September 2015

Twice a year everyone here at Longaberger takes part
in the creation
of a new WishList®. We each bring our own unique
talents and skills
to every catalogue we produce. We have editors, bask
et designers,
graphic designers, photographer, stylist, purchasin
g managers, basket
makers, woodworkers, stain specialist — the list goes
on and on.
It’s simply every person that works for Longaberger!
It seems like
such a long time ago that we started working on this
season’s Fall
and Winter WishList. As a matter of fact, it started
about a year
ago as we began to develop baskets and product conc
epts. Our
ideas come from many places — some ideas come
from you, some
inspiration comes from trends in the marketplace and
some great
ideas come from our partners within the basket build
ing and from
our Basketmakers. We have an amazing, talented
team that knows
more about basket design and weaving than just abou
t anyone else
in the world. I’m so proud to be working with such
a talented team
— and we have a lot of fun along with way!
Connection
September 2015
The job I’m most passionate about here at Longaberg
er is to work with our basket team’s final designs and
begin to study how we will share the products with
our Sales Consultants, Collectors Club members and
customers. I first start drawing “thumbnails” of each
page of the WishList. Once we all agree on what page
each product will be sold from, we start determini
ng the story that will be told within each spread —
in a
kitchen, on a back porch, in a garden or at a pool.
This is when the fun starts — we start looking for
the
right locations. We talk to friends and family that
have the perfect environment. Of course, we need
some
models — again we look to our friends and family
members for help. No paid models here — we like
to
use the people that are with us every day. Our head
of product design’s daughter is snuggled up reading
by the fireplace on page 7 and 8. My goddaughter,
Harper, is looking cuter than ever on page 1 and 2
in
the apple orchard. Sean, Longaberger’s talented phot
o stylist, lends his modeling skills now and then —
even if it’s just his hands on page 14. Sharon, our amaz
ing photographer, is a stand-in on page 12 in my
bathrobe in my guest house.
We typically like to photograph about six to eight
images a day, but you never know what’s going to
happen when you’re on location. The light may not
be perfect, a switch plate may be in the wrong place
,
all the products planned may not fit into the shot —
the list goes on. But we always seem to make it
work, and we come out with a lot of war stories and
fun memories at the end of the 4 weeks it takes to
photograph an entire WishList.
In this issue of Connection, you’ll read about Sean
’s recollection of photographing at Airy View Orch
ard
this summer. Sean shares about this amazing farm
and the story of its history. We invited a bunch of
friends and family, I drove my old Jeep Wagoneer,
we bundled up in fall clothes when it was 85 degrees
— and had a lot of fun! We’re so proud of our work
and thrilled you love it so much. We all hope you
have a fulfilling fall season in your part of the coun
try. Please share with us your stories of your fall and
holiday traditions — we’d love to share them with
your family of Collectors Club members.
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Michael Kennedy, Creative Director
September 2015
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Memories
of an Airy View
By Sean McClure, Photography Stylist
Growing up in the hills outside of Dresden is
nothing short of magical. Most of the roads
are one lane and quite often are covered with
nothing but gravel and flanked with beautiful,
green Ohio foliage. I remember, as a child,
loving to look out the back window of our
family car to see the dust we would kick up
interact with summer light streaming through
the tightly growing trees. My family often stuck
to the back roads as a way to avoid traffic ­— and
truth be told, we just loved the scenery.
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On these seemingly old roads we would often
pass Airy View Orchard. After driving through
colonnades of heavy old oak and maple trees,
the sky would open up, and you found yourself
at the zenith of a large hill. It’s atop this hill
that the orchard sits. Founded in the 1880s by
the Crown family, the farm seems only slightly
younger than the old road that cuts the farm
in two. The original farmhouse now serves as
the barn, and a newer farmhouse with a quaint
wrap-around porch sits directly next to it. In
the back of the barn lay the elegant orchard that
slowly slopes upward, bending to the will of the
land. In the front of the barn is, simply put, one
of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen.
The view overlooks the gently waving nearby
hillsides, and in the distance the hills flatten
out to reveal The Longaberger Homestead and
manufacturing facility.
