Table of Contents
This may day junk journal kit brings back the old village traditions of the first of May: little paper baskets of flowers left on doorknobs, a maypole wound with ribbon on the green, and crowns of fresh blooms worn for the morning. The set has 22 scene pages full of baskets, maypoles and garden gates, 4 seamless background papers, and 5 lined writing pages for notes, lists and letters.
Print the whole kit on matte cardstock heavy enough to take glue without curling, choose your printer’s best or photo setting so the pastel washes stay soft and even, and trim close to the edge before gluing anything into your journal.
Using these images: free for personal projects such as printing, coloring, cards, journals and gifts. Handmade items that include them may be sold up to 30 pieces per design. More than that is commercial use and is not permitted, and neither is selling or sharing the images themselves or passing them off as your own. Please ask before any other use.
Doorstep Baskets
A paper cone basket of violets hangs from the knob of an old blue cottage door, waiting to be found on the first of May morning.
Tuck a real pressed lilac petal or a scrap of ribbon under the handle before you glue this page in, so the basket holds something more than paint.
A folded note works just as well, tucked where the handle meets the rim so it peeks out without covering the flowers.
Pair this page with the apple blossom background paper from this set: use the blossom sheet as a pocket behind the fence so pressed flowers can slide in and out.
The pocket sits flush along the bottom edge, leaving the row of baskets fully visible above it.
The usual mistake with a gate page is leaving it too bare behind the blossom. Paint a soft wash of pale green garden beyond the gate so the whole sheet feels full, not just the wound branches.
Write the name of a child in your own family along the path beside her, or leave the page blank for a granddaughter to fill in herself one day.
Tulips spill from a window box while a small basket rests on the sill below, an easy five minute version of this whole set if you only have time for one page.
Village Green Scenes
A ribboned maypole rises at the centre of the village green, garlands looped between the poles and the sky painted soft and clear above it.
This is a good page for a short memory: who taught you to weave a maypole ribbon, or the first time you watched it done. Write it along the grass at the base.
If no memory comes to mind, leave the grass for a simple caption instead, just the date and the words first of May.
Fold this page in half before gluing so the maypole opens like a small door, revealing a second smaller scene or a journaling spot tucked behind the cherry trees.
Satin ribbons stream out from a flower-crowned maypole top, caught mid-flutter against a clear spring sky with nothing else to crowd the page.
Place this page opposite the first maypole page in your journal spread: the wheelbarrow sits at the edge of the green while the full pole stands across the fold, so the two pages read as one scene.
Lambs graze on a green hillside while a ribboned maypole stands further down the slope, a quiet corner of the day away from the crowd.
Flower Crowns And Garlands
Glue a shred of real ribbon or dried daisy petal to the crown’s edge once the page is printed, so the flat paint picks up a bit of texture under your fingers.
The usual mistake here is painting the chair too small for the crown. Give the chair its own weight and a bit of garden behind it, so the crown reads as resting on something solid rather than floating.
Who is this page for in a gift journal: give it to a quiet reader, someone who loves small still details more than grand scenes, since this one rewards a close look.
A flower crown of sweet peas rests on a lace pillow next to a hand mirror, soft ribbons trailing off the edge of the pillow onto a painted dressing table.
Tear the bottom edge of this page by hand rather than cutting it straight, so the hat seems to rest on an uneven patch of real meadow grass once it is glued in.
A bluebird perches on the handle of a May basket packed with primroses, a small quiet moment on an otherwise busy page.
A blossoming hawthorn hedge runs the length of the page behind a single ribbon-tied posy left on a gatepost, a quiet corner that still needs the whole sheet painted in soft green and white.
Leave a narrow strip of bare path at the bottom if you want room for a short caption about the walk that led here.
Picnic And Table Scenes
A five minute version of this page: skip the full spread and paint just the basket of strawberries with a buttercup crown resting on its lid, leaving the wider meadow for another day.
Use this page as a worktable for your journal: write a short list of what you need for making May baskets of your own, right across the tabletop between the spools.
Try tea-staining just the top edge of this page before printing the second copy you keep as a spare, so one version looks freshly made and the other looks found in an old box.
Background Papers
Small May baskets and loose posies repeat edge to edge across this sheet in the set’s blush and sage palette. Use it behind a photo of a spring walk, as a pocket lining inside the back cover, or cut down for a journal’s opening page.
Short loops of pastel ribbon scatter between small daisies across this sheet, light enough to sit behind handwriting. Use it as a cover wrap, a pocket for pressed flowers, or a backing sheet behind a maypole scene page.
Small sprigs of apple blossom repeat over a pale pink ground, soft enough to sit under a photo without competing with it. Use it inside a journal cover, behind a window page, or as wrapping for a small gift tucked between pages.
Small wreaths of mixed spring flowers repeat across a cream ground, echoing the crowns worn earlier in the set. Use it as endpapers, a pocket lining for keepsakes, or a soft backing behind a lined writing page.
Lined Writing Pages
Pastel ribbons loop along the top and bottom of this page, framing lines left open for a May Day guest list, a schedule for the morning, or a short letter to whoever finds the journal next.
A small May basket of mixed flowers sits in one corner, leaving the rest of the page for a recipe for May Day cake, a note tucked inside a real basket, or a memory of baskets left on doors.
A garland of flower crowns runs down one side of this page, leaving space beside it for a gift list, a note on who wore a crown that morning, or a letter to next year’s self.
Hawthorn blossom frames all four edges of this page, holding space in the middle for a packing list for a picnic, a short poem, or an account of the village green that morning.
A single pastel ribbon bow sits in the top corner of this page, small enough to leave most of the sheet free for a menu, a thank you note, or a list of flowers gathered that day.
What to Do Next
Print the pages, trim them to size, and start gluing the doorstep baskets and the maypole green into your journal first, since those sections anchor the rest of the spring pages around them. For more spring pairings, see the magnolia drawing ideas or the boho junk journal set.
Frequently Asked Questions
What paper works best for a may day junk journal kit like this one?
Matte cardstock around 65 to 90 lb works best, since it holds glue and ink without curling or showing through. Plain printer paper feels too thin and can buckle once decorated pages and pockets get added.
What printer settings keep the pastel colours looking right?
Set the printer to its best or photo quality and choose matte or plain paper in the settings, not glossy photo paper. This keeps the soft watercolour washes even instead of blotchy or oversaturated.
What size should I print these pages for a handmade journal?
Standard letter or A4 size suits most journals and trims down easily for smaller books. Print a test page first and measure it against your journal’s covers before running the full set.
What do I use to colour in or decorate the pages further?
Fine tip pens work well for added journaling, and light watercolour or coloured pencil can extend the painted areas if you want more texture. Keep any extra colour pale so it matches the existing pastel palette.
What glue is safe for assembling the pages into a journal?
An acid free glue stick is the simplest choice and keeps pages flat without wrinkling. Save liquid glue for small pockets or embellishments, applied sparingly near the edges only.
Have any thoughts?
Share your reaction or leave a quick response — we’d love to hear what you think!
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