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Wednesday, April 22, 2015

A Tisket, A Tasket

I'm Making May Day Baskets!

What's It Wednesday #163
It's almost here, May Day! The first of May is a traditional spring holiday observed in Europe and America. The best-known traditions are dancing around a maypole and crowning The May Queen.

Growing up in a small town in an even smaller school, I remember this pageantry as a charming celebration of Spring.

I was thrilled as a 2nd grader to be chosen as one of the flower girls who dropped the petals for the May Queen's entrance, and my sister's class danced and wrapped the May Pole. Ahh, sweet memories.

Since I can't go back in time I'm reviving another tradition from the past, the giving of "May Baskets". Small baskets of flowers or treats were left on neighbors doorsteps, with a knock and the sound of laughter and running feet, as the givers scampered away.

So, I've made a few fun ones to celebrate the day. This one is a sweet straw handbag filled with blooms. What a delight to find on your doorknob. (Remember, the container is also part of the gift!)

I used this vegetable basket as a vessel for an herb garden! What fun, I was tempted to keep this one.

This little guy is filled with strawberry plants already in bloom. The little magnet is a hint of what's to come.

I hope your May Day is filled with surprises and a couple of baskets too!
Hugs,
Patti

Thanks to all of you who partied with us last week. Please link up and join us again. Remember, it's not a party without you!

Ivy and Elephants


We are partying with these fine folks:
Come show off your whatchamacallits, what is its, what it once was, and "hey, look what I just did" posts. In other words, what you created, organized, designed or re-designed, found, purchased, transformed, inherited, re-purposed, renovated, are selling, or giving away.

46 comments:

Ana said...

Oh Patti,
What sweet traditions and memories. Thank you for sharing and hosting. I am partying with you all this week. Yay! Wishing you a wonderful rest of the week.

Hugs,
♥Ana

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

Love fun memories like this Patti! I love May Day and when I was a young girl in 5th grade I got to wind the May Pole at our grade school. So fun! Great features and thanks for hosting.
hugs,
Jann

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

Love fun memories like this Patti! I love May Day and when I was a young girl in 5th grade I got to wind the May Pole at our grade school. So fun! Great features and thanks for hosting.
hugs,
Jann

xinex said...

What a great idea and oh so cute!..Christine

Judy at GoldCountryCottage said...

Thank you, Patti, for hosting. I love this tradition and your May Baskets are all so charming. The strawberry is my favorite..Happy Tuesday..Judy

Lori @ Dining Delight said...

What great May Day baskets! Wish I was one of your neighbours - I'd like the herb one please! Thanks for hosting!

Heirloom treasures said...

How lovely,I love traditions,they are what create memories. Such sweet little baskets too. A lovely idea

Poppy said...

What lovely memories, Patti, of your school girl May Days! Your baskets are so pretty; I am enchanted with the sweet strawberry one, as I'm sure the lucky recipient will be!

Thanks for hosting and have a wonderful week!

Poppy

Cheryl said...

Love those baskets!! Great features, thanks for hosting!!

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

Patti, Such beautiful and happy memories, and the tradition you started is so elegant and kind. Your baskets are beautiful! What happy recipients they will be.

Thank you for featuring my library.

Have a wonderful week.
xoxo Su

A Sprinkle of This and That said...

What beautiful looking May Day baskets! They are totally inspiring my to put some together for neighbors! Thanks so much for featuring my Lemon Chicken! Have a wonderful week!

Magali@TheLittleWhiteHouse said...

Wow! You're a real basket... genius!

Liz@ HomeandGardeningWithLiz said...

That's a sweet tradition. I had never heard giving May baskets until I started blogging! Lucky the neighbor that gets one from you! Thanks for hosting!

Anonymous said...

Your baskets are super-cute! I love the herb garden!

Rita C at Panoply said...

Patti, I have 6 olders sisters, and one of them was chosen to be May queen, much to the dismay of the others, as I hear the story, lol. A fun post of simpler times - thank you, and thanks for hosting.
Rita C at Panoply

Anonymous said...

thank you for hosting and allowing me to be a part of your party :) I have always loved the tradition of the May Basket. I would love to see it revived again.

Unknown said...

So sad this is a lost tradition! I remember doing this in school, too! It was fun to leave baskets at the neighbors, ring the bell, and run. Thanks for the party!
Phyllis@grandparentsplus.com

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

What fun you've had with this! Thanks for the nice features and fun party! I'm excited to be joining this week, too! Sweet hugs, Diane

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Thanks so much for the party!!

Hugs,
Deb

Jemma@athomewithjemma said...

