Victorian May Day Flower Cones

My husband says he's never heard of this tradition, so I will explain it in the way my grade school teacher explained it to us when my class made May Day baskets out of strawberry boxes: Little baskets full of flowers are hung on people's front doorknobs on the first of May, as a kind and neighborly gesture. Victoria magazine goes into more detail about this tradition, if you would like to know more:http://victoriamag.com/article.aspx?id=5484

I recently found these incredibly ugly party hats on clearance for 28 cents. I was happy to find such a cheap base for making flower cones and the sales clerk seemed pretty happy to see them leave the store, as well.



The first step, with these particular hats, was to remove the tinsel around the edge. Then the elastic strap was removed.

This pattern was used to cut out fabric or decorative paper to cover each cone (print as a full sheet of paper):


The fabric or paper was then painted with Mod Podge on the back side and wrapped around the cone, smoothing out any wrinkles.



After the Mod Podge dried, a one-hole hole punch was used to make a hole over the area on each side of the cone, where the elastic band had been attached.



The cones were then decorated with doilies, lace, ribbons, stickers, and graphics from The Graphics Fairy website. Sheer ribbons were tied through the holes on each cone to make a handle for hanging.

The decorations can be as simple:





or as complicated, as you choose. It's all up to personal taste.



One thing I discovered, is that it is easy to spray paint doilies, if you would like a color other than white.

When the cone is completed, pick a bouquet of flowers, wrap the stems in a wet paper towel, and place the wrapped stems in a sandwich-sized plastic bag. Use a twist tie or string to secure the bag around the stems.



Place the flowers in the cone.

It is ready to brighten someones day!



The same project can be accomplished by making a cone out of a cereal box.

Used this pattern, printed as a full sheet of paper:


Cut out the pattern, trace around it on a flattened, large cereal box, and cut it out. One large box should be big enough to make two cones



or two party hats.



Blaze is going to be passing these flower cones out to the teachers that I work with and his therapists.