Category: toolboxes.

I’m pretty flush with toolboxes these days.  I have several friends who have been snatching them up for me, which is always appreciated.  Especially if those friends know how to discern a good vintage toolbox from a not so good one.

I’m drawn to unique shapes, good handles, and weight.  You can almost always judge age by weight.  The older toolboxes are heavier and constructed out of thicker steel (hmmm, I feel like this applies to me as well).  I’m not as big a fan of newer toolboxes (although that being said, you are going to see one of those newer varieties from me next week).

For today, I’m working with this one.

Not super exciting with its black plastic handle, but I do like its shape.  It’s heavy duty, and it has a good tray inside.  I like the trays that don’t have any dividers meant for a set of sockets.

I prep all of my toolboxes in the same way.  I wash them out in the yard with the garden hose and some Dawn dish soap (you need a good grease cutting cleanser).  Once dry I may sand them if they have chipping paint or a lot of lumpy spots.  Then I give them a coat of Dixie Belle’s B.O.S.S. to block any potential stains from bleeding through my paint.

Actually, the photo above shows this toolbox after all of that prep.  As you can sort of see, the B.O.S.S. does look a bit filmy.  This product is always meant to be painted over, never left as a final coat.

Next up I painted the tray and the interior of the box in Dixie Belle’s English Ivy, and the outside of the box in their Sawmill Gravy.

Then I went through my stash of transfers.  I’m really trying to work on using up transfers that I’ve had for too long.  As I’ve mentioned before, transfers lose their stickiness over time, so you really can’t hang onto them for years.

I ended up pulling out an old re.design with prima transfer called Violet Hill.

I have to confess, this is not one of my favorites.  I’m drawn to warmer shades of pink, and the florals in this one are in cooler shades leaning towards violet (hence the name).  I have used snippets of it in the past.  First on a cast off hankie drawer …

and then on a pair of ice skates.

But I had enough of this transfer left to use on a toolbox, so I decided to go for it.  Even though these aren’t my favorite colors, I know there are those of you who love them.

I thought these darker florals would be more appropriate for the season too, they aren’t quite as summery looking as others that I use.

I added some of the Violet Hill transfer to the tray as well.

I pulled out another of the old prima transfers that Monica sent to me to add some French wording to the top of the toolbox …

as well as to the side of the tray.

By the way, isn’t that vintage velvet ribbon gorgeous?

It was the perfect color to work with the colors in that Violet Hill transfer.

I purchased that ribbon years ago at a garage sale and although I pull it out occasionally to stage a photo …

I haven’t come up with a permanent use for it yet, but one of these days I will.  In the meantime, I’ll just keep using it as a photo prop.

As for the Violet Hill toolbox, it is for sale locally.  So if any of you locals love these colors, and could use a fab vintage toolbox, be sure to check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details.

Recently I decided that I’m going to just start using some of the transfers that I’ve been holding on to while waiting for just the right piece of furniture to come along (a.k.a. hoarding).  I know it doesn’t make a lot of sense to use a $30+ transfer on a piece like a toolbox that I’ll be lucky to sell for $55.  However, it also doesn’t make sense to keep hanging onto transfers that I purchased a year ago or more.  Those transfers aren’t worth anything sitting in my cupboard drying out.

Transfers do deteriorate a bit over time, have you noticed that?  They lose some of their stickiness, making them more difficult to rub on.

That’s why I decided to use the Flora Parisiensis transfer from I.O.D. on a toolbox.

This transfer is 24″ by 32″, and you might wonder how I would fit that on a toolbox.  Well, you’re about to find out.

My friend Sue found this toolbox for me recently.

It has a pop up tray, but I still would consider it a toolbox rather than a tackle box based on its size, and the fact that there is only one divider in that tray.

Tackle boxes typically have a lot more than just one divider, don’t they?

It looks at though this toolbox was originally red, and then at some point it was painted silver.  Although that pop up tray doesn’t have any red.  Maybe it was originally aluminum, then painted red, then painted silver again.  LOL, who knows?

