floral cone bouquets DIY for May Day

We are enjoying spring goodness around here and I created some floral cone bouquets to welcome May Day in a couple of weeks.  I am super excited to share my floral cone bouquets DIY with you today.

These floral cone bouquets are pretty simple to put together and are great for May Day, Mother’s Day or any spring celebration.  Paper, fabric and chicken wire are used to create these cones.  Plus for the florals we used fresh blooms, floral fillers and dried flowers.  For this floral cone DIY, anything goes and you can totally adapt them to make them your own.

May Day History

May Day is celebrated on May 1st and is a holiday rich in history and folklore.  Traditionally, it was the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice!  May Day symbolizes the return of spring ! 

May Day has a long history and tradition in England, some of which eventually came to America.  Ever heard of the May baskets? It was a custom to leave a paper basket or cone containing spring flowers and sweets on each other’s doorsteps, usually anonymously. Here are some ideas to create your own floral cone bouquet DIY.

sheet music floral cone bouquet

The first cone was created using vintage sheet music, which I regularly pick up at thrift stores and garage sales.  You can see other projects I have created using sheet music here {sheet music tabletop}.   To start today’s project cut a 9-inch by 9-inch square from a page of sheet music and use pinking sheers to accent the top edges.  

Roll the square into a cone shape, and please know it took me a few tries until I achieved the look I wanted, so do not be discouraged.  I used a pencil to help center the cone.  I adhered the paper using double sided tape but you can really use the adhesive of your choice.

Once the cone is shaped you can embellish it any way you like.  Paper ribbon, fabric ribbons and velvet flowers are used here to decorate the sheet music cone.  Simply use a hole punch to punch the holes to run the ribbon through for the handle.

Since the cone is made of thin paper I used dried flowers to go in this cone because 1} they do not require any water and 2} they are very light weight.  This lavender is from my girlfriend’s garden and it smelled divine.  This is a great alternative for a sachet and a wonderful gift idea for someone to hang in their closet instead or maybe even a bathroom.

chicken wire & moss floral cone bouquet

The next cone is formed out of chicken wire.  Once the chicken wire cone is framed it is lined with sheet moss to hold all the contents.  Remember all the sheet moss scraps left over from this project {moss chargers DIY}?  Well they came in handy here.  The steps are the same as the sheet music cone above.  The chicken wire frame for this cone is 11 inches by 11 inches, which is 1/2 the width of the chicken wire roll we own so I let that dictate the size.  The cone is shut tight using twine but you can use string or ribbon as well.

The twine is also tied around the body of the cone to attach a little heart and post card embellishment.  Twine is also used for the handle by simply tying it to the top of the chicken wire on each side.

For this cone, eucalyptus and St. John Wort’s floral berries filler overflows from the floral cone.  Between the floral fillers and the moss this floral cone is full of freshness and bursting with Spring vibes!

burlap fabric floral cone bouquet

The last floral cone bouquet uses burlap fabric with a bee design.  The burlap fabric is adhered to chipboard before rolling it into a cone to give it shape and body.  The square is 12-inches by 12-inches and the burlap is adhered to the chip board using double sided tape but once again you can use your adhesive of choice like fabric glue or Tacky glue, etc. 

The bee theme is carried through the embellishments adding a Queen Bee graphic and a little metal crown attached with twine.  Using a hole punch the twine is threaded at the top to create a handle.  Since fresh flowers are used here, I’ll show you a trick to keep the blooms fresh.  I inserted the flower stems into floral tubes with some water to keep them fresh before inserting them into the cone.

These tubes are from long stem roses Mr. M had delivered to me a long time ago.  I saved all the floral tubes for projects just like this, but floral tubes are readily available from many sources, including Amazon.com.  The tubes keep your blooms fresh since they won’t be out of water. At the same time the tubes also protect the inside of the cone.

happy May Day floral cone bouquet DIY

The great thing about these floral bouquets is how versatile they are. You can make them as big or small as you like while using an endless number of materials. Traditionally, May Day bouquets are left at people’s doors as random acts of kindness but you can also use them as hostess gifts, or chair hangers for a special table setting, or special adornments for your doors, mirrors, etc. The only limit is your imagination.

Happy May!  🌼💐🌸

“And all the world is glad with May. “

John Burroughs

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