........And the winners are........!!!!!!!

The random line picker has spoken!!   As you can see, the winners are......

First  -  Elizabeth S

Second - Kikka N

Elizabeth - you get first choice!!  Please message me privately with your choice of basket and a snail mail address so I can post ASAP!!

Kika - if you could send me your address also!

basketcaseminis@yahoo.com.au

Thank you everyone for participating in this give-away!  I wish you all a very happy Christmas/holiday season and the very best for the New Year.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!

Give-away Christmas 2014

As promised, here is my give-away - especially for Christmas!!

It is open to all current followers of my blog as at 3 December, 2014.

All names will be put into a random number generator and I will draw out two names.  The first name to be picked will get first choice.

Good luck to all participants!!

OOPS!!
Ends midnight 18 December 2014 (Australia time)

Shopping basket and Storage basket

Storage basket

Shopping basket

Display wall for my baskets

I thought it would be nice to have a decent spot on which to display my baskets - both at shows and for photographic purposes and came up with this.....

I'm quite happy with the outcome!  And now it's back to work on this most gorgeous, rainy day!  We so needed rain and I'm doing a happy dance!

Hope everyone is keeping well.

Stay tuned for the giveaway - I haven't forgotten.

Grafton Paperclay Workshop - 8 and 9 November2014

My Walled Secret Garden

Left side detail

Right side detail

I got into Sydney from New Zealand on 30 October and literally hit the ground running.  I had to get myself organised and ready to drive to Grafton just over a week later.  Peter, who had been in Iraq for just under 3 months, was even worse off - he got back home on Friday afternoon.   Jet lag?  What's that??  No matter - we left home on Saturday morning at 7am, heading for a 9am start to the workshop in Grafton.  We had 5 participants and a very busy 2 days was had by all.

Getting started

Peter Sinfield's pristine piece!

Denise's pristine piece!

Denise's left wall in progress

Peter Sinfield's right wall in progress

Yvonne's work in progress

Rosie's work in progress

Rosie wip!

Margaret's dirty wash!

Everybody got all the walls up, clayed and mostly painted.  Nambucca Mini Group is meeting on Saturday week and hopefully we will see most of the finished projects then - so more photos forthcoming!!

We worked long and hard - 9am start on Saturday finished up at 7pm and Sunday was an 8.30am start which finished at 6pm so it was pretty full on but no one had time to complain.  We had a load of fun - a lot of laughs and plenty of good food!  Another whirlwind weekend!

And now - back to the baskets!  I have to get ready for 2 shows in May 2015 - the Sydney Miniatures Show and Kensington Doll House Festival.  These two events should keep me pretty busy for the next six months!  Bring it on!!

Take care everyone.

NZAME Convention 2014 - Nelson, New Zealand

I can't believe that it's been and gone!  And what a whirlwind it was.

I arrived in Wellington, New Zealand on Tuesday 21 October where I visited with the lovely Maria and Peter for a couple of nights - chatting and catching up generally.  On Thursday, five of us piled into the van for our road trip to Nelson.  First stop, the ferry terminal, where we were in very good company indeed - surrounded by a rather large group of Mustangs.

The crossing was calm and uneventful and the weather was good, which made our drive to Nelson pleasant too.  I was duly deposited at my accommodation to unload my goodies and then we headed to Kim and Kerry's for a scrumptious dinner.  Friday morning was quiet time for me - gearing up for the setting up at Convention.  All went smoothly and the sales room was in operation on Friday night. 

There were some lovely displays in the exhibition room and this wedding marquee really got my attention.  It really looked sooo good.

We ventured out for dinner one evening and Pinocchio certainly enjoyed the Margueritas!  The steak wasn't bad either.

On Sunday I had an all day basket workshop.  I'm afraid I didn't get any shots of work in progress  - much too busy with 16 participants, but I did manage to get a group photo - minus 3 people who made a very quick get-away!

I am really disappointed that I didn't get more photos of completed baskets  (they all promised to)  - but here are a couple of pics I did get.

Sandra's basket - thank you for sending a pic!!

