willow baskets by Katherine Lewis

We have a nice selection of Katherine’s willow baskets  displayed in our barn at Dunbar Gardens right now. If you’re in the area, come by for a look. If not, enjoy the photo! If you’re curious about buying a basket, you can always check our website for the baskets we have currently made for sale here. Baskets can always be made to order. Check out this page on our website for more details. If you want to know where we are, here is a map.

sent to us by Kadri

besides making an etsy, the best thing i did for myself in november was organize my art + craft stuff. i’ve been so much more productive now that things have baskets and boxes and shelves, even. shelves! it’s so nice to know where my watercolour paints are, or my embroidery floss, or construction paper, or regular old white glue. it sounds like these should always be on hand, but they go missing throughout the year, sometimes for weeks at a time and it’s horrible, lol. but now! now things have a home and it’s nice.

about a month ago, i was writing some post (i think that blissful monday thing that i forgot about) and i talked about how i organized my sewing stuff into baskets and how great it was. i ended up writing a million paragraphs about it, but decided to copy and paste it and save it until i had pictures. i’m going to spare you the details and just post the pictures that i took almost a month ago instead:

these pictures were taken before news of the craft show i did and before the flurry of sewing, so things have been a little less organized for most of november. but yesterday or the day before, i got some shelves/cubes from my mom and i gathered all of my art stuff so i could organize it, and i emptied out some small boxes that were full of paper, and i put everything together in their boxes on the shelves. i tidied up my craft stuff as well, mostly to see how much felt i had left (i’m definitely running out of some key colours). when i was done, nothing wasn’t on the floor. everything had its place for the first time ever. before organizing everything, the  stuff i gathered was on the floor waiting to be put away, and i thought, “holy crap, i have a lot of stuff. too much stuff.”. after it was sorted and put in each spot, it barely looked like i had anything at all, lol. now if only i can the same thing with my clothes and books.

Every few months Katherine gets a request for a bassinette. Usually the parents make the request during the pregnancy, so that the basket is there when needed. This one was made at the last minute, but came out quite lovely. This bassinette was ordered by a good friend as a thank you gift. It was ordered for a couple who had a very small baby girl born a little early. The friend figured that the baby would be able to use the basket for quite a few months so she went ahead and asked Katherine to make it. It was her thanks to the family for their helping hand to her own son who had moved near them for work. For a look at another bassinette see this earlier blog post: Bassinette.

Diesmal war ich nicht live dabei, sondern nur am Ticker bei den Jungs, deshalb lediglich rasch die Kerninfos und Stats zur Fortsetzung des momentan guten Laufs der Baskets.

Mit dem 74:69-Sieg in Braunschweig fügt das Team von Mike Koch den Gastgebern ihre erste Heimniederlage zu. Dem Ticker und den Statistiken auf der Beko-BBL-Seite zufolge verlief das Match sehr ausgeglichen, die etwas bessere Trefferquote aus dem Feld hat letztendlich den Ausschlag zugunsten der Bonner gegeben.

Tim Ohlbrecht gelangen dabei 17 Punkte und acht Rebounds, Bryce Taylor war mit 19 Zählern Topscorer der Partie und Chris Ensminger schaffte sogar wieder ein Double-Double mit 13 Punkten und 11 Rebounds.

Dienstag in der Türkei wird hoffentlich der erste Erfolg im EuroCup eingefahren – bei der derzeitigen Form nicht unmöglich.

Do you have trouble keeping your mail under control? Do you have toys or magazines strewn about your living room? Here is a simple but very effective organizational tip: Baskets!

Baskets are the answer to many organizational problems. Baskets come in a plethora of colors, materials and sizes and can store anything you have cluttering up your space. And the best part is that they look beautiful and can add to your decor!

So throw your piles of DVD’s or blankets in a basket and place it beside the couch or on the bookcase for a FABULOUSLY NEAT look!

Zum Auftakt der diesjährigen EuroCup-Saison begrüßten die Baskets den Favoriten DKV Joventut Badalona im Telekom Dome. Die erste Hiobsbotschaft erreichte die Zuschauer bereits vor dem Start, neben dem mehrere Wochen ausfallenden John Bowler (Muskelfaserriss) mussten sich auch Jared Jordan und Ronald Dupree für die Partie erkrankt abmelden.

