Upcycling a Wire Bread Basket into a Woven Bowl

Upcycling a Wire Bread Basket into a Woven Bowl

I struck thrifter’s gold the other day (or, more like thrifter’s silver) when I spotted a wire bread basket on the Goodwill shelves. In fact, I spotted SEVERAL wire bread baskets. They were perfectly tarnished (i.e., patina!) and in need of a new purpose in life. As I studied the collection of wire baskets, I pondered the idea of transforming them in various ways.

Wire bread basket at the thrift store for upcycling into vintage farmhouse decor

They were priced to move- so I snagged three of the wire bread baskets, each one a different shape. 

Different shapes of bread baskets for repurposing as industrial farmhouse decor

They were grubby as all get out, and I mulled different ways to upcycle them. Paint was a must, and I kept coming back to single plan.

Weaving some farmhouse ribbon in the “spokes” of each wire basket. 

Farmhouse ribbon from the craft store for weaving in the wire bread baskets

Before I could truly get started, I used some silver wipes on the wire bread baskets to remove the grime. Since I was painting them, I didn’t want to “seal” that grossness in underneath the makeover!

Silver wipes on wire bread baskets before upcycling with galvanized spray paint

Once that was done, I was ready to put my plan into action!

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Transforming a Wire Bread Basket with Galvanized Spray Paint

Now that the wire bread baskets were clean, I set up my spray painting station outside and used a galvanized spray paint on them.

Galvanized spray paint for the bread basket to become a farmhouse wire basket

It really is my favorite spray paint to get that weathered metal look!

You may be wondering, “Why paint them silver when they’re already silver?”. Because when I’m done with my upcycling idea, I won’t be able to polish them again. So, using a galvanized spray paint will preserve the dark (but clean) silver-grey color that I want.

Next, I gave them two light coats of clear matte top coat to keep the galvanized silver paint from chipping as easily. 

Wire bread baskets that have been painted with Galvanized spray paint

In order to not waste ribbon, I used some cooking twine to measure out how much I’d need for each ribbon by weaving it through the metal basket. Then, I used the twine as my template for cutting the farmhouse ribbon.

Measuring the amount of farmhouse ribbon that is needed for a metal basket

Once I had cut the lengths of ribbon that I needed, I began to weave it through the bread baskets.

Weaving the farmhouse ribbon through a bread basket

After hot-gluing the ribbon ends together inside the wire bread basket, I wove the next piece of farmhouse ribbon directly beneath the first, in the opposite pattern.

Farmhouse wire basket with burlap ribbon and a bread basket

From there, I just continued to weave the burlap ribbon in and out around the metal basket.

Upcycling a Wire Bread Basket into a Woven Bowl

A few minutes later, I was done. I had completely transformed the bread basket into something more contemporary!

Industrial farmhouse decor with a wire bread basket and burlap ribbon

I absolutely LOVED how it turned out, and it has the look of industrial farmhouse decor that I just adore.

Weaving the farmhouse ribbon through a wire bread basket as farmhouse decor

The wire bread basket that was oval-shaped didn’t come out quite as cleanly as I would have liked (being oblong and all). But I really liked the rougher burlap against the galvanized spray paint.

Upcycling a bread basket with galvanized spray paint and farmhouse ribbon

I need to look for a narrower burlap ribbon for oval shaped wire baskets, don’t you think?

And while it was hard to photograph, even a single strip of farmhouse ribbon at the top of the flower wire basket looks nice on its own. A change of pace but coordinates nicely with the others!

Flower wire basket with a single piece of farmhouse ribbon

But talk about a basket weaving hack- this is a lot easier than working with natural fibers from scratch! And with vintage farmhouse decor all the rage, you can make a farmhouse bowl (or several!) for just a few dollars with this upcycling idea!

A word of warning, however- because of the spray paint and sealer, the surfaces of these baskets would no longer be considered food-safe. Please line your farmhouse wire basket with a towel or other linen to ensure that food does not come into direct contact with the project.

And If you enjoy upcycling ideas for vintage farmhouse decor, then you’ll love this windmill decor that I made from ceiling fan blades!

Craft on!

