French baskets. (well pretend French baskets!)

When I went op shopping the other day I picked up some baskets as I had a project in mind. I got two carry/shopping style ones for $3.50 each and a little round basket as I liked the shape for $1.

The lovely home ware stores I look in like Provincial Living etc feature so many gorgeous baskets and they are pretty expensive. I noticed the main difference with the ones I am admiring is the colour, they are a french grey/putty colour and many baskets are that browny/orange colour. The grey/putty looks as if they are very old beautiful french baskets or found in the country after years of wear.... lovely.

I could have gone to the hardware store and had the exact colour mixed up, as you can. You could even take in a perfect basket and get the paint to match to paint further baskets. There are a lot of french greys etc in the charts too. However I have white paint, black and brown and just mixed a drop of black, a drop of brown etc into white until I was more or less happy.

This is one of the shopping baskets before....

And these are the two afters...

I stood outside in the sun to paint them and enjoyed glorious autumn sunshine as I painted.

The first one... the lace trim is from the bottom of a net curtain. I cut off several metres from this curtain which was $4. I have saved the nest to make wash bags.

The second one... this lovely lace is the bottom of a petticoat from a country op shop and was 30c! And it fit around the basket, I didn't even cut it or trim it.  Petticoats are the best for lace. One rose I had, the other I bought a little while ago in Forever New (clothes) 

Baskets this shape are really good for magazines, books etc. But I saw on pinterest a brilliant idea... use them for your chopping boards and cooking trays. I love this, stored sideways makes so much more sense! I have no idea why I never thought of this. 

My next basket I bought because I loved the shape and I imagined it could be used for heaps of things. It was $1.

This is before...

And after... 

I'm painting today a large storage basket I already had and it has been wasted storing stuff in a cupboard. But once finished I can display it and still use it to hold things. As I painted these I remembered it and thought silly me... it is the same shape as one I admired in a shop! I have sunshine to work in even though it rained last night which is just wonderful, everything is watered. I did lots of pruning yesterday and I am so happy about this rain.

Making over our kitchen I'm planning to hang baskets and flowers from an old ladder so I am on the watch out for some more. And I will store my chopping boards and trays in baskets, and free up my cupboards and avoid the clanging around that is usually involved in getting them out! 

Baskets are so handy. I keep several for my yarn in the lounge room and to take a project I'm working on with me anywhere. But also for produce, items in the bathroom, wood near the fire and a million other things. A basket that sits low and flat is great in the car with things you might need like water, tissues, torch, blanket etc. Little ones are perfect for pretty little Easter nests for on Sunday. I really love them. They seem romantic and useful  at once.

Have a wonderful long weekend. Many of us could really use a few days off! xxx