Davon ließ sich das Team von Mike Koch jedoch zunächst nicht beeindrucken und zeigte im 1. Viertel eine bärenstarke Offensivleistung, die in einer knappen, aber verdienten Führung zum Ende des Abschnitts mündete. Die Stimmung auf den Rängen blieb auch großartig, als Badalona im zweiten Abschnitt seine Favoritenrolle unterstrich und dank einer schier unglaublichen Trefferquote von der Dreierlinie das Viertel deutlich dominierte. So ging es mit einem 45:35 für die Gäste in die Halbzeitpause.

Das dritte Viertel bot eine großartige Aufholjagd der Jungs um Johannes Strasser und Chris Ensminger, das Team wurde von den Fans immer wieder nach vorne gepusht und konnte den Rückstand nach einem Drei-Punkt-Spiel von Strasser auf 47:49 verkürzen. Der Dome stand Kopf. Unmittelbar vor dem Abschluss des 3. Viertels verwandelte Badalona allerdings erneut eiskalt zwei Dreier, so dass es anstelle eines knappen Rückstands vor dem letzten Viertel mit einem 52:60 ins Abschlussviertel ging.

Wer nun aber dachte, dass die Spanier das Spiel locker nach Hause schaukeln würde, sah sich getäuscht. Mit einer unglaublichen Kampfkraft, unbedingtem Willen und überdurchschnittlichem Engagement kämpften sich die Baskets zurück in die Partie. Als 2 Minuten vor Schluss der Ausgleich gelang, bebte die Halle und niemanden hielt es mehr auf seinem Sitz. Leider behielten die Gäste allerdings auch in dieser brandheißen Atmosphäre einen kühlen Kopf, gingen wieder mit zwei Punkten in Front und konnten nach einem Baskets-Fehlversuch 16 Sekunden vor dem Ende einen Dreier versenken, der letztendlich den Todesstoß für die Bonner bedeutete.

Der 76:71-Erfolg geht für Badalona in Ordnung, mit ein wenig Glück hätte es aber durchaus in die Verlängerung oder gar zum Bonner Sieg führen können. Diese Leistung macht eindeutig Lust auf mehr und wenn man die vielen Verletzungsausfälle berücksichtigt, ist dem Team noch alles zuzutrauen. Trotz der Niederlage, es geht eindeutig in die richtige Richtung.

Im Video habe ich versucht, die großartige Stimmung mal für eine Minute festzuhalten.

Easter is a time when we traditionally give gift baskets full of good things to the ones we love and care about. Of recent times we have got a little bit lazy and we tend to fill them with sweets and chocolate. But that doesn’t have to be the case. There are all sorts of alternatives.

As far as little ones are concerned they are just as happy if their Easter gift basket is full of toys or something to cuddle. Because it’s a time of year when there are babies of all varieties around the girls especially love to have something small and soft to carry around with them and there are loads around. The boys are maybe a little more difficult but you can pick up reasonably priced toys that encourage them to play outside and take some exercise. Where my family is concerned board games always go down well if the weather is bad and they need to be amused. I have a particular fondness for them as it involves the whole family.

An Easter Basket wouldn’t be quite the same if it didn’t contain some nice things to eat, but what about fruit and nuts or reduce the impact of chocolate by combining it with fruit such as raisins or cranberries. You can go the other way and add a few chocolate chips to a healthy muesli bar for a special treat. I make chocolate nests from cornflakes and bran flakes and fill them with fruit and my kids have always loved those.

We make lots of the goodies that go into our families Easter Gift Baskets, masks and cut outs, cards and games as well as the munchies. If you haven’t got time to make things you can always buy a basket that isn’t filled with just chocolate. Books are a lovely alternative gift – especially Easter Stories for the little ones, or maybe a good novel for Mum. One of the best gift baskets I ever received was full of luxury Bath Time treats, beautiful lotions and potions with lovely smells, a candle to make the Bathroom feel nice and a soft fluffy towel to wrap myself in when I got out of the bath.

Men are always much more difficult to buy Easter Baskets for, but most men have a hobby or two, what about Golf Balls, Tees, and a Golf Magazine, or if Fishing is his thing, line, floats and all those twiddly things they seem to find indispensable. Gardens are always a good source of inspiration too. It is the time of year when the garden is starting to grow and there are lots o beautiful plants around, and you can always find space for those. If you have the space you could buy lots of quick growing vegetable seeds for the children and help them plant their own garden and see how good those home-grown vegetables taste. Not only have you given them something different but you are encouraging good eating habits too.

