So, as some of you may know, my dear friend Bre moved to Texas a few weeks before Christmas. We had a going away party bus for her which, actually, turned out to be disastrous because I swear I was roofied. I don’t remember a thing and basically went from sober to shit show in 3.2 seconds.
To fill you in, I was wearing a care bear costume, fell down a whole flight of stairs, ditched the bus for God knows what reason, rolled around on the bus floor which equaled me covered in mud and last but not least got kicked out of a bar for not dressing to impress. Apparently a care bear covered in rum and mud isn’t what this “upscale” bar was lookin’ for. Oh! And I lost a diamond from my engagement ring. So to sum that up, I felt awful for ditching Bre and dumb for having no clue what happened. As I get older I am starting to realize I hate black-out drunk.
Anyways, I was trying to think of something special to do for Bre on her going away weekend. I mulled it over and was trying to think of something that would take a lot of time and thought so she’d feel special. I couldn’t really think anything so I decided to do one of my infamous baskets. So I got to work starting with a maiz-made basket (Thank you Wal-Mart) to make her a Texas themed basket.
I used bandanas to line the basket and searched high and low for western-looking stick on letters for my sheriff stars (eventually found at our local scrapbook store). The sheriff stars were traced from a download from the internet (I’m a really excellent cutter if you can’t tell..) I spray painted them silver, let 'em dry and then taped twine to the back of each star and fed the twine through to hang from opposite handles of the basket.
In the mean time I was trying to think of clever things to fill inside the basket. I wanted a little Texas and a little South Dakota. I collected all my items and then Googled “western” clip art (lasso, horseshoe, etc.) and copied them into word and put in my little message. Then I just cut the soon-to-be tags out, glued them onto western scrapbook paper and cutefully (should be a word..) wrapped them on and/or around the items.
Listed below is what the basket was filled with – some funny, some cheesy, some sentimental and some tasty. I listed the clip art I used first, followed by what the item was followed by my personal message and then a little explanation as to why I picked the item.
Lasso: Dumbo – "So you have a little piece of me." – I love Disney of course! I didn’t choose this because I’m a Dumbo – although, I’m sure some of you would disagree. J Plus, I know Breanna is trying to collect the older Disney movies.
Cowboy Boot: Old skeleton keys found in our outbuildings – "Keys of opportunity." – I felt this was appropriate because this move is such a great chance to explore a different part of the country and a chance to start fresh somewhere new.
Feather Pen: Stationary – "Two words: Pen. Pals." – Because having a pen pal is the shit. And because Bre and I love to write.
Horseshoe: Bre’s paternal grandmother’s hanky (she had given it to me & then I re-gifted it back to her) – "For homesick nights." – Because I figured she’d miss me and her mother at some point ;)
Longhorn Skull: Dakota Style Honey Mustard Chips/Prairie Berry Calamity Jane Wine (both made in South Dakota) – "Goodies from the homeland." – They taste good. Haha! Simple as that. (dude, the wine is to die for...)
Armadillo: Armadillo Socks – "Rumor is you’re only cool in TX if you wear armadillo socks. I want you to fit in." – I came across these on a side bar on a website I was on. They are hilarious and I couldn’t afford a $150 armadillo basket (Google it). So if you live in Texas and you don’t have armadillo socks you’re not the shit.
Cactus: Air Plant – “Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation." – George Washington – This plant is awesome! It’s an air plant so it doesn’t need to be potted or watered very often. It looks so cool, I think. I chose this quote because Bre and I have been through a lot of ups and downs together. We’ve had some rocky times but we always came back to one another. I love this girl and I’m 99% sure we share the same heart.
For those of you wondering, Bre and I live 17 hours and 55 minutes apart! I'm kinda lonely without her here but I’m saving like The Borrower's so I can fly out this summer. The plane ticket may not be expensive but Bre and I can really do some damage shopping……..and they have outlet malls like my dad loves cornbread.....aka a lot!
This basket is genious
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