Hi, my name is Cathy and I am so excited that Vivienne asked me to share a project with you today. I blog at Vintage, Paint and more… where I share my love of bringing new life to found objects.
I love the thrill of the hunt whether it’s a thrift store, garage sale, side of the road or the Dollar Store find and the challenge it brings me to make it into something beautiful again. I have a cute little vintage find I recently up-cycled that I want to share with you today. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did remaking it.
I found this cute little vintage wood box at my favorite thrift shop for $1. I love finding little things like this because they are so simple to remake into something that fits into my vintage, rustic decor.
First of all I cleaned it well with a little vinegar and water (mixed in equal parts) to get all the years of gunk off it. Then I mixed up a little bit of chalk paint. I used what I had on hand which was a sample jar of Valspar’s Polar White paint that I added some Plaster of Paris to. When I do a small project like this I just mix a teaspoon of Plaster of Paris with a teaspoon of water until it’s smooth. Then I add about 1/4 cup of paint and mix the two together well. If it’s too thick you can add more water to it but do so in very small amounts.
Then I painted the little box with this mixture. This gives it a very chalky appearance that is easy to distress.
Next I stenciled the number three on the front of the box. I simply used a Sharpie to do it. Very easy and you have more control than with a brush filled with paint.
Next I distressed it a bit so it had more of a vintage feel to it. I simply used a medium coarse sanding block and just went over the edges and places that I thought would have received some wear and tear over the years. Then I put a thin coat of Johnson’s Furniture Paste Wax on and when it was dry just buffed it a little to give it a nice smooth feel and appearance. This step also makes the distressing a little more apparent.
When I was finished I decided to use it as a small flower container so I put a small block of Styrofoam in the box and covered it with some dried moss. Then I placed two burlap flowers in it that I bought at the Dollar Store and a little blue bird I bought there also.
I love how it turned out and will be using this in our decor. So cute and those burlap flowers are so fitting for the vintage feel. This would also make an adorable Mother’s day gift.
Thank you, Vivienne, for having me here today and letting me share a bit about me, my blog and what I do. I hope you and readers enjoy it as much as I did.
That turned out so pretty, Cathy! I love the burlap flowers!
That looks just great! Love how you repurposed that box into something wonderful! Most people would have walked on by it and just donated it. Great job!
Cathy is always so creative with her projects. I love her burlap flowers she added to this flower “pot!”
I didn’t know that trick about the plaster of Paris!
WOW, this turned out so cute! LOVE the bird!
So lovely, the paint finish and the flowers and bird all work together so well.
Great makeover Cathy. I love the added number!
hugs,
Jann
I have one of these! I picked it up at a yard sale years ago. Of course, mine looks like the before shot! 😉 Now I have an idea of what to do with it! So sweet!