Forgot to take a ‘before’ picture on this one, but it’s pretty easy to imagine what it originally looked like.
The outside of the lid looked pretty much the same as the inside! These old cedar boxes are pretty heavily varnished, so a good sanding was necessary before painting.
Sanded. Painted. Sanded again. Carved wood applique painted and added. Matte varnish.
And of course, a ‘little something’ inside!
I had this EXACT one when I was little. Still have it ‘somewhere’ filled with little treasures from my childhood.
Same steps as the first one. Sanded. Painted. Sanded again to distress.
Decided to line the bottom of this one with some pretty scrap book paper.
The hinges and clasp were not removable, so I just painted over them, then sanded away some of the paint afterwards.
After trying out several different embellishments, I settled upon this tiny metal plate that reads ‘live love laugh’. Glued it on with e6000.
If my hands were less arthritic, I would have done more ‘detail sanding’ around the carvings on the lid to enhance them a bit more. OR you could add an antiquing medium to bring them out more. I’m TRYING to stick with the ‘less is more’ mantra in my make-overs right now. Choosing to slow down before life and old age FORCE me to do so.
AJ's Trash2Treasure BLOG 