A Tisket A Tasket A Crafty Goodwill Basket

by Katy on February 28, 2018 · 27 comments

I enjoy taking dowdy or otherwise unloved items and giving them a second life. So when the good people at Goodwill Industries of The Columbia Willamette asked me if I’d fancy up an Easter basket for a local TV segment, I was happy to say yes.

Luckily, Goodwill is rich with choices. I’m not a particularly skilled artist, but this $4.99 sewing basket caught my eye, as I figured I could paint over the pattern and use the surface as a blank canvas.

I knew the basket would be going to a five-year-old boy, so I didn’t want to create anything too frilly.

My first stop was to a local paint shop where I picked up a pot of $4 sample paint.

I then taped up the surrounding wood trim and gave it three thin coats of paint.

I really liked the cheerfulness of the bright blue.

Again, I’m not a skilled artisté, so I created a template for an upper case D for the boy whose same starts with the letter.

Good plan, right?

I was quite please with the result . . . until I realized that I’d been so focused on centering the letter that I didn’t notice that I’d painted it upside down!

Luckily my mother is a genius, and suggested that I flip it around and turn it into a lower-case d.

Whew . . .  an acceptable work around! I also added tiny painted eggs, as well as some bunny heads to complete the transformation from fuddy-duddy sewing basket to cutesy-wutesy Easter basket.

In the end, I think it turned out quite satisfactorily, although I would have preferred the original capital D. This was definitely a “make it do” opportunity.

Next time you’re gathering supplies for a project, consider buying what you need from a thrift shop instead of a big box store. Not only will you end up with a unique item, but the randomness of the inventory can spark your creativity in a way that no mass produced item will.

Whenever possible, buy used instead of new.

Katy Wolk-Stanley    

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }

Sandra February 28, 2018 at 1:49 am

I love your inspired Easter Basket. I always bought good sturdy baskets for Easter that could be used for other purposes throughout the year. We used the same baskets over and over again and I have to admit I never gave them any special treatment except for some fresh “Easter” grass to nestle the eggs in. Thanks for sharing your cute craft project.

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Jeana February 28, 2018 at 3:50 am

That is adorable!

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Lara K February 28, 2018 at 4:01 am

I love what you did with the Easter Basket. But suggestion, you should have put a design under the letter “d” so it will look more cooler. 😀

More power!

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Lara K February 28, 2018 at 4:01 am

I love what you did with the Easter Basket. But suggestion, you should have put a design under the letter “d” so it will look more cooler. 😀

More power!

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Katy February 28, 2018 at 8:45 pm

Yeah, lots of ways it could have been better. Dammit Jim, I’m a nurse, not an artist!

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Bee February 28, 2018 at 4:44 am

What a great project! You are blessed to have an ingenious mother. Once again, I am struck by how neat and clean your Goodwill store is.

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Jennifer February 28, 2018 at 4:58 am

So cute and you have plenty of the blue paint left for a future project. I love that he will have a nice durable storage basket to use in the future instead one of the cheap flimsy ones.

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Tracy February 28, 2018 at 5:40 am

I alas am not “crafty” but I have created many a gift basket using Goodwill baskets and grocery store treats!

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Dale Emanuel February 28, 2018 at 5:59 am

Streaming live today on KATU.com Afternoon Live ( 3pm to 4pm), little Dillinger will be sporting your sweet sweet craft project. Katy, you are adored!

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Roberta February 28, 2018 at 7:21 am

Your idea of “not skilled” is not in the same time zone as mine! This looks amazing, and your painting skills are far beyond what I attempted in the past!

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Jenelle February 28, 2018 at 7:36 am

What kind of paint did you use for material?

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Katy February 28, 2018 at 8:37 pm

Regular wall paint for the background, and acrylic paint for the details.

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Marilyn February 28, 2018 at 7:58 am

A wonderful Easter basket. I’m sure it will be used for years to come.

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Karen February 28, 2018 at 8:58 am

Very good idea. Some dollar stores sell small plastic bottles of acrylic craft paints for about a dollar apiece, and I have seen bags of assorted partial bottles at thrift stores. I have a small collection in colours I can mix for touching up all kinds of things, including an epoxy filled chip in the ceramic floor tile of our entryway. The paints come in hundreds of colours and finishes, including pearlized and opalescent. They go a very long way.

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Katy February 28, 2018 at 8:36 pm

We had a few bottles of paint from when my kids did art at home, so I just made do with what I already had on hand.

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Cindy in the South I February 28, 2018 at 10:27 am

That looks great! I am terrible at crafts…sigh

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Lorraine February 28, 2018 at 1:54 pm

Well done! I think you’re very crafty! It looks great…

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Joyce February 28, 2018 at 2:04 pm

He will get a lot of use out of that basket

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Jessica February 28, 2018 at 4:02 pm

Those bunnies are so cute! Well done Katy!

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Mrs. Picky Pincher February 28, 2018 at 4:41 pm

What a cute idea! I totally check out the thrift store any time we need something crafty. I used the thrift store when decorating the walls in my office. It’s a great place to find photo frames in particular.

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Christine February 28, 2018 at 5:09 pm

Beautiful job! I’m sure the little boy will love it and use it for a long time. It looks like a great container for matchbox cars or plastic animals/dinosaurs.

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Sandra February 28, 2018 at 5:38 pm

Yes, I agree Christine. The baskets can used for so many things in a child’s room. We put Barbie clothes, Legos, Baseball cards, Playdough containers, and much more in them. Sturdy baskets are organizational tools for any room.

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Katy February 28, 2018 at 8:35 pm

I wanted to make something that could be used past Easter.

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FrannyandDanny February 28, 2018 at 9:08 pm

I fet like singing, I love you, a bushel and a peck, when I read your title!

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ouvickie March 1, 2018 at 2:25 pm

Great job, that’s really cute and Mom saved the day!
I love to use Goodwill baskets, or others I might have around the house for gift projects.
Well done, Katy!!

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Mati March 1, 2018 at 8:41 pm

It looks great! If you wanted to keep the capital D, I wonder whether the top could have been removed from the hinges, flipped, and reattached. Usually, the nail holes are small to unnoticeable.

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Jenny March 1, 2018 at 10:00 pm

The original D looked fine, I thought! Dillinger is quite an unusual name…

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