When we were planning for the Fall and Winter
WishList, we knew that we wanted to photograph
the classic baskets in an orchard. My mind
went immediately to Airy View Orchard. It
seemed right. It was around Dresden, overlooked
Longaberger properties, and was also a local
family business. I made a quick trek to visit Holly
Crown, the current owner of the orchard and
the fourth-generation proprietor of the farm.
The serendipity kept growing. Even though, as a
child, I only lived ten minutes from the orchard,
I knew very little about the family that inhabited
it. We would often wave to the family when they
were sitting on the porch, but I had never had a
conversation with them. When I asked Holly if
we could take some pictures at her orchard for
Longaberger she, without hesitation, answered,
“Yes.” Holly then told me that she worked for
Longaberger for twenty-four years in Shipping
and would do anything to help the company.
I couldn’t believe how closely tied this orchard
seemed to be with Longaberger. I knew this
photo shoot would be something special.
The day of the shoot came and we were racing
around the orchard constantly being blessed
with beautiful shots — it seemed as though
we were meant to be there. As we were taking
pictures of the Apple Basket, Holly remarked
that she had a really old Apple Basket in the
barn and asked if we would like to see it. I
never turn down seeing an old basket (they are
my favorites). However, I never would have
guessed what she would return with. I caught a
brief glimpse of it as she exited the barn and it
was much older than I anticipated it being. As
she approached, I knew immediately it was an
Apple Basket woven by J.W. Longaberger! The
sheer sight of the basket sent chills all over my
body. It was at that moment, I knew we were
exactly where we needed to be. Undoubtedly
Holly’s grandfather bought Apple Baskets from
J.W. to store his harvest in. The best part about
the basket is that Holly still uses it to pick with!
The Longaberger company had come home, and
J.W. was there to greet us.
September 2015
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We love sitting on our front porch in the little village of
Dresden, Ohio, talking to Wendy Longaberger Little and
her husband Bob. I enjoy listening to Wendy and Gary
banter back and forth about their childhood and what
they remember about their mother. Some of the stories I
have heard before, but they are just as funny the second (or
third) time around!
Longaberger Family
Apple P ie
Tradition
Wendy, being the second of twelve children of J.W. and
Bonnie Longaberger, helped with the raising of her
younger sisters and brothers. Wendy learned her cooking
skills from her mother. We talked about Grandma Bonnie’s
Apple Pies. Wendy said they had one big apple tree and
two little apple trees in the yard. “It seemed like everyone had apple trees at that time,” said Wendy.
“The kids would pick the apples, and the girls would peel them. The pies were always cut in 4 pieces,
and to feed 14 people Mom had to make 3-4 pies.”
Gary shared they had a patch of rhubarb in the back yard and two cherry trees in the side yard.
Even when Grandma Bonnie was in her 90s, she always called Gary when she made a rhubarb pie,
because she knew how much he loved it!
In Wendy’s adult years, Grandma Bonnie would still give her pointers or her opinion on the meals
she cooked. Wendy was making Grandma Bonnie’s Apple Pie one day, and Grandma Bonnie was
there for dinner. Wendy said, “Mom, I don’t think you need to put 3 tablespoons of milk in this. It
doesn’t need it.” Our beloved Grandma Bonnie responded, “Do as I tell you, Wendy”. So Wendy,
even in her later years, would still do as her mother said — as a result, her pies are amazing!
Grandma Bonnie’s Apple P ie
Pie pastry:
Directions:
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First prepare the pie pastry by sifting the flour, sugar and salt
in a bowl. Cut in the lard until the mixture resembles coarse
crumbs. Mix the egg, water and vinegar in a bowl. Add to
the flour mixture and mix until the dough is moist enough to
form a soft ball. Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes.
2 cups flour
½ tbsp. sugar
¾ tsp. salt
¾ cup lard
1 small egg, beaten
¼ cup water
½ tbsp. vinegar
Filling:
By Lynn Longaberger,
Manager of Consultant Support 5
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3 cups sliced peeled apples
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp. flour
½ tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
or margarine, cut into pieces
• 3 tbsp. milk
Now for the rest of the pie:
Mix the apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Divide the pie pastry into 2 equal portions. Roll each portion
into a 12" circle on a lightly floured surface. Fit 1 pastry circle
into a 9" deep-dish pie plate, trimming and fluting the edges.
