Well, this news almost got away from me entirely, but I’m proud to announce that The Wicker Woman® has been online for 25 years, a quarter of a century as of June 2024!
I wanted to make sure I claimed this right before jumping into the New Year of 2025, and I’m sorry I missed announcing it on the actual anniversary day or at least during the month of June, but oh well…
When I first started the website, in 1999, I taught myself how to hand code in HTML and designed and maintained the whole site myself for the next seven years.
The website was made up of only nine pages and quickly became a one-stop-shop of reference and information for primarily basketmakers and seatweavers, with no e-commerce.
On the website, there were tons of weaving reference articles (white papers, not blog posts), a list of cane and basket suppliers so weavers could find their raw materials, tools, and reference books in one spot, a What’s New page that showed new things added to the website and also news from the weaving communities.
I was also sending a monthly newsletter and of course, using the site as my business card for my own chair caning and wicker restoration business, listing my repair prices, in-person chair caning and basketry classes, (online classes came along much, much later), and the site was a place to also show my antler basket sculptures.
In 2004, I began writing what was called at the time, a “weblog” of time-stamped daily entries, journaling what was going on in my business and personal life.
It was hosted on Blogger.com, which was started in 1999 by Pyra Labs and was later acquired by Google in 2003. I continued writing my blog entries there until 2007. Then in 2007, I decided to switch from doing my own hand-coding in HTML to the new PHP platform of WordPress.org.
Over these last 25 years, there have been many improvements, additions, hosting companies, and different themes, plugins, and software to run the site. It’s grown to well over 1,000 blog posts and nearly 100 pages, so it’s a big site as sites go, for sure.
I added a National Furniture Repair Directory™ in 2004, which features professionals in the fields of refinishing, upholstery, chair caning and wicker repair. And during that same year, added the Cane and Basket Supplies Directory.
I am so grateful to everyone who has helped me along the way and proud to know the site has grown so much and served so many people with its mission to provide resources and encouragement to seatweavers, basketmakers, wicker fixers and DIY creatives.
I can hardly believe that The Wicker Woman has been online for 25 years! That’s quite a milestone in anybody’s book!
Thank you and Happy New Year 2025!
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~~Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much ~~
Happy Weaving, until next time!
