Basket Dayz ~ Week 1

Hey everybody! I hope you are ready to link up your basket posts! Anything goes-- Baskets used for decor, function, etc.   I'm secretly hoping that I see some awesome Easter baskets by the end of the month.  (Okay, I guess it's no longer a secret...)

This is my entry this week.  I've been wanting to make M and M tie ons for literally years!  I bought a pack of round wooden disks and painted them.  For the "m", I printed out the M and M logo from their website and cut a stencil.  This is where I started having problems.  I couldn't get a very clean cut, so when I painted over it, it wasn't very good.  Next, I tried to press hard with a pen to indent into the wood, that didn't work out well for me either.   I ended up tracing the stencil with a pencil then painting in with a small paint brush.  They need some touching up as you'll see in the photos, but they look worse on the screen than they do in person.  If I make these again, I may try to cut a stencil out of heavier stock paper, or get a better paint brush.  I drilled the holes for hanging and found bow wire to thread through them.  I just discovered bow wire (happy face!) it's easier to use than ribbon.

I couldn't just leave the cutesy tie ons on naked baskets, so next I looked through some fabric scraps.  I decided not to use dropcloth fabric, the baskets are small, so I didn't want to fight with bulky seams.  I measured the entire length and width (including bottom and sides) and cut a large rectangle.  Then, I sewed each corner, trimming the excess fabric and added a pleated ruffle to the top.

If you've been hanging around Cheap Chic Home for awhile, you just might have recognized the fabric from the burlap pillar post (above).  Not the burlap, the chair!

It looks like fun party time!  Don't you think the M and M tie ons would look cute in spring colors with the Easter M and Ms?

This is a side tip/observation that I noticed when I was putting these together, it's nice to keep fabrics and accessories in the same color families in different areas in the house so you can take them from room to room and they still "fit" the decor.  (That's why I chose red, green, and yellow for the tie ons, although this is strictly fun stuff...)

This is my favorite combination.  since the green is tied on the side, it has a more devil-may-care look - okay, now I'm being silly!  Show me what you've got!  I will be adding this post to other linky parties this week:  A Silly Little Sparrow, My Frugal Family, Blue Cricket Design, Strut Your Stuff@ Somewhat Simple, Lit and Laundry, Funky Junk Interiors.

Rules:  1.  Add the link to your exact post, not your general blog address.
            2.  Please add my button, or a link back to this blog.  The party is open until Friday, March 5th at 11 p.m.