Old Basket, New Look!

OLD BASKET, NEW LOOK!

If I think back, there is almost not a home I can think of that didn’t have an old basket lying around. Maybe Grandma have one she can part with, or you can find some at your local Charity Stores for a Dollar or Two. They are usually made out of cane and painted with a yellow tone varnish. Get your hands on one of these old-timers and create yourself a French looking picnic or shopping basket.

Before

You will need:

Old baskets
White acrylic paint
Black acrylic paint
Paint brushes around 5cm wide
Old plastic plate
Luke warm soapy water
Rags
Old toothbrush
Old X-Rays or plain A4 paper for stencil

Use your duster or vacuum cleaner and get rid of as much dust as possible. Using your soapy water and rag, give the basket a thorough wash. You can use the old toothbrush to reach the hard to get areas. Wipe regularly with a damp rag until clean. Leave in a sunny spot for an hour or two, until completely dry.

Time to paint. On your plastic plate, squeeze out about a tablespoon of white acrylic paint and about half a teaspoon of black. Mix together until you have a dark grey paint. Dab your dry brush in the grey paint and start painting. Paint inside and out, make sure to get your brush in the hard to reach areas. You can do two coats of the grey paint, until everything is completely covered.

Leave to dry for about 10 minutes or so. If there is any loose ends on your basket, it is now the time to stick them back, using a quick set glue or wood adhesive. If you prefer wood adhesive, you have to wait until it is completely dry. A clothes peg works well to hold loose ends down until the glue is dry.

On a clean spot in your plastic plate, squeeze out a small amount of white acrylic paint. Just touch the paint with your brush and lightly paint over the grey paint. This technique is called “Dry Brushing” and the slight touch of white paint actually highlights the raised areas. This look works well on a basket intended for a nautical themed room. Ones you are happy with the look, you can start working on your stencilled number or word.

Print a Word or Number, choosing the font size on your computer. If you want to use an old X-Ray, you have to trace the Number or Word with a permanent marker. Otherwise print on paper and use your sharp craft knife to cut out the printed areas to create yourself a stencil.

Stick the stencil down with sticky tape in the preferred position. Use a small brush or sponge to carefully fill in the cut-outs in your stencil. Once the paint is dry, you can carefully remove the stencil.

Number Tag

You will need:

- Lid from an empty Milo tin

- One extra-large nail

- Hammer

- Eyelets (the type they use in scrapbooking)

- White acrylic paint

- Podge or gel medium

- Printed to size Number or Letter

- Resin and Hardener clear from hobby shops (optional)

- String

Use your nail and hammer and make a hole near the end of the lid.

Paint the inside of the lid with two coats of white acrylic paint. Insert the eyelet and tap lightly with your hammer at the back to set in place. Don’t tap to hard or you will dent your lid. I’m speaking from experience!

Cut out your Letter or Number with a sharp craft knife and stick down using Podge or Gel medium. Once dry, cover the Number with three coats of Podge/Gel medium and leave to dry in-between coats. If you not going to use the resin you can now string your tag and it’s ready to hang.

If you’re using the resin, you will now mix the resin and hardener according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Make sure the podge or gel medium is dry, otherwise it will show up on the end product. Carefully pour some of the resin mixture into your lid. The eyelet is there to stop the resin from running out the hole, so be careful not to overfill. Only pour enough to fill up to about half the thickness of the eyelet.

If there are little air bubbles in your resin, slightly blow on them. The warm heat of your breath causes them to disappear. Leave overnight to dry properly. Do not touch the resin to test, it will leave a fingerprint.

Well done, you created a tag that looks like a vintage porcelain tag. Simply add your string and tie to your basket.