day” festival, even serious-minded folk put work aside to enjoy Nature’s exuberance!”

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Still quoting The Farmer’s Almanac … “Here are some joyful May Day traditions marking the return of spring and the renewed gift of life.

  1. Neighbors may leave baskets of flowers on each other’s doorsteps or doorknobs.
  2. Kids can go barefoot on May Day for the first time.
  3. People will crown a “May Queen” for the day’s festivities.
  4. Beekeepers will move bees on May 1st.
  5. Fishermen expect to catch fish on May Day.
  6. On May Day morning, if a maiden gathers dew before sunup and sprinkles her face with it, she will enjoy luck and youthful beauty for the rest of the year.
  7. Farmers often plant corn, cucumbers, and turnips on this day.
  8. Villagers may hold theatrical battles between “summer” and “winter” that banish the winter.
  9. The Kentucky Derby starts off the month of May (the first Saturday of the month).
  10. On May 1st, people in Britain welcome spring by “Bringing in the May,” or gathering cuttings of flowering trees for their homes.
  11. May 1st in Hawaii is called “Lei Day,” and people will receive prizes this day for wearing the prettiest handmade leis.”

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Hanging May Day baskets is an enchanting custom that is fun to incorporate into your own family traditions.  Sweet paper cones made from stock card paper with scalloped edges and ribbons are easy to make and are a delightful surprise to find. 

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  Supplies Needed:

  • stock card paper (double sided paper if you want a pattern on the inside and outside of your May Day cone)
  • scissors
  • scalloped edged scissors
  • ribbon
  • shredded paper or tissue paper
  • craft glue 
  • florist vials, if using fresh flowers
  • candy, flowers, little gifts, etc.

 

Instructions:

  1. Cut stock card paper into a 7-inch square (I used double-sided stock paper to have prints on both the outside and inside of my May Day gift cones
  2. Use decorative scissors to cut scallops around the top edge of the square
  3. Place pencil tip at the bottom of the paper and begin rolling paper around pencil tip to form cone
  4. Secure outer flap of cone with glue 
  5. Punch holes along scalloped edge approximately 1″ apart, beginning at the top front center
  6. Thread a 22″ – 24″ length of 1/2″ ribbon through the holes
  7. Tie ribbon into bow in the front … leaving a 6″ loop at the back of the cone for hanging
  8. If using fresh flowers, use florist vials and fill with water and flower stems  to tuck into the cone, or fill with shredded paper or tissue paper and fill cone with silk flowers,candy, little gifts, etc.

instructions

What a lovely surprise to find hanging on your door … a May Day gift cone filled with silk flowers, a package of “Ferrero Rocher, fine hazlenut chocolates” and Unicorn Sparkle Nail Polish. (:

May Day Basket 2

 This sweet little May Day cone is filled with silk flowers, a tube of lipstick, and a small bottle of perfume.

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Hope your May Day is filled with lots of sunshine and happy surprises!

From my cottage to yours May Day

From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda

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Mother’s Day Tablescape and DIY favors

~ Trenda

“All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my  angel mother.”  Abraham Lincoln

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 Happy Mother’s Day!  It has been a beautiful weekend packed with time spent with all of our dear children and grandchildren … and today was a perfect day for a Mother’s Day dinner served outside on the deck!  Adding a touch of sweetness and “gracing” our table, I used the DIY place cards and DIY napkin rings (click here for instructions!) that I taught you how to make earlier this week! (:

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Crocheted Battenberg lace place mats match the “grid work” of the antique wrought iron chairs.  This beautiful table belonged to my grandmother … a cherished gift to me from my mother. 

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A bright floral napkin ensconces each white napkin edged with Battenberg lace – both are slipped into DIY Spring napkin rings (click here for instructions!) and a matching DIY place card, “reserves” each seat!

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I was delighted when I found these charming green bowls on one of our “antique-ing excursions!”  The bowls look like little cabbages and for this tablescape, I used them to hold Sweeteners.  Carrying out the spring/garden theme and adding some whimsy,  I placed some miniature cabbage teapots under a domed pedestal plate.

