Every morning before I start weaving baskets, I trim and sign all the finished baskets that are shipping that day.
So let’s go back a few days. Before the baskets are stained, my partner in crime, ie. my husband, uses a small torch on them to remove all of the “hairs” from the reed. Then we stain them. After they dry for a few days, I do the final trim and initial and date the bottom.
I’m sure I notice the little “hairs” on the baskets more than my customers would but I wouldn’t let them ship without this final step. I sign with my initials JB, and the date.
And on an unrelated note, we have bluebirds nesting in one of our birdhouses along our garden. They are absolutely gorgeous.
I have a new design alert. This is a Small Market Basket. This little cutie only measures around 10” long. The uses are endless around your house, wherever you might need to corral a few things.
I was able to secure these little square hoops that I’m using for the handle, on sale, so I can offer a good price for this one. Available on my Etsy Site
New Design of a Market Basket
Next is one of the larger Market Baskets I offer. You would be able to take this one to the actual market and carry your produce. These guys are quite popular this time of year.
The old standby Full Size Market Basket
Here’s another smaller one. It is perfect to hold those smaller, boutique sizes of flavored oil and vinegar. Makes a cute gift
Olive Oil and Vinegar Basket
And these are only a few of the market Baskets I’ve done. They are so versatile and the designs are endless. Love your Market Basket.
People keep telling me how great Pinterest is for their business. I’m starting to utilize a business account I set up a month or so ago. I think the key is to work on it a little bit each day. I’ve noticed more traffic to my website and my IG account. You can tie all of your images back to your website or your e-commerce site. I’ll keep you posted.
As with most artists, I love to use many mediums to create. Basketry is my first love but I also love working with wool, fabric, cotton etc. I found these beautiful patterns for wall hangings, trivets or trivets… however you want to use them. These are created using good old fashioned square Looms. Not usually a vibrant color person but for these I’ll make an exception.
The weather up here in Upstate New York is finally moderating. Been adding some new items to my shop so check them out on my Etsy Site. But…. you can also purchase baskets right from this website. See the different sections in the drop down menu, Working on transferring more listings right here!!!
I get weekly requests to make this basket.Unfortunately, it is made of material and uses framework that I just don’t have It is very popular with home decorators on Instagram, and has been discontinued by Target for a year or so. It is, however, still highly sought after in that world.
Below is my version and needless to say my customers are loving it. It’s definitely a different basket, but it is inspired by the shape and size of this famous basket. I don’t do the tapered look because, well actually it’s just not practical design wise. But they don’t mind.
It will be back up in my Etsy shop when I get the current orders I have caught up. Hope you are having a fabulous week!!!
This new design is proving to be quite popular The combination of the beautiful leather handle and the whitewash finish is a customer favorite. It’s the longest leather hanger I currently make measuring around 15”.
The leather is sourced from a local shoe company. Scraps that would likely end up in the landfill are used to make these and other basket designs. Colors include Brown, Black, as seen below, Burgundy and Olive.
Thanks so much to all my customers who have been supporting my small business during these most difficult of times. The orders, the love on my Social Media Sites etc etc certainly make me a happy entrepreneur. Can’t wait to continue creating for you in 2021.
Same basket, different finishes, different looks. So many options when handcrafting a basket.
Plain and simple Fruit Basket. Used those apples today to make a pie. It was a productive morning.
My shop is back open. I took a few days to catch up on orders and try to get ahead of it.. I decided to leave items sold out and deactivate other baskets in my shop. This tactic was used instead of actually putting my shop on “vacation “. I’ve used the vacation mode in the past. It seemed to really hurt my store as far as new views and orders after I opened back up. Before I slowed my shop down, it was a week before I even started to weave an order. Now, I can weave orders within 1-2 days
My strategy started by finishing all of the remaining orders I had. It was very satisfying to weave that very last basket. For the last few months I’ve been receiving 50-60 orders per week. Each basket takes an average of over an hour to complete from start to finish. This pace, needless to say, is virtually impossible to keep up with.
Finished Up!!
My ultimate goal was to make new orders in a timely manner while also having baskets ready to ship. I ended up weaving 15 baskets that will be ready to stain and ship out. I will mix these stock baskets in with the orders I receive. This will alleviate the time pressures and delays I have been experiencing. This will also free up time to design new new ideas and experiment. believe this has to be part of any successful business.
Extra Stock!!
After opening back up, this strategy seems to be working and will be sustainable. I received 10 orders the first day. I had 6 of them already woven therefore had to weave 4. The second day I received 5 orders and will only have to weave 3 of them. While making these orders I will continually make duplicates of the baskets that regularly sell and keep them in stock. This will be my new strategy moving forward. I am very excited and I’ll keep you posted.
Bouquet of Baskets 