Fanciful Fridays - Happy May Day!

My goodness, where did the day go?

Hurray, hurray, the first of May... Wishing everyone a very happy May Day! Happy Beltane! For those that don't know the history, here's a snippet from wikipedia :

For the Celts, Beltane marked the beginning of the pastoral summer season when the herds of livestock were driven out to the summer pastures and mountain grazing lands.

Many communities still celebrate Beltane with May Poles, Morris dancing, bonfires and flower crowns. It's a wonderful way to welcome the warmer months :)

I had plans to show you how to make a table top May Pole centerpiece and a flower crown, but didn't have the time to make them today. It's just been that kind of day, a shame really. It would have been fun to celebrate and dance around my very own May Pole with my friends toddler :)

My post will have to do without the photos, although over the weekend I may end up making both of these items (even if a little late for any celebrations) and posting the pics.

For both projects you will need quite a bit of ribbon, I'm sure looking here will help you in your quest.

May pole centerpiece :

• Take a dowel, that can be found at any local hardware store and place it in a pot of earth (which later can be used for planting)
• Affix a number of ribbons at the top, either by gluing or stapling
• Intertwine the ribbons around the dowel, working your way down to the bottom.

To the right is an example of what it should look like as it's being intertwined.

Decorate the pot how ever you would like. The brighter the better as it is a celebration of the upcoming summer! If you don't have a dowel, you can use a paper towel tube and decorate it before attaching the ribbons.

Flower Crowns :

picture below is to give you an idea of what it looks like

Take florists wire and wrap it around your head a few times to get the size you want.

Take these lengths or wire and wrap them with ribbons and fibres.

Add to the circlets a few flowers and jewels.

Wear with a smile and dance around your May Pole!

I've made flower crowns before using the fun garland you can get during holidays at the dollar store and adding to it. Ribbons are what make these projects pop! Without them they are nothing *lol* Play around with what can be added to make them more unique, I'm sure the possibilites are endless!

If you've made any May Day or Beltane creations, we'd love to see them. Head on over to the community center and post them in the gallery or in your very own blog post! I will post photos of my projects over the weekend here and at the community site, so don't forget to check back! Once again, Happy Beltane!