Last summer, I posted a blog entry about my first Banksia seed pod lamps. At the time, it was a new concept for me, and quite interesting. I never would have guessed how much other people would respond to these beautiful and bizarre natural objects. During the summer I quickly sold all the lamps I made with the Banksia bases, and ordered more pods. So now I am well set for Banksia bases thru the summer. I also ordered a third batch of the "whopper" pods.
When this third box arrived, it was obvious that I had scraped the "bottom of the barrel" of what was available, since these were smaller. Still much bigger than the usual 6-7" pods that I have seen for years, this last batch was more like 9-10" long. Too small for making lamp bases, but perfect for a new product: candlesticks. I made the first pair as a special order, and now have some more made up for the upcoming Marlboro craft show. Again a very dramatic and functional form that takes advantage of the unique appearance of the pods. Along with the table lamps and the candlesticks, I also make tea lights and oil candle lights out of the pods, and it makes quite a collection of illuminating creations.
What I learned is that Banksia pods are mainly harvested in March and April each year. And the "whopper" pods that I am interested in are quite rare, perhaps about 100 are harvested each year. I seem to have an inside line on purchasing these, and at this point, and am buying more than I am using, so that I can make sure that I stay ahead. Fascinating how an annually renewable resource can also be so extraordinarily rare.
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