Prick the bottom with a fork. Add the apple filling. Dot with
the butter and sprinkle with milk. Cut the remaining pastry
circle into strips. Weave lattice-fashion over the pie. Or, place
the whole remaining pastry circle on top of the filling, sealing
and fluting the edges and cutting vents. Bake at 375 degrees
for 40–45 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 4–8.
September 2015
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Turning Leaves
By Andy Wolfe, Director
of Creative Merchandising
Inspire Our Fall Designs
The Fall Collection is inspired by the
colors of fall. We wanted to bring the rich
fall leaf colors into your home. The look
of wooded hillsides in the fall when the
leaves are turning colors has always been
very inspiring to me. We found our Spice,
Brick Red and Pale Yellow were great
core colors for the collection, and then we
added Warm Brown, Light Warm Brown
and Pewter to complete the palette. This
combination represents that fall feeling
well. They also coordinate very well with
solid core color baskets.
We wanted to create some fall décor
pieces that would add beauty and offer
function. Using the fall colors, we created
a gradation weave pattern of light to
dark from top to bottom. We placed
this weave pattern on shapes that were
functional and that could also be used for
décor. The ability to stack the Hearth and
Home Baskets make them fun to use as
décor, and you can organize at the same
time. The Turning Leaves Vase Basket
is a great way to feature your fall floral
arrangements. Because of the color in the
weave, even a nice green potted plant will
feel like a special fall feature in your home.
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The interlocking WoodCrafts Leaves are
a natural add-on to the Turning Leaves
collection. We wanted the leaf shape and leaf
color to match up to what is seen in nature.
The Oak Leaf is stained Spice, the Maple
Leaf is stained Pale Yellow and the Sweet
Gum Leaf is Brick Red. These are great
additions to any fall décor.
We also wanted to create a special fall décor
basket for our Collectors Club Members.
We worked within the same color palette
for all the fall pieces so you could mix
and match throughout the collection. The
Collectors Club Maple Leaves Basket was
inspired by a pile of fall leaves. We created a
weave pattern that was dynamic and mixed the
colors randomly, like they would be in a pile of
leaves. We then got very literal on the lid and
stacked up the different colors of maple
leaves to create a small pile.
The rich colors of the Fall
Collection will help transition any
room to warm and cozy for fall.
They also coordinate so well with
our core colors, you can change the
feel by adding just a few new baskets
to your existing collection.
An Anniversary
Not to be Missed!
April 23rd, 2016, we will be celebrating
the Club’s 20th Anniversary at the
Longaberger Homestead with a downon-the-farm party that’s inspired by
Longaberger’s Dresden roots. For
over 100 years, Longaberger has been
weaving baskets for many different
functions — yet our farm baskets,
like the Apple, Corn and Measuring
Baskets, are some of our most favorite.
Save the date and start preparing your
travel plans — along with finding some
overalls and gingham shirts. We will
be sharing more information with you
regarding the event in the next few
issues of Connection.
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September 2015
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Welcome Home!
2016 Collectors
Wall Calendar
In just a few months, our Collectors Club members
will be receiving in the mail our beautiful 2016
wall calendar. A few years ago a Longaberger
customer shared a story with us that inspired
the “Welcome Home!” theme of this calendar.
We were told a Longaberger collector’s car broke
down in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Her mobile
phone was not working — of course! She got out
of her car and looked around the neighborhood.
There, across the street she spotted a house with
a Longaberger Basket on its front porch. She
thought, “That’s where I will be safe getting help.”
At Longaberger we are a community of friends and
family that care for each other. That’s just simply
who we are!
Every month in 2016 we will be sharing a unique
door from our region of Ohio — dressed with
seasonal decorations and of course a basket from
the past. We know you’ll enjoy every day of 2016
with this special gift!
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September 2015
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Inspiration
Great Northern
By Michael Kennedy, Creative Director
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The great northern districts around the
world gift us with breathtaking beauty and
extraordinary winter traditions. That’s where
the Design and Marketing team started as we
began to explore our holiday collection. We
were inspired by the traditions of the great
north — animals, evergreen and holly colors,
traditions of sweater patterns and their colors,
red painted cottages with white trim against
a blanket of snow, and those early morning
hours when the snow appears blue for just a
moment in time.