Marg Todd - thank you too!

Maria's basket - made at our own little workshop in Wellington after convention.

I was thrilled with all the participants work - they all did a wonderful job.

Convention dinner - plentiful food!

Convention cake!!  I was told who made this and I can't remember who it was - but I DO remember that it was just delicious - fruit cake yum!  And I'm not normally a fan of fruit cake!!

The organisers all deserve a huge round of applause - and a big thank you from me for the opportunity to attend.

I just had to do this!

The Queen and her apprentice!!  Guess who rules in this house? 

But we love them!

At last ........a potato basket!

I have been mulling over how to best tackle this basket in miniature for a good year now.  I had to be sure that all the weaving was tight and even across the board and I managed to do it in the end.  I still have a little bit of "tweaking" to do but over all - I am happy with the result.  What do you think?
I shouldn't really ask!!  But what do you think?!

Hope you are all keeping well!  Until next time.

And a bit more.........

This took days of "fiddle" - firstly to get the basket right and then to get the birds inside!!!  Aren't the peach faces just gorgeous - made by Audrey Hughes, New Zealand.

Just for fun!

Not long now and New Zealand here I come!

Hope everyone is keeping well.

Been quiet......but productive!

I have been busy getting myself organised for NZAME Convention, being held in Nelson, New Zealand 24-27 October.  It will be so nice to be back in Nelson - happy times, happy times!
Anyway, I have been doing some work in an effort to build up a stash of baskets and here are a few for you to look at.....

A selection of flower baskets - fun!

Flat based picnic hamper - lidded of course!

A bird carrier.

Eel traps - don't make too many of these - too stressful!!!

I was looking through my older posts to see when my last give away was - too long ago I think.  When I get back from New Zealand I will have a giveaway for all my followers.  Maybe a couple of flower baskets?  What do you think?  I just think they're pretty and would look gorgeous filled!

I hope you are all keeping well.  For those in the northern climes - back towards winter for you - but over here the weather has warmed up with a vengence and we're off and running into what I feel might be a long hot summer.

Take care everyone!

My past 14 days...........

.....have been spent working on birdcages!  They are still incomplete - needing cage doors to be done and some final bits and pieces!  Keeping all that in mind - I am showing pics anyway!!

I broke the monotony by working on another bike basket for this bike that I painted - with an almost matching shopping basket.  That was purely fluke by the way!!

I hope you have all been keeping well.  We have had  lovely week of "some" rain which has saved the grass in our yard from extinction!!  Long may it last!

Take care everyone.

I'm so excited.............

........to have finally finished this little number.  A hanging cradle - which has been living in my head for many months now - has finally, somehow, emerged through my fingers!! LOL!   A lot of weaving involved and a few curses too - but I'm so happy with the end result.  It looks just like a imagined it would - and that has to be a big plus!

I also made this delivery bike basket which I am so happy with as it fits so perfectly on this bike.

All in all a very good fortnight's work!!

Hope you are all keeping well and I wish you all a very happy weekend!

A little play time!

After working in 1:24th scale I just had to do something a little different and here is the result.  I was happy with it!

The second pic is to show the detail on the basket.

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Madness hits........

.....and I have the evidence to prove this!!   My last post showed a be-ribboned baby basinette and since then I have been working on a baby sibling of the same.  This has taken me soooo long to do - weeks in fact.  First off, it took three attempts to get the base size just right!  And weaving with virtually sewing cotton thread just about drove me insane.

Like all my baskets, the item is finished with a woven border, not glued on.  I was ready for a straight jacket by the time I had finished but was determined to get it done.  I took a picture of the two baskets together, but the camera is so deceiving. 

The two baskets don't look too different in size here!  But the large one measures 60mm long, 40mm wide and 25mm high.  The small one measures 37mm long,  24mm wide and 16mm high.

I hope all visitors to this blog are having a wonderful summer season.  We are in the depths of winter, but it will soon be over - only another 6-8 weeks of cool weather and we'll be back to summer.  I can hardly wait!!

Take care everyone!