Shabby to Chic

Have you ever had something in your house that you didn't just love, but it was free & useful, so you kept it? Even though it was U-G-L-Y {"You ain't got no alibi!"}? That was the predicament that I was in with these practical baskets under our coffee table. The one on the left is a very nice rattan one from my dorm room days that currently houses our growing board game collection. The little beauty on the right {ugh} is something that ended up in my apartment after my grandmother's open heart surgery a couple of years ago. It served its purpose as a snack basket for my family at the hospital then wound up with me. Its a great basket, don't get me wrong & perfect for DVD storage, just not the prettiest. And I was not loving the way it looked when paired with the other. So what is a DIYing girl to do? Spray paint it of course!!

I perused the very limited spray paint aisle at Walmart & decided on Krylon's Global Blue in a glossy finish. {Disclaimer: While I love the way it turned out, I don't love the color with the rest of my living room. I'm planning on repainting it in a red, I just haven't found the time yet!}

I made sure to wipe the basket down with a damp cloth to remove dust & pet hair {thanks Zinga}. Then I took it outside, laid down some newspaper, & went to town. I used the entire can just to make sure that I had good coverage. I sprayed the inside of the basket, as well. I let it dry a full day, since the humidity down here in Florida is worse than Hades. 

To make it coordinate better with the other rattan basket, I added burlap to the handles. I doubled up a piece & cut it down to size. Using my hot glue gun I kept burning the you-know-what out of my fingers carefully wrapped & glued the burlap. To help keep it attached {because it was kind of refusing to lay down in some areas} I tied thin strips on each edge. 

At first, I liked the bows.  

Then, decided to cut off the tails to make it a little more streamlined & not so "country-ish". 

And there ya go! A totally new looking basket for only $3!! Plus it brings a pop of color to the space. As soon as I find the time {& the rain lays off down here} I'm going to repaint it to match my vision a little better. And, of course, I'll post an update!!