This past Saturday, I was part of a group of Ohio bloggers that visited the Longaberger Basket Homestead in Newark for a “Baskets for Bloggers” event. When I first got the invitation, I was like, “hmm, this might be fun, but I am not sure I am a ‘basket person’.”
But lured by the fact that I would get to make my OWN basket and by the fact that several of my #bigdealmoms bloggy friends would also be in attendance, I decided to check it out. And I am so glad I did! It was a GREAT day.
First, we got to make our own basket! Longaberger baskets are hand-crafted of ONLY maple wood and metal tacks, did you know that? Each of us bloggers had our own basketmaker assisting us – mine was Joe. We immediately bonded over our love of Mountain Dew.
(Thanks Tricia for the picture!)
(Like my HAWT safety glasses? Don’t be jealous!)
Joe has been with Longaberger making baskets for 16 years!! Everyone we met at Longaberger had been there for at LEAST that long. His sister, Heidi, helped Cortney and Marcy make their baskets. A family affair!
Here’s Cortney hard at work on her basket:
(photo by Tricia)
And Amy, who had to show us all up and finish FIRST!! She is like, practically a professional!
Now, even though I was CLEARLY in remedial basketmaking due to my functional retardation, and I was the LAST one finished, and everyone MAY or MAY NOT have been waiting on ME, I absolutely *love* the basket I made:
(There’s also a detail shot of it at the top of the post.)
Here are some other baskets made by my bloggy pals:
I LOVED all the variety in color. Everyone got so creative!
After we made our baskets, we were treated to a tour of the Longaberger Factory. I learned a lot, but there were two things that really stuck with me from the tour. The first is that Longaberger makes great efforts to be as GREEN as possible. They recycle their maple scraps either by sending what they can’t use to a recycling center, OR (and I LOVE this!) by taking extra stock and making Limited Edition Longaberger products like these:
The other thing I took away from the tour is that Longaberger has an “Employee Innovation Team” and they are constantly making their equipment and processes better through the input of this group. From how equipment is desogned for employee comfort and productivity, to how much they can cut their usage of waste water – these efforts are employee-driven.
And, it’s all made and done in OHIO!!
How cool is that?
Ok, lastly some more fun pictures of our day!
We couldn’t resist getting in this big ol’ basket!
Amy, Tricia, Andrea, me, Cortney
An we couldn’t resist being big nerds about it, either:
AND, also because I am a huge nerd, I was SUPER-excited that we got our picture taken with the World’s Largest Apple Basket. Does it WOW you, like it does me, to know that this is a TRUE Longaberger basket, made only of Maple and Metal just like the basket I made?? Incredible!!
(Thanks again Tricia for the photo!)
Tricia, Andrea, me, Cortney, Amy, and Marcy
So – we had an awesome day! If you are in Ohio or anywhere nearby, this is a really great, inexpensive day activity I recommend you take advantage of! Andrea and Amy even brought their HUSBANDS and they had a great time. Thanks Longaberger for hosting us, you did a GREAT job!
‘Twas a fun day for sure!
Love longaberger baskets!
Jenny – We loved having you join us for our Baskets for Bloggers event. It was a ton of fun and certainly the first of many of these kinds of events. I think all of you got a taste of all the shopping, eating and weaving you can do at Longaberger Homestead. Hope you come back and join us again soon and bring the whole fam!
Natalie Johns
Longaberger
Why no pictures of the husbands? Did they not want pictures of their basket weaving?
Looks like another fun day that I’m sad I missed out on!
What is it with this family and Mountain Dew? UP
How cool! I love Longaberger, love I tell you!
I just adore all of the baskets you gals made!
Love the baskets, they all look great!
I *love* your pictures and your story. What a great outing. It makes me want to be a blogger! or at least live in Ohio (don’t tell my hubby ’cause he’d move there in a heartbeat.
I’m not a blogger but I am a Longaberger basket fanatic, been one for 20 years and just this year decided to be a Longaberger Independent Consultant. So if you can’t go to the Homestead and don’t have a consultant… visit my site to see and buy the latest 🙂 (http://www.longaberger.com/bellebaskets)
I have seen Longaberger mentioned on various HGTV type shows and it looks like a great place to work! I really liked Amy’s tweets after she had finished. They were fun to read and see her pics.
little by little you are turning into Rita, you know. haha!
I used to mock my mother and her love of Longaberger. Then I turned into her. I love it. They have really cute things besides the baskets. I love some of their purses.
Looks like you guys had a blast!
Aww, it looks like guys had so much fun! I’m so bummed that I missed it. Stupid skimboards, grr.
That’s a fun post, Jenny. Thanks for sharing! 😉 My favorite was the blue basket. Who made that one?
I love going to the Homestead. I try to make it several times a year. I have even been known to sneak away by myself and spend a day at the Homestead, spend the night at the Longaberger Hotel in Newark and then get up and head to Dresden for another day of shopping. Sometimes I just need a little time away by myself and Longaberger is safe,fun, and I’m never bored. They’re offering a great vacation package too. Perfect girlfriend getaway! Check it out on their website!
My daughter has a basket that she made too. Its a left handed weave…FYI, left handed woven baskets are more hard to come by. So, if any of you were lefties, your basket is even more spectacular!
I love Longaberger. I’m so jealous – that would have been way cool. Can average joe make their own basket, or was that a special Ohio blogger treat?
I love me a trip to Longaberger Land. We went back in 2001 for a Homecoming Celebration. It was so neat to get a tour, make our basket, have a luncheon with one of the Longaberger’s (Tammy I think) and to get my Freedom Basket. I think this fall I will have to take my mom down there, she loves it as well!
Looks like so much fun, what pretty ladies you all are!
xoxo
P.S. I had no idea these baskets were so cute!