From Toy Chest to Shipping Crate

Hi Everyone!
I have heard and seen of shipping crates being turned into toy chests, but not the other way around...yet that is what I did with this ordinary, run of the mill chest I got on Craigslist.

I remembered to take the "Before" after sanding and stripping off the layers of thick, enamel brown and beige paint. The sides are MDF, and the top and ends are pine.

I roughed it up with some screws, a hammer, and even took a firelighter to it in some places...lol!

Then I applied some ebony colored glaze. I did not have anything else, and I was too impatient to make the steel wool in vinegar mix, which has to soak for at least 24 hours. There are many tutorials on how to do that, but here is a link to one. I was going for the look of old cedar. The pine part turned out pretty good, but the MDF was a different story....

I ended up painting this part red...just could not get it to look right.
I then dry brushed some more red on the other parts, too, just so it would look like it fit.

I found old vintage magazine ads of Pfluegers, a fishing tackle and equipment company, on line,  printed it out, and decoupaged it to the side. The writing was done free hand, from an example I found when searching for "shipping crates" images.

I don't know if you noticed, but I tried to make the corner strips look like metal. Painted it silver, and screwed some screws in. On one side I stenciled "THIS END UP" ,

 and on the other side I decoupaged a sign that says "HANDLE WITH CARE" .

I also drilled some holes and made handles out of rope for a more authentic look. (or so I thought, anyway)

I distressed the edges and sanded the  chest all over a few times during the process.

Also applied and wiped off the same ebony colored glaze  a few times. I just played until I got the look I liked. The decoupaged parts were sanded pretty heavily to make it look really old.

This is what the back looks like. Some random stenciling, and another sign decoupaged on.

O yes, and see the little stamp in the right corner? It says "product of the USA". I just used a plate as a template en drew it on with a thin brush. The words were just done freehand.

Well, I had a lot of fun doing this, and I can just see it in a boy's room with a fishing theme, or even as a rustic kind of coffee table in a TV room. 

What do you think?

Until next time, 

happy thrifting!

Suzanne

Joining...
A Little Knick Knack's EBTKS Party

Summer Projects part 2

Here's some more items I transformed while on vacation in South Africa...

This is a beautiful drawer chest that my sis bought years ago from an old clothing store in town that closed down.

I encouraged her back then to get it, because it is so cool...even as is.

That's the way she kept it for years, until my visit recently , and "we" decided it needed a make-over.

She wanted the multi-layered green and red painted look, so , this is what I did.

It was so quick and easy...light sanding, no primer, and just patches of green and red paint applied with a brush. Some sanding afterwards, rubbing with a little bit of my secret ingredient (brown shoe polish...shhhhh) , and there she was...

exciting and new, and once again the focus of the room.

I love it!

Happy painting!

Love,

                                                    Joining these parties:




            

Practise Run

I got this set of drawers at Savers almost a year ago for $14.00.

(Started sanding and painting before I remembered to take the "before" picture. "What's new, Pussycat?" )

 It was meant for the Tween Room before a friend gave me this one.

So, it ended up residing in my garage to the utter delight of my husband.

This week, I decided I could use the drawer space in my closet. I was going to just use it as is...I know, what was I thinking, right?

But then I got the idea of trying out a new look I have seen, and wasn't sure how to accomplish.

The temperatures in Phoenix have been 110 degrees and up, so this is where I'm painting at the moment.

I always grab carpets I find on the curb. They are usually cleaned sufficiently by a good spray with the hose, and are then used for things like this...

After one coat of Zinzer Primer, I applied a coat of green, then some dry brushed yellow, green again, and then spots of dry brushed blue.

 Then the sanding began....

This is the look after sanding and some brown antiquing glaze.

 See the spots of blue showing through?

Just like it had been painted different colors through the years.

 A little bit of yellow showing...

I liked the hardware and kept it just as it was.

All in all I am pleasantly surprised and pleased with the outcome.

What do you think?
Any suggestions on different hardware?

Joining These Parties...as well as the one's on  Parties Page

Saturday Night Special by Funky Junk Interiors

http://christinasadventures2010.blogspot.com/2011/07/20-below-thursday-29.html

http://www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com/2011/07/favorites-a-chair-makeover-and-all-things-furniture-party-6.html

Oo La La...French Bureau

Hi There!

Remember me? I've been so busy lately , that I have not done any blogging. Plus I didn't have anything to blog about...

I'm sure you don't want to know about my boring little day to day now, do you? There's just a lot going on right now...changes, shifts, things to ponder...

BUT...

 I did promise that my daughter's bedroom is next, and that is exactly what I have been doing for the last 48 hours. Literally...that's all I've been doing. I get so obsessive when I start something. It consumes my life until its done. That is another reason I have been slowing it down lately. For my own sanity and the sanity of everyone around me....  

Back to Pretty Princess' bedroom...
She announced earlier this year that her room is too "babiesh", and since she is turning 11 in a couple months, she needs a "teenage" bedroom.
We decided on a Paris theme. I know...its been done a million times, but she likes the idea, and I like the black and white fleur de lis pattern.

Today I am just showing you how we changed a hand me down chest of drawers into a pretty french bureau.

A friend gave me this                                                                                                

I am just going to pretend that I did not, once again forget to take a before picture, ok?

This is her primed with Kilz spray primer.

Don't you just love her little legs? Or are they feet? Whatever, I love them.

Then I sprayed with Krylon satin black. I am using what I have on hand as far as possible, because among the many "things" that are keeping me busy, is purging.

I am so sick of the chaos of too much stuff.

Watch it! You better not say midlife crisis , or I might have to hunt you down and kill you.

What's that? Oh yea...I was telling you about the bureau...

I neglected to take pictures of the during. (Sounds better than forgot, right?)

So here she is..all done.

Voila!!

 Sprayed the hardware silver...... 

 added some white stencilling...

 

 and dry brushed the feet and some other raised parts with silver.

When I stood back to admire the finished work, she was all shiny and a little too Vegasy.

So I took the very fine steel wool and gave her a once over. Much better! 

I put the pillow in the picture, to give you a little taste of what is to come for the rest of the room...

I'll keep you posted!!!

Have a lovely weekend

Joining

Flaunt it Friday

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A Little Knick Knack's Everything but the Kitchen Sink