Cote de Texas Giveaway

About a year ago, I had a vivid dream, that I was on Oprah talking about my baskets, alternatives to plastic bags, Fair Trade/Fair Wage and the womens' cooperatives in Africa that make my baskets. I've not been on Oprah, of course, but let me tell you that Joni of Cote de Texas is my Oprah of the Blogosphere: I am in awe of her-- well-informed, brimming with constructive information & design ideas and always perfectly illustrating her points with photos. And let's not forget a dose of her singular wit. That's the short list! I am in the basket business, but I've always loved interior design, not to mention I am still in the process of renovating our house in Beaune, so that's part of why I love Joni's blog, at http://www.cotedetexas.blogspot.com/

So, I am thrilled that this week Joni is giving away one of my rolling carts; getting a mention on Cote de Texas is, to me, like being on Oprah! The winner will have their choice of color, natural or brown. The carts are 36" tall from the floor to the top of the handle, and the top of the basket is roughly 12" deep by 15" wide. Both carts have the lovely twisted handles. Full measurements are on http://www.frenchbasketeer.com/ under the Rolling Carts tab.

These carts are made for me in Burgundy by a 3rd generation basketry and caning family. Made of what the French call osier, a type of willow, the cart comes in the traditional blonde "osier blanc" or "osier brut" ("smoke") which is naturally colored brown (not stained). The osier brut cart also has a lid, attached with two leather straps. These are true artisanal French rolling carts; less expensive carts are found on the market, but they won't be made in France. We use this same cart (in osier blanc) in Beaune for heavy-duty grocery shopping trips...it is very sturdy. We use another one here in California to hold all of the barbeque supplies on the patio; it's 10 years old and going strong.

The second place winner gets their choice of one of my baskets; I have a lot of great merchandise not shown on the website; it's at my farmers markets or on my blog, and I will help the runner up select their perfect basket.

Bonne chance a tous! Good luck everyone!