Painted Hanging Basket (For The Win)

File this one under “Projects that I should have done 2 years ago”. I snatched a set of matching hanging baskets from my parents basement around the time I bought my house. They’re pretty. Mom tells me they were just bought from JoAnn’s or somewhere, but they’re more well-made than most wire basket holders that I come across these days.

Painted iron/metal, they’re designed to look like flowers, and let’s face it, I’m a girl and I like flowers so I immediately liked these baskets, despite their condition.

Mom hadn’t used them in years, plus they were starting to wear down (paint was bubbling after years of being weathered outside, and rust beginning to appear at the base) so she was fine with handing them down to me. Like I mentioned, I had every intent of refinishing them a few years ago, and if nothing else, I should have bothered to hang them up to display some flowers, but they ended up being been brushed to the side and admired without purpose for awhile.

One of them became Cody’s toy basket, which didn’t work out too well because it wobbles a little bit, making a metallic sound when he goes to grab a rope or tennis ball and then gets scared off and doesn’t dare touch it again for 3 months. He’s sweet but kind of wimpy.

It’s easier to whip through projects on my list now that the weather is improving. For this, having decided to paint them my favorite tomato soup orange… or purple… or orange, or purp…OK, fine I’ll use my favorite orange and if I don’t like it I’ll redo them in purple. And I’ll just start with one of the two, in case I totally bomb this project. I began by sanding down one whole basket to remove any loose black paint and rust. I don’t think I need to tell you about the importance of starting off with a fresh base for the paint.

To further level out the playing field (as if decor improvement was a game), I applied an even coat of spray primer. (In the grass. Not actually on the nice deck. I love having a backyard at times like this.)

Note: since I’m using inexpensive Sherwin Williams Color To Go samples, I’m using the same technique I applied to those picture frames I painted awhile back (all about making cheap paint awesome). I was warned when I bought the sample that it wasn’t meant to actually be used as the permanent color and when I dared to test it, it worked. Started with a little bit of spray paint, let it dry completely, and continued on by carefully applying a layer of orange with a paint brush I had on hand.

Right around this point, I started to feel like this basket was turning into something I might see at CB2. And I really liked that. A lot.

Once it was painted (and it took three coats with this cheap paint, just like those pesky frames), I gave it a final spray down with clear glossy spray paint. The spray top coat really helps to toughen it up and make it feel like it’s not about to chip off or wear away right in your hand. I now have the courage to do the second basket.

And while I think these will eventually hang off the pergola on the deck, for the purposes of showing it in action, I hung it in the sunroom window. With an IKEA planter and an indoor geranium.

I immediately thought upon taking that picture that I should spray paint that black chain white; it’s only making an appearance as-is because it was the most convenient hanging mechanism I could fashion for the new basket. And it works, so I’m happy.