Our first step on the journey to develop this
collection of holiday baskets was the creation
of the Master’s Studio™ Snowfall Basket.
Basket Designer Brian Dilts was inspired
by the tradition of Fair Isle fabric design
patterns — specifically sweaters. Well, we all
immediately fell in love with the design and
spirit of the pattern. This basket became a
starting point for our Christmas Collection™
Baskets and the Collectors Club Snow
Diamond Basket. Our intentions were to
create a family of baskets — all inspired by
this beautiful pattern tradition — but each
would have their own unique personality.
The Master’s Studio Snowfall Basket is
sophisticated in its complex pattern and
use of the colors gray and white. The
Collectors Club Snow Diamond Basket,
with its perfectly woven white diamond,
is very seasonal, expressive and fun.
The Christmas Collection Baskets are
simpler in their pattern, but full of
character because of the many choices of
color patterns. Each is unique, each very
special, each a work of art to be treasured
and handed down for generations.
Master’s Studio Snowfall Basket
Collectors Club Snow Diamond Basket
Christmas C
ollection Bas
kets
Christmas Collection
Baskets
September 2015
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Homestead Happenings
Locally Celebrated
Tilton Hollow Farm & Soap Co.
At the Longaberger Homestead we love discovering and sharing
talented and innovative companies — especially when they
come from our own neighborhood. Just a few miles north of the
Longaberger Homestead, Jeff Wince and Chad Snelling started
Tilton Hollow Farm & Soap Co. in 2012 on a beautiful farm that
was founded in 1823. Owners Jeff and Chad are talented gentlemen
that care deeply about American farming, history, quality and their
best friends — a family of dairy goats, Gloucestershire old spot pigs,
chickens, heritage breed turkeys, guinea fowls, ducks, geese, sheep,
bees and even an Alpaca (every family member has a name and each
knows their name).
Crafted by Hand
Jeff and Chad’s soaps and body products are handcrafted, 100%
natural and made at Tilton Hollow Farm. Some ingredients are
harvested from their farm including goat’s milk and honey. Their
passion for quality and natural ingredients is inspiring. Although
they have an amazing collection of products, each has a very special
purpose and unique ingredients — some of our favorite products are
the Black Goat and Restoration Soaps and Smoothing Salve. A few
of us at the Longaberger Home Office spent a wonderful day this
summer with Jeff and Chad and their menagerie at their farm taking
these beautiful photographs. We even photographed some baskets
for the Longaberger 2016 Spring and Summer WishList®.
Tilton Hollow Farm products will be available at the Longaberger
Homestead beginning in October. They make the perfect gift when
paired with a Longaberger Basket for the fast approaching holiday season.
Member Exclusives!
Remember to call Guest Relations today and
reserve your time to make Collectors Club
special edition Make A Basket! Make A
Basket is the perfect gift for the holidays —
the perfect gift you create!
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Member Perks!
In September at the Longaberger
Homestead, Collectors Club members
will receive complimentary coffee and a
keychain along with a coupon for $5 off a
basket (valued over $59).
Even More!
Don’t miss an opportunity to meet our Tilton
Hollow Farm & Soap Co. friends Jeff and Chad
on October 10th when we celebrate “Healthy
Living’! They’ll be on hand to talk about their all natural products. Also,
enjoy taste testing great all natural foods and spices, win prizes, shop for
your favorite Longaberger products and dance the day away at our dance
party kicking off at 11 a.m. At 1 p.m. join Longaberger Creative Director
Michael Kennedy as he shares many of the designs and inspiration for the
holiday season and a sneak peek of exclusive Collectors Club Baskets.
September 2015
| Collectors Club Connection
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Renewing Your
Collectors Club
Membership
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).
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!
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What 's Up
Now through December
Now through December
• 2015 Collectors Club Member Basket
September –February
• Fall and Winter WishList featuring the NEW
Collectors Club Maple Leaves Basket Set
September –February
October –December
• NEW Collectors Club
Snow Diamond Basket and Lid
November
• Collectors Club Members Save $5
on the Angel Tree Topper
Jennifer Stowe, 21 years of service
October–December
November
2016
• Save the Date! 2016 Collectors Club
Homestead Gathering on April 23rd, 2016
September 2015
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