A Basket & Some Apples, But Not an Apple Basket

Two weeks ago, a neighbor handed me a basket to embellish that was otherwise destined for the dumpster. You might assume it was just a shabby old thing with perhaps some fraying, but noooooooo. It was quite lovely as it was and in perfect condition, too. It originally held fruit, nuts, and sweet bread and was a Christmas gift from one of his sons. I could have left it as is, but you know me—I had to flash it up a little. And guess what? It won’t be turquoise, lime, and violet! 😱

So, let's get started.

I'm not used to having an item that is so perfect to work on. However, it provided satisfaction for my craving to be creative.

I applied gesso to the weaving first - inside and outside.

Instead of painting it, I decided to decoupage it using this pretty napkin design. I removed the backing first.

Here it is with the decoupaging completed. I also added diamond and garnet-colored mousse onto the handles and decorative metal edging to slightly contrast and lighten it up a little.

An aerial view

It was a pity to see such a charming basket sitting empty. Although it could hold so many things, I had an idea in mind. Many years ago, I had a small gift basket business called Winsome Woods, and I had ordered 100 solid wooden apples for some of my arrangements. After all these years, I discovered 7 remaining in the garage. I don't know why I kept them for so long, but now I've finally found a temporary home for them.

Here they are all naked and loving it. I did not love it so much though.

No gesso was needed. I just went right in with the paint.

Added some depth with strokes of black, white, yellow, and a little orange.

Added some topcoat and you can see the improvement.

Tried seeing how a leaf would look, but it was not to scale, and I wasn't up to cutting them all. I wasn't exactly looking for an 'Adam Coverup'. 🤣

All the apples are done and ready to crash. It's been a long day after all...

Here's a close-up to see the color variations. They would have looked good on sticks, no?

The apples will be sold separately, so I made a tag for each one and even laminated them. Bigger than Adam's coverup! LOL!!!

Untagged and in the basket atop some crinkled-up, brown, kraft paper courtesy of a certain popular online company that ships. A. LOT. 😍

A woman once told to me that you should always keep an apple in your kitchen, whether it's genuine or artificial, as it represents the link between mind and body. Since I have neither, I suppose I'm fine without one...👍

I’ll be back next Wednesday to show you what I’ve been working on. Hope you’ll stop by again for a visit.

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