Somehow, (back in the 90's), I jumped on the Longaberger basket collecting bandwagon and spent wayyyyy too much money buying monthly basket combos (you know, the basket...the fabric liner...the plastic protector...the lid....). Just thinking about the amount of $$$ I spent makes me question my claim of being a fairly good manager where our finances are concerned. And when you spend that kind of money on something (and they won't sell on eBay no matter how many times you try listing them), you just can't justify not using them anymore. I do still use some of them - for organization in several cabinets and still display a few, including the canister basket set on the kitchen counter. I even added chalkboard tags to hopefully give them a less dated look, but I just didn't love their bright honey-colored stain anymore.
I've become obsessed with dark stain
(thanks to my love of Fixer Upper).....
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....and I love all the dark stained baskets from World Market.....
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| source: worldmarket.com |
....and I really love dark stain and gray paint together....
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I've been adding some dark stain to the kitchen, along with the gray paint and I really love the combo!
I decided to freshen up my Longaberger baskets and give them a new, more stylish look.
before.....
I used dark walnut stain for the baskets (be sure to use a sponge brush)
and some leftover gray paint for the lids.
and after.....
A completely different look! LOVE!! <3
I may distress the lids a little, but otherwise, I love my "new" baskets!!!
Just out of curiosity, I went over to the Longaberger website to browse around. I'm obviously on the right track, because they now offer a "rich brown" stain that seems to be very popular!
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And if you are looking to drop some money, they are running a special on this:
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a cat "treat" basket for ONLY $45 and $15 for the lid (+ tax & s/h)! And to think I probably would have bought this back in the day of my crazy, basket obsession!! :O)
7 comments:
I live near Longaberger. I think a lot about how much money was spent on those baskets. I have just a few. My cousin had just about all of them. Times have changed. I do like what you did with yours.
Just what i was looking for! All of mine are maple and I love the dark brown.I can't wait to do mine! Thanks for posting.
Just what i was looking for! All of mine are maple and I love the dark brown.I can't wait to do mine! Thanks for posting.
What brand and color stain did you use? Also did you stain the inside as well as the outside?
I think I used a dark mahogany. And yes, inside if you are going to see it, if not, no.
I want to do this to my baskets, but you didn't mention anything about how you prepped them. Did you have to do any special cleaning or prepping first?
Found your Longberger Basket post on Pinterest. Love what you did to change up the basket and lid color to update it to your current decor.
Have to laugh because I too got hooked on Longaberger. Was a consultant and bought more than I sold. Now see them on ShopGoodwill.com for a song. Thanks for putting a smile on my face and laughter in my heart with your Blog write-up.
I look forward to reviewing your archives for fresh ideas. Have a Happy New Year 2019.
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