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.

floral cone bouquet DIY

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.

floral cone bouquet DIY

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 ! 

floral cone bouquet DIY

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.

floral cone bouquet DIY

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.

floral cone bouquet DIY

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!

floral cone bouquet DIY

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.

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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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26 Comments

  1. Love the bees and music sheets!! Such a creative mind💕

  2. Debbie- Dabble says:

    Mary Jo,
    These are simply adorable!! Victorian Tussie Mussies!! I used to use paper mache cones and cover then with lace or music sheet paper and venice lace appliques and ribbon roses and fill them with a lavender sachet…Thanks so much for your visit and kind words!! The blog tray tour was a lot of fun, wasn’t it? Looking forward to the next one!! Hope you have a lovely Easter!!
    Hugs,
    Deb

    1. Thanks so much Deb. Yes, I love Tussie Mussies! The paper mâché cones is a good idea! Thanks for stopping by. Yes, the blog tours are always fun and looking forward to the next one as well. XO- MJ

  3. rbgranholm says:

    What a COOL project!! I’ve never seen anything like these before. I love the moss cone…it’s beautiful!! Pinned. Amazing creativity on this one!

    1. Thank you so much! I like moss anything so making a cone was a no brainer for me. I appreciate your sweet comments and the pins! XO- MJ

  4. All are pretty but I think the moss one is my favorite. Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm.
    xo Kathleen

    1. Thanks Kathleen. I can’t choose- it’s like picking a favorite child, lol. But moss is a favorite of mine for everything. 🙂 XO-MJ

  5. Denise/My Home of All Seasons says:

    Love these MaryJo! I can’t pick a favorite because I love them all! Thanks for sharing!

    1. Thanks so much Denise! XO- MJ

  6. These are so sweet and vintage looking. I love them. great job

    1. Thanks so much! I am a vintage loving gal so this is a wonderful compliment. XO- MJ

  7. Oh my golly, these are so beautiful! I love each one. I seriously have to make at least one for myself. So cute. Thank you for linking this up on Farmhouse Friday. I’m featuring it this week. Hope you link up again. 🙂

    1. Thanks so much Cindy! Yes, you should make one…or two. 🙂. Have a wonderful weekend. XO- MJ

  8. Rachel says:

    These are so cute. Love the idea.

    1. Thanks Rachel! XO- MJ

  9. In addition, I’d love to share a link to your adorable idea on my Sunday, Dirt Road Adventures. I hope thats ok.

    1. Yes, I would love that. Thank you so much for the love. I really appreciate it. Have a wonderful weekend. XO- MJ

  10. Cara says:

    I love all three of these ideas Mary Jo! I had wanted to make these for our wedding and line the church pews, but found it was going to be quite the undertaking so I went in a different path, but I love this idea so much. I may need to try my hand at making one of my own since I would only need one now. 😉

    1. What a great idea! That would have looked beautiful in the church. Yes, you should make one since it’s not crazy difficult making onsie twosies. Good luck! XO- MJ

  11. Kerryanne says:

    They are all gorgeous MaryJo.
    Thank you for sharing your floral cones at Create, Bake, Grow & Gather party this week. I’m delighted to be featuring them at tonight’s party and pinning too.
    Hugs ~ Kerryanne

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