So precious, sweet and pretty! What a great way to welcome Spring and celebrate Earth Day!
Thank you for the party,
Warm Hugs,
Jemma

Tarnished Royalty said...

Patti, I love it that you're celebrating May Day! Each of your baskets are so uniquely creative. I love them all! ~Ann
Tarnished Royalty

Robyn said...

You hit my sweet spot, Patti, I just love baskets of all sorts and especially ones filled with flowers. Reminds me of when I got married in the country and the property was filled with beautiful baskets of flowers everywhere.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I loved hearing about your memories, too - isn't it wonderful to revisit such lovely times?
Thanks for hosting :) Hope you're having a great week!

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

Your May baskets are lovely...brings back sweet memories!

Row homes and Cobblestones said...

Patti,
I love learning about traditions and your lovely May baskets have inspired me to make one.
xx,
Vera

Our Hopeful Home said...

Patti, They're all adorable, but I love the forsythia one the best. My husband planted a forsythia bush for me last year and it's finally blooming! We had one growing up and my mom would always bring in cut branches to put in vases around the house....thanks for hosting and Happy May Day to you, too!
xokathleen

Linda said...

What a great way to welcome Spring and celebrate Earth Day!

Thank you for hosting.

Linda

Lou Lou Girls said...

Hello cute lady! I love stopping by each week to party with you. It would be amazing if you would stop by our party. We Pin and Tweet Everything! Lou Lou Girls

Linda said...

Hi, Patti. Thanks for hosting and your May baskets are super. Linda@Wetcreek Blog

Nellie's Cozy Place said...

Hi Patti,
I remember my Mom talking about May
Day and dancing around the pole, but
I never experienced that first hand
unfortunately, as it sounds like a lot
of fun............
You have many beautiful baskets and
the blessed recipients are gonna be very thrilled. What a sweet idea!
Thanks too for hosting this fun party.
Blessings, Nellie

Christina Paul said...

Such a fun post! May day has such lovely traditions- Thanks so much for featuring my May Day cupcake baskets!

Jacqueline~Cabin and Cottage said...

We never observed any May Day traditions when I was growing up. But my heart always gives a happy leap on the first day of May. No time like the present to start!

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for the party. The baskets are lovely. I don't blame you for wanted to keep the herb basket. We celebrated May Day at my elementary school too. I remember wrapping the May pole. And whosoever raised the most money was the May Day queen.

Deanies Stash said...

Patti, those May baskets are so fun! When I was growing up we always made them in school to hang on a neighbor's door or our own front door. In my high school it was and still is the tradition to have a May Day festival and the senior girls wind the maypole.

Alessandra said...

What sweet memories and beautiful basket! I wish i was one og your neighbours!!!
Hugs
Alessandra

My thrift store addiction said...

Love your May Day baskets ~ thanks for the party!

Red Rose Alley said...

Patti,
These baskets are delightful. I really liked all of them, but I think you know which one was my favorite...the pretty dried roses in the green basket. I liked the garden herbs too. How fun that you were chosen one of the flower girls for May Day in the second grade. What sweet memories you have on this festive day.

love, ~Sheri

Unknown said...

Dear Patti,
thank you so much for the lovely comment you left on my blog.I followed your invitation and I´m partying with you this week.Your May Baskets look all so beautiful.In our little town there will be a birch tree set up to celebrate the May Day.Have a wonderful weekend.
Hugs
Caroline
p.s. I´m a new follower <3

AnnMarie aka Vintage Junkie aka NaNa said...

I never heard of May day or making May baskets but I love the idea!! Yours are just beautiful and would be so much fun to find on the door.

Karen said...

Thanks for hosting! Those May baskets are soo sweet, lucky are the folks who will be receiving them.Beautiful Features too.

Betsy@My Salvaged Treasures said...

What a nice surprise it would be to see one of your pretty May Day baskets hanging on my doorknob. Thanks for all the history and for sharing at Vintage Inspiration Party.

Villrose said...

...a brown and yellow basket!
(I love baskets)

Must have been great to be a flower girl :)

Dee said...

What wonderful memories and I love all of those charming May Day baskets.

Have a delightful week... :)

The Charm of Home said...

Beautiful baskets! Thanks for joining HSH!
Sherry

Lou Lou Girls said...

Hello beautiful! We love partying with you! Please come and party with us. We love to pin and tweet your masterpieces! Lou Lou Girls

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

These are such sweet little baskets for some very lucky friends! I love your dear memories...I always made my Mom one every year. <3 Thank you for sharing and hosting. xo Karen

Christina Paul said...

Thanks so much for featuring my cupcakes! My computer has been acting up and I just saw this today!
Cheers!

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