Paint a picnic basket

Adding some vibrant colour to an old picnic basket.

Resene upcycling for good with Sarah Herring - Project 04

Finished project

You will need: A small set of detail brushes Painter’s tape for masking Resene testpots – Resene Full Monty, Resene Vitality, Resene Daredevil, Resene Irresistible or Resene Happy

Tips and tricks: To take the renovation of your picnic basket one step further, you might like to sew a fabric lining for the inside in a complementary colour.

Finished project

Before

You will need

Step one
Prepare your item for painting by giving it a clean and tidy first. This picnic basket was pretty dusty, and inside was the remains of a wasp’s nest – a good reminder to always check over any second hand items you are planning to renovate! Trim any loose pieces of basket weave using scissors.

Step two
Choose a design. This basket uses stripes on the lid, and spots on the rest. Mask out stripes on the basket lid using painter’s tape. Mask them out in varying widths, or you could do even widths.

Step three
Apply two coats of each colour to your stripe segments. The fun thing about painting a textured item like this is that you don’t have to be as precise with your application. Wait for the stripes to dry completely before removing the tape.

Step four
After you have removed the masking tape, you might like to go back and give a quick tidy to any areas that missed paint, or touch up any patchy bits. Again, don’t worry about achieving a perfect result, you will never get a straight line when you are painting on a woven basket! It adds to the rustic charm.

Step five
Once the lid is complete, mark out some spots on the rest of the basket. Draw your circle shape using the masking tape ring as a guide.

Step five-a
Fill in and tidy up with two coats of paint.

Step five-b
The circles are positioned randomly.

Step six
For a final pop of colour, add two coats the bold Resene Full Monty purple to one piece of the handle and the inside trim of the basket.

Upcycling for Good

You can find a huge range of treasures, from ornaments and picture frames, to furniture and toys at your local Salvation Army store that you can easily upcycle with a little Resene paint and some imagination.

"Our Family Stores are full of treasures generously donated by members of the public. We value these donations and try our hardest to re-purpose and sell as much as possible. We’re all about re-using and recycling, so teaming up with Resene on Upcycling for Good was a perfect match. Resene’s products and tips are a natural fit with our pre-loved furniture and accessories, which are usually great quality but could sometimes do with a lick of paint to ensure they fly off the shelves.

Each year, nationally, our stores save 16,000 tonnes from landfill. This initiative increases the value of the donated product, improves the range of goods for our customers, and furthers The Salvation Army’s mission and Resene’s community activity.” Gareth Marshall, The Salvation Army's National Family Store Manager.

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Resene Paints (Australia) Limited – www.resene.com