My niece snorted at me the other day when I showed her this latest DIY of mine. Not because she didn’t like the end result, but because I told her I copied it from one I saw and loved in Country Living Magazine.
“Did you ever think you’d see the day when you’d be looking at Country Living Magazine?”
She has a point. But I don’t think I’ve changed. I think Country Living Magazine has. Gone are the days of chintz and dancing roosters on the kitchen counter. There’s a certain country charm to every single one of the pages.
Without, you know … conjuring up images of Hee Haw.
I’d have to say it’s my all time favourite magazine right now. House Beautiful and Architectural Digest has some stunning design but … a lot of times I can’t imagine living in those rooms. Country Living however … I could move right in, throw a blanket on the couch and watch a movie. They do country chic. Elegant country decorating that always looks modern and up to date. Not corny or cheesy.
So when I saw this basket in the June issue I knew I had to make it. Firstly because I loved it and secondly because it looked ridiculously easy to make.
I started out making a version that involved steam bending wood. Then I decided if I was going to share this DIY with all of you … chances are only one of you would ever consider making anything you needed to steam bend wood with a homemade steam bending contraption. So I nixed that idea.
(if you’re that one person, let me know … we’ll talk)
Instead I found a way to make a reasonable facsimile out of everyday objects you can find quite easily. I found all of these materials in my potting shed. But most of you will have to buy/scrounge/find a few of the materials.
You’ll need:
1 peach basket (local produce or grocery stores will have and gladly give you one. Farmers markets try to hold onto theirs but I’m sure you could persuade someone to sell you one for a couple of dollars.)
1, 12″ round cork mat I bought mine at the hardware store for $5, but they’re also available in craft stores. Dollarama in Canada has 9″ ones for $2)
A long length of jute twine, string or bailing twine. (again … available in hardware, craft or Dollar stores)
Hot glue gun
2, 1/2″ wood screws
Hardware Cloth or Chicken Wire (available at hardware stores and sometimes garden centres)
2 wood paint sticks, or other thin, 1″ – 1½” scraps of wood cut to fit height of basket. (15″ in my case)
Wire snips
Scissors
I N S T R U C T I O N S
1. Carefully pull your peach basket apart. All you’ll be using are the round, thin pieces of wood that go around the top and bottom of the basket. Using your wire snips or a screwdriver pull the staples holding it together out. Be careful to not break the long length of thin wood.
2. Cut a piece of hardware cloth to fit whatever sized piece of cork you have. For a 12″ piece of cork your hardware cloth will have to be 38″ to wrap around it, by however high you want your basket. I made mine pretty big at 15″ high.
3. When cutting your hardware cloth make sure you leave one of the long ends with the pointy bits still in tact. You’ll be bending these over to act as support for the cork at the bottom of your basket. Just bend them at a 90 ° angle with your thumb.
4. Once you’ve bent the ends down, roll your hardware cloth into a tube and tie the edges together with a piece of string or jute. (I started off using green coated wire thinking you wouldn’t be able to see it but changed my design midway through the basket to something where you would see the wire. So I took it off and replaced it with jute string)
5. Stand your cylinder on the ground and place your cork bottom inside.
6. Make sure your tines are pressed up tight against the bottom.
7. Hot glue the tines to the cork. If you need to, shove something in between the hardware cloth and the cork bottom to keep it pushed up tight against the tines while you’re gluing it. I’ve just used a bit of mulch.
8. Cut the ends of your peach basket strips so they’re straight.
9. Hot glue the strips along the bottom and top of your cylinder. Use clamps if you need to to hold the strips in place.
10. Place a final wood strip around the inside of the top of the basket and hot glue it.
11. To finish the top edge of the basket (cause all that hot glue and wood is messy looking) just run a length of twine or string along the edge and hot glue it. If your twine isn’t thick enough to cover the whole edge, just double it up and twist it.
12. Cut your thin pieces of wood or paint sticks to fit the height of your basket. In my case, 15″. Dab hot glue on each end …
… and stick them to the side of your basket. Like so.
13. Hot glue your final piece of peach basket wood to the sides of your basket, leaving enough for the handle. Just eyeball whatever looks good for the length of your handle.
14. Since the peach basket wood is so thin, reinforce the handle by gluing another one or two pieces of peach basket wood to the underside of the handle.
15. Screw a ½ screw on the inside of the basket to hold the handle in place, so you aren’t relying on the powers of hot glue alone.
And admire.
I’m already planning on making another one of these. Mainly because this one turned out a LOT bigger than I thought it would. This one I’m going to use inside in the winter beside the fireplace for kindling and rolled up paper.
In the summer it’s on the porch with magazines in it.
The smaller one, I plan on making this weekend will be for gathering vegetables from the garden.
The difference between my basket and the one in Country Living, is the one in the magazine has “feet”. But I decided I liked the look of the basket with just the two strips of wood along the sides where the handles run (as opposed to the 4 the basket from the magazine has). To make feet for the basket to stand on I’d need to add 2 more strips of wood to the outside of the basket. I didn’t wanna. So I didn’t.
