Bearing many baskets

SHE IS

Creating baskets for every occasion

TIED UP

Having fashioned her artistic drive and love of crafts into a

part-time career, Tina Jones has become proficient at creating

feelings of sympathy, celebration and love with her gift baskets.

When the Costa Mesa resident started working at The Basket Case

Inc. in Newport Beach four years ago, Jones encountered a number of

challenges, all of which, she has persistently tried to overcome.

One of her biggest: she couldn’t tie a bow.

Initially, Jones needed 20 minutes to tie a bow; now, the basket

builder has honed her bow-tying skills to under two minutes.

DRY EYES

While she has conquered that time-consuming dilemma and has since

developed her basket-making skills, Jones has fallen short of

eliminating yet another more personal challenge.

‘’I’m allergic to eucalyptus,’’ she said. ‘’That’s a problem when

I have to use it to make a basket...I’m a little better with it

now.’’

And getting more and more proficient by the day.

‘’You have to have an eye for this,’’ she said. ‘’You get used to

placing the items and every day’s a learning experience.’’

That learning experience keeps Jones interested.

BUSY TIMES

Creating 15 to 20 gift baskets on a normal day and nearly 2,000

during Christmas, the business’ busiest holiday season, Jones’ focus

on making the customer happy helps keep her driven.

‘’It’s nice because we’ve had people come back in or call and they

still haven’t opened [their basket] because it’s too pretty,’’ Jones

said with a smile. ‘’That makes me feel good.’’

While she makes wine, cheese and pasta baskets, snack baskets,

bath and fragrance baskets and sympathy baskets, Jones admits that

the baby baskets make her feel the best.

And despite her affection for them, Jones said that often the

auction baskets give her the biggest challenges.

With customers bringing in large and extravagant items, Jones has

had to use her creativity to build baskets up to four feet high.

‘’I thought, ‘Am I going to be able to do this,’’’ Jones said.

‘’But I did it and I’m proud.’’

She also is proud of how she has developed her creativity.

And while she does consider herself an artist, Jones has come to

understand her specific talents as well as her limitations.

‘’I enjoy being able to place the wines and work with color

usage,’’ she said. ‘’Just don’t ask me to paint.’’

-- Story by Christine Carrillo, photo by Kent Treptow