Polymer Clay Baskets

It seems like when ever I finally get ready to put the clay away, I feel the need to make something else. Yesterday, it was baskets. I wanted to try something new, so I dug out the clay extruder. Let me tell ya, if you haven't ever used an extruder, make sure you have someone with some muscles around! I had to enlist the bf and my oldest son to help......they were so kind to take turns pushing, and I had a Grand time watching their faces turn red! LOL, I know, I'm terrible....but it was so funny! My big tough boys were getting their butts tore up by a little tiny extruder!!! HahahahaOk, back to the baskets......the first one I made was light green. I wrapped the clay around and around (I'm sure there's some technical term for this, it's just not coming to me right now.....coiling?), till I felt it was deep enough, then I wrapped the top with a braided piece I made. After I baked it, I white washed it with some acrylic paint, to tone it down a little. I think it makes for a good toy basket!Then I used some gray clay I had....added some black sand to it~ this makes it look like stone when you bake it, to make more baskets. The one all the way to the left was made using a bigger hole disk in the extruder, then I went back and poked it all over to give it character...honestly, I think it has a 'turd' quality to it, It looked a lot better in my head! LOLThen I got brave and decided to try and see if I could make a woven basket out of clay. I still need a top to it, maybe another braided piece will work. I definitely have to develop this idea a little better.........Think I can convince the boys to do a little more extuding for me??? Next time, I promise to write a tutorial!