Fair Trade Baskets from Baskets From Africa and a Giveaway with them
Ok, so if you know me, you know that I love baskets. I mean seriously, shopping for them is addicting for me. When I find one that I want (like every day) I have to push my self control button to not buy them all. I have a lot of baskets. Most of the time I find my baskets at the thrift stores, but recently I came across Baskets of Africa and was so excited to partner with them to showcase their beautiful, fair-trade baskets. I do have a good argument for having so many baskets, simply put, they are good for everything. They can hold almost anything and they are SO beautiful. Functional and aesthetically pleasing is always a win in my book.
Baskets From Africa has an amazing selection of baskets from all over Africa. Every time I visit their website I always find at least five new baskets I want. See what I mean about pushing my self control button?! LOL
The style of baskets I am always particularly drawn to are Bolga baskets, for their shape, colors and unique look. Bolga baskets are the ones pictured here, but these are the mini version, so the same, just cuter. Not only are these baskets beautiful but they are also meticulously crafted by skilled women in Northern Ghana. They are made using a sustainable grass, veta vera straw, known locally as kinkahe, it is a very common crop and grows back quickly. You can read more about the process the talented women of Bolgatanga use for basket weaving and their fair trade practices used, here.
These perfect little baskets are great for many things. We use ours mainly for toy storage and I am looking forward to filling them with some goodies similar to the ones pictured for their Spring (Easter) Baskets next month. The girls will then use them again for storing their toys and at the farmer's markets this summer.
I also want to share a bit about what we like to fill the girls baskets with. Since this will only be our second year filling baskets, we are still new to building our tradition, but I put together a mock basket with some things from around our home. Last year we did a thoughtful toy, a book, something practical, and something fun. We leave the sugar and candy for grandma and grandpa to handle as we try to limit it as much as possible, but we all know grandparents love to spoil, so we let them do that part.
So pictured in these baskets are a few items from our favorite shops and toy stash. The wooden animals are a big hit with my girls, they are by Holztiger and can be found many places, we get ours from Padilly because I have found them to have the best prices. The play silks are so fun and a great way to swap that yucky easter grass for an eco-friendly option, plus they are an amazing open-ended toy. All of the silks pictured here are from Grace + Eve except for the large green one, that is from Sarah's Silks. The adorable sun hats are from Emily at Blue Corduroy, I actually got the girls matching ones from her last year and they were the best, most practical item in their summer wardrobes. The adorable handmade doll is from Little Ren Creations. The books are just some of our favorites from a local bookstore and the little peg dolls are Grimms from Bella Luna Toys. These are just a few ideas I wanted to share with you. I definitely won't be putting this many items in the girls baskets, but when putting them together with things they already had, I kind of couldn't stop myself.
I think it's most important to be mindful and thoughtful about the items you gift your children always, but especially for holidays. For us it's important to not buy things that will just get tossed right away, we want the items to be cherished and to last. And that goes for the baskets too. I am excited to have these as their yearly baskets, even when we decide to use them year round. It will always be a special time for the girls to wake to them filled with new goodies once every year.
Do you love baskets as much as I do?! Head on over to my Instagram and look for a photo of these baskets to enter to win one mini market basket of your own from Baskets From Africa.