Saturday, September 10, 2011

Make Yours Vintage



Hey, chickies!

Do you have any baskets laying around that you don't know what to do with?

Baskets that are ugly and boring?

Baskets that are that typical yucky wicker color
or just plain ho-hum?


Photo: Ozma of Odds


Want to make them look like vintage French baskets?

Well, I was over-the-moon thrilled when I came across Rosemary's
French market basket tutorial recently.
She took a basket she found at JoAnn Fabrics and made it look 100 years old.
It was breathtaking when she got done with it.
That girl never ceases to amaze me.


Photo:  Ozma of Odds

Quite a transformation, huh?

OK.
Now, pick your chin up off the floor.



I hunted high and low for that same wonderful French market basket.
What I discovered was that it was not available in every JoAnn's store.
With Rosemary's help, I ordered one from the store in Flint, MI.
Until it arrived, I wanted to practice her technique on some baskets I had sitting in my basement.

So, after a quick run to Hobby Lobby for paint,

(quick, considering I spent two hours there instead of four...)

I set my supplies up outside 

(which is where you'll want to do this -
because if you're anything like me
you'll end up looking like you've been hit by a squirrel with a paint gun...

or a bad case of anemic measles.

I probably just should'ave worn a raincoat...)

Hmmmm....maybe that's why Rosemary used foam brushes?)


Rosemary applied more of a tan base to her baskets.
I wanted to try a darker base.

In one container, I mixed a little Traditional Burnt Umber with Black until it was a dark, coffee bean color.




Add a little white to lighten up the color, or black to deepen it.

(Pretend you're a real artist.
I did.)


Then, I painted my basket.

None to neatly, mind you.

Just kind of slopped and swished.
leaving some of the original basket color show through here and there.









And waited patiently for it to dry completely.


I mixed some Wicker White with a little bit of water in second container.

(I'm learning to save used margarine containers for this.)

In my third container, I had just plain water with a clean brush.



When the basket was dry,
I painted some of the watered down white paint on one side.

Putting that brush down and picking up the one in water,
I swished that across the basket where I just painted,
letting the now-white water run down the wicker
giving it a white-washed look.

It caught in the little crevices
creating a swoon-worthy patina.


"Painting" on the water over the white paint.


I continued on to the next side of the basket applying the same
white-washing technique,
alternating the white paint mix with the water
to get the patina I was looking for.

See how it catches in the crevices?  Instant vintage....

When the entire basket was completed,
it was pretty wet.
So, I set it in the sun to dry.

Four different baskets received a little vintage love that afternoon.

Cute lambs, huh?  (Stop laughing....)

Base coat completed (and no more lamb chops).


The finished project.






Each basket I did ended up with a little different patina.
Each of them beautifully vintage French looking.

This true French gathering basket already had a beautiful gray/brown patina.  I just gave it a quick whitewashing.
 
(*sigh....)

I used this same technique on a new tabletop recently, too.

But that tutorial is for another time...  :)





A little autumn decor is drifting into Heaven's Walk...





So, grab that ugly basket sitting there on your shelf,
and make it vintage!

And...uh....don't forget your raincoat....




Thank you, Rosemary, for the inspiration 
and your great tutorial!


{ Hugs }








Linking to the parties on the lower right of my sidebar.
See you there!





















 







65 comments:

  1. I am falling in love with baskets all over again...and now I have some great inspiration, too! Thanks!

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  2. Your baskets look great Laurie. I love that weathered look.

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  3. Laurie-Those look great! Were you sipping MadCat/SappyDog when you were painting? Huh?

    They turned out fantastic but I kinda miss the sheep and hearts myself;>) Just think pretty soon you won't be able to paint outside...just like here- xo Diana

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  4. I have a basket with apples on it instead of sheep & hearts...so I couldn't laugh when I saw yours, because mine screams the 80"s too!! I've been wanting to paint it and didn't know what to do, but I know now!! Thanks for sharing this, Laurie. I can't wait to make my basket look old and weathered.
    hugs,
    Cindy

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  5. Fabulous, Laurie!! They all are certainly stunning! How lovely of Rosemary to share her secrets, and you share them with us!!

    Thanks so much! I will definitely be making over some baskets!! LOVE the one with bread in it!!
    Have a joyful Sunday, sweetie!
    Hugs,
    Becky

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  6. Love it, you speckled little crafter, you! I am sitting here laughing, picturing you doing this with such determination!
    I have an easier method...leave it outside for a year...then take a bucket of watered down white paint tinted slightly gray...and dip. Let dry.
    No freckles...
    Same thing to get weathered gray boards. You can take brand new lumber and in a years time or less, you will have gray boards.
    Leave some out this fall for your projects next year.
    Don't forget to grab the baskets that are lop sided and leaning...soak over night and reshape and they are back to normal.
    Hope you are having a fun weekend!
    Oh, I am still grinning- remember when all the crafts had to be speckled? The first time I tried that- I flipped the bristles of the tooth brush the wrong way and speckled myself. There is no easy, unmessy way to that, even if you flick in the right direction.
    I will remember the rain coat. That sure would have helped.
    Hugs- Tete

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  7. You did an amazing job on those baskets Laurie!! Love the pix too!!
    Hugs~

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  8. I'm grabbing those baskets first thing in the morning! Fun project, can't wait to get started. Thank you!

