The Pandemic Gave Me the Chance to Learn How to Make Paper Baskets

Another heroine proving that a hobby can bring you extra income and fill your free time with creativity and fun.

Kajak introduces you to Danica Nestorovska from Skopje—a woman passionate about hiking, mountaineering, and horticulture, known by her friends for her cheerfulness and smile.

As a lover of archaeology and architecture, Danica has always been drawn to the process of creating various objects. She has always been fascinated by ancient clay artifacts found at archaeological sites, which in a way inspired her to start making items where she could put her own signature.

Today, Danica can proudly showcase her handmade woven baskets and decorative items. She says the items are 100% handmade because the process starts with a piece of paper rolled into a stick, and with multiple rolled sticks, the weaving process begins. She works with acrylic paints and varnishes to make sure the items can be used for food storage.

Since the goal of the crafted items is to end up in households, she uses clean paper sourced from various suppliers, and during production, she uses glue, acrylic paints, and varnishes purchased from stationery stores.

She learned the skill during the pandemic when we were all limited in movement, by watching videos on YouTube. Fascinated by the videos, she decided to start creating something similar. After many unsuccessful attempts, great persistence, and a lot of wasted paper and frustration, she managed to make baskets she was proud of and now uses for personal use. Her first creations received many positive comments from her friends, sparking growing interest in such products. Today, her hobby has grown into a small business called DBasketry.

The handmade craftsmanship combined with intricate details attracts great attention, as well as the fact that they are made from paper, not wood as they may appear at first glance. Danica believes the ecological factor is also an important point. You can find her products on DBasketry, and soon in the new marketplace base of Kajak.mk.