And MORE updated picnic baskets!

For some reason, I’ve been finding a lot of picnic baskets lately.  They are ‘one of those things’ that seem to be perpetually popular; so if they are in good condition, I buy them!  Here’s the latest one that I ‘prettied up’:

And it’s a nice BIG one too!

I did put it out ‘as is’ for a while; then brought it home to ‘fix up’ when it hadn’t sold in a while.

As I’ve been working on various picnic baskets, I’ve discovered that the ones with the ‘split’ and hinged lids (like this one) tend to hold up the best.

The ones with the solid lid, like this, tend to become misshapen more easily.  The lid no longer fits ‘perfectly’ on the top rim of the basket.  It still WORKS just fine; just might not be a sturdy in the long run if you are filling and stacking your baskets and it ends up near the bottom with a lot of weight atop it.

I used a greener shade of aqua this time; and a ‘dry brush’ painting technique for the woven parts of the basket.  (super fast and easy!!  I LOVE dry brush painting!)

Used a foam roller to paint the lid, the sanded to distress; and added a “FRENCH Market” stencil as a variation from the beach themed baskets I’ve recently done.

I was a little concerned that the 3/4 lid would look odd with a design on it.  But I just centered it and it looks fine.  (had I NOT liked how it turned out, I would have sanded it off and repainted.)

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm???? I guess I forgot to show you the one I did just BEFORE this one too!

This one has a solid lid.

But it still fit quite well.

Aqua paint; dry brushed on.

And a French Bee design stenciled on the top.

Here you can see how much bigger the ‘French Market’ basket (second from top)  is that the ‘Bee’ basket (top).  And the very slight difference in the colors.

All of these are available for purchase in my booth at Stars Antique Mall in Portland, Oregon.