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  9. AWESOME!!
    SURE CHANGED THE LOOK OF THOSE BASKETS.

    THANKS FOR THE HOW TO

    BLESSINGS
    BARBARA JEAN

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  10. Well, good Lord, now I know what to do with all my baskets I have stashed in a closet! Thanks for the inspiration. Toodles, Kathryn http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2011/08/little-goodwill-finds.html

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  11. Oh yes, I have so many "ugly" baskets! Great tutorial, such amazing transformations Laurie! Hope your weekend is wonderful!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  12. What is it about bloggers and their baskets?! Lol We love them and one is never enough. Your basket redo is perfect!

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  13. Haha, guess what I did today?...same as you!!! didn't follow the same technique, but did turn out about the same. and love it!!! and yep, I came out a little spotty, too!

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  14. Wowwwwwwwww....Laurie these look amazing all of them !!...enjoy a peacefull sunday...love and blessings from me....xxx..

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  15. Love what you've done with these Baskets!

    In answer to your question, yes, Minnie maintains two Blogs... SIRENS & SAINTS and also MINNIE'S MONDAY MUSINGS... you should be able to contact her at either one in regards to her amazing creations and fashions available at the Shops. The SIRENS & SAINTS link is on my sidebar of Blog Favs... when you drop her a line tell her that Dawn of Bohemian Valhalla sent you via my Blog, she and Shelly know I profile the Shops all the time because I LOVE shopping there and they're sweet, talented Friends of mine.

    Dawn... The Bohemian

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  16. Wow, at first I thought, yuck way too glossy, then to see the transformation was amazing. I just thought you had really messed up at first. Makes me look at baskets in a whole new light. You can find them so inexpensive at goodwill. I just usually glance and move on. Great tutorial.

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  17. Oh my goodness Laurie these are beautiful!!!!
    Love every one of them!
    Ive always adored baskets but these are just
    "over-the-top" gorgeous!!!
    Thanks for the tutorial and your silliness :)
    And thank you to Rosemary for the inspiration it gave you.
    Have a great day!!

    Deborah xo

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  18. Hello there, that looks amazing again.

    Beybey, Sylvia

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  19. Hi Laurie, I am a basket lover from way back and have tried all kinds of techniques on them. I love this.....really spiffy!

    I have to do this soon. Thanks!

    Barb ♥

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  20. Bravissima Rodemary, ma bravissima anche tu!
    A presto!

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  21. Thank you for this tutorial and sharing the original! So beautiful!!! I have alot of ugly baskets and now I can dig them out of the garage and start painting!

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  22. Gorgeous, I love it! I have many "ugly" baskets in storage. I will have to give this a try! Thank you for sharing!

    ~Shanon

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  23. Love what you did with all the baskets. It definitely gave them some Frenchiness! I'm gonna try it! Linda

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  24. Hello sweet sis!! These are beautiful and I am so excited because they look very similar to the basket that I got at the Flea Market that was not there this time!!! YEAH!! Thank you for sharing you talented and creative girl you.
    I hope you had a wonderful weekend!!!
    Hugs and love!!!
    xoxoxoxo

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  25. The baskets look wonderful! Rosemary is an inspiration!

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  26. Oh, Laurie, I love those. What a great makeovers, especially to the one with the little lambs...lol. I feel like I need to search around now and see what I can paint :)

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  27. I cannot express how beautiful they look and how smitten I am with them! Can I buy one of those! ***Droool***

    I have a couple of dark stained wicker basket and they are calling me :)

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  28. Another fun project to do...thanks Laurie!
    Your baskets look so beautiful!
    Off to find my raincoat ~ and maybe my rainboots too because they are cute!

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  29. I'm never again going to throw out a plain ole' wicker basket!

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  30. What a great idea! I know I have some baskets around here that haven't quite made it to the Goodwill - now I know why.. :)

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  31. You would absolutely never know that the lovely basket next to your sink EVER had cutsey lambs on it before!! I am amazed, and humbled, by what you have done. That pile of baskets I have in storage had better look out ... me and my paintbrush are coming!

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  32. Amazing the difference. That's a great technique! LOVE that French gathering basket!

