Upcycle an Old Basket With Paint and COLOR!

Donna
by Donna
4 Materials
Medium
Updating this old basket with a little bit (okay, a LOT) of paint and color gave this dark wall just the POP it needed!
We have a dark corner in our kitchen that has always seemed a bit drab. I put a little table in the corner and started adding a few decorative items, but it was still missing something.
So I grabbed this old grass basket that had I received as part of a gift basket. This basket was cheaply made and nothing special, but I had an idea.
First, I painted my basket blue with some acrylic paint. I painted both the inside and the outside of my basket. I used a soft brush with a wide head, but a foam brush would also work well. I ended up putting a couple coats of blue paint on my basket. I then let my basket dry completely.
Next: Using a small brush, I carefully painted the wraps of lashing that held my basket together. Working from the inside center of my basket, I started with a light yellow color, then transitioned through greens, blues, purples, and reds to create an ombre design on my basket.
This was not a quick project, but it was pretty easy. I used the same colors and pattern to paint the outside of my basket too. I kept some of my dark blue paint color in a container for touch ups as needed.
We were able to hang this basket on the wall by putting a small brad through the center hole that was already in the basket.


It now proudly hangs above a handmade basket (made by me!) and a paper collage I made from old magazines. You can find a tutorial for this paper quilt collage on my blog. I really love how all these items look together!
Suggested materials:
  • Old grass basket
  • Acrylic paint in a few colors
  • Wide soft brush used with acrylic paint
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Donna
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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3 of 4 questions
  • Michelle Michelle on Apr 28, 2016
    please tell me is NOT a sweet grass basket.
  • Tilly Tilly on Apr 30, 2016
    The wall hanging above the painted basket. How to make it?
  • Gilmer Gal Gilmer Gal on Jun 12, 2020

    Beautiful! I wonder, could I just dip the basket in dye, let it dry, then paint the lashings?

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4 of 76 comments
  • Barbara Barbara on Sep 19, 2017

    Absolutely love this!

    • Donna Donna on Sep 20, 2017
      Thanks! I appreciate your comments!!
  • Tonna Tonna on Jun 08, 2020

    This is beautiful! I love the colors and the brightness of it just makes me smile! 😊 You have such an amazing talent, not to mention patience! Thank you for sharing both! Tonna Chavez Ott

    • Donna Donna on Jun 08, 2020

      Thanks so much! So glad you like this project!!

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