Party Guests of all ages really enjoy sitting down to holiday crackers at the table, and when they are homemade, they are so much more personal and fun! For May Day: florals, pinks, new greens… they all work! My consistent process came straight from Olde English Crackers – directions, supplies, and all, but certainly recycled paper towel or toilet paper rolls would work wonderfully well. Even if you choose to purchase the items as I did, they can be recycled over and over again. I tell my guests they can keep all the goodies inside. I only ask that I may hold onto the rolls and the ribbon. I recycle these again and again. Even when a guest occasionally chooses to forego their favors, they too get recycled.
The easiest way to reuse and conserve as much as possible is to store components in an organized fashion so they keep unspoiled. I prefer file storage bins, but any system that makes sense to you is wonderful!
Another tip: Try laying out your supplies before beginning assembly. I retrieve my storage bins, paper cutter (a purchase my son assures me was the best I ever made), glue gun & sticks, and scissors. Then I set them up on my folding table (that easily doubles as a craft station during a festival) and tuck the end of an extension cord underneath the corner support. I even precut the wrapping paper and cardstock supports, so once I get going, there’s nothing to stop me! I highly recommend this strategy to avoid constant interruptions and mounting frustrations.
My specific choices for May Day:
- 100% recycled wrapping paper: “Tuscan Spring” – Available at Nashville Wraps
- pink and green satin ribbon – Available from Michaels Stores
- Surprises: Mini animals, paints, and crayons – Available at ZeeBop!
- Heart-shaped chocolates along with tissue hats and supplies – Olde English Crackers
- Mini playing cards – Purchased from ebay
- Riddles & Quotations – These I made myself using Microsoft Word and green printing paper. I decided since May Day is 9 days away from Earth Day that I would use that as my theme. (I used “Spring” as the theme for the riddles and quotes for my Spring Holiday Crackers, which garnished my Spring Equinox place settings.) Feel free to make your own, use these, or use the Spring-themed ones! Whatever suits your fancy! Earth Day quotes courtesy of The Quote Garden and riddles courtesy of DLTK’s Growing Together.
Most importantly, relax and have fun!!