What I actually like better about my basket is it already looks old and worn. That comes from using an old, worn peach basket. Keep that in mind when you’re picking your peach basket out. If it’s old and worn that’s how your basket will look. If it’s new and clean, that’s how your basket will look.
Country Living. Snort. Not only am I looking at it, I’ve subscribed to it. In more ways than one.
You are just so clever! I love this.
You make it look so easy.I’m pretty sure if I made this, someone would mistake it for an animal trap. That my four-year-old assembled.
Well … that could have a certain … quaintness to it. ~ karen
You are amazing! I too love CL (although H.B. runs a close second.)
Now, where to beg borrow or steal a peach basket in the desert? Hmmm.
Funny thing about Country Living magazine, I just started flipping through it when I go to the hair salon. And I know I hadn’t bothered with it in years for the same ‘dancing rooster’ reason. (Even though I love rooster and chicken themed stuff in my kitchen.) Like the basket idea for the garden.
Love it! I think I’m inspired to go find a Country Living magazine again, too :)
Love it Karen!
I love it, I’m inspired to try and make a variation on yours, since there are no peach baskets where I live. I’m actually a big fan of Southern Accent magazine, too, which is stuffed with fabulous cool and glam country beauty with a southern twist. There’s a bit of that Gone-with-the-Wind white-gloved debutante lingering within the covers but, like British aristocracy or Manhattan society, I enjoy a vicarious trip through a different perspective now and then. Thanks for this great post<:} Mia
I saw the same picture, and had the same thought to make one myself. Instead of a peach basket; however, I used 1 inch wide half-round reed as my inner and outer rims, and sea grass as the filler. I used an oval base, but I will try a round base on the next one. I too am using it as a magazine basket.
Funny! It’s a small and strange world, eh? ~ karen
I just renewed my own subscription last night! *chuckles*
your basket turned out nice =)
Fabulous,dahling.And since you showed us just how much work a blog was I really appreciate it.
Amazing! I don’t know how you think up all these things! Ann
Genius Karen..LOVE. [I could be that one, already thinking of the possibilities, bending wood is more fun than you can imagine]
Brenda – I made my contraption out of PVC pipe, a clothing steamer and a vintage crock, LOL. A thing of beauty. ~ karen
Hey..whatever works you just need the steam…love that you used ‘vintage’ !! You can bend by boiling the strip as well in water for about 20 minutes. The trick is to find a vessel that long.
Yeah, I tried plain old hot water in the bathtub and that didn’t work. ALMOST worked, but not quite. ~ k
Hot tub?
I think I’ll make this as a Christmas gift for my inlaws, they keep their wood in an ugly cardboard box!
It looks FAB! And great that you can make it in different sizes.
I’m amazed at how you see something in a magazine and then set about making it, lol! I used to do that with knitted stuff, but it’s so long now I think I’ve forgotten how to knit.
Mmmmm, maybe I should try knitting a basket?
Indeed! A knitted basket. :) ~ karen
A felted, knitted basket…..now we’re talkin’.
It looks great and all… but if I managed to get my hands on one of the gorgeous peach baskets, I think I’d just call it a day! In the UK they definitely don’t deliver peaches in those. Not tacky, bulky, plasticky, or wasteful enough.
great “how to” Karen; i like your basket without feet. but you’re a bit contradictory re: your favourite magazine – either Country Life is your all-time favourite or it’s your favourite right now. come on, admit it, i think you mean all-time – reckon you’d secretly love a few back-up dancing roosters on your kitchen counter.
It’s on my list now! Thanks Karen!
Nicola in Montreal
I love to get out of my comfort zone this makes me happy to see someone else create an experience piece for an inexpensive price I am so going to make this basket thanks again for sharing this with everyone yours truly rebecca ashe
Country Living is my favorite magazine, and I don’t really consider my design style very ‘country’. As I was reading the supply list, I was thinking “wait, I think I have a peach basket AND hardware cloth in my shed!!! AND I have the day off tomorrow…Bwahahahaha! Thanks!
It`s really nice! I would like to follow you wherever you will go-hihi
but I`ve got one problem….
in our whole country you can only get rectangular baskets. I have never ever seen a basked like yours:o(
and now??? any ideas???
Well yes, I have an idea … MAKE this basket, LOL. That way, you can make the very first round basket in Germany. :) ~ karen
What’s wrong with a square version? Sounds cute to me. Just sayin’
What about using wood embroidery hoops?
Ok, thanks you are so nice;o)
If i`ll do it, I`ll post a photo…
The square versions sounds real good!
Can we do a tradesie ? You can sleep in my treehouse if you bring me this basket. Deal? DEAL. :)
I have the wood steam bending contraption & have used it. Just saying. Love the basket.
I love bent wood – do you have any advice about getting started?
It looks great. And now of course I have this need to go to the store and peek into a Country Living Magazine.
Oh yep, gotta make one for garden goodies! Thanks for the great idea. Oh, and I love Country Living too, your so right the images are always very live~able.
LOVE
Agsin with the great creative stuff … Sheesh. I sure do admire your brain.
It’s reallyyyyyy easy to make. Took a few days to figure out how to best do it, but not that I’ve figured all the stupid stuff out you should be able to make one in a jiffy. ~ k