I’m always looking to try new things with these trunks. And sometimes I get myself into hot water. Today I’d like to share how to avoid mistakes when up-cycling a trunk.
Here is a picture of one of the many I have. They all look the same. And they were all filthy and full of scratches. I was itching to get started on this particular project.
What I used:
- Old Fashioned Milk Paint in Soldier Blue (safepaint version)
- Paintbrush
- Homemade Beeswax furniture polish (which you can make here)
- DecoArt Greek Key Stencil
- DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paint in Antique White
- DecoArt Metallics in Bronze
The How To:
Look at the photo below do you see how uneven the surface is? Remember that.
But then I had a change of heart. I thought I would try my hand at stenciling after I received this one from the DecoArt Paint Company. They have lots of designs to choose from but I wanted to try out this one which is a Greek key. A girls gotta pay homage to her roots. 😉
And then I realized that I had waxed the trunk.
Hmmm… wax is used to protect the paint and seal it in. If I painted the stencil would it stay on the trunk or just slide around into a great big mess? I had come so close to amazing!!
I should have thought of this before adding the wax to the trunk. I hemmed and hawed and agonized over this for days. I went on facebook groups and asked their advice. I even had dreams about the stencil design dripping all over my beautiful trunk. I honestly don’t know what happened to me this time, maybe it was the excessive heat.
It was a rough week of procrastinating.
But finally I bit the bullet and just went for it. I figured if I mess up, I mess up. It is my fault for not sticking to my original plan. But these things happen and we have to go along with the flow. Of course that is easier said than done.I taped the stencil onto the trunk and then using two brushes, one to actually put the paint on, and the other one to push down the stencil, I went full steam ahead. Remember that photo above, the one I told you to remember, the one with the uneven surface of the trunk? Yes, that is why I had to hold down the stencil. It was like painting on hills.
Of course the right way to do this would have been to use one of those great spray glues; then there would have been no need for me to push the stencil down. And of course I had to dive right in and pick a tough one. I just went with it and kept on pushing the stencil down and dabbling the paint on.
I had become fearless I tell you! After all I had already messed up!
Could it possibly get any worse?
As I dabbled along all those Greek keys the color started to change. In some spots it was bronze while in others it was white and in between it came out a peachy color. And because of the aforementioned hills on the surface, I ended up with various intensities of color.
Was I going to let that stop me? Of course not!
A little color on the hardware and some wax on the straps.
And my trunk was finished!
No chips, no paint coming off, no more problems!!
Make sure to have a plan before starting your project!
Make sure to stick to the said plan!
Make sure you buy some glue spray!
And when all else fails, just go for it!!
I want to thank the lovely people in my Facebook group who offered their help for this traumatic time! If you need any help for your DIY projects or are looking for a community of like minded people join us here.
I guess good things can come from mistakes after all!
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Kathy A
Saturday 28th of July 2018
I love your colors and your willingness to share potential "boo boos." As a long time crafter, but fairly new DIYer, I have had my share of failures. I find it SOOO reassuring that you "experts" have bad days/failures/unexpected results, too! Glad it came out so well!
Mary
Sunday 29th of July 2018
Kathy I always try to keep it real around here. There is no point in pretending that things are perfect and hopefully we can all learn from each others mistakes.
Michelle Leslie
Monday 18th of September 2017
LOL, and when all else fails, just go for it!! Like only you can Mary. I always loved the book page trunk but I think this one is now my new favorite. It looks like something the Greek gods would have used to store their precious belongings
Mary
Friday 22nd of September 2017
That should be my slogan "Just go for it". Did I really have any other choice Michelle. The trunk had turned up in my dreams and not in a good way. Yes those Gods would have definitely used it.
Josephine
Monday 18th of September 2017
I love how your trunk turned out, it is just lovely. I sure wish I had a basement full of trunks! Actually, I wish had a basement.
Mary
Friday 22nd of September 2017
Oh those basements can be devious. If you have one you are tempted to fill it up with things you don;t really need instead of decluttering.
Angie ~ Ambient Wares
Monday 18th of September 2017
Your trunk is wonderful, Mary. I love the stencil. Running into issues during a transformation is no fun but, somehow we always get it done. Glad you found the support you needed. How did I not know this group existed?! I'm going to have to check it out ;)
Mary
Friday 22nd of September 2017
Check it out and then join so you can share your awesome projects with us.
Debbie
Monday 18th of September 2017
Hi Mary, I love that shade of blue and you pulled your creation back on track nicely by just going for it. I like the paint affect you've used for the keys. It looks nicely worn without the aging. xx
Mary
Friday 22nd of September 2017
Debbie that is exactly the look I was going for worn like it's been around a while.