Dollar Store Gift Boxes

Inspired by Debbiedoo's Dollar Tree Christmas Link Party I headed out to Dollarama (Toronto's equivalent to The Dollar Tree).  I found these great wooden boxes for $2 each and thought they would be perfect to wrap gifts in because they could be used over and over again.

 

The first one I wanted to be able to use again any time of the year so I stained the main box with Special Walnut, including the inside.  I then topcoated it with two coats of polyacrylic.  Don't worry if you get a bit of stain on the "ribbon" you can just use sandpaper to sand it off.

Next I painted the ribbon with an antique white, but in future I would skip this step as it wasn't necessary and who wants to make extra work for themselves?  I then used my finger to spread white glue on the "ribbon" and sprinkled epsom salt onto it.  I left it to dry overnight and now I have a elegant, sparkly gift box.  (total cost $2 for the box, everything else was left over from past projects).

 

For the next red and silver box I used some leftover homemade red chalk paint which I had used on my Union Jack Trunk to paint the box.  I topcoated the box inside and out with polyacrylic in satin finish.  Inexpensive silver paint from Dollarama dressed up the ribbon and when dry I used white glue and silver glitter again from Dollarama to create some drama.  ($2 for the box, $1 for the glitter, $1 for the silver paint = $4 total with supplies left over for future projects).

 

 

 

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The Rustic Pig

Diana Rambles Pin Me #11

 

 

 

 

My Take On The Union Jack Craze

Can you take another Union Jack project?  I know I am late to jump on the band wagon, but my excuse is that I've just gotten back into refinishing furniture and to justify the Union Jack, my husband is English and I did live there for three years so I think it's okay.

I found this trunk in the garbage and managed to cram it into the back seat of my car to haul it home.  My husband is great, but he is fed up with me sending him out in his van to pick up garbage which I have "discovered".

 

 

We pulled out so many nails and tacks I thought we would never be finished, but finally it was no longer a dangerous weapon, instead just an ugly old wooden box.  I sanded it all over, stained the sides with Colonial Oak coloured stain and then did a lot of research to make sure I had the Union Jack right.  I measured out the size of the top onto newspaper and drew out my Union Jack.  It took a few times to get it right, but doing it on paper made it so much easier later.

 

 

 

 I painted the entire top white with homemade chalk paint and when dry I placed my pattern on top and I traced it out.  The newspaper print came off just enough so it left a mark to show me where I had to put my tape (I use Frog tape because although it costs quite a bit more, it doesn't bleed).  I mixed some red and blue homemade chalk paint using the little bottles of acrylic craft paint from the dollar store and then painted away.  When it was dry I distressed it a bit and then covered it with two coats of polyacrylic on the sides and three on the top.  I added some Special Walnut colour stain and urethane all in one to the top and rubbed it off to age it.  We also removed the small, old wheels which I thought might damage our soft pine floors and replaced them with locking rubber ones from Home Depot.  I'm so pleased with the result, now we have a great coffee table with storage for my husbands record collection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Linking to:  The Rustic Pig , Primitive & Proper , Thrifty Decor Chick , Red Hen Home A Pinch Of Joy

 Debbiedoo's Newbie Link Party, The Dedicated House-Anything Blue, An Original Belle

Savvy Southern Style Wow-us-Wednesdays, Embracing Change, Diana Rambles

Funky Junk- Crate Party, A Humble Creation, Made In A Day, All Things Pretty Thursday

Crafty Scrappy Happy

 

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A Great Crate

Sometimes you just get lucky.  You're walking along killing time while your son's at swim practice and suddenly when it's not even garbage day, you see an old crate by the curb!  An old crate which is exactly what you have been looking for and have been to auctions trying to buy to no avail and there it is, plain as day, waiting for you to haul it back to your car.

Now to make it look pretty. First I scrubbed it and used wood cleaner on it and then I lightly sanded it just to get rid of any rough spots.  Then I stained it with special walnut.  A couple of coats of polyacrylic satin finish and it was ready for it's new job of holding my husbands records.

 

 

Here is the Before and After together...I hope you like it as much as I do!

 

 

 

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Funky Junk Interiors                        Crafty Scrappy Happy #22              I Gotta Create #38

The Rustic Pig                                 Common Ground # 126                   The Pin Junkie #3
French Country Cottage                  The Thrifty Groove                          A Little Knick Knack
Debbiedoo's                                      A Humble Creation #9                    Lamb Around
Nifty Thrifty Sunday #95                The Chicken Chick #21                   Alderberry Hill
The Dedicated House #36               An Original Belle #65                      A Pinch of Joy
Life On Lakeshore Drive #22         Homemaker On A Dime #98           Serendipity And Spice #211
If It's Not Baroque #6                      Elizabeth and Co                              Savvy Southern Style
Embracing Change                          Made In A Day                                The Shabby Creek Cottage

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