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3.26.2015

HOW TO | RESHAPE A BOLGA BASKET


Should you be as predictable as I am in your home storage / decor choices, then chances are you have a couple bolga baskets laying around. Mine tend to take a beating. They hold odd-shaped toys, books + magazines, current needlepointing projects (tangles! it's exciting), and they tend to get a little misshapen after a while. They'll bulge or tilt, sometimes they sag, it's rather depressing. Sometimes a basket shows up from the manufacturer freshly folded in on itself + misshapen from the get go. When this happens, you'll need to reshape your bolga basket, and luckily, it turns out it's actually incredibly simple. 

Cheyenne Mojica stopped by with her magical camera the other day, so I roped her into shooting a little How-To with me real fast. This is about as professional as it gets over here! Not a single iPhone involved!

How To Reshape a Bolga Basket
You'll want to save this one for later.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED /
water (preferably from a spout or hose, though filling + refilling a pitcher is always fine too)
a few towels
your basket
brute strength 

STEP ONE / In a large sink or bathtub, or out in the back yard, fully soak every inch of your basket, avoiding any leather detailing (the dye on the leather will run!) (The dye on the grass will not.)


I had two baskets that needed reshaping, one that arrived just this week misshapen, and another that arrived last year misshapen, I just hadn't gotten around to it yet #oops.


STEP TWO / Allow basket to drain completely, then set aside on a towel or other water-friendly surface. 


STEP THREE / Okay hold up. Wait a moment or two. Go get a Diet Coke. You need to let the fibers rest a minute or two so that all the water can soak in completely, leaving the grasses as pliant and friendly as possible. If you attempt to reshape a basket while the grasses are still overly wet, chances are your basket will continue to reshape itself after you've finished reshaping it, thanks to gravity. So, chill a minute. 

STEP FOUR / Reshape that sucker.


This is going to take some effort. Use your hands + fists to push + pull + stretch + mash that basket into shape. Really get into it. The baskets are tough, they can take a beating. Don't be too ginger with it. (Hah, get it Brandon? Ginger?) (sigh) It's kind of a similar mechanism to stretching out a sweater that's shrunk a bit in the wash, or kneading really tough pizza dough maybe. 


Enlist your preschooler as assistant if he happens to need funding for his plastic animals collections.


Keep going . . . 

Okay so yeah this part can take forever and also makes for a highly awkward workout.


Whew! 

STEP FOUR / Allow baskets to dry completely before bringing them back into rotation.

STEP FIVE / Fist pumps. I mean, celebrate the small victories, people.

ps-on me:
jeans = madewell
chambray = madewell (similar)
botines = imogene + willie in pdx
necklace = madewell
baskets found on amazon here and here

11 comments:

  1. Where did you get your shoes, i love them

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  2. Love the little tutorial. Also your bathroom is divine. -Hanna Lei

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  3. natalie! you are looking sorta pregnant in photos 4 + 5! just the shirt?

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  4. Those are truly impressive skills and beautiful baskets to boot!

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  5. Ha ha! I ordered one, and when I got it in the mail it was all lopsided, and uneven! Even though there's instructions to assist you in how to reshape it by wetting it, I passed and set it on the floor and through flip flops in it! You just saved me with this post! Now I'm motivated to reshape it properly! lol!

    Happy weekend Natalie!

    xo

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  6. girl, wash your hair.

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    Replies
    1. That's really *bleeping* rude. Darling, this post had nothing to do with hair. There's no reason to perpetuate the obnoxiousness of bringing everything women do back to say, their hair.

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    2. I agree with Sunshine. The hair is so nasty looking it detracts from the post. It's ew. Just EW. Major. Not the first time I might add. It's not about bringing women back to anything. It's about taking care of oneself, having some pride, some polish. And when something detracts from the point then yes, it does have something to do with the post.

      Delete
    3. Jesus Christ. Can all you two think about is what other women look like, wear and do with THEIR bodies? I say, if it distracts you, get a new hobby. Not washing your hair and skin every day is good for you.

      Delete
  7. ^^^^Seriously? People kill me!
    I love my bolga basket though. We have a little market downtown, here in Cincy, and the sweetest woman that sells them. I am feeling the need to buy more!

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  8. I was just at IKEA today and they have these great little straw bags (that I will be using as a cheap purse - haha) Just thought it was a fun find, although probably not that durable, I know you appreciate a good basket ;)
    www.thismomsgonnasnap.com

    I guess they are not on the US site yet, but this is what they look like: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/30296868/

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