DIY Grey Willow French Laundry Basket

I have been eyeing those wonderful grey willow baskets and thinking about trying to copy that fabulous finish.  And...I have also been wanting an oh-so-frenchy laundry basket...so I decided I would combine the two.

Is it just me or is there something very French about laundry hung out to dry outside? Even French artists found it inspiring, as in this unusually colorful painting from Edouard Manet…Le Linge. I think for me it comes from living in France where none of my friends ever used the dryer…even if they owned one! The preferred method was line drying…such a fresh, clean smell! I took up the habit myself.

So when I found this laundry basket on sale at Michaels for only $5.00, I knew it was time to try my hand at that grey willow finish.

I tried several methods and finally decided on this one. First, I spray painted it with Rust-oleum Camouflage paint…a nice beigey-greyish color. Once that dried, I added a wash (half paint, half water) of Behr Sparrow in the sample size that I had bought for a previous project.

And here’s the result! I like it…not too white and a nice little layered vintage look!

I also wanted to create a chalkboard tag for my laundry basket...no surprise there, huh? I seem to be on a chalkboard tag roll lately! lol I found these oval wooden cutouts…four to a package for $3.00…also at Michaels. Good! I’ll have extra tags for another project. I even went ahead and created an extra while I was at it. Just drill two holes and paint with several coats of chalkboard paint.

Baby Kitty helped me add twine for tying the tags to the basket. I used some of my grandson’s hair wax (leftover from his previous spiky hairdo) on the ends of the twine to make it easier to get it through the little holes. That’s my authentic French santon...a $2.92 bargain from Goodwill still posing with my French wine country centerpiece!

I just tied the tag to the basket and added le linge…"laundry" in French…

 …and here it is! I love it! It makes me want to do laundry…well, almost! Or maybe do laundry if it’s vintage French linens! I don’t own any of the real stuff…but that’s my Wisteria knock-off linen hand towel thrown over the basket…

…and my French-inspired vintage tea towels made from those 79 cent dishtowels from IKEA!

Maybe one day I’ll own the real thing, but in the meanwhile, maybe my frenchy laundry basket will help me to pretend!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my frenchy laundry basket! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Marty at A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Beth at The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Anita at Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up on Tuesdays
Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for Swing into Spring
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!