More Than Just a Basket

That dream began with simple things made from scratch—fresh eggs, tallow lotion, soap bars, lip balm, and other homestead-inspired products. But I always hoped to add handmade pieces that reflected not only our small chicken coop business, but also my love for gardening, homesteading, and creating a beautiful life in our little suburban backyard.

Fresh flowers, garden mornings, fresh eggs from the coop, farmers market strolls, and a basket made to hold the simple moments.

Our little farmstand became the place where those handmade creations found a home. It was also where I began dreaming of adding more handmade goods that reflected our love for gardening, chickens and homestead life.

For years, I watched from the sidelines. Then, about three years into our small business, my husband finally felt confident enough to spend some time teaching me the basics of woodworking in our home workshop.

I started showing up in the workshop, asking lots of questions, making wrong cuts, and learning how to use the tools. Little by little, I began to understand the machines and the process of turning a simple piece of wood into something useful. It wasn’t always easy, but that didn’t stop me.

One day, while gathering fresh eggs from our chicken coop, I started thinking about how nice it would be to have our own handmade egg basket. So back to the workshop I went.

Since I was still learning and making plenty of mistakes, I started with wood scraps left over from our chicken coop builds. I hated the thought of wasting good lumber while practicing. Slowly, piece by piece, the first basket began to take shape.

Every evening I would eagerly wait for my husband to come home so I could show him my progress. He would inspect the cuts, check the measurements, and gently remind me that I still had a few skills to improve. But I kept at it.

A few weeks later, something changed.

Instead of pointing out mistakes, he looked at the basket and agreed with me—it was actually pretty cute.

And more importantly, it worked.

That little moment gave me the confidence to make another basket. Then another. Soon I was experimenting with different colors and finishes.

When I finally shared them on Instagram, I was surprised by how many people were interested.

For the first time, I started wondering if this little basket could become something more.

But the next step didn't quite happen the way I imagined it would.

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When One Closed Door Changed Everything

One afternoon, I came home feeling pretty discouraged. I had hoped to participate in a nearby farmers market, but I had been turned down. I remember feeling sad because I had been working so hard to create something of my own, and I wasn’t quite sure where it belonged yet.

Later that same day, as I was leaving a late shift in the ER, I had a thought.

I had been following Nikki Husted of Purely chicken keeping community for a long time, and I decided to send her a message. I told her I would love to send her one of my Gathering Baskets as a gift—with absolutely no pressure to share it or post about it. I simply hoped she might enjoy something I had made with my own hands.

I sent the email, went home, and went to bed thinking she would probably never even see it.

The next morning, I woke up to a purchase from Nikki.

And not long after, she shared the Gathering Basket with her community.

Within the first 72 hours, more than 20 Gathering Baskets were headed to homes across the country.

And from there, the basket continued to find its way into the hands of so many wonderful people who shared it with their own communities. Each share, message, order, and bit of encouragement helped this little idea reach farther than I ever imagined it would.

And as exciting as that was, I was also figuring everything out as I went. I remember having a little meltdown while packing those first orders because I could not get the shipping boxes to close properly.

My husband looked at me and said, “You can build a basket. You can figure out a box.”

He was right!

I remember looking at all those shipping labels almost in disbelief. Just days before, I had been wondering whether there was even a place for what I was creating.

And now, something that started right here in our backyard workshop, from an idea I had while gathering eggs from our coop, was traveling to gardens, chicken coops, kitchens, and homes of people I had never met.

Each basket is still handmade right here in our workshop—a little piece of the journey that brought me here, from dreaming of a small farmstand, to learning new skills, to creating something useful with my own two hands, and one email I almost didn’t send.

And now, the Gathering Basket is opening another pretty exciting door—one I can’t quite share yet.

Sometimes a closed door leads you to somewhere you never expected to go.

And I am so grateful this one did.

If you'd like your own handmade gathering basket, I'd be honored to make one for you.

Shop the basket

Thank you for supporting our small family business and following along as we grow, gather and create this dream.

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