Tuesday, January 15, 2013

What do you use it for?

I get this question all the time concerning my baskets. My usual answer is, "I use it to sit on a shelf and look at it." This isn't being cute, I simply see baskets as works of art to be displayed as you would any sculpture or painting. I don't consider my baskets to be useless, they are just non-utilitarian. Also, most of the baskets I make these days have nearly $100 or more in materials alone. I am not going to be going out to the garden with a hundred plus dollar basket.

With all that said though, I still do "use" some of my baskets. I have a large black ash basket that is my work/shopping basket that I take to craft shows and carry my weaving supplies around in. I also have an ash basket that I made a draw-string liner for that I use as my tool basket. And I have a nice white oak basket that found at an estate sale that I take the farmers' market. These baskets are all utilitarian forms that I use in a utilitarian fashion.

Pretty much all of the baskets that Eric Taylor teaches are designed with a specific function, e.g. tool tote, business card holder, napkin basket, etc. I have made many of Eric's baskets, but like with most of my other baskets, they are simply display pieces, that is, except for Eric's Cottage Jewelry Basket.

Eric Taylor Jewelry Basket
Cottage Jewelry Basket - black ash and cherry.

Of course I don't use it to keep my jewelry, but I do using it to keep my ChapStiks (which are very important to me), billfold, keys and watch. This is where I empty my pockets when I get home from work and before I change into my sweatpants and Crocs...

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Christmas Gift

Tim Holtz Distress Markers
I am very excited that I finally got a set of Tim Holtz Distress Markers by Ranger. I asked for them for Christmas (because they are over $100 for the set!) and my parents got them for me from the scrapbooking store in my home town. I have yet to even open them yet to try them out! I am going to have to find a nice free Saturday or Sunday to just play. My stash of stamped basket cards is desperately low and I need to restock before the State Line Friends Weaving Retreat in April where I will be vending.

I also downloaded the Instragram app the other day and this is my first attempt to use it...