Happy May Day!

Happy May Day!!!

May Day is not really something that has been celebrated much during my lifetime per se, but I worked with a woman years ago who shared her May Day memories of her childhood with me.  She told me such fun stories of the Spring celebrations with dancing, singing, cakes, ribbon decorated May poles and May baskets dropped at neighbors doors filled with little goodies.  She made it sound like such fun and I have always remembered her sweet stories.  I thought why not give a little wink and nod to that today.  So, I have made a vintage May basket of my own.

Today is special for another reason as well.  Today marks the start of another month of a fun partnership for Altered Pages.  I am pleased to say that this month we will be working with products from Altered Pages  AND  MD Hobby And Craft.  MD Hobby and Craft offers metal sheets in all sizes and patterns for crafting and mixed media.

   

 

 I created my May basket using  silver metal mesh from MD Hobby and Craft.  It was so easy to work with and I was able to use regular old scissors to make my cuts.  You might want to wear gloves, but I didn't have any problems working with the mesh at all and I was not wearing gloves.

   

I started by cutting my 12 x 24 inch sheet of metal mesh in half so I now have two sheets of 12 x 12.  I then folded the edges over just by a little bit...no more than 1/4 of an inch  just to create a nice clean edge.  I then folded one corner in to its opposite corner to create a cone shape.  I added a few pieces of thin gauge craft wire to the "seam" to keep it securely attached.

   

I then added a bit of color to create a shabby chic look, if you will,  by using white and mossy green acrylic paint.  I simply dry brushed the paint all over the mesh.   It dried almost immediately...yay! 

Hopefully, you can see a bit of the color in the pic below.

Next, I cut a small hole in each side to be able to create a handle for my basket.  I made the handle with some beautiful fibers in greens and blues.  I will show a close up of that below.

Next, I chose pretty collage images that spoke to me and said Spring blooming into Summer, a metamorphosis if you will, ergo the little sweetie with butterfly wings.    I chose the adorable vintage little girl as she reminds me of my cutie patootie niece Hailey  and she is even carrying a basket of her own.

And, I just loved the vintage flowers which were part of a  Vintage Flower Seeds collage sheet.  

I fussy cut the desired flowers and layered and layered and layered.   I layered them prior to adding to the basket.   I then added them right to the mesh by smearing  Aleene's Tacky Glue all over the back of the image.    I did not have my craft mat close by, but I did have a  sheet of wax paper...worked like a dream as a non-stick surface for the glue to dry.  I just added the glue and laid the basket down on the wax paper and held the collage in place just until it began to dry.

Finally, I added a couple little silver charms to the bottom of the basket and it was all complete.

I hope you enjoyed my vintage May Basket!

I hope you enjoy your May Day!

I hope you enjoy your weekend!  

Please leave a comment letting me know you were here.  And, make sure to check back all month long to see what our amazing design team comes up with using MD Hobby and Craft metals.  

Thanks for stopping by~

Stephanie

Supplies used -
Victorian Children collage
Jar Fairies butterfly wing collage
Aleenes Tacky Glue
Ribbons and Trim
Misc. Charms
MD Hobby and Craft metal mesh - silver