August 2015 - Longaberger

Connection
August 2015
rger my home away from home for over
I’ve had the most amazing opportunity to call Longabe
, but one thing that has not changed is my
15 years. Over the years, my job has changed a little
true for each and every person I have met
LOVE for Longaberger — and I know the same is
Longaberger comments from strangers that
along my journey. Sometimes I’ve heard LOVE for
stories from collectors that own hundreds
own just one basket — and of course lots of LOVE
emotion exists for many different reasons.
of baskets. I’ve discovered that the LOVE for baskets
for how it came to its final home. It may be
It may be a single basket that holds fond memories
crafted in the U.S.A. and represents an
because of the pride that each and every basket is hand
No matter the reason you have a basket in
extraordinary history in our American craft culture.
ets just purely represent LOVE!
your home, or two, or hundreds — Longaberger Bask
with my fellow sales and marketing
A few months ago, I shared some of these thoughts
ed “LOVE” is the string that binds us, that
partners here at the big basket building. We all agre
s, consultants, customers and Collectors
connects us all as a family — Basketmakers, employee
it was time to start sharing the LOVE
Club members. That was the moment we decided
er who you are or where you live — if you
millions of people still have for our baskets. No matt
all share.
own a Longaberger Basket there is a bond that we
ynski, we got to work and created a
Well, with the help of our graphic designer Craig Burz
oach — we took the “O” out of our current
new logo for our company. It was a very simple appr
illustrated the heart as if it were hand
Longaberger logo and replaced it with a heart. We
all fell in LOVE with it. Although
­ that’s our style — everything hand touched. We
painted —
our logo added deeper meaning for all of us
it was a very simple approach, adding the heart to
in our own personal ways.
BEE — our annual conference held
We shared the new logo with our consultants at the
even inspired the theme of the BEE ­—
in Dresden and at the Homestead. The new logo
r activities here in Ohio, including a
“Home Is Where the Heart Is!” — and lots of othe
Home Office, planted with red flowers.
giant 16-foot diameter, heart-shaped garden at the
home consultants have also been sharing
I suspect you have noticed that since the BEE, our
.
their LOVE for Longaberger in many different ways
rger stories with me, your friends and family.
I hope you join me in sharing your LOVE Longabe
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Halloween
Behind theScenes
By Eric Drewes, Senior Web Content Administrator
Trick or Treat! This fun (and candy!)-filled tradition is one
of the most cherished for children every year. Watching
little trick-or-treaters sashay and swagger like super heroes,
princesses, monsters and pirates evokes the best kind
of nostalgia — a reminder of when we could transform
ourselves into whatever we chose with our imagination
(and mom’s help, of course!) and the night was ours for the
taking. There’s something comforting about the thought
that year after year, generation after generation, we take one
evening a year to celebrate our silliest and spookiest whims. Here is our Halloween-themed commercial to get you in the
mood for all things spooky!
However, capturing those feelings for our August flyer
took a little bit of extra work! Good help is so hard to find
these days … especially when you’re trying to get young
children to model for a candy-filled photo shoot, and they’re
not allowed to eat the candy! We had an amazing day
working with the children, grandchildren and friends of our
Longaberger staff — but we had some challenges too! From
mummies throwing down baskets to baby pumpkins having
meltdowns, our creative team never felt more exhausted
about Halloween! Check out all of the funny outtakes from
a day filled with loved ones and silly bloopers.
Click below to see these great videos:
Longaberger Halloween Longaberger Halloween Bloopers
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Our
Inspiration
By Andy Wolfe, Director of Creative Merchandising
As we began tossing around ideas for the Halloween Basket, we were looking
for something unique, and yet classic. Because the high quality of our baskets
ensures them a long, useful life, we wanted a timeless design that would remain
stylish for many years to come.
We also wanted to work with the traditional Halloween colors of purple, black,
orange and green. These colors have been a staple in Halloween décor for
years. The challenge was how to use them all together in a design that would
not be garish or overwhelming. The stripe weave pattern allowed us to use all
the colors in this diverse palette to create a delightful, whimsical basket that is
colorful, yet “easy on the eyes”.
Now we had to make it unique. The curve of a basket handle and the
silhouette of a cat with its back arched are very similar. Could we somehow tie
the two together? We tried some very literal interpretations, but they were too
big and bulky and not very functional.
We played with both the shape of the handle and the critical cat features
needed to suggest a cat. A head with ears showing, and a tail, proved to be
enough to convey the image of a cat. The only thing left to complete the look
was to match the shape of the handle to the arch of a cat’s back.
When it all came together, we knew we had something special! We hope
you agree and that you will enjoy this basket for many Halloweens to come.
