INSTANT VINTAGE

I am smitten. I have fallen in love with those beautiful time weathered gray vintage French baskets you see everywhere! I want, no, correct, I need to have them everywhere. More is better. They are beautiful. Quiet. Elegant on their own or stuffed full of fluffy soft pillows. Or in the garden, as a planter for your lavender. A basket with a story. A quick trip to Provence is out of the question, no problem. You can make a few of your own vintage baskets in less that 20 minutes. Yes, you can.

You know all those dark brown baskets we purchased years ago? Well, they are dark. And I’m tired of them. So….

This is what you will need-

One Dark Basket

Rust-Oleum Chalked Spray Paint-Aged Gray

Chalk Style Paint

Paint Brush

Paper Towels

I love the ease and the color of this spray paint. Perfect. You can substitute the white with any white flat paint, so little of it is used, it is just an accent.

Spray paint your baskets in a ventilated space, outside is best. Start inside the basket.

Then the outside. Hold the can about 10” to 12” from the basket. Use long sweeping passes. It is best to do a light coat of paint, you can add a little more later if you like.

I wanted to have a natural look, so I tried to leave a little of the natural dark stain peeking through. Spraying the basket took about 5 minutes.

Let the basket dry.

I used a “dry brush” technique to layer a touch of white. Dip the paint brush into the paint and blot most of the paint off the brush onto a paper towel.

Use sparingly. Long diagonal sweeps up the sides.

Lengthwise across the reeds.

Create a stippled effect by dotting just the tips of the brush along the reeds to achieve a “speckled” look randomly around the basket. You don’t need much, but the white blends the gray and the stain together to give the basket that seasoned textured look. Adding the white took about 15 minutes. Certainly, much faster than letting it age on its own.

Beautiful in pairs...

Add a French cat...

Instant vintage...