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Crystal glasses are ready to be filled with Southern iced tea and water.  The rose blush stemware is a beloved gift from a dear little boy … many Mother’s Days ago ❤  fulldeck view.png

Both tables on the deck are set … the round table holds all the “overflow” serving dishes and is used as a buffet with plenty of chairs and built-in benches to seat everyone.   A favorite Villeroy and Boch “Country French” covered dish waits for Homemade Chicken Florentine and Noodle Soup. 

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Ready for dinner!  Look how darling the napkin rings and place cards are!

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Now, one more DIY project to show you … I made these sweet little favor boxes to send home with each of our “guests!”  If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you know I love making favors or treat bags for our “get-together’s.

favors.png I bought a package of these little boxes at Hobby Lobby on the party aisle where the crepe paper and favor bags are.  They are called Gable boxes and they come 12 to a package for only $3.99. (Download the Hobby Lobby App to get 40 percent off  on one regular priced, that can be used each time you shop at Hobby Lobby!) Using my Recollection tag die-cutter, I punched out tags from stock card in a variety of Spring colors and stamped them with bird nests, “For You” and a filigree frame (I wrote each guest’s name inside the frame) and used my hole puncher to punch a hole in each colored tag. Then, I filled each favor box with a fine sparkly shredded grass, nestled in some individually wrapped chocolates, tied a ribbon around each box and added a “set” of tags (1 of each … a bird nest tag, a “For You” tag and a filigree frame with the guest’s name on it) and tied them on to the ribbon of each favor.

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 “FOR YOU” … favor boxes are waiting by the front door to be given with goodbye’s and final hugs; a sweet remembrance of another special day together.

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This is the second Mother’s Day my own dear mother has been in heaven; I miss her every day and continually think of her, particularly on this special day.  What a blessing it was to be her daughter!  Her love, inner strength, joy, contentment and faith in Christ continue to be an inspiration to me.  “I’ll love you forever, like you for always, Mom” ❤

” … her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’  Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.  Honor her for all that her hands have done …”  Proverbs 31:28-31

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Sending you a bit of our lovely day!  Hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day!

From my cottage to yours  ~  Trenda 

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Mother’s Day DIY place cards and napkin rings

~ Trenda

tablescape .png“Tra la! It’s May! The lusty month of May!”  Vanessa Redgrave sang in the Broadway musical, CAMELOT. The charming but now archaic definition of lusty, according to Merriam-Webster is merry and joyous.  Looking out our open screen door to blue skies and hearing the birds joyously “tra-la’ing” as they go merrily about picking up choice “bits and pieces” to line and feather their nests, it is definitely “the lusty month of May!”  The month of May is filled with promise, celebrations and events. One of the preparations I enjoy the most before any holiday or get together is getting the table ready and “dressed” for the occasion. Look at these darling place cards I made with matching grapevine napkin rings; perfect for a woodland theme Bridal shower, a Spring Tea Party or Mother’s Day Brunch!

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I bought a package of plain white place-cards and my mini grapevine wreaths from Hobby Lobby.  Then I took my scalloped die-cut punch and punched along the bottom of the place-card.  To decorate each place card I hot glued “a bit” of ivy in the left hand corner of the place-card, placing it so the greenery “peeked” over the top and softened the corner of the card.  On each piece of greenery, I glued a single blossom from a silk hydrangea and some tiny pink flower buds.  For the final touch and to “blend” the look of the tiny posy … I glued individual pieces of assorted “fillers” I had from making other floral arrangements.  ie: tiny ivy leaves, eucalyptus, birch twigs … Then I wrote the name of each of our “guests” on the place-cards.

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After I finished all the place cards I needed, I started making my mini-grapevine napkin rings. I used the same technique and materials making these that I used making my place cards, so all would match.

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“Tra-la!”  (:   All done!  Time to set the table with all these charming “accroutements!” for an enchanting, Mother’s Day tablescape … pictures on my next blog!  (;  

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“… let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

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From my cottage to yours  ~  Trenda

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I’m delighted you read my blog today!  Please click on FOLLOW in my post above or on my site cottagegreenonthelake.com and follow prompts to have all my blogs delivered directly to your email address.