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World’s Largest Apple Basket
Restoration
By Chad Seastrand,
V.P. Manufacturing
& Distribution
As we are all aware, our company is not typical of manufacturing
or business. Our story, heritage, hand crafted baskets,
basketmakers, sales field, community and relationships set us
apart from any other company around the world. Our company
has — and is — defined by icons that extend beyond our
wonderful baskets and Basketmakers. A seven-story corporate
office building shaped like a Medium Market Basket, The
World’s Largest Basket on Main Street in Dresden, and The
World’s Largest Apple Basket at The Homestead — all are very
important to who we are and what we are about. Both the art of
crafting baskets and restoring one of our valued treasures were on
full display recently.
The World’s Largest Apple Basket has been at The Homestead
since its opening in 1999. Periodically, we will restore this classic
basket, but this year was very special due to the BEE coming back
home after 30 years. We not only wanted to fully restore the large
scale basket (within 2 weeks), but showcase our new Vintage stain
by utilizing the skills of our master craftsman. I was extremely
proud of Basketmakers Andrew Baker and Mark Beach. Their
tireless work ethic, efforts and unparalleled passion to go above
and beyond, exemplifies the heart of all Basketmakers and the
entire workforce. They not only removed all of the weathered and
broken pieces, but wove over 1000 linear feet of new shoestring,
weaving and trim. There were also others behind the scenes
ensuring the wood and stain were prepared and ready to be woven.
Our Manager of Basket Operations, Tracey Graf, and resident
stain expert, Mike Halsey, ensured each piece was stained and met
current quality standards. Three gallons of Vintage stain and
5 gallons of clear coat were used for the entire basket. The
attention to detail from everyone involved in this project
transcended our regular daily production while upholding our
highest quality standards for this complete large-scale restoration.
This entire team’s commitment, perseverance, and passion truly
exemplifies the spirit of our company, workforce and sales field. We
set out to restore a large-scale replica of one of our classic treasures,
and in return, these were the first steps of restoring ourselves.
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Dresden
H me
During our annual BEE — themed “Home Is Where the Heart Is!”
— we came back home to Dresden, Ohio. On a beautiful Saturday
afternoon, family, friends and members of our cherished community
met to rededicate The World’s Largest Basket.
In recognition of this event, we’re delighted to introduce the Dresden
Reunion Basket. This Little Market Basket in our new Vintage finish,
featuring a brass tag, was created in partnership with the Dresden
Community Association. Available exclusively through Dresden
Community Association member merchants, the proceeds from the
sale of this basket go to supporting the village we all call home! For a
list of stores in Dresden that carry this basket click here.
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Sneak
Peak
WishList
Our new 2015 Fall & Winter WishList will begin
before you know it! Starting September 1, we
are excited to share all of our new creations and
showcase our Longaberger love with all of you.
Inspired by cool weather and family traditions,
check out what’s coming up during the busiest
time of the year by clicking here.
For all of our members, we wanted to share
our new and exclusive Collectors Club Basket:
The Maple Leaves Basket! Inspired by the
beauty of autumn, the Maple Leaves Basket
coordinates beautifully with our WoodCrafts
leaves collection and will bring the loveliness
of the outdoors into your home.
Our newest WishList is also filled with new
and stylish WoodCrafts pieces! From our new
additions to our WoodCrafts Blocks collection,
to our handy Basket Racks and Wall Rods,
WoodCrafts brings a lot to the table this season!
Finally, our most sensational sneak peak
preview is the addition of all of our baskets
and Woven Traditions® Pottery now available
in Pewter! Blending beautifully into
virtually any décor setting, Pewter adds an
unmatchable touch of elegance. Check out
this video of Michael Kennedy introducing
this can’t-miss collection here.
Click below to see these great videos:
Fall & Winter WishList Longaberger Pewter: Perfectly Pure
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10a.
m.-Noon
Renewing Your
Collectors Club
Membership
What 's Up
August
Aug ust
• Collectors Club FREE shipping with purchase
of Halloween Cat Baskets and Protector
Available in Purple and Green Stripe, Black and White Strip,
Black, Warm Brown, Rich Brown and Pewter
You can now renew your Collectors
Club membership online! Just log in to
your Longaberger customer account to
bring up the shopping page and click on
the Collectors Club link at the left side
of your screen. Click on the Collectors
Club Renewal link, add it to your basket
and then proceed to Checkout (unless,
of course, you want to do some more
shopping!). Renewals are still just $45 for
one year (all renewals are for one year only).
September
• Homestead Heritage Days —
September 4th and 5th, 2015
September
• Fall and Winter WishList featuring the NEW
Collectors Club Maple Leaves Basket Set
October –December
Have questions about your membership,
or an order? Your Longaberger Home
Consultant will be happy to assist you!
Friendly representatives at Longaberger
Customer Care are also available to take
your call at 740-322-7800 between 8:00
a.m. and 11:00 p.m. EDT, Monday-Friday.
We’re happy to announce that we are
increasing our staff to better support you!
• New Collectors Club
Snow Diamond Basket and Lid
Debbie Nelson, 15 years of service
ave
S
the Date!
2016 Collectors Club
Homestead Gathering
September
October–December
More details to follow
in your September Connection
April 23rd,
2016
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