I picked up this chest from a thrift store several months ago for $4.00... and I've finally gotten around to doing something with it. I've made it into a pirate chest for my grandaughter. Ok, more like a princess treasure chest~
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I started off by painting it pink and distressing it to look like its very old. I then added gold leafing to all the metal hardware on the chest.
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This is the first time I've ever done gold leafing-- it took FoReVeR and I'm still not 100% happy with it. I'm still finding teeny-tiny spots that need more gold stuck on. Who knew? Oh well, I do like the metal pieces looking like solid gold, so I'll continue working on them. I've went over the top of the gold foil with a glossy finish to help keep the foil from coming off-- and to keep the foil looking like bright gold. I covered the inside with some vintage fabric that I picked up this past summer.
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I am looking for a small inside lid hinge to keep the heavy lid from coming down and smooshing little fingers. I am hoping one of the craft/hobby stores sells little ones. After that is installed, it will be ready to hold some treasures!