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  33. Perfect idea to use all those baskets left behind. So, French and Vintage.
    xxx Liz

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  34. Thanks so much for sharing the tutorial! love the outcome - you did good sista! xoox, tracie

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  35. Thanks for the wonderful tutorial! Your baskets are beautiful! And thanks so much for your sweet comments and for entering my Annie Sloan giveaway! Hope you are having a great week!...hugs...Debbie

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  36. loving loving that finish which looks naturally aged. cannot get enough grey over here!

    thanks so much for visiting, laurie!

    michele

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  37. So so lovely what you've done. Great transformation of the baskets :) Thanks so much for sharing at Beach Cottage Good Life Wednesdays.

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  38. I love baskets, yours are lovely! New follower, hope to have you visit!

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  39. Wow!! So that's what I can do with that boring basket in my garage!!

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  40. That is fabulous, seems I am always in to big a hurry, but you have shown me to slow down and layer because the effects are wonderful!

    Carol

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  41. Great looks on your baskets...taking them from ordinary to special. Very nice. :)
    Babs

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  42. What a fantastic idea. You did a great job of making that old and weathered looking. Looks cute where you placed it too. Have a great weekend!

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  43. Wow Laurie, they look great! I have so many baskets stored in the shed that could use a make over so thank you for the great tutorial!
    I loved Rosemary's makeover and even though I already had a cute little market basket, I checked our Joanne's in Twin Falls and it was there. BUT...I just new if I took home one more basket home it would send Dale right over the edge, so I left it behind :(
    sending hugs...

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  44. I would be delighted if you would link this lovely post to Potpourri Friday!

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  45. Laurie, these are just gorgeous. I so regret getting rid of my ugly baskets now. Thanks for putting together such a detailed tutorial, its wonderful. I am always looking for old baskets, never thought I could actually make one. I'm bookmarking this tutorial! Have a great weekend.
    Marianne :)

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  46. I am laughing because I think we all have a basket from the 1980's with some sore of farm creature on it LOL. Wow! your baskets now looks amazing. Great job. I am going to have to try this idea! Thank you for the tutorial.

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  47. Your baskets turned out beautifully! I have a couple stacked in the garage and they need a "treat" like you gave yours!

    Thanks for linking up Potpourri Friday. You are a real asset to the success of this party and I appreciate you! I will look forward to seeing what you create for next week!

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  48. What a beautiful idea. Love your baskets and finish you gave them.

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  49. my mother in law has a basement full of baskets. I will need to try one. Your baskets look great.
    Hugs,
    Ellen

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  50. That market basket is my favorite. I am eying my brand-new basket speculatively...

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  51. I'm so glad that I saw this post...I'm about to do a wicker chair using this same idea...I'm going for a grey/brown look...wish me luck:)

    Blessings,
    Linda

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  52. Your baskets are enchanting. I'm inclined to do enough so I can have one in every room of the house.

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  53. Your baskets look great Laurie. Thanks for this tutorial and sharing the original! So beautiful. I have alot of ugly baskets and now I can dig them out of the garage and start painting!

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  54. I do have some baskets that I don't like the color of. Thanks for sharing this painting tutorial. I hope mine turn out as great as yours.
    Lindsay,
    countrygirlhome.blogspot.com

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  55. Uhmm....now you've got me thinking. Thanks for sharing and isn't being featured for something that we love to do icing on the cake?

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  56. Love the tutorial, I have a bunch of baskets that are in need of a transformation!
    XXX Ido

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  57. This is amazing! I'm in love with the basket in your bathroom...the one with the feet. It's wonderful. Oh who am I kidding? I love them ALL! You did such a great job on these. I'm going to pin them on my Pinterest pinboard.

    I have a square basket that we keep library books in next to the couch. I bought some stencils to paint lettering on them to make them look like European factory baskets. Now that I've seen yours, I think I will paint the whole basket first.

    Well done my friend!

    Blessings,
    Kathleen

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  58. Laurie,
    That is fantastic! Love how that turned out!
    Thank you for linking with Home Sweet Home!
    Sherry

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  59. Laurie, Wow! These are beautiful! I'd love it if you would share your tutorial on my 1st Linky Party that began yesterday. I'm a new follower.
    www.projectqueen.org

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  60. They look awesome, Laurie!!! I LOVE the one in the bathroom...you know I'm a fan of whitewashing. ;-)
    shaunna

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  61. Oh my gosh I am in love with that !! I am sooo going to try it!
    Thank you for showing us how :)

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  62. Awesome tutorial, thank you for sharing it with us! Your home and acerage sounds really lovely!

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Bless you and thank you for visiting! I read each of your comments and treasure them all. So, please make sure your settings will accept emails, or leave your email address so that I can reply! ♥ Laurie