It wouldn’t perhaps be an Easter Gift Basket without a small chocolate Bunny or a handful of mini eggs but there are so many other things you can add to make it a long lasting and much healthier gift.

Tricia Smith is a well known ‘Net Wanderer’ who writes regularly on many sites. A self-proclaimed Grumpy Old Woman she shares her thoughts freely and is renowned for her forthright views and opinions on most topics. A member of the Marketing Mavens, you can find more Easter Ideas at Easter made Easy

An international crackdown on the use of woods from the world’s rain forests to make musical instruments bubbled over to Music City on Tuesday with a federal raid on Gibson Guitar ’s manufacturing plant, but no arrests.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Webb said the search warrant was obtained based on information in a sealed affidavit outlining the investigation.

Agents of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service made a midday appearance and served a search warrant on company officials at Gibson’s Massman Drive manufacturing plant, where it makes acoustic and electric guitars.

Some hardwoods traditionally used in making premium guitars, such as rosewood from the rain forests of Madagascar and Brazil, have been banned from commercial trade because of environmental concerns under a recently revised federal law.

Under the U.S. Lacey Act, trading in such banned woods is a federal offense, punishable by civil and criminal penalties or the seizure of property. Last year, the U.S. Congress amended a turn-of-the-century wildlife protection law (the Lacey Act) to extend its reach to endangered timber species and plants. See the next post Where Were You When Wood Became A Felony?

The following is a excerpt from the Classical Values Blog. It is very interesting and I highly recommend you read the entire article at http://www.classicalvalues.com/archives/2009/10/where_were_you_2.html

The 2008 Farm Bill (also known as the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, aka Public Law 110-246).

This amendment [to the Lacey Act] deals with illegal plants — the primary thrust being illegal wood. Henceforth, all wood is to be a federally regulated, suspect substance. Either raw wood, lumber, or anything made of wood, from tables and chairs, to flooring, siding, particle board, to handles on knives, baskets, chopsticks, or even toothpicks has to have a label naming the genus and species of the tree that it came from and the country of origin. Incorrect labeling becomes a federal felony, and the law does not just apply to wood newly entering the country, but any wood that is in interstate commerce within the country. Here are some excerpts from a summary:

The Lacey Act now makes it unlawful to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce any plant, with some limited exceptions, taken in violation of the laws of a U.S. State, or any foreign law that protects plants. The Lacey Act also makes it unlawful to make or submit any false record, account or label for, or any false identification of, any plant.

The definition of the term “plant” includes “any wild member of the plant kingdom, including roots, seeds, parts, and products thereof, and including trees from either natural or planted forest stands.”

[...]

Anyone who imports into the United States, or exports out of the United States, illegally harvested plants or products made from illegally harvested plants, including timber, as well as anyone who exports, transports, sells, receives, acquires or purchases such products in the United States, may be prosecuted. In any prosecution under the Lacey Act, the burden of proof of a violation rests on the government.

[...]

Violations of Lacey Act provisions for timber and other plant products, as well as fish and wildlife, may be prosecuted through either civil or criminal enforcement actions. Regardless of any prosecution, the tainted plants may be seized and forfeited.

Everyone means everyone, which includes every reader of this blog.

Obviously, this means that in the future, the Fish and Game guys will be able to accompany SWAT Team raiders to check all wood in homes and businesses for possible violations. Even if they’re wrong in their suspicions about the wood, it can still be confiscated. (Might that be a goal? To beef up employment at Fish and Game?)

Just think about the law enforcement possibilities alone. After kicking through and impounding your illegal wooden door, a federalized army of government termites could literally strip all wood paneling and flooring from every raided house as suspicious contraband, and haul away all the furniture, wood carvings, picture frames, tools, musical instruments! I can’t think of a better harassment tool. The list of potentially regulated items is mind-boggling:

the scope of products that will require a declaration under the Lacey Act is broad and includes certain live plants, plant parts, lumber, wood pulp, paper and paperboard, and products containing certain plant material or products, which may include certain furniture, tools, umbrellas, sporting goods, printed matter, musical instruments, products manufactured from plant-based resins, and textiles.

[...]

