Shabby Chic Jewelry Box

Friends, I am super-excited to share today's project with you because it's one of those things that turned out exactly like I envisioned it in my head...or if not, even better!  It took very little time, very few materials, and cost next to nothing.  Ready to see?

My inspiration actually came from the wooden box itself.  See, I recently partnered up with Tiff from Banglewood Crafts to do a review and giveaway for a few of her bracelets {stay tuned for that giveaway, coming next Tuesday the 29th!}.  She sent me three bracelets to paint, one of which I already shared here on the blog.  Then, she surprised me by sending another box of goodies...and let me just say it blew my socks right off!  Holy happy mail!  Look at all this fun stuff!

I could hardly decide what to start with first, then it occurred to me that I could really use the box to hold the bracelets I already painted.  Almost immediately, I had a picture in my mind of how I wanted it to look.  I wanted something with a shabby chic look that was white and turquoise to match the decor in my bedroom and the jewelry holder that's already on my dresser.  I wanted a cute design on the top and some kind of word or phrase.  With all that in mind, I got started.

Materials:

- unfinished wooden box with lift off lid 

- acrylic paint: brown, white, and turqouise

- paintbrushes and sponge brush

- stamps {I used a bird and a word stamp}

- sandpaper

I know.  It seems counter-intuitive to paint the whole thing brown when you actually want it to be white, but you do this first so that when you're giving it that fabulous distressed look, the white paint sands off and you're left with this great chocolate brown underneath instead of the unfinished wood.  Since it's all getting covered up, you don't have to worry about getting it perfect.  But do make sure it's totally dry before moving on to step 2.  Ask me how I know...

Again, because I wanted the rustic shabby look, I wasn't worried about it looking perfectly white and uniform.  I was okay with less coverage in some places.  Let this part dry completely before moving on.  Ugh, I know.  I hate waiting too.  But trust me, if you rush, you'll pay the price...again, ask me how I know.

When I started, I wasn't exactly sure what images or words I wanted to use, but as soon as I came across this little birdie in my collection, I immediately knew it was perfect.  The saying was part of the same set, so I decided to use them together.  This stamp set came from Close to My Heart.  My friend Lisa is a consultant, and I bought it at one of her parties...so cute!

Anyway, I wanted the image to be kind of partial, if you know what I mean, rather than totally and perfectly inked.  So, I inked the stamp very lightly using a sponge brush and I got exactly the look I was going for.

To do this step, I just lightly sanded around each edge and corner.  Then, I rubbed even more lightly on the flat surfaces.  If you sand too hard, the brown paint will come off too, which you don't want.  You just want to sand hard enough to get the top layer of paint off so the brown part shows through.  This is a great stress-reliever while you're watching your team play in the AFC Championship game and the other team is in the process of scoring {Thank goodness we turned it around in the second half!}.

That's all there is to it!  Once it was finished, I couldn't wait to put some of my favorite bracelets inside!  They're a great fit!  I love how it turned out, and how well it matches the other decor in our room.

Thanks so much, Tiff, for the box and for all the other fun supplies I can't wait to get my hands on!

Hugs & Glitter,