One of my lovely readers came to my occasional sale bearing gifts (actually two of my readers did this, but I’ll share the 2nd one later).

She brought me this adorable little mini cabinet …

which I’m still working on.

And she also brought me a toolbox.

I love the way this one hinges open.  It also came with a tray.

After my usual prep which includes washing with Dawn dish soap to cut any greasy residues, a light scuff sanding to smooth out the surface a bit, and a coat of Dixie Belle’s Bonding Boss, I painted the outside with DB’s Drop Cloth.

Typically I paint the inside of toolboxes first, and then the outside.  But I hadn’t quite decided on the interior color yet, so I started with the outside.  It wasn’t until I was done painting that I remembered why I usually do it the other way around.

Painting a different color on the inside, with the lid open, results in a checkerboard look on the hinges when you close the lid.  If you paint the outside last, with the lid closed, the hinge ends up a solid color when closed.

And actually, the checkerboard can be a fun look.  But when you’ve already added some transfers, so it’s too late to repaint the outside … well, it was just a bit unexpected.

But in the end, I decided I rather like the look in this instance.

That brings me to the transfers.  I used sections from the new I.O.D. Rose Botanical transfer on the outside of the toolbox.

I love the colors they’ve used for these transfers, so pretty.  I also like that there are several different sizes of roses giving you lots of flexibility for using them on different size projects.

The wording is from the old (and sadly retired) I.O.D. Label Ephemera transfer.

Will they ever release a replacement?  Something like the new Étiquettes Gilded Transfer, only in black rather than metallic gold, would be awesome.  But so far, no such luck.

The toolbox had a little metal name tag on it that was stamped with the name of the former owner.  I painted over that and added the ‘Duchesse de Berry’ portion of the Label Ephemera transfer thus making this her toolbox.

Based on this portrait of her, I’m guessing she would be happy to own a toolbox covered in roses.

Initially I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to paint the inside of the toolbox in green or pink.  I ended up opting for full-on feminine with Dixie Belle’s Cottage Door.

Then I added just a little wording from the Rose Botanical transfer to outside of the tray as well.

I finished everything off with a coat of Dixie Belle’s clear wax.

And there you have it, the duchesse de berry’s toolbox.  What do you think?

This toolbox is for sale, check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for providing their products used in this makeover.