After September 30, 2009, based on experience with the implementation of the electronic system for declaration data collection, we will phase in enforcement of the declaration requirements for additional chapters containing plants and plant products covered by the Lacey Act, including (but not limited to) Ch. 12 (oil seeds, misc. grain, seed, fruit, plant, etc.), Ch. 13 (gums, lacs, resins, vegetable saps, extracts, etc.), Ch. 14 (vegetable plaiting materials and products not elsewhere specified or included), Ch. 45 (cork and articles of), Ch. 46 (basket ware and wickerwork), Ch. 66 (umbrellas, walking sticks, riding crops), Ch. 82 (tools), Ch. 93 (guns), Ch. 95 (toys, games and sporting equipment), Ch. 96 (brooms, pencils, and buttons), and Ch. 97 (works of art). We will announce a specific phase-in schedule for those chapters in a subsequent Federal Register notice.

Did they mention shipping pallets and cargo braces? Wood is not only in stuff, it’s in the stuff that the stuff comes in! Nearly everything is regulated.

Oh, and you firearm owners out there, let’s not forget gun handles!

Ch. 93 Headings (arms and ammunition).
9302 — Revolvers and pistols.
93051020 –Parts and accessories for revolvers and pistols.
Ch. 94 Headings (furniture, etc.).
940169 — Seats with wood frames.
Ch. 95 Headings (toys, games, & sporting equipment).
950420 — Articles and accessories for billiards.
Ch. 97 Headings (works of art).
9703 — Sculptures.

Glad I don’t own an art gallery, but my picture frames are not labeled, which means there are probably multiple potential felonies in progress in my home. (Perhaps I should be more careful about what I say.)

And while the NRA might not have noticed the impending crackdown on gun handles, at least IKEA is starting to speak up.

Between Wood Control and the Consumer Product Safety Nazis, I pity anyone in the secondhand business, including all Ebay and Craigslist sellers as well as people holding garage or yard sales.

In short, I pity the American people. This is not their fault, though, for no one has any control over what is going on. Not even the despicable fools we call “legislators” who cannot read the “laws” they pass because they are not meant to be read. As to the enforcers, they are only doing their job. They have to earn a living. And we are supposed to respect them, because they lay their lives on the line, “protecting” the public! From felonious wood!

Obviously, the full implications of this dramatic loss of freedom are beyond the capacity of a single post. After all, I am just one blogger, doing this by myself, without the kind of access to data that media organizations and think tanks might have. So, I cannot possibly hope to analyze everything. As things stand, I became exhausted last night just reading through the Lacey Act Amendment stuff pertaining to wood — and that was one mere fraction of an execrable, unreadable monstrosity. I don’t mean to whine, but slogging through such horrors is not exactly my idea of Saturday night fun. But who the hell else is going to do it? Flooring and furniture industry blogs? Who the hell reads them except people in the business? They’re all greedy tree haters and have no credibility. Besides, all big business is the enemy right now. We need to stand up not only against Big Cereal, but now Big Flooring! Big Siding! Big Furniture! (Is there such an industry as Big Chopstick?)

To read the entire article please go to: http://www.classicalvalues.com/archives/2009/10/where_were_you_2.html

© 2009 • Matthew Hibbard

This blog entry is all about traditions and about being around family and friends. It’s about being thankful for all that I have and about sharing compassion and care with the people around me. Being thankful this year, when more and more people are struggling to gather around the kitchen table, is extremely important. But I find that Thanksgiving is all about the small acts of kindness, this tradition exemplifies that idea perfectly.

My family has given Thanksgiving baskets to families in downtown St. Louis for many years now so we know the system of giving down to a science. After church service, we rush with empty boxes to the long table of food. We place the food in our boxes according to the family listed. We strategically place the food in the back of the van, fidget with the GPS and drive east.

As my dad argues with the GPS, I am amazed at all the empty brick buildings dotting the St. Louis cityscape. It’s one of St. Louis’ most prominent features, old abandon factories, businesses and homes, all leaving behind a brick footprint.

As we give out the Thanksgiving baskets on our list, I am amazed at how beautiful the outside and inside of some of these houses are. Although many are small, they still have many of the same architectural features so popular in years past.

After the many big smiles and long hugs from residents, we head to one of the best fried chicken places in St. Louis, Hodak’s. It always makes me smile when I walk in there, Christmas ornaments are already hanging from the ceiling, there’s a snowman in the corner, and it smells like chicken and cigarette smoke. Most of us are stuffed afterwards, but we have done this in the past, we know what dessert comes next.

The day ends with Ted Drews, and why not. We end our tradition with a St. Louis tradition outside by the street, surrounded by the scent of evergreens from the Christmas trees lying nearby.

Thanksgiving is all about the small things we do for others and spreading acts of kindness. I found a great quote this week that sums up Thanksgiving nicely, “live simply so that others may simply live.”