S

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Upcycling a bread basket into vintage farmhouse decor with burlap ribbon

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Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.

Comments

  1. That is such a great idea and looks wonderful! Thank you for sharing. Hugs,

  2. This is way cute! Always looking for a quick project for my antique/farmhouse/craft boot and this will be my next one – thank you 🙂

  3. I have a couple of those silver bread baskets. You came up with a great idea to upcycle them to Farmhouse style. Yeah!

  4. Clever idea to paint these! I scored two wire baskets recently too, one is a beautiful shiny copper and the other is a gold color with pearls in the spokes. I think they will go on the veranda as planter decorations.

  5. I love how you made over the wire basket. Those were very popular back in the 80’s. I think I got 3 when I got married in 1988! Now I wish I had kept at least one and didn’t sell them in a yard sale!

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      Hahaha, isn’t that always the case? Now you just need to go thriftin’… 😉

  6. Fonda Rush says

    Great look!

  7. We would love for you to share your post with us at #CCBG http://tryit-likeit.com/link-party-it

  8. I love it!!!

  9. I really love the way this looks–great idea.

  10. natashalh says

    Seriously cool idea! I love it!

  11. Franiqw says

    I have a bunch of those baskets. This is a wonderful idea for an update!

  12. A big improvement over what was! How did you measure with twine? Did you hold it up round & round, or did you weave with it first? I love it though.

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      I actually cut a long piece and wove it through- trimming so that there was about an inch overlap. It worked perfectly!

  13. What a great idea…. and it makes the basket even more useful! 🙂

  14. I can relate with not having enough space in the cart sometimes! I once had an old school desk hanging on the edge of the cart so it would smash my goodies inside. Great score on the baskets!

  15. I am in love with this idea. Thanks for sharing with us all. I wanted to invite you to come link up with us at Family Joy Blog Link Up Party. Sunday-Wednesday. Come join the fun http://ow.ly/6AqM30buZPq

  16. That is so cool!! I love how it turned out!!

  17. This is such an attractive upcycle project! Those bread baskets have been popular over the years, so they’re fairly plentiful at yard sales and thrift stores. The spray painting and weaving completely change the look. Nice job!

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      Thank you so much! It was one of those projects that I wasn’t 100% sure would go over well…so I’m extra thrilled that you like it!

  18. What a clever and lovely way to repurpose that basket, love it!

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      Thank you!! I was definitely on the fence when I posted it…but thankfully it’s been well-received. 🙂

  19. This is such a lovely refresh – it looks amazing!

    Thanks for sharing this on the Farmhouse Friday link party! 🙂

  20. Great finds and you aced this one! Thank you for sharing with us this week at Celebrate Your Story, and I hope your week is going great.

  21. It’s me again! 🙂 This will be featured in tomorrow’s Farmhouse Friday link party!

  22. This is such an easy and creative idea!! loved it 🙂

  23. BRILLIANT!!!!! #wastenotwednesday

  24. I think this turned out very nice! What a great way to bring new life to the basket! I’ve featured it in a roundup of inspiration for my sunroom here: http://www.heartfeltbalancehandmadelife.com/2017/05/10-amazing-diy-decor-ideas-to-inspire.html
    Hope you have an excellent weekend. Thanks for the inspiration!

  25. Lovely … you better get a few more of these because I already vision them for Christmas, spray painted red, green… in other words, the colours of the season … and weave especially plaid ribbons trough them?! Pine comes, dried berries … endless possibilities, lol!
    By the way, you are the first DIY site that I have explored … your ideas are heavenly and your taste impeccable ?
    Heide from Florida

  26. Perfect Perfect Perfect, these are so pretty and you are so clever!!!

  27. Perfect gift for my one and only mother, thank you!

  28. Peggie Russo-Millard says

    I have one of those baskets around here someplace. Like what you did with it. I am going to find it and turn it into Farmhouse Basket. 🙂

  29. I’m not a farmhouse kind of girl, but I’m going to paint my wire basket black and weave heavy white ribbon through it. Then I’m going to fill it with lemons!

  30. What a great idea! The paint and weaving sure made a big difference.

  31. So clever!

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