Market Basket Upcycled with Dixie Belle & Chalk Couture

Market Basket Upcycled with Dixie Belle & Chalk Couture

Have you ever thought you totally messed up a project you were working on?

Well, I thought I ruined this project but persisted, and I’m in love with the end result.

It pays to be persistent and not give up on a project.

It all started with this wooden market basket that I found last week when shopping with my sister.   It reminded me of a Longaberger market basket, but without the huge price tag.

I had seen a painted basket in a magazine and knew I could do the same with this basket using chalk paint and sealer.

I used painter’s tape to mask off the edge of the basket so no paint would get on the handle or lid and a foam paint brush to apply the paint so I could squish it into the spaces.

I taped the lid open to the handle while painting the upper rim of the basket.

Next, I spritzed a light coat of spray wax all over the basket.

I had never tried Voodoo stain gel before and decided to give it a try and stain the lid with it.

After wiping the stain all over the lid, I realized I had gotten a little bit on the basket body.  

This is the point that things started going awry.

I figured since I’d already gotten some stain on the basket I would just make it look more like an antique by putting stain all over the body of the basket.

Big mistake!

The stain was much too dark over the red, and instead of making it look antique, it just looked dirty.

I could have worn gloves, but the Voodoo gel stain is water-based, and I wanted to see how easy it would come off my hands.

I was amazed at how easily it came off my hands with soap and a soft kitchen scrubby, but the stain on the basket had to go!

So … I let it sit for several hours then repainted it. That’s when I realized I should have stained the basket first then painted it because it looked awesome with the paint over the stain.

The photos above are the only “before” ones to show how it looked, because it was too dark to take photos by then.

The next day, after the next coat dried, I wanted to add some farmhouse wording to the lid.

I used this transfer from Chalk Couture.  It has over 20 different designs.  I can’t wait to use more of them.  Click HERE to see one amazing idea when paired with the Vintage Truck transfer.

I picked “fresh local produce” for one side of the lid and “farmers market” for the other.  I now had a glimmer of hope for this market basket.

I had planned on protecting the entire basket with the Easy Peasy Spray Wax (which I love) but realized the spray wax is water-based and it would remove the images on the lid.  So that was a no-go.

I ended up sealing the lid with premium sealer to protect it.

When I finished applying chalk paste and removed the transfers, the glimmer turned into a full-blown meteor shower!

I couldn’t believe how much I loved the basket that I thought I had ruined.

Tell me, what do you think about it now?

Click HERE to see more Dixie Belle projects.

Click HERE to see more Chalk Couture projects.

• Products I used: (affiliate links included)
• Dixie Belle’s Rustic Red Paint
• Dixie Belle’s Tobacco Road Voodoo Gel Stain
• Easy Peasy Spray Wax (for the body of the basket)
• Chalk Couture Transfer Vintage Truck Add-on (Fall) 
• Chalk Couture White Chalk Paste
• Foam Brush (this is a great deal on a pack of 25)
• Premium Finish Sealer (to seal the lid)

Vaya con Dios,