Qui n’a pas maudit l’industrie de la chaussures sur quatre générations lorsque devant la glace le constat était flagrant, que rien n’allait avec rien parce que les shoes n’étaient pas raccord avec le reste?

Tout le monde.

Résultat? Des paires de chaussures de couleurs différentes et qui s’entassent dans le shoesing si ce n’est pas dans le hall d’entrée.

Heureusement que quelqu’un a un cerveau et a imaginé pour nous pauvres désoeuvrés de la tendance, des chaussures personnalisables à l’infini.  Scratcher & Slider c’est  une paire de chaussures et plus de 200 000 combinaisons possibles !

De quoi booster la créativité qui se dissimule en chacun de nous. 

Supposons que le matin vous êtes tendance mauve alors vous apposez une piece mauve (Stay moove) sur la chaussure  munie d’un scratch et si le soir vous êtes plutôt bling bling alors vous changez pour un empiecement or.

C’est simple mais fallait y penser! 

Et qui avait pensé à ça avant PierreYves jeune créateur autodidacte? Nobody. 

 Ses baskets en cuir sont en vente sur son site et au Citadium le temple de la mode street culture.

Maintenant je me dis que  Scratcher & Slider  doit ABSOLUMENT s’attaquer au marché de la chaussure de golf! parce qu’une paire de chaussures de golf ce n’est pas donné et parfois y en a marre du logo noir surtout pour celles qui sont supertistieuses et qui lors des compettes portent toujours un détail rouge pour avoir de bons influx. En même temps le lendemain les superstitieuses aimeraient bien une paire de chaussures avec un peu de vert pour être raccord avec le tee shirt.

Je lance donc un SOS à Scratcher & Slider.

(Pierre Yves aime la catégorie chaussures du blog de lavieenrouge)

http://www.scratcherslider.com/fr

Voir l’article sur les Saddle shoes.

Mit einem deutlichen und verdienten 74:59 haben die Telekom Baskets Bonn ihre Unbeständigkeit diesmal im positiven Sinne bestätigt und den Gast aus Ludwigsburg aus dem Telekom Dome geschossen.

Obwohl Ronald Dupree als Starter noch keine richtige Bindung zum Team fand, konnten die Jungs von Mike Koch das Match mehr oder minder souverän für sich entscheiden. Die Viertel 1 und 3 gingen zwar verloren, aber eine überzeugende Offensivleistung in 2 und 4, sowie eine insgesamt starke Defensive haben den klaren Erfolg letztlich untermauert.

Insbesondere Tim Ohlbrecht bestätigte seine derzeit gute Form, war stets anspielbar und schloss zudem hervorragend ab (17 Punkte, 4/5 Dreier). Ein großer Wermutstropfen ist allerdings die Verletzung von John Bowler, bei dem ein Verdacht auf Muskelfaserriss besteht.

Gerne kann diese Leistung als Wegweiser für den weiteren Saisonverlauf herhalten – dann sollten auch die ersten, teils berechtigten, Zweifel aus dem Umfeld wieder verstummen.

Bereits am Dienstag geht es in der Euro League gegen Joventut Badalona im T-Dome wieder zur Sache.

On est repartis pour un tour! Au dernier match de foot diffusé à la TV, je me suis rendu compte que la plupart de mes voisins, pour ne pas dire tous mes voisins, avaient des comportements de gros beauf. En effet, vu la nuisance auditive, ils étaient tous ou presque devant le match à hurler dès que l’arbitre sortait son sifflet ou qu’un but était marqué. Ça m’a inspiré un petit topo de tout ce que l’on déteste chez nos voisins les beaufs.

Déjà, on déteste leur façon de parler. Car oui, un beauf a sa façon de parler bien à lui, et n’hésite pas à utiliser toutes les pires expressions possibles et imaginables pour illustrer ses propos. Il va parler – mis à part comme un beauf, je ne vois pas vraiment d’autre façon de décrire la chose – de façon vulgaire, avec des intonations très, très vulgos. Niveau expression, pour illustrer mon propos, il faut une petite mise en situation. C’est du vécu ; copyright Pologne. Il y a un gay dans la salle. Beauf : C’est quoi ce bruit dehors ? Hôte : C’est les grenouilles. Beauf : Ha bah dis donc!  C’est pas des grenouilles de pédé! Situation illustrée.

