Have you seen Longaberger's neat new tags?

While photographing a Cinco De Mayo Basket for my eBay store, I made the neatest discovery:  A paper tag with the weaver's name, picture, and initials was attached!  I've always loved Longaberger's paper basket tags that give the name and a description of how to care for your collectible, and this personal touch made it even better. 

This particular Cinco De Mayo basket was woven by Mary Senter, a weaver for 33 years, and when I looked at the tag on my recently-received Khaki Check Pocket Change Basket, she had also woven it!  This tells me Mary is good at small baskets with intricate weave designs, as each of these have multiple splint colors.  Now on a mission, I looked at the tag on my big new Hometown Parade Fresh Start Picnic Basket and found it was woven by Harold Bash.  I also had a Cinco De Mayo Basket woven by Becky Reilly.

On back of the card was a QR code (Market-Basket shaped!) as well as the address www.longaberger.com/basketmaker to a YouTube video you really need to watch! I've seen and experienced the steps of basketmaking at the Bee (the Longaberger company convention) and in the factory many times, and I still loved watching this short video.  I hope you will too. You can experience basketmaking at Longaberger Homestead in Ohio, as well.

The tags remind me of the Weaver Cards we received, traded, and fought over at the Bee one year.  They were just like baseball and other collectible cards, but they featured Longaberger weavers you could find at the Bee.

Mary, Harold, and all the other Longaberger weavers have a special job:  They keep alive an American craft and artform of basketmaking that enriches the lives of those who use their creations.  I don't know if every basket has the new photo tags yet, but I know each will still have the weaver's initials and date that make the basket even more special.