Our Hopeful Home: How To Transform A Thrift Store Basket With Paint

painted thrift store lidded basket corbel bookends

Any time I can bring something home from a thrift store and rejuvenate it I am one happy camper. And today I'm sharing one of those success stories. I managed to transform an ugly duckling thrift store lidded basket into a true farmhouse decor find -- for very little money and very little time. So if that sounds good to you, read on.

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Welcome to another monthly Thrift Store Challenge where some blogger friends and I challenge each other to transform thrift store finds into something different, better and useful. It's been a while since I participated in a challenge so I'm excited to be a part of this one today.

The Rules:

Upcycle an item(s) from a thrift store, resale store, or garage sale into a new piece of decor.
There's no monthly theme.
There's no budget to stick to.

Meet the Hosts

Make sure you follow our board on Pinterest for more upcycled decor inspiration!

farmhouse pig figurine square brown woven basket

Meet the thrift store item at hand -- a rustic, farmhouse-style woven basket with a hinged lid that I picked up at Goodwill for $1.99.

I bought it because it reminded me of my Longaberger baskets -- of which I have many -- but at an affordable price.

As you can see, even my chippy farmhouse pig wants to get a look inside.

I wasn't quite sure what I would do with it when I bought it. One thing I was sure of, though, was that it was too dark for my taste and there would have to be some kind of transformation involving paint.

Can Rust-Oleum Chalked ultra matte paint Linen White

So I started out with one of my favorite paints-- Rust-Oleum Chalked ultra matte paint in Linen White. I first used this paint in a different challenge where I painted faux pumpkins. Once I chose the paint the rest was a breeze since the paint is so easy to use and the basket is pretty small (dimensions). It all went so quickly that I forgot to take in progress shots, but it is so simple I think you can figure it out without step-by-step pictures. I do, however, provide a materials list for your convenience at the end of this post.

chalk painted woven farmhouse lidded basket

It's amazing what a coat or two of white paint can do to transform the look of just about anything. I was super happy with how the basket turned out after two coats of quick drying Rust-Oleum Chalked ultra matte paint. Then it was time to add a little spring color to my creation.

white painted basket peonies flowers container

While you can use any kind of flower or faux greenery inside your basket, I chose to use a premade mini-bouquet I already had on hand from Michael's. And that's all it needed.

white farmhouse basket cow creamer peonies flowers

I plopped the basket filled with flowers down on our dining room farmhouse shelf, as seen here with the darling cow creamer.

DIY map coordinates sign painted basket pink peonies

That sign you see peeking in from the left is my DIY Map Coordinates Upcycle.

And while I love how it looked on the shelf, I also tried it out on the fireplace mantel in the living room.

chippy furniture corbels bookends white basket peonies

And after adding the chippy, corbel bookends into the mix I thought I found the perfect spot for them.

lamb metal tabletop weather vane farmhouse basket flowers

But then I also loved how it looked with this mini farmhouse weather vane . . . . so you see, my $1.99 ugly duckling-turned-swan was a real win-win. I saved something from a landfill and created a bright, cheerful farmhouse decor piece at the same time.

white Chalked paint modern farmhouse basket peonies flowers

So what do you think? Right now I'm loving it with the flowers in it, but I can see switching them out with faux greenery at some point. I also kind of want to use it as a container for some coasters in the living room. It's certainly pretty enough to leave on the coffee table or side table so I can see me using it for that next. What would you use it for?

Supply List For Painted Thrift Store Basket

1. thrift store basket, any shape or size (or you can get one here)

2. paint brush

3. chalk paint (I used this paint)

I know, how cheap and easy is this project? If you were ever hesitant to paint a basket I say now's the time to go for it. I also completed another painted basket project I think you might like.