Tisket a Tasket

This basket made of beads and safety pins and filled with tired silk flowers was the beginning of a long running joke. About 10 years ago, it was brought to a Christmas party at my home as part of a white elephant gift exchange (hard to imagine someone parting with this gem). My friend Lori was lucky enough to be the recipient. The next day I picked up throw pillows from the floor and found that she had forgot to take it home (some might say deliberately hid). She didn't seem to be too concerned when I mentioned the oversight.

The next Easter, it found its way back to Lori hidden under grass in her Easter basket. Imagine my surprise the next Christmas morning when there was an extra present under the tree with no name tag. I opened the package and found not one basket but

two! That spring, her sons were graduating from high school and I was in need of a gift. Two sons, two baskets, it was perfect. I found put silk flowers in the other basket, added a check to each one, wrapped them and headed to their party. You should have seen the look on their faces when they opened their gifts and the adults roared with laughter.

The next year, at my 50th birthday party, I opened a present and found to my surprise

there were now 3 of them. All 3 of them had 50 pieces of what we called penny candy growing up. A couple years later, Lori and Jim celebrated their 25th anniversary. I made an arrangement of dollar bills in each of the baskets, wrapped them and left them with a mutual friend as we were going to be on vacation the night of the party. Even with the addition of the money, they were not the favorite gift they received!!

I don't remember all the times they have exchanged hands over the years - we snuck them into a closet at their home on New Year's Eve, I was the "winner" at Bunco one night. Each time they came back from Lori's there was an addition.

There seems to be an endless supply of the things out there. I have seen articles on this "art form" from the 60's in Country Living and Mary Engelbreit's magazines. Lori and her husband have an antique/collectible business and she frequents garage sales and Goodwill stores.

A year ago Lori was my Secret Prayer Sister. It is our custom when we reveal our identity at the end of the year to present a small gift. Lori outdid herself.

All of these baskets and a few more were arranged in a beautiful basket with a few other small gifts tucked in here and there. It was really a great arrangement and there is a picture of it somewhere but I can't find it.

The baskets are safely put away in my basement waiting for the perfect time, the perfect idea.