All About Salvaged Whimsy...

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Monday, October 17, 2011

The Tedious Trunk

A couple days ago I mentioned that I was in the middle of painting an old chest.  It's cedar and had a very dark stain that had seen better days.  I first painted it black, then a light khaki, and finally a cream color, which shown in the picture below.

I'm planning on selling this, but I thought about how I'd want it to look if I were going to put it in my house.  I decided on blue-gray stripes...

I measured them out and taped with Frogtape (which I TOTALLY LOVE)

So, here it is after I painted and distressed it.  I had some trouble with some of my paint peeling...I think because I didn't wait long enough to distress it.  I thought maybe if I added some stain, it might make the large patches look more natural.

My husband came out and said, "did you want it to be brown."  Uh, no. Hmmmm. Not only was it brown, but it was splotchy.  The stripes were also darker than I envisioned them.

 
Soooo, I mixed some plaster of paris with semi-gloss white, hoping to get a chalky look.

Of course, Emme was over-seeing the entire process.

Pre-distressed

And post-distressed (and waxed).
  
The stripes were more in line with what I was thinking...

The back

...and the top...


So there she is....she's starting to grow on me more and more.  My husband has instructed me to move on to the next project and stop thinking about it.

What do you think, theoretically speaking, would you buy something like this?(I promise not to hold you to it!)  If not, what would make it more appealing to you.  (My husband may light it on fire it I touch it again...in the sweetest way possible, of course.)

Apparently, I'm going through a trunk phase in my "artistic" development right now...here's another one.

take care -


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15 comments:

  1. 6th GradeOctober 17, 2011 at 8:02 PM

    WOW! you slammed this outta the park, lady! i love it...though i really didn't mind the first take on it!

    well done! visiting from the creative girl!

    amy

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  2. High Street CottageOctober 17, 2011 at 8:49 PM

    It's perfect!!!
    We used to call these "hope chests" you stored special items in them for when you were going to be married.
    I've really not seen them in ages since the 70's and this one looks wonderful with it's new finish, you did a great job, and the stripe is awesome!

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  3. {Steph}October 17, 2011 at 9:36 PM

    That's lovely! I would love that in my home. Hint, hint... :)

    ~Your newest follower, Steph from Silver Boxes

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  4. Mrs. Jones from the CircusOctober 18, 2011 at 9:42 AM

    I think you did a great job! You comments about your husband lighting it on fire cracked me up!

    Honestly, I liked it the best with the big pieces of white missing. Rubbed down with some stain, I think it would have been perfect! But, ask my torch of a husband :) I might be the only one with my taste. :)

    Looks great and I am sure someone will snatch it up quick! Great job!

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  5. AnonymousOctober 18, 2011 at 2:33 PM

    The chest looks great. It would be a great addition to a pale neutral bedroom.

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  6. Rosemary@villabarnesOctober 18, 2011 at 2:57 PM

    Oooo, I love this treatment. Nice job. Thanks for visiting me, and for the compliments. I'm a new follower. Keep the creativity coming. BTW, Emme is adorable.

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  7. KahliOctober 18, 2011 at 4:27 PM

    I love the stripe down the middle and even though it was tedious work it came out lovely!

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  8. PJH DesignsOctober 18, 2011 at 7:18 PM

    I would definitely put it in my home it turned out lovely. I like the distressing and how the stripe shows through. Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving kind words. Peggy

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  9. Deborah MarchOctober 20, 2011 at 9:39 AM

    Omigosh, it's FABULOUS...the stripes really kick it up a notch!

    Deborah (visiting happily from http://upcyclingmylife.blogspot.com…hope you might take a minute to stop by and say hi!)

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  10. CynthiaOctober 20, 2011 at 11:19 AM

    This is very beautiful. I love the distressed look of it.

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  11. micheleOctober 20, 2011 at 2:16 PM

    found you via brambleberrycottage and think you might appreciate my shabby chic giveaway here:

    http://hellolovelyinc.blogspot.com/2011/10/rachel-ashwell-on-creating-authentic.html

    come visit anytime!

    michele

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  12. AntiqueChaseOctober 22, 2011 at 4:05 PM

    Seriously drool worthy!!! I love it. Thanks for your visit and follow. I will follow you back :)

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  13. PatriciaOctober 23, 2011 at 12:36 PM

    I like the way it turned out! I have never considered adding plaster of paris to my paint, but I will now.

    Thanks, Patricia

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  14. Laura @ Our Prairie HomeOctober 24, 2011 at 9:01 PM

    I loved it both ways. But then again, the chippier/shabbier something is, the more I like it. :) Thanks for the kind words on my blog and I'm glad we've met! I just love your style! :)

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  15. The Charm of HomeOctober 25, 2011 at 9:33 AM

    That turned out awesome! Thank you for linking up with Home Sweet Home!
    Sherry

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