Cheap Wire Baskets You Can Make Yourself

Baskets tend to be expensive whether they’re Easter baskets or household baskets. They’re so handy, though, that most homes have several. Since they come in varieties from wicker to wire and small to large, each individual one can be very unique - especially if you make them yourself.

When you start with metal rings it’s very easy to make various baskets. Instead of the metal rings you can also use crafting wire, shaped into a circle. The metallic rings, made for creating dream catchers and other crafts, are very cheap and come in many sizes. Small sizes can cost about a quarter and large sizes, under a buck.

Start with two or three wires or rings to make any basket. If making your own wire rings, use stiff wire that won’t easily bend or several layers of more pliable wires. The amount of rings or wires you use, and what size each one is, makes all the difference in how your basket will look when completed.

Choose what will become the outside of the basket. Two easy supplies to work with are wooden craft sticks (popsicle sticks) or shish kabob sticks, also found at craft stores. Either one comes in large packs that are very cheap, and a few go a long way.

Use an old pair of scissors to trim the sticks to the proper sizes throughout the project. Set one ring down on the table and cover with the sticks. Use contact cement for the best results. After the ring is covered, align a couple of craft sticks, or several of the shish kabob sticks, in a row on the table and glue the ring to them, at the bottom edge. The sticks will become the sides of the basket while the ring will be the bottom.

After getting the bottom ring glued in, select the next ring and place it about halfway up the sticks; glue into place. At the end of the sticks glue one more ring. After you have a couple of sticks attached to all three rings you can stand the basket upright to make it easier to attach the rest of the sticks.