Tutorial: “Paint-Dipped” Basket

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It’s no secret that I’m a Target super-fan.  You can find me shopping at a Target store 2-3 times a week…no exaggeration.  On the last few trips, I have been tempted to buy one of these paint-dipped baskets.

One of the baskets in the store is rectangular-shaped, and the paint is on the bottom of the basket.  And it’s coral.  Love!  (I couldn’t find it online, sorry.)  I’ve seen a few bloggers hack the paint-dipped basket lately.  So instead of buying one, or three, of these lovelies at Target, I decided to make my own.

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I haven’t been doing as many crafty projects around the house for the last week and a half, because of this little guy.  He had a lipoma (fatty tumor) removed from his bicep, and so he has been confined to the cone of shame since his surgery.  I tell him that it’s his superhero cape, so as not to bruise his Napoleon-esque ego.

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Anyway, Buddy has also been on-lead for the duration of his recovery.  He has been a champ throughout the entire ordeal.  (Ahem, the vet did give us a little extra pain medication to help keep him calm.)  To best describe Buddy’s personality, I would ask you to think of Chester the Terrier from Looney Tunes.  Are you remembering the hyper, bouncing, cute-but-a-little-annoying-all-at-the-same-time small dog?  That’s my Buddy.

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This girl has also been extremely patient during Buddy’s recovery.  While Greta isn’t exactly a Spike, she is the calmer dog by comparison.  And she is COMPLETELY accustomed to being the center of attention.  I think she knows, though, that Buddy needs more attention.  So she is content to make space for him…as long as she gets her morning walk.

Maybe I’m the least patient of the bunch.  Because once I get an idea to begin a project, I want to start right now.  So I decided to give Buddy a pacifier rawhide chew, wrap his lease around my wrist, and get painting.  No problem, right?

There was no need to purchase a basket for this project.  I had more than a couple around the house that qualified as good candidates.  To start, I decided to paint the basket that we use as a toy box for the dogs.

And why is it that they are so good at taking the toys out, and putting them back…not so much?  Or maybe it’s just that they disagree about where the toys should be stored.  Buddy, with his somewhat compulsive herding tendencies, will take all the toys he likes and neatly place them on the rug in the foyer.  Nevermind that these toys end up tripping any human that enters the house.  One of Greta’s favorite games is to take the upstairs toys (those that are safer to play with when we are not at home) and carry them downstairs.  She doesn’t necessarily play with them downstairs.  It’s just the moving them that is fun.

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Anyway…there was also no need to buy any paint for the project.  I have a considerable paint stash, and I remembered having both orange and green paints that would look great against the natural fibers of the basket.

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I did mention a considerable paint stash, right?

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The bummer is that I did not find the green paint that I remembered.  And, of course, I decided that it was the color I most wanted to use during my search.  Sigh.

With the lyrics of You Can’t Always Get What You Want playing in my head (or I may have been singing out loud), I carried the paint can upstairs.  The color is Valspar’s La Fonda Sombrero from a few years back.  It is leftover paint from the wall treatment that I did in our living room.  When I first opened the can, the paint had completely separated.  I stirred, and stirred, and stirred, and stirred some more.  Eventually it went from the gloppy mess you see here to smooth, evenly pigmented paint.

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Keeping a small amount of paint on my 1-inch angle brush, I slowly began painting the basket.  I did not need to tape it off, because the wide rush of the basket made it easy to follow.  I’m also not saying that I didn’t make a mistake or two.  But they are so small, it would be difficult for anyone to find them.  Besides, it’s a basket that sits on the floor and is filled with dog toys.  Not worth worrying about.  Especially with a dog tied to one arm chewing a rawhide underfoot.

I did not paint the inside or the bottom of the basket.  This one will always be (I hope) filled with toys.  If I were using it as a serving basket, like the ones from Target, then I would paint the inside and bottom to make it look more “paint-dipped”.

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I am pleased with the results of this no-cost project.  The contrast isn’t as high as that lovely Target basket, but I’m going to live with it for a little while before making any changes.  See the peek of wall color in the background?

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And notice that green stripe on the carpet in front of the basket?  It makes me determined to get my green painted basket.  I bought the chartreuse paint yesterday.

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