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A French-Inspired Garden and Home by Judith Stringham

A-Tisket, A-Tasket, A-Basket

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Baskets...

Spring is the time of the year when there 
are baskets everywhere. 
Baskets with plants, baskets with rabbits, 
with candy, with flowers, 
with linens, books, 
dishes... 

One of my favorite blogs to read 
recently shared nine ways to use baskets. 
Looking around my house, 
I saw baskets used most of the ways listed, 
but also am using baskets one or two ways not listed. 



I had forgotten I had this blue basket. 
It had been in a guest bedroom upstairs, 
but when that bedroom was rearranged last year, 
this basket was moved to my office loft, 
and forgotten. 
Until yesterday when I was de-cluttering. 



As I walked down the stairs swinging the basket, 
(is there any other way to carry a basket with a handle?)
my mind was mulling over where I could use it. 

Perfect for this time of year when baskets are everywhere. 
Perfect for a little Easter display on the dining table. 

Another of my favorite bloggers has been doing a 
series on tablescaping, 
and I have been doing some serious 
studying of her stunning arrangements. 
Analyzing, comparing her compositions, 
noting camera angles, looking for common elements, etc... 
So, what better way to practice what I was learning 
than to create a display in the basket? 



Stock, snapdragons, and baby's breath, 
all from the grocery store floral department,  
fill a small blue and white stoneware pitcher. 
I continue to be drawn to white and 
started out trying to keep this all blue and white. 

Then I decided to use the iron rabbit painted a 
 soft yellow-y cream and wearing multi-colored ribbons. 
Hmm... 


Many years ago I found two cups and saucers that 
had the perfect colors for the upstairs guest bedroom in 
which the basket had been. 
The colors were now perfect for tying together 
the rabbit, the basket, and the stoneware pitcher. 

Au revoir, white and blue only. 



Now the question became, 
how do I position the saucers so they will stand up? 
Solution... 
Place two faux green hyacinth plants behind the saucers 
and prop the saucers' bottom edges next to the rabbit. 
These faux green hyacinth plants include bulbs with roots 
and came from the Maison & Objet Trade Show in Paris, France, 
September 2011. 



The two cups are stacked together, but at first I could not get the top 
cup to lean over so its pattern would be visible. 
Solution #2... 
Insert a folded piece of stiff paper into the bottom cup 
on which the top cup could sit at an angle 
and not slide so deeply into the bottom cup. 



A-tisket, a-tasket, 
what do you have in your basket? 

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