the herbier toolbox.

Published on by Quandie

First up, I just want to thank everyone who left a comment on Monday’s post.  I didn’t have time to respond to all of them this week, but I did read every one.  Also, for anyone who didn’t leave a comment, you can still get one in by midnight tonight for a chance to win a bag of Dixie Belle’s Sea Spray so be sure to check that out.

I did find time to do a little toolbox painting over the last week or two, so I thought I’d share one of those with you guys today.

Since my workshop out in the carriage house is not climate controlled, I have to strike while the iron is hot … or, well … not too hot, but not too cold either, and also not too humid.  In other words, when the conditions outside are perfect for painting, it’s a good chance for me to get a lot of stuff painted assembly line style.

With the toolboxes I start by piling them up on the lawn and giving them all a good wash with the hose and some spray Dawn dish soap.  Once dry, I sand them lightly (more if they are rusty, less if they aren’t) and then wipe them down again.  Then I add a coat of Dixie Belle’s clear BOSS to the rusty ones to slow down the rust coming through the paint.  I say ‘slow down’ because I don’t know that BOSS inhibits further rusting.  I suspect that over time they will continue to rust, just not as quickly.

I leave the BOSS to dry for a day, then start with painting the insides of all the toolboxes.  I painted one inside with DB’s Drop Cloth, one in their Mint Julep, one in Gravel Road, and one in Blueberry.  It’s lucky that I have a lot of paint brushes so that I can have lots of colors going at one time.

Once the insides are done, I move on to the outsides.  I used DB’s Putty, Drop Cloth, and French Linen on the outsides.  I generally paint all of the sides and tops one day, then the bottoms another day.  Sometimes that process takes twice as long because I decide to do a two-tone look on the outside (you’ll see that one later).  Once all of that is dry they are finally ready for the fun part, dressing them up.

Here is how this first toolbox started out …

Super red, and super crusty.  I love the shape of it though, and the way it opens up with two sides that are on hinges.

After its coat of BOSS, this one got two coats of Drop Cloth on the inside followed by a couple of coats of DB’s flat clear coat to protect it.  Then I added some of re.design with prima’s decoupage paper to line the bottom.

For the outside of this one I decided to step outside of my Dropcloth box and paint it in Dixie Belle’s Putty.  I thought that the Putty would create the perfect backdrop for the IOD Floral Anthology transfer that I wanted to put on the front.

I think this color provided a little more depth to the overall look of the toolbox.

Once I had the floral section in place, I added some wording from the IOD Label Ephemera transfer.

The little crown on the top is from a re.design with prima Classic Vintage Labels transfer.

I added a couple of coats of Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat over everything to protect it.

I absolutely love how this one turned out.  It may be my favorite toolbox so far.

It would be perfect for storing craft supplies.  But I think I’d consider keeping my makeup in there too.  You could also store your scarves in there.  So many possibilities!

I am selling this one, and I’m pretty sure there wasn’t anyone left on my painted toolbox waiting list, so this one will be up for grabs.  Be sure to check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page if you are local and in need of a fabulous painted toolbox.

As always, thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for supplying the BOSS, the paint and the clear coat used on this project.

21 thoughts on “the herbier toolbox.”

  1. Oh my goodness that’s an amazing transformation. I know that will walk out the door the same day you walk it in. (Assuming you are taking it to your antique shop that sells for you). Thanks for the inspiration. I need to get going on my smalls to paint, they are piling up!

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  3. Being a lover of all things red, I thought Oh no, don’t paint it! But the transformation is just wonderful. The Putty color and transfer are so complimentary. Love it!

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  4. So pretty. I have a similar one I use for tools. I am thinking I may just paint it because I keep it on a shelf in the open. Maybe if I make i t flowery enough it will keep my son and husbands grubby hands off of my tools, lol. Not true because they prefer my Pink Power drill to the Craftsman and Makita we have but at least my empty tool box would look pretty on the shelf.

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  5. Oh wow. That is truly gorgeous. You just never know about a paint color until you see it used. I just ordered some DB paint, which of course means I spent way too much time looking at & comparing colors and thinking about potential projects. (Painting is a hobby for me and I don’t do near the number of projects that you do, so I feel like I have to be judicious with my DB purchases). I actually looked at and considered buying putty, but ultimately passed on it as I thought it “boring.” Boy, was I wrong. It’s the perfect backdrop for this stunning floral. I just love this toolbox. You’ve definitely hit a home run with it.

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    1. Thanks Marguerite. I agree that Putty is one of those colors that you look at in the jar and think ‘hmmmm … boring’, but it really can be a workhorse. I use it for most of my stenciling, it looks great over Midnight Sky (black) and over Drop Cloth (warm white). But I do like it on a full piece of furniture too, it was perfect on this washstand.

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  11. What a beautiful transformation!! I wish that I was closer to you! I know. I have expressed that many times, as I am sure that others have as well. This piece really did turn out quite lovely and I would have purchased it in a heartbeat 💗

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