Look What I Found

I love wicker furniture and look what I found on Saturday at a yard sale! We had finished doing the grocery shopping and were driving back home around 10:00 and drove past a yard sale just around the corner from where we live. It looked like they were selling old boards and stuff from an old storage shed they were taking down. Since it's very hard for me to resist a yard sale, especially one right in my neighborhood, I went back, taking the Jeep just in case I found something. Look what I found! It was partially hidden under some old draperies. There should be a shelf near the bottom attached to the legs, so it is a little less sturdy than it was originally. But I love the shape of it and it was very old! So I asked the man what he wanted for it. He wasn't sure and asked me what I thought it was worth. I jokingly said $5.00 and he went to discuss it with the boss, which I presume was his wife. He came back and said $7.50! I came home with a very large grin on my face!
The paint on the top is really badly cracked and peeling. I'll try scraping as much as I can but will probably have to use paint stripper . Any other suggestions of how to get the top smooth?
The first old wicker I owned was a loveseat, a chair and a rocker. It was stored in the rafters of our neighbor's garage when I was young. I don't know how many years it had been there. It had belonged to my friend's grandma, so I imagine it was 50 or 60 years old. Anyway when we bought our first house, I asked them if they still had the wicker and if I could buy it from them. They said it wasn't in very good condition and they gave it to me! It wasn't very sturdy but we glued it and fixed the springs as best we could. I lovingly painted it white and made covers for the seats out of a green with white polka dot fabric. (All these years later I still love polka dots!)
Now I have to decide where to put it and what color to paint it.

Rhondi xo