Painting Longaberger baskets is nothing new. I’ve painted, stained, aged and even washi-taped Longaberger baskets over the last couple of years. I’ll admit that the first time that I painted one I felt a little guilty! What would the collectors say???? But then I thought: Who cares! These are my baskets! Do you feel the same way?
Do you have a baskets stored away somewhere that you’re not using because they don’t blend in with your current decor and taste? You paid a small fortune for them so you can’t just get rid of them? I’m happy to help you get those baskets out of the basement/attic/or wherever you got ’em stored and let’s update those Longaberger baskets. Let’s bring them out of the 90s with five was to update Longaberger Baskets!!!!
I say paint, stain, lime, and washi tape those baskets! Unless you’re a serious collector and only keep the baskets for their resell value (do they have a resell value??? I have no idea). I just know that I want to use my baskets and want them to fit in aesthetically with my decor. But if the thought of changing, painting, marring and defacing these baskets just doesn’t sit well with you, please look away and I’ll see you back here next week ; )
Baskets are such an eye-pleasing way to store unsightly stuff that you use all the time. They provide perfect storage and are decorative at the same time. Unless the orangey color of the baskets clash with your color scheme.
That’s exactly what happened in my powder room. I was in there organizing stuff the other morning – we’re all in organizing mode, right? Well I was organizing my hair stuff and makeup products when I decided to use a couple of Longaberger baskets to help tidy up and corral all this stuff. Plus I thought they’d look really good on the floating shelves that I made.
They were just orange-looking for my taste. And the “beachy” seashell liner??? Yeah, that has to go.
So, being no stranger to updating old baskets, I didn’t hesitate to pull out the last little bit of white DecoArt American DECOR® Color Stain that I had.
I decided that I wanted full coverage, so I brushed on a total of three coats of the Color Stain.
So much better!
And don’t worry. I washed and saved the beachy liner for my future beach house ; )
Here are the other ways to update a Longaberger basket:
How to Antique a basket with liming wax.
Paint a basket with chalky-style paint.
And here’s a bonus fifth way to update an old basket. While this basket is not a Longaberger basket, I believe the same decoupaging method could be used.
So there you have it. Five ways to update an out-of-style basket. Longaberger or otherwise! I hope I’ve inspired you to make over something old and outdated in your home. Please let me know in the comments below!
I never bought those orangey Longaberger baskets exactly because they were too orangey. I love the updated white version. And I’m totally charmed by the washi tape version. I may have to look for these baskets now at yard sales just so I can update them.
I just “inherited” one of these baskets and haven’t yet thought of what to do with it. Love the decoupaged and washi tape versions. Visiting from Monday Funday party.
Great ideas Jeanie. I’ve never owned a longaberger basket. 😉
That pretty decoupaged basket is the first project I saw from you (that I remember)
super ideas!
gail
I love the white stain on the baskets! I think I only own one Longaberger basket, but I just may take stain to a bunch of other baskets I have, too! I would love it if you would stop by and share this at Celebrate Your Story link party! Here is the link if you have a sec! http://celebrateanddecorate.com/celebrate-story-60/
Love the updates and thank you for sharing with us this week at Celebrate Your Story, have a great week.
These are great updates. But you are right when I saw the title I thought “what”. I like the updates, you gave them new life.
I paint baskets all the time. I say if you want to keep it and update your decor…go for it!
Those are very pretty, but Longaberger baskets are a true art form. Find some cheap baskets to paint, and give the true Longaberger to someone who appreciates the true thing. And perhaps take a look at the value. Some Longaberger can run multiple hundreds of dollars, you might be surprised.
I have a lot of Longaberger baskets and have sold a lot. They sell them at second hand stores all over, for a fraction of the original cost. So don’t be afraid to paint them, they look great. Doubt they will ever be worth what they cost in the 80’s and 90’s
Sooo..true! Every friend I had sold these baskets so I have a good bit of them too. Can’t wait to give them new live!
Exactly, they are mass produced baskets so they will never be worth anything. I do like to use Henn and Royce open weave baskets as bread baskets for the table. Some of them are actually pretty and have an old fashioned look to them.
Thank you! I have been on the fence about painting mine since I inherited several Longaberger baskets from my mom. Several are holiday baskets but the colored bands have faded. I can use the baskets but their colors just don’t not work for my decor.
I can’t wait to start painting away.
FYI I did check the value of the baskets and due to the condition of the baskets they are not worth anything.
Wow, I will get a big chuckle when these come back in style because everything eventually does. If you were going to paint, tape and decopauge baskets, why not buy ‘made in China’ cheapos at goodwill? These now look cheap and ridiculous. This is an insult to all artisans, basket weavers and fine craftsmen. Apparently you have no idea what kind of work and thought goes into the designs and the making of them. You created nothing and the babble is just that…babble.
Darlene…you DO know that Longaberger whitewashed their baskets, right? And changed the stain colors a number of times. You go ahead and hang onto yours in their original condition, though….I’m sure they will come back in value, and maybe even in your lifetime! Babble on, Darlene…
That is the silliest thing I have ever read. The biggest problem with Longaberger baskets is that they are ugly and they are so heavy that they negate the purpose of a basket in the first place. Give me a Nantucket basket any day over 10 Longaberger or a wonderful Shaker basket. Check out the wonderful woven rattan pieces made by Sloan by real artisans. Those never went out of style and are always desirable and beautiful and true works of art not mass produced direct marketing junk. Collectibles never make a comeback. They just go down in value. It is the thing that everyone used and threw away that becomes collectable.
Never paint a Longaberger basket. In years to come you will never know it’s worth. Once you spray paint it, that’s it. Awful looking painted.
I have longaberger canisters sitting on my counter with the beautiful lids that don’t match our decor (hence the reason I landed on this site). I also have numerous other baskets that I don’t use bc they don’t mesh with our decor at all. Rather than leave them in storage I’d much rather update them and actually use them. That’s what’s their intended use is for, after all.