I
Admit It! I'm A Basket Case!
By
Colleen Moulding
Okay,
I confess, I love baskets. I think they are just the
prettiest things and so useful around the home. I keep
vegetables in baskets, hells and bathroom toiletries in
baskets, socks, remote controls, washing, toys, pens,
plants - you name it there's a basket somewhere hat's
just right to store it in. They aren't expensive either.
If you keep your eyes open you can find quite a variety
at dollar stores or pound shops and charity or second
hand shops usually have a selection too. I have found
that Summer Fayre's or table sales raising money for
hospitals or residential homes for the elderly yield
lots of baskets, as they often contain gifts of plants
or flowers and are discarded afterwards.
Don't
be afraid to wash your basket ware. I regularly
completely immerse baskets in warm soapy water, and even
scrub them, before rinsing well and pegging them on to
the washing line or placing them in the sun to dry. If
you can't dry them outside, shake them well and leave
them on a towel in a warm place. This only applies to
inexpensive everyday basket ware of course, for antique
baskets, rare or cherished family pieces, dust off with
a soft brush, or vacuum with a piece of a pair of old
tights stretched over the nozzle.
Once
clean, they have a thousand uses. Trim a piece of
plastic or polythene to fit inside a basket and it is
the perfect home for any type of indoor plant. Just pop
the plastic pot into the basket. In fact a table filled
with foliage and flowering plants in an array of
different baskets interspersed with some colored glass
or pretty china can be a simple and inexpensive way to
create a beautiful focal point in a conservatory or
garden room.
Baskets
in the kitchen can display fruit and vegetables, store
cutlery, bread, eggs, tea towels and a million and one
other items. You can also paint them to go with your
room scheme, decorate them with silk or dried flowers
attached with a glue gun, or hang them as decorations
mixed with drying herbs and pretty jugs for a homely
country look.
Magazines
can be a storage problem but flat baskets contain them
in a stylish way. I do admit to a failure here though. I
once decided to store some of my home decorating
magazines in a tall wicker basket thinking it was a
great looking storage solution, until guests kept
throwing their litter in with them! I know when to admit
defeat!
Collecting
baskets whenever you see them throughout the year can
also solve lots of gift problems when Christmas rolls
around. Fill them will bits and pieces that you know the
recipient will love, such as, gardening gloves, seeds,
plant labels and a trowel or a video, popcorn and cans
of cola or cups and saucers and chocolate dipped spoons.
Wrap the whole thing up in cellophane, decorate with
ribbon and voila personalized Christmas gifts to go.
In
a wardrobe or closet, baskets can help you to get
organized. Really large baskets can hold shoes, smaller
ones are ideal for scarves, belts, gloves, folded tee
shirts, jumpers or underwear. Even bathrooms can benefit
from baskets. They can hold spare paper rolls or soaps,
rolled up towels, face cloths or displays of shells,
pebbles, driftwood and shore treasures.
In
children's rooms they can hold small toys, hair
decorations, socks and underwear, craft supplies, jewelry,
books and collections of anything that will clutter up
the place if not gathered together. Whatever your
storage problem somewhere there is a basket that will
solve it for you. Happy basket hunting!
©
Colleen Moulding 2000
Colleen
Moulding is a freelance writer living in the south of
England. She is also the owner/editor of All That Women
Want.com http://www.allthatwomenwant.com
a magazine, web guide and resource for women everywhere.
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