Handpainted Jewelry Box

Several years ago I asked Mr. RBR for a jewelry box for Christmas. I'm usually not extremely picky and didn't feel the need to pick it out myself, but I did ask that it be 1. large (larger than the one I had at the time) 2. Be white 3. Have silver hardware.

Mr. RBR found this.

It's not tooooo bad. The size and functionality of it I love. It's worked well. But I've never loved the finish.

Mr. RBR said he looked everywhere, but couldn't find something that was large and white, let alone with silver hardware. This finish is kind of halfway between cream and pickled oak. You can't really tell in the photos, but there's a pickish hue and some wood grain showing. And the brass just didn't go with our bedroom decor.

But now that our bedroom is getting a refresher, why not change it?

I started with some spray paint. Just give it a light sand and paint away. The drawers on this jewelry box shut pretty tight, so I didn't even bother to take my jewelry out.

Don't be like me.

Here's what it looked like after 3ish coats with some spray paint. I liked it. I thought it looked nice!

But why not take it over the top? I decided to put a little handmade detail on it. Something branchy. I got me some spring fevah! I got a large artist's brush and practiced on some scrap paper.

Uh oh. I might be in trouble. That sucks.

To the internet for some inspiration!

Um, yeah. Something like THIS!

This is wallpaper by Schumacher, found here.

So I printed out the inspiration on my home printer. I got out a teensy tiny artist's brush and some regular white semi gloss trim paint. I found the paint was a little too thick and clumpy to get the small detail, so I added a few drops of water right on the paint lid. Then I just went for it!

It was a little scary, but I figured if I hated it, all I needed to do was re-sand and re-spray. No big deal. Luckily it turned out very nice! It's not hard. Give it a try! Find some inspiration. Practice before you paint your piece. Go slowly--take your time!

When it was dry I wanted to make sure to protect my hard work. The spray paint seemed very durable, but I didn't want my branches to scrape off. I found some matte protective spray I already had (I used it to protect the chippy finish on the dump truck and train in the boy's room). I didn't want to spray the whole jewelry box in this case, because the sealer is matte and the spray paint was gloss. I was pretty sure that would rip a hole in the universe.

Nah, I liked the gloss, and I didn't want to cover it with matte. If I had gloss spray sealer, I would have sprayed the whole thing. Instead I sprayed a little matte sealer right in the cap. Stuck my brush in there and painted over top all the white areas I wanted to protect. After I was finished I immediately cleaned my brush with mineral spirits so it stayed nice.

All done! Here it is in its new home.

You think if I brought it outside it might inspire spring to come sooner?

Hmm... Not working.

It's still pretty. One more before and after.

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This project was featured on the CSI Project.

Quick Lamp Makeover

Spray paint really is the bomb, isn't it?

I have these two lamps. They were Mr. RBR's before we were married. I think a family hand me down. I made them over years ago, chucking the dated pleated shades in favor of some champagne silk looking ones. And to deal with their brass finish, I spray painted them... flat black?!

What the heck was I thinking? I went through a black phase about 7 years ago. I painted just about every piece of furniture black. I can't explain it really. I guess I thought it was cool. I have nothing against black itself. I still like it. But sometimes, man, it's just TOO MUCH.

This time I decided they needed something... fresher. Valspar Mediterranean spray paint to the rescue. And this time in gloss, thankyouverymuch.

After 3 quick coats the lamps have a new life. They great in our bedroom.

This nightstand is actually the nightstand that goes with my daughter's (I will have a daughter in 9 days!!) bedroom set seen here.

The silver pull is from the vanity in her room! ha! Using what you have... it's free!

In case you think every thing in the RBR house is beautiful, there's a reason I haven't shown you our entire bedroom.

Sheesh. Can you believe I made that valance and thought it looked good? Looks like dirty hankerchiefs hanging from a rod. And I haven't even showed you the mirrored closet doors yet.

Our bedroom is on the list for a mini makeover. Nothing major. New curtains, some rearranging. But that will have to be another day. Let's just focus on the lamps for now, ok?

Lamps before.

And after.

Thanks for visiting!

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