How to Faux Gild a Basket

by To Work With My Hands

5 Materials

$10

1 Hour

Easy

Who loves a fake?

Well, when it comes to life, I totally prefer authenticity. But paint...that's a place I'm perfectly willing to be comfortable going faux. And why not? They're way less expensive that the real deal and will often fool most every eye.

I started with a basic, white-washed plant basket. If you don't happen to have one around your house, just head to your nearest thrift store.

Baskets abound in thrift stores!

If you don't find or need a plant basket, a short, shallow one makes a great gift basket base.

So here's all you need to create a faux gild finish:

a light metallic craft paint
a medium metallic craft paint
a darker metallic craft paint
a sea sponge

Use whatever colors you like best. I used 3 Folk Art colors: Champagne (light), Pure Gold (medium), and Antique Gold (dark).

Using a damp sponge, start with the medium color and pounce it on. You don't have to worry about perfect coverage, and can come back later and fill in any obvious gaps.

While the first coat is drying, rinse the sponge, squeeze out the excess water, and get your dark color ready.

Add the dark color just like the medium. This will add some depth, and also more coverage for areas that may still have original color peeking through.

The light color is what really makes this work. Dot it on in random spots to simulate light reflection. You don't want full coverage as you did with the first two colors, rather a highlighting of color.

And that...is it!

How simple is that?

Even allowing the paint to dry between coats, you can have this project finished in about an hour.

Quick, simple, and a totally new look for that unassuming basket.

A little paint truly is transformational, isn't it?

Enjoyed the project?

You can do it! Saved to your projects

Plant basket

Folk Art Metallic craft paint - champagne

Folk Art Metallic craft paint - pure gold

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