Antique European baskets bring rustic charm to the french farmhouse style home, however, the price and availability of these baskets prevents many of us from acquiring them. I am going to show you how I turned thrift store baskets into french farmhouse style baskets.
How To Turn Thrift Store Baskets Into French Farmhouse Decor
European antique baskets were hard working. They were used to gather fruit from orchards and carry vegetables from the garden. They were often marked with the land owner’s initials. Other’s were marked to identify a product, address, or area.
Adding A French Graphic To A Basket
I decided to add
I decided to add a French graphic to this basket. I printed out a graphic from the Graphics Fairy Blog. Because I wanted this to look like an antique, I tea stained the paper for an aged effect.
Before tea staining, create a torn edge on the paper.
Instead of using scissors to resize the graphic, tear the edges. An easy way to do this is to fold the paper where you want it to tear.
Use your fingernail, a credit card, or anything with an edge to rub over the fold. Turn the paper fold over and crease the other side. Continue this back and forth folding until the paper is easy to tear.
Tear the paper on all four sides.
The Easiest Way To Age Paper With Tea
To do a quick and easy tea stained aged effect on my graphic, put hot tap water in a bowl with a tea bag.
Sprinkle instant tea on the paper. The heavier you sprinkle the tea, the darker the paper color.
Take the tea bag and rub the instant tea onto the paper. Blend it, adding more instant tea to make darker aged spots, until the paper is covered.
I rubbed instant tea along the rough torn edges. You can also fold the paper and rub tea along the fold to make crease marks.
When you achieve the desired look, let dry.
I used some twine to attach the graphic to the basket. I ran it through the basket and tied in the back.
Adding A Stencil To A Chip Wood Basket
I stenciled an address on this chip wood basket.
I used a stencil brush and black craft paint. After I placed my stencil, I painted the letters with a light pouncing motion, leaving some areas lighter for an aged look.
Instant European Charm.
Adding A Monogram To a Vintage Laundry Basket
I don’t really know if laundry baskets had initials painted on them, but it reminded me of an orchard basket, so I just went for it.
On this basket, I painted a white background for the stencil.
And then used black craft paint to stencil the initials.
I think I need to do the same monogram on the other laundry basket. I really loved this look.
I know there is nothing like having the real deal antique, but these up-cycled thrift store baskets have a lot of charm and add a feeling of history. In just an hour or so you can create your own French farmhouse baskets.
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Thanks for stopping by,
Janet