A short while ago my friend Jackie gave me some toolboxes.

I’m not sure what those two shallow red boxes in the front were meant for, maybe just to hold a few screwdrivers and a hammer or two?

Regardless, I decided to give them both a makeover for Christmas.  I started by removing the labels and then giving each one a coat of Dixie Belle’s Bonding Boss inside and out.

Next I gave the inside of the first one a quick coat of DB’s Barn Red.  It really just required one careful coat since I was painting red over red.

The outside, however, required two coats of DB’s Ecru to cover up the red.

Before the final coat was dry, I added one of I.O.D.’s Twelfth Night paint inlays to the top.

After spraying that with some matte spray sealer to keep it from smudging, I applied some holly from Dixie Belle’s Evergreen and Holly transfer on either side of the inlay.

The little bit of holly just under the handle is from one of the I.O.D. Christmas transfers.

Now it’s perfectly Christmas-y.

The 2nd toolbox got a coat of Dixie Belle’s Rusty Nail on the inside.

As the name implies, this is more of a rusty or brick red.

I chose it because it worked beautifully with this row of sweet little birds from the I.O.D. Yuletide transfers.

I believe the Yuletide transfer was from the 2024 holiday collection and was then retired, but you can still find it online.

And by the way, I did paint the outside of this toolbox in Ecru as well.

I went back to my old favorite I.O.D. Label Ephemera for some of the wording on the front and top.

Then I also added some numbers and more wording from the Tim Holtz Eccentric Remnant Rubs transfer.

As for the handle, it was a rather pitted chrome so I gave it a new golden glow using Dixie Belle’s Gilding Wax in Antique Gold.

After adding a coat of Dixie Belle’s clear wax over the paint and transfers for protection, I decided to add a little more depth using a product that is new to me, DIY’s Decrepit Dust in Warm.

This is very similar to Dixie Belle’s Dixie Dirt …

except the Dixie Dirt doesn’t come in a rusty color.

I used a small artist’s brush to apply some of the dust around the latch immediately after adding the clear wax.  The dust will stick to the wax, and I just use the brush to blend it in a little.

It’s a subtle detail, but I think it adds a lot more depth and helps ‘age’ a newly painted item.

I have to confess that I personally prefer the toolbox with the birds on it, but the first one is a bit more Christmas-y.

Which one do you like best?  And what would you keep inside it?  Leave a comment and let me know.

Meanwhile, I brought both of these toolboxes in to Reclaiming Beautiful along with many more holiday items.  They are hosting their Holiday Open House this Thursday, November 6, 2025 from noon to 7 p.m. (while I’m away in Florida).  If you’re local, be sure to stop in!