Hello, and welcome to Made by the C, where I, Cyndi Johnson, have just gone live with my first post on my very own paper crafting blog!  This really is a happy day for me, as I have wanted to have my own blog for a long, long time.  However, in trying to get my blog established, I discovered that my paper crafting knowledge far surpasses my knowledge of technology.  If it weren’t for the constant help and guidance of my children, I  wouldn’t be at this point today.

In addition to today being my first blog post, it’s also May Day, which, when I was growing up, was a very exciting day.  Each year on the first of May, my sisters and I delivered a handmade basket of sorts with candy inside to all of our friends.  My mother would come up with a different pattern each year, and we would spend hours making our May Day baskets.  The basket part of the project didn’t necessarily need to be a traditional basket–it just needed to be something that would hold some candy.  My clearest memories are of making a paper flower that held a Tootsie Roll Pop, and a kite that had a piece of gum attached to it.  The goal was to put your basket on the doorstep; ring the doorbell; and hope that you didn’t get caught running out of the yard; if you got caught, you got kissed!

In the spirit of those memories, I thought I would make a May Day Basket for my first blog project. Here’s what I came up with:

A sweet berry basket with two coordinating sachets. This project is a perfect example of my style. I gravitate towards soft, subtle colors, and this particular combination is one of my favorites. I tend to use smaller, more traditional images and patterns, and I love vintage embellishments like buttons, bows, lace, and doilies.  It all adds up to simple, country charm and that’s what makes me happy!

While this ensemble might look complicated and time consuming to create, it really wasn’t.  Die cuts make all the difference!  I’d like to share some tips for both the basket and the sachets that might help you in creating a similar project:

Basket–Follow the package directions for die-cutting and assembly of the berry basket.  Make sure that you stamp or embellish all four sides of the basket before assembling.  The step that amps up the charm on this basket is adhering 1/2″ washi tape to the band around the top of the basket.  I’ve found that washi tape tends to loosen over time, so I adhered it to the basket band with double-sided tape.  Here’s a close-up picture of the berry basket:

Sachets–I am not a seamstress by any stretch of the imagination, but I can manage a basic straight stitch using a sewing machine.  The most intimidating part about the sachets is making sure that the stitch lines are straight, and I have a tip for you:  I used a Mark-B-Gone marking pen by Dritz.  I took a picture of the packaging:

The pen marks the fabric with blue, water soluble ink.  I used a straight-edged square die to draw straight lines on the sachet top, and used those lines to stitch on.  Once the sachets were filled and finished, I gently wiped the ink away with a damp cloth.  Magic!  Pure magic!  Here’s a picture of marking the sachets:

I filled these sachets with scented rice, although I found a post on Pinterest for using the Downy Un-Stoppables pellets as filling that I thought was interesting.  You would just have to make sure that your material was dark enough to hide the bright colors of the pellets.  I have created a sachet board on Pinterest, and you can view it here:  www.Pinterest.com/BoardsbytheC/sweet-sachets.

If your doorbell rings this afternoon, it might be me leaving you a May Day Basket.  Take your time answering the door, however, as I don’t seem to be able to run as fast as I did in elementary school.  Ha ha!  Have a wonderful weekend, and remember:

“May the waves kiss your feet, / the sand be your seat, / and your friends out-number the stars.”

-C

Supplies:

Stampin’ Up!:

Stamps:  Your Perfect Day

Paper:  Very Vanilla

Ink:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding

Tools/Embellishments:  Big Shot, Berry Basket Bigz L Die, Mini Stapler, Sweet Sadie Designer Washi tape, Pistachio Pudding Thick Baker’s Twine

Other:

Muslin fabric, Scalloped and Straight Square dies, Mark-B-Gone pen, Buttons, Scented rice