Always Very Proudly American!

It's time to get ready for a patriotic Fourth of July--it will be here before we know it.  America is going through much turmoil in 2020, but we need to remember that we have this in common: all are loyal to and proud of our amazing country.  We can work together to make it even better.

As an American success story for so long, Longaberger created many different patriotic baskets through the years.  The All-American series led to the Proudly American Collection introduced in 2003.  Things were going great for Longaberger in 2003--all the numbers were increasing, Longaberger Homestead had been open for a few years, and there was endless enthusiasm.  

Proudly American Baskets featured a new plaid weave design with blue upsplints and red shoestring weaving.  Star-shaped tack covers added another special touch, and the fabric liners and other accessories were equally beautiful and well-designed.  Leather loop "ears" were upgraded with stitching on the sides.  Everything showed the quality that collectors had come to expect.

The 2003 Spring-Summer WishList introduced the new collection with a beautiful cover and a big photo spread inside.  As always, many serving and use ideas were pictured in this perfect basket grouping for any patriotic event.  


You'll enjoy Proudly American baskets all year 'round, as you can see in the top photo from my office.  They are perfect for serving as well as many other uses.   The two Collectors Club 9" Proudly American Bowls stacked in the office photo are a great size to grab to serve two kinds of chips.  They have the hard plastic lids and heavier plastic protectors, so they also stack well when not in use. 

Freedom * Spirit * America * Dream * Home *  Don't you love those words?  The Proudly American wallpaper border shown in the top photo is the last wallpaper remaining in my home, but I just can't let it go.  I'm sure it was purchased at Longaberger Homestead, and it pictures some of my favorite Proudly American Baskets:  the Small Wash Day holding patriotic quilts, the Darning, the Spring, and my personal-favorite Medium Gathering.  

The 2003 Bee Basket next to the two Bowls in my office cleverly flipped the Proudly American features with blue shoestring weave and red upsplints.  The Bee theme of "Love it. Live it. Share it" on the attached tag was typically-thoughtful Longaberger.  This basket has the same pretty fabric liner used in the collection, with special grosgrain ribbon trim.  

You can celebrate in style with Longaberger products for years to come.  They just don't wear out.  Fortunately, there are many patriotic Longaberger products available on the secondary market, including in my ebay store Treasured Basket Traders in the "Patriotic All-American" department.  I also have several past patriotic posts you can find on my blog by clicking "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page or clicking on one of the labels, such as Collections or Holidays.

Any time you want to see photos more closely, you can click on one and it will bring up all photos in that post.  Your computer or tablet should allow you zoom in even more closely.