No, literally, a basket-case. It’s a suitcase that’s a basket. See???

Obviously this pic was taken in No Mans Land.  Our resident dumping-ground.  Anyways, it’s Spring-cleaning time at Joey’s parents house and Mac no longer needed these suitcase baskets, so I was more than happy to take them off her hands. Woo-hoo for neat, free stuff!!

They’re casual but cool. And I like ’em. I thought they’d be a neat texture for under the sofa table. The only problem was that they were a lighter, more yellow tone than we currently have going at our house.  So, (cracks knuckles) I decided to change that. I picked up a can of this glorious stuff for 12 bucks at the store…

Polyshades. A stained finish plus poly requiring only a light sanding to rough up the surface. NOT requiring that every trace of varnish be removed (And angels sang). Where were you, polyshades, when I was refinishing our eight dollar chairs? I definitely would’ve saved myself some grief if I’d known about this product then. For sure.

Anyways, the only parts of the basketcases with a glossy finish were the handles and trim, so I gave them a light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper. Then, I applied one coat with a brush…

And the following day, I applied another…

It’s hard to tell the difference in tone in these pics because of the lighting change (I applied the first coat in the evening and the second the following morning when it was light and bright with lots of shadows), but just trust me when I say that there was a significant increase in richness with the second coat.  Here’s what we started with for reference…

…And dunzo. Shortest tutorial ever, eh? It was that easy. I definitely recommend applying this stuff outside as it’s pretty fumey, but aside from that I have no other notes. It was straight forward and easy to use. I let the basketcases sit outside for a good day and then brought them in and put them to work. And here they are in action….

Their actual color is definitely closer to the farther pics… the close-up shot makes them appear way more yellow than they are in real life.  I have to say, I smile every time I see them.   They add some great natural texture to contrast the sleek metal-encased succulents. And I love that they aren’t just another basket. They have interest and detail. And the new rich tone goes SO much better with our coffee table and media cabinet. Plus, they provide additional storage!  Three cheers for that!! Now, if only the perfect chair for the head of our table would enter my life… Then, this area would be pretty complete (for now, anyways).