Ensuite, il y a leur façon de s’habiller. Les beaufs ont eux aussi leur dress-code (ca fait très communauté, je crois que j’ai mis le doigt sur quelque chose) mais il s’agit d’un dress-code un peu particulier. En effet, il privilégie les gros sweats noirs Johnny ou les gros sweats noirs avec des Indiens ou des loups qui hurlent à la lune. Associé évidemment parce que le beauf aime son confort à des baskets. Or, toute personne censée sait que les mots “chaussures” et “confort” ne sont pas faits pour aller ensemble…

On aime pas non plus leur loisirs. Le beauf de base aime se caler devant son match de foot, avec d’autres beaufs si possible, et un pack de 24. Ils aiment aussi beaucoup les rassemblements de tunning, Strip Tease m’en est témoin. Et je crois que ce loisir là égal bien le foot télévisé en ce sens où le beauf se révèle énormément dans ces choses là. Le pire étant peut être quand même le tunning parce qu’ils sont beaucoup à un même endroit, mais ça peut justement être très amusant grâce à cette proximité entre personnes de la même communauté, puisqu’ils s’engueulent très très très souvent entre eux dans ce genre de meetings- et ce pour des motifs de merde comme un bruit de moteur plus puissant qu’un autre – Strip Tease m’en est témoin une fois encore.

Personnellement, je n’aime pas non plus leur manque de culture. La culture, il en faut, je ne dis pas en avoir des tonnes, mais le minimum syndical, le minimum vital quoi. Tandis que certaines personnes de cette communauté (oui, je suis sûr que c’en est une, avec gourou et compagnie – vous imaginez être le gourou de Beauf-land, le pouvoir qu’on ressent ?) semblent être fières de leur maquent patent de culture. Non, Rimbaud n’était pas un blaireau, et non, l’electro n’est pas de la musique de tapettes, pas plus que la pop ou autres choses un tantinet sucrées que les beaufs détestent.

Bon, y en a encore d’autres, et surtout, je déteste leur façon de hurler devant les matches de foot, et surtout devant en particulier devant la main de Thierry Henry hier soir. Oui, 15 hurlements gras simultanés pendant des révisions de chimie inorganique, ça nuit fortement à la réussite du médian à suivre.

Maintenant… Live and let die mon gros Jacky!

Son : Björk – Scary

]]> http://alexnassar.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/sneakers-du-moment/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:47:29 +0000 a.l.e.x http://alexnassar.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/sneakers-du-moment/ http://jamiesan.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/artisans-of-the-cumberland/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:30:51 +0000 jamielorance http://jamiesan.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/artisans-of-the-cumberland/

The 40th annual Artisans of the Cumberland arts and crafts fair will be held this weekend at the Mcminnville Civic Center. The main times are Friday and Saturday from 10 am until 8 pm, but you can catch a ’sneak peek’ Thursday night as well from 6 to 9pm. Thursday night’s admission will set you back five dollars, but Friday and Saturday are free of charge.

In addition to the obvious purchases one can make, there will be bits of live music, home made treats, and artisans on hand that actually show items being made by performing their crafts such as baskets and wood working.

Christmas is coming up, and this is a fine way to find a nice gift for someone other than a gift card or some junk from a box store like Wal-Mart. Plus you get to support the local artisans, and lets face it, in this day and age they need all the support they can get. If you’re interested, show up and buy something! Also, feel free to check out their website here.

We’ve blogged about our Tonga baskets before; they are similar in pattern to Binga baskets from Zimbabwe, but much deeper and more robust.

Since we’ve struggled to source Binga baskets for the past year, we’ve moved more towards the Tonga baskets, though they too are prety hard to come by.

So it’s great to get a fresh batch in, though they are unlikely to be around for long! Full details can be found in our online store.

Here’s what the largest one looks like:

Am Abend verloren die Telekom Baskets Bonn deutlich mit 74:87 gegen das Team des MEG Göttingen, wobei der Grundstein für die Auswärtsniederlage bereits in der ersten Halbzeit gelegt wurde. Ein schwaches Offensivspiel bei ungeordneter Defensive führte zu einem klaren 32:53-Rückstand zur Pause.

Die Halbzeitansprache von Mike Koch hatte dann offensichtlich zunächst einigen Erfolg, das dritte Viertel konnten die Baskets grandios mit 29:16 für sich entscheiden. Doch die aufkeimende Hoffnung wurde im letzten Viertel jäh gebremst, die Defensive rückte wieder vermehrt in den Vordergrund und die Bonner fanden einfach kein geeignetes Mittel, um die solide Göttinger Mannschaft ernsthaft in Gefahr zu bringen. So ging dieser Abschnitt mit 18:13 verdient an die Niedersachsen und das Spiel war gegessen.

