Nickeroo's Mutterings: Baskets, Baskets, and more Baskets!!

I was fortunate to meet a wonderful lady named Diane. She loves to cook and as such has created a cookbook of country cooking. In addition, she sells items for a friend named Jonus. He makes beautifully scrolled baskets. The cool thing, the impressive thing is that they can be pull up to be baskets or can be laid flat to create a hot plate or to easily store! I wish all of my centerpieces had that kind of flexibility!! That's pretty ingenious. Jonus uses oak or tulip popular as his basic woods. For an additional fee, he will upgrade the wood by using rich, dark walnut or truly exquisite purple heart wood. The latter looks purple, absolutely beautiful!! As for the designs, I had no idea that there could be so many. Here's a list: apple, bicycle, bread basket, butterfly, cat and mouse, Christmas tree, cow, deer, duck (2 design choices), eagle, fish, 5-point star, frog, fruit basket, heart, horse, horseshoe, maple leaf, moon, owl, pig, pinwheel, rabbit, rooster, shamrock, teapot, wolf, 6-petal lotus, and 8-petal lotus. A total of 30 exquisite designs are available. Here's some pics and the link to the store. http://shop.decorgaloremore.com/BASKETS_c58.htm

Made from rich chocolate walnut. Its shine and grains are enhanced using regular cooking oils. That way it remains food safe.

Here's a bread basket using tulip popular. Notice it gives the wood a yellowish coloring.

Jonus also does mixed woods. Here is a sample of oak and purple heart woods mixed to create a beautiful-looking 6-lotus basket.

Gotta love the pig! The pig itself is made from the chocolate walnut with a base of oak. In fact, I have noticed that most of the bases are made from oak.

Here's another sample of walnut, 6-lotus basket.

This fruit basket is made from oak with oodles of goodies inside. The goodies are not included; they are there to give you an idea. Of course, it could be fruit and other "healthy" goodies as well. :)

Perfect for giving that special teacher a gift or for people who love apple decor!!

Wow, another ingenious idea for those bike riding fanatics!! Bring your love indoors with this wonderfully scrolled basket!

Gotta love butterflies, made from oak.

This is one of my favorites--cat and mouse made from oak! Love it!!

Ideal for Christmas and winter time. Ideal for gift gifting!

Gotta love the cow basket!!

This deer is perfect for the hunter, (At least this way he or she got their deer? LOL) Christmas and the winter season.

The picture to the right shows how there are two choices when it comes to ordering a duck basket.

Another one of my favorites... love the eagles and how they are symbolic of our great nation!!

8-point lotus basket, made from tulip popular

A fish basket!! Who knew it cold be done???

5-point star basket, made from oak

Frog...love it!

Perfect gift to put those special touches of love in....

Horse made out of oak

I have't figured out how this one becomes a basket, but apparently it does. Love the idea of a horseshoe. We all can use a little bit of luck here and there!