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How to Give an “Old World” Look to a Plain Box

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Disclosure: I was compensated for doing this post with product.  However, all the opinions stated here are my own. I only use products I love and would recommend to my viewers.
Today I thought I’d just pop in and share a quick project with you all.  You see I am always experimenting with my paint supplies and coming up with new to me ideas and projects. 

This box was in my possession for many years.  I used it to store beloved photos and cards.  But when I was packing  for the big move, I decided to give it as a gift. But not in that horrible condition.

You’ll have to forgive me for the lack of photos but I was in such a hurry to finish the project and do the packing. As you may have guessed this project was done in Greece before the move. You can see that I was in such a rush I started painting it before I had a photo.

And so today I am sharing how to give an “old world” look to a plain box.  And maybe even finish packing!  😉

painting a wood box with chalky type paint, How to Give an

What I Used:

  • A wooden box
  • DecoArt Americana Chalky Type Paint I used a mixture of Everlasting and Treasure
  • DecoArt Americana Cream Wax in Deep Brown
  • A sponge
  • ​Mod Podge
  • Pages from a book

The How To:​​

I painted the whole box, with two full coats and a bit of spot painting here and there with the chalky type paint.  I just used up whatever I had on hand.  In this case it was a mixture of Everlasting white and a turquoise color. 

The inside was painted the same color except for the top inside which was done in Everlasting white. 

light turquoise color on the box, How to Give an
The next step was to add a protective finish.  Here I added DecoArt’s Americana Cream Wax in Deep Brown.  Now normally you are supposed to add the clear wax first, to avoid staining the color below.  But I had a vision, and I was going with it. 

I didn’t care if it stained the color below!  The more stain the better I say.   I wanted the box to have a real “old world” look to it.  A vintage look and this brown wax was going to make that happen. You’ll see why I wanted this in a bit. 

I just cut a bit of a sponge because I didn’t have any fancy sponge brushes – remember I was in the middle of packing – and dipped it into the wax and then just dragged it across the box. In some places I went over it more and others less.  I did this till I got the desired effect I wanted.

A piece of a sponge with brown wax, How to Give an
Originally the plan was to try a process of paper print transfer onto wood. And you know how that usually goes around here.  These plans go out the window because with my luck, the printer was not working.  And I was afraid to try it with regular paper.  The ink on copy paper is on the surface whereas a regular print from a book might not be. What if I messed up? 

I really didn’t want to destroy the box.  After all it had become a family heirloom of sorts. So I did the safe thing and decoupaged these images you see below. 

Decoupaging book pages onto box, How to Give an
A few coats of Mod Podge later and it was done. You can see below that the boat was cut from two pages so I tried to piece it together as best I could.

It was easy to do this time (unlike some other disasters with Mod Podge) since it was basically large thick paper. I applied the Mod Podge to the paper and pressed it onto the box.  Once that had dried I added two coats on top to seal the paper in.  It also seals in the wax, which is a sealant so that is kind of redundant.  But you want to get the same finish all over the top.  

The top of the box with decoupage and brown wax, How to Give an
And the inside is where all the magic happens.  I ended up giving this as a gift to a young boy.  And since I was going with that old world feel, I added appropriate images to compliment the look. 
the inside of the box with a map and a page from a children's book, How to Give an
The top is a really old map of Greece.  I think it was found in an old geography school book.  The border really stands out against the white. 
Inside top of box with decoupaged old map, How to Give an
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​This bottom image is from a reading book for kids.  It is also old, maybe from the 60’s. Now that is really making me feel old too.  The boy’s overalls look great with the light turquoise of the paint. 
Bottom of box with decoupaged page from children's book, How to Give an
Below you can really see the details of the brown wax and how it has aged the box giving it that desired “old world” feel that I was after.

This brown wax was a new to me product and I really enjoyed using it to get this effect.  You know me, this is my idea of doing something risky!  But I will definitely tackle that other idea with the paper transfer at some point in the future, now that I have a printer which actually works. 
close up of brown wax on painted box. How to Give an
I hope you have learned something new today on how to give an “old world” look to a plain box.  I try to use new products and experiment with them.  After all there is no fun in doing the same thing over and over again.  Not when there are so many products out there. 

This made a great gift for a young guy!  Do you like to decorate boxes and give them as gifts for storage?

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Using chalky type paint and Brown cream wax to create an old world look for a plain wooden box. It is decoupaged and up-cycled with book pages and an old map How to Give an
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  1. Such cute images Mary! Love the little bear waving in that top one.
    I’m sure the recipient will love it.
    xxx

  2. Florence says:

    I’ve always loved wooden boxes, and this one looks vintage. You did a good job on this one Mary & I hope the little boy likes it.

    • Mary says:

      I was so happy to have found those old pages Florence. It pays to not throw things out. Although in all honesty I was in the process of decluttering when I found them.

  3. I am just in the process of decorating box this week so thanks for the tips and the inspiration! I loved the Greek details!

    • Mary says:

      Katerina I was lucky to have found those pages, I was throwing everything out right before the move so it was sheer luck that I still had them around.

  4. So cute!!! You cannot imagine how it looked before! I like old look items and this looks exactly how I wanted to look!

  5. Nikki Gwin says:

    Oh that is adorable! I love the pictures you chose. My first ever decoupage was similar box. We put a picture on the front at 4H camp. I loved that box and kept it for many years.
    🙂 gwingal

    • Mary says:

      That’s the thing, you can personalize them any way you want and then they become a part of you.

  6. Leanna says:

    What a gorgeous gift for a lucky boy. Mary I love the images you chose for inside the box. I can imagine him using this to keep his childhood treasures in and then hoarding it as an adult because he is attached to the memories. Love this project!!

  7. Julie says:

    That’s gorgeous Mary, so you waxed then did the decoupage? I would have probably tried it the other way round and then messed up the paper. This certainly worked well so I’m pinning so I can refer to it when I find something fabulous I want to paint and decoupage.

    • Mary says:

      I wasn’t sure what I was doing Julie. But it turned out great,so I’m not complaining. I did let the wax cure a few days before doing the decoupage.

  8. Rhonda says:

    This would make a great holiday gift. It’s perfect for storing papers, art supplies or secrets. Thanks for sharing on Sunday’s Best.

  9. Uwe says:

    Mary, great job!
    looks very good.
    many greetings

  10. That’s such a sweet and thoughtful gift Mary and you’ve made it perfect for the little boy to treasure it as much as what you have. Love the pictures you added

  11. Lauren says:

    Oh this is ADORABLE! I LOVE the image you chose for the top – what a great gift for a little boy this is. Your whole process is simple and gives this such a great vintage look!

  12. Katrin says:

    I adore this little box and the look you gave it Mary. The front picture is so sweet but so are the other ones, the map really cool! It looks like an old box ready to collect treasures! A perfect gift for a little treasure hunter!

    • Mary says:

      I really wanted an old style look and when I found those pictures I knew they were perfect for the box.

  13. That is the cutest little wooden box. Love the artwork you used.

  14. What a pretty box , great for a little boy! It’s perfect with the sail boat, the map and photo on the inside. I’m sure he will love it.
    I have been wanting to try a photo transfer as well. But I don’t have the type of print needed.

  15. I love boxes because you can do so much with them You did a great job on this one. The pictures are so precious. And I can so relate to decoupage disasters as I just had one. But that story is for another time. I am sure the little boy will treasure this gift you have made for him.

    • Mary says:

      I so agree Debra. I too love boxes and have lots of them for storage, big or small doesn’t matter.

  16. So charming, love it.
    Amalia
    xo

  17. Amber Harrop says:

    Love your old world box Mary – love the colour

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