Beste Bonner Schützen waren Tim Ohlbrecht und NBA-Neuzugang Ronald Dupree  mit je 15 Punkten, Göttingen hatte in Chris Oliver mit 22 Punkten den besten Scorer der Partie. Letztendlich bleibt erneut festzuhalten, dass eine ersatzgeschwächte Bonner Mannschaft keine Kontinuität besitzt und sich irgendwie durch diese wankelmütige Zeit durchbeißen muss. Bleibt zu hoffen, dass Dupree seinen guten ersten Eindruck in den kommenden Matches bestätigt und keine Anpassungs- oder Eingewöhnungsprobleme bekommt. Diesem Spiel konnte er trotz guter Ansätze verständlicherweise noch nicht seinen Stempel aufdrücken.

Today I am tackling Mt. Laundry, which resides in Sofa Valley.

If you haven’t heard from me by this time tomorrow, call in The Civil Air Patrol… I will be searching for a portal to the Land of Lost Socks and am not sure of finding my way back.

When a something in your home become so overwhelming all you can do is shut the door and ignore it, then its time to call in a professional to help.  With the blessing of some dear friends of mine, I would like to share before and after photos of their projects.  To help you understand the before pictures, please recognize that this couple is working full-time, starting their own business, and attending school full-time.  Life for them is running at a thousand miles per hour, and taking time to tackle a project like this was at the bottom of the “to do” list, yet at the top of the stress list.  Often our most stressful things in life, are the ones we don’t have the time to tackle.

The great thing about this project is that I was able to work with them through the entire planning phase, but then complete the project almost without their help entirely, and then hand them the finished product.  And for the OCD in me, it was pure joy!  In planning the project, which included organizing two bedrooms in the house, we quickly realized that the function of the two rooms in question needed to be switched.  The larger bedroom was being used for a guest room, while the smaller bedroom was functioning as an office/den.  In switching the purposes of the rooms, we gave the office/den a much larger area (which will allow for the future purchase of a larger desk) and put the guest quarters in a smaller, but less used room.  I promise their guests will not know the difference.

Den room before making it guest room.

Guest room after shot

So here are the before and after pictures to share.  This was such a fun project and gave me some great ideas for suggestions to pass along. They are as follows:

1. Re-evaluate the use for each room in the house.  Like my friends, are you saving your best room for guests, and using your smallest room every day? Why!? This is your home, your castle.  Utilize the rooms as they work best for you.  Your guests (the few times they stay) will not mind a bed tucked into the corner of a seldom used, smaller room.  Re-claim what you need to make life easier for you.

Guest room before the swap

2. Plan. Plan. Plan.  By taking an entire day before the project to plan we were able to start and finish this room swap in two days, including the painted accent walls, and re-organized closets.  But planning was an entire day of working with them on what they wanted along with my suggestions on how the rooms should be set up.  We measured every piece of furniture and sketched the rooms on graph paper to get a feel for dimensions.

We also needed to plan what items needed to be stored in each of the room closets.  Additionally the function of the den/office needed to be very specific given the fact that they are launching a new business and needed lots of paperwork at their fingertips and a filing system that would work for them at this time until they grow larger.

3. Plan decorating into your organizing.  In this case, my friends knew they wanted accent walls in the rooms, but had never had the time to paint.  Since we were effectively emptying the rooms to make the move, it was the best time to take advantage of the empty room, and paint accent walls.  My friends selected a paint color and purchased the paint prior to my arrival, which also made the project go much smoother.

4. Lastly, structure the physical move and coordinate it with the organization of the rooms.  In this case we moved all large furniture into the living room, then moved the large pieces into their new rooms, and covered them prior to painting.  All other items stayed out of the rooms.  Only after the paint was dry and all large pieces of furniture were arranged, did I begin to tackle the organization of all the smaller things.  By having the larger pieces in place, I was able to effectively put stuff away and organize as I went.  Trying to organize first, then move furniture would have made the project much more difficult.

I hope this inspires you to tackle something that feels overwhelming.  In just two days, we took a lot of stress off this couple and their home feels new again!  Plan. Plan. Plan.  And you too can rejuvenate your home and reclaim space!

Don’t Agonize, Organize!

