May Day Basket Ideas

May Day Baskets: 
It's May Day, and it is tradition to leave May Day Baskets for friends, family, and even strangers. It's a great opportunity to show some random kindness. All you do is hang a small basket or your own decorative creation on your neighbor or strangers door, then fill it with flowers and treats. There are endless basket ideas. It's also a great project for re-purposing materials.  Here are a few of my favorites that I found today.

Cute Decoupage Basket from Elaine Tolson

Purple Pansies from Bella Rose Cottage

Another Idea from Bella Rose Cottage

Lovely May Day Cone from Child Mode

Re-Purposed Cuteness from Martha 

Easy Charm from Lillyella

Flower Jar Basket from It's Only Natural

Mini Daisy Baskets from Jacolyn Murphy Blog

Coffee Filter Flower Basket from Be different; Act Normal

Flower Petal Basket from Design Mom

Daisy Basket from Retro Modern Mom

Berry Basket from Three Scoops of Love

Roses in Can from Chasing Fireflies

May Day Flower Cone

Easy May Day Bag from Yesterday on Tuesday

Traditional Basket with Twine

May Day Idea from Skip to my Lou

Lovely Flower Bucket 

Bunny Fold for Napkins

Adorable for any Spring themed meal setting.  Thanks Martha.

Needed:
Well-starched crisp cotton or linen will transform into the sturdiest bunnies. Fold napkins the day before your meal so your "warren" is full when guests arrive.

Step 1:
Fold starched napkin into thirds to form a rectangle. (If you're using a square napkin, you'll need to fold in half, and then fold in half again to get a long rectangular shape.)

Step 2:
Crease in half to create a center line for reference; fold top corners down along this line.

Step 3:
Fold up from bottom corners along dotted lines.

Step 4:

Bring left and right edges together on center line.

Step 5:
Flip upside down and over. Turn up bottom point.

Step 6:
To fasten: Fold left and right corners back; tuck one corner into the pocket of the other. Pull out bunny ears first; open up base.

I've heard there is a youtube video for these too.  If I find it I will share that as well.  Sometimes it helps me to watch instead of just use diagrams.

Closet Organization: Sheets

Keeping Matching Sheets Together

Spring Cleaning: Closet Organization
As I mentioned on-air, organization is not my strong suit.   I've been wanting to reorganize a bit and as I was skimming articles over the past few weeks I came across an image that caught my attention.  I've pasted it to the right.  It's a perfectly organized linen closet, when it promised to teach me how to fold my fitted sheets so they lay as perfectly as Martha's I was sold.  I can't believe that I have lived this long without knowing how to fold fitted sheets.  Up until now, rolling them into an awkward ball seemed perfectly fine.  Kidding... Well, sorta.  Anyway, the following two tips will first teach you to fold your fitted sheets if you are like me and find them awkward beyond believe, and second show you a nifty trick to keep your sheet sets together as the image to the right shows.  I tried both tips, and here's my verdict.  Folding fitted sheets properly is going to take practice, but my end result was much improved than the ball technique I mentioned.  Using the second tip to keep sheet sets together worked, but mine do not look this nice.  More practice I suppose.

Tip 1: How to fold a fitted sheet
Tip 2: How to Keep Matching Sheets Together

Shelf Life of Pantry Items

Foods & Shelf Lives:
If you are planning some Spring Cleaning, don't forget your pantry.  I'm not the best at keeping up with the shelf life of everything in my pantry.  So here's the run down on how long you are actually suppose to keep your supplies.  PS... these times refer to unopened products.

Baking powder and soda: 1 year
Cake, frosting, and cookie mixes: 1 year
Canned meats, vegetables, fruits, soups, milks, gravies: 1 year (unopened); refrigerate after opening and use promptly
Cereals: 6 months
Chocolate (chips and baking): 1 year
Coffee: 1 year; refrigerate after opening
Flour: 1 year
Frosting (canned): 8 months
Fruit (dried): 6 months
Gelatin (unflavored): 18 months
Herbs and spices (ground) : 1 year; keep in a cool place; refrigerate red spices such as paprika
Honey, molasses, syrups: 1 year
Jelly and jam: 1 year; refrigerate after opening
Milk (nonfat dry): 6 months
Oils: 3 months; refrigerate if not using promptly after opening
Packaged crackers, cookies, bread crumbs: 2 to 4 months
Pancake and piecrust mixes: 6 months
Pasta and macaroni: 1 year; store airtight after opening
Peanut butter: 6 months
Pickles and olives: 1 year; refrigerate after opening
Puddings and gelatin mixes: 6 months
Rice (white): 2 years
Root vegetables such as white and sweet potatoes, onions, squash: 1 week at room temperature; store with plenty of air circulation in a dry, dark place
Shortening (solid): 8 months
Spices (whole): 1 year
Sugar (granulated): 2 years
Tea (instant): 1 year
Tea (loose and bags): 6 months
Vinegars: 1 year
Yeast (active dry): follow package date; for longer shelf date, refrigerate