Welcome to the final installment of toolbox week.

Did I save the best for last?

I think that’s up to you, so be sure to leave your choice for best toolbox from toolbox week in a comment below.

Even if you don’t think that today’s toolbox is the best, it is definitely the largest.

Here’s how it started out.

Super rusty.

That much rust requires extra work in the prep stage.  I started by cleaning it with Dawn dish soap first.  Once dry, I sanded heavily using my Mouse sander and some 150 grit paper.  Then I had to clean it again, followed by leaving it in the sun to dry thoroughly.

Once dry I applied Dixie Belle’s Bonding Boss.  As I’ve mentioned before, the Bonding Boss does not specifically prevent rust.  Actually any paint job will help prevent future rust, as will keeping the toolbox dry and out of the elements.  The Bonding Boss is meant to prevent any remaining existing rust from bleeding through the paint.  Although I did sand away quite a bit of it, there is still some rust left behind.  The bottom of the box had the most rust, so I gave that part two coats of Bonding Boss (as per the instructions) to be extra sure it did the job.

Next up I painted the interior in Dixie Belle’s Cottage Door.

I then applied one of I.O.D.’s Floriography paint inlays inside the lid.

Next up I painted the exterior of the toolbox in two coats of Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth.  Once dry, I sanded to distress the edges, wiped away the dust and then started applying roses from I.O.D.’s Rose Botanical transfer.

I started with some of the largest roses on either side of the top, and then filled in with smaller ones on the front.

Next up I cobbled together some other bits and pieces from random transfers.  The “Richardson & Gould’s” at the top is from the old Seeds transfer from re.design with prima (retired design from years ago).  The London/Edinburgh stuff at the bottom is from the I.O.D. Label Ephemera transfer (also retired, and I’m starting to scrape the bottom on my stash of those).

I’m not 100% sure where the bee came from.  I went through a bit of a bee phase back in 2022 …

and I bought a lot of transfers that included some bees from both I.O.D. and re.design with prima.

I also added some old Tim Holtz rub-on transfers to the latches.

They are a tiny detail, but tiny details can be fun, right?

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

As with all of the toolboxes I’ve shared this week, this one is available for local sale (check out the details here).

I hope you’ve enjoyed toolbox week as much as I have.  I definitely had fun giving all of these boxes a new look.

I really don’t think I can pick a favorite, I like something different about each one.  I love the homemade feel of the Northern Grown toolbox.

And I really love that pretty Dixie Belle Secret Path lavender color inside the Memoires toolbox.

The neutral simplicity of the Industries toolbox definitely appeals to me and would work best with my own decor …

and I was surprised to discover just how much I liked the deep violet colors paired with the avocado green of Holy Guacamole on the Dark Side of the Moon tackle box.

Last, but not least, I love the roses on the Richardson & Gould toolbox that I shared today.

I hope you’ll take a minute to leave a comment and let me know which of the five toolboxes was your favorite!