NWBW Retreat 2007 willow basket class

The Northwest Basket Weavers Guild has mailed out the registration information for the annual Spring Retreat. The Retreat is scheduled for March 24-28,2010 at the Pilgrim Firs Conference Center in Port Orchard, WA. There are 43 proposed classes to chose from as well as the opportunity to bring other projects for the open weaving area. This year’s featured teacher is Cass Schorsch who will be sharing her bark basketry techniques. She will also be presenting a slide show on Friday evening before the Gallery Gala.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Katherine Lewis will be teaching one two day willow basketry class at the Retreat. Katherine’s class is “Introduction to fitching” for intermediate weavers. You must be a member of the Guild to participate in the Retreat. All the information is available in the brochure which you can see at the Guild website, including color photos of the class baskets.

This excerpt is from Voice of America http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-11-16-voa14.cfm .

Native American Tribe Creates Prized Baskets , By Deborah Block
The Tohono O’odham, Arizona
16 November 2009

Native Americans in the United States have been weaving baskets for centuries. Archeologists have discovered baskets that are thousands of years old. They were used to hold food and other supplies, and for sacred rituals. But many baskets made today are for decoration. The Tohono O’odham in (the southwest state of) Arizona live on the second largest reservation in the U.S. They weave baskets that are prized for their quality.

Rose Martin has inherited a family tradition. “My mother’s the one who taught me how to do basketry when I was about 10 years old and gave me that gift to weave,” she said

for more info please go to above address

Holiday gift baskets for Christmas are a good idea if you are looking for something quick and easy. You can be all about the food basket as a wine and cheese or chocolate, shopping, or they can about the passion of a person or a profession, such as school supplies for students or golf balls, tees and a glove for a golfer. While people usually give gift baskets for Christmas, which are suitable for all times: Hanukkah, birthdays, graduations, Mother's Day, Arbor Day, youname it.

Here are some tips for giving gift baskets at Christmas.

The "Dos" Giving Holiday Gift Baskets for Christmas:

* Choose something that they even more pleasure. This is understandable, but try to pay on what people like or dislike. While most of the baskets are pre-assembled, you can "Create your own" baskets, and only select the items that you know your recipient will like. Use an online holiday gift baskets for ChristmasService, or go to your favorite store and she herself together.

* Select a theme basket. Sometimes you can holiday gift baskets at Christmas to be found centered around a particular topic, whether from a particular region, on the basis of certain foods (such as a chocolate gift basket), or the person favorite sport, team or profession.

* Do not forget a basket is not always about the food. While everyone loves a chocolate gift basket, you can get aBasket of bath products – specialty soaps, bath oils, loofah – Scrapbooking Elements – Sample scissors, glue, scrapbooking and a sharp knife. Please limit your holiday gift baskets at Christmas only to food.

* A basket is not always a basket. Any large container will do. Decorate a large pot and fill it with gardening supplies for your gardening friends.

The "Don'ts" of Giving Holiday Gift Baskets for Christmas:

* During a wine and Cheese basket is suited to ensure that you do not have to give something to people who do not, it can. Do not give up cheese, someone with lactose intolerance, vegetarian sausage, or nuts for people with peanut allergies. Although it is the thought that counts, it's not what you want to keep your holiday gift baskets for Christmas in memory. It is rather the insensitivity (or drive) to the hospital which is remember.

* Be careful giving holiday> Gift Baskets for Christmas to the children. A basket of DVDs or a small toy is a great idea. A basket of clothes, it is not. We know that someone whose grandmother gave him a bundle of tube socks for Christmas when he was 10, and while he laughs about it, we think he cries when he tells the story.

* Please insert something generic or "an issue for all". While they are fine when it comes to holiday gift baskets for Christmas, they are rather impersonal and not need a lot of thought. If your friend or relative is actually the baskets you can buy at the Holiday Gift Baskets for Christmas Emporium at your local mall, then that is okay. Otherwise, it will in some effort. Find out what the recipient really loves, and create a basket around that theme. It shows you care enough to know what and how they enjoy it. (Of course, if they collect summer sausage and cheese wrapped in foil triangles, so go nuts.)

You can not go wrong with> Holiday Gift Baskets for Christmas presents. Instead of looking for the "perfect gift" for your friend or family member, she surprised many little things that are going to love them and remember. Believe it or not, it's actually easier to go this route than to try to find the best possible gift.

Thanks To : Reborn Baby for mon Shop Best for your pets All Holidays Gifts