But this time around I’m painting it peaches and cream.  Well, technically, Dixie Belle’s Apricot and Drop Cloth.

First though, the prep work.  I cleaned this one with some Dawn dish soap and the garden hose.  Then I used a razor blade to scrape away some clumpy bits here and there.  They looked like maybe bits of glue, or possibly glops of polyurethane or something.  Whatever, I scraped them off.  Recently someone asked me if I sand my toolboxes before painting them, and sometimes I do.  If they have a chippy finish on them, or a lot of rust spots, I will sand them a bit to get them more smooth.  I don’t get carried away though, just a quick sanding.

Next up I added a coat of Dixie Belle’s clear B.O.S.S.  Personally I wouldn’t go without the B.O.S.S. on most toolboxes, it prevents both rust spots and greasy residue (these are toolboxes after all, they are bound to have some greasy residue) from coming through your paint.

Then I painted the inside in Dixie Belle’s Apricot.

I knew I was going to use the Flora Parisiensis transfer on the outside, and after pulling out all three of the pinky coral shades of Dixie Belle paint, I decided that Apricot was the best choice.  Although honestly, any of the three would have worked.  And by the way, stay tuned for an upcoming post comparing those three coral colors!

The exterior of the toolbox received two coats of Drop Cloth.  I painted over everything but the handle.

Then I started cutting up the Flora Parisiensis transfer to fit it to the toolbox.  I started with the two biggest rose elements, applying them to the front of the toolbox and wrapping them up and over the top.

As you can see, I cut the transfer out around the latches.  I usually do a dry fit of the transfer when working on a piece like this, cutting around those latches before removing the backing paper.

Once those were in place, I added the wording to the top of the toolbox, layering some of it over the roses.

I added a section of rose leaves to the front of the box, and once I was done with that, here’s what I had left from the transfer.

Lots of stems and one big rose.

So technically I will likely get one more project out of this one, or I’ll at least have lots of filler to use with other floral transfers.

Next I added a bee under the handle.  It came from the re.design with prima Middy French Labels.

The Rosier du Pont. wording that I added to the front is from I.O.D.’s Redouté II transfer.

I also added another bee from the French Labels set inside the lid.

People often ask me what one would do with a pretty floral toolbox like this one, and I think my best answer is ‘whatever you want’.  Fill it with anything that fits in a box, put it on a shelf somewhere in your house.  Surely everyone needs at least one pretty toolbox, don’t they?

This particular toolbox is for sale locally, so be sure to check my ‘available for local sale’ page if interested.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for providing the B.O.S.S. and paint used for this toolbox makeover.

Remember the toolbox I brought home recently?

I fear that some of you are going to be disappointed when you read that I have painted it, but yes, I did.  Of course I did.

I followed my usual process.  Washing it with Dawn dish soap and the hose out in the yard, letting it dry and then giving it a coat of Dixie Belle’s B.O.S.S. inside and out.  Oh, and there is a tray with this one, and that got the same treatment.

Next up I painted the interior of the toolbox and the tray in Dixie Belle’s new Cottage Core color called Cottage Door.  Once dry, I added some wording to the tray from an old prima transfer called Catalogue.

This is another of the transfers that my reader Monica donated to me.

I once used this same transfer on a dress form, and I absolutely loved the result.

Transfers have come a long way since the early days when they were much more simple (and less expensive), and were mostly just cool typography and nothing else, like this one.

After adding the wording to this tray, I’m reminded of how impactful adding even just a simple bit of typography can be!

Next up I painted the outside of the box in Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth, and then I added the last two pieces I had from I.O.D.’s Elysium transfer.

As a reminder, this transfer comes on four 12″ x 16″ sheets.  It’s a little bit pricey at around $30 – $35, depending where you shop.  But I was able to use it on three different pieces.  This toolbox, and these two other boxes …

So I got three items out of one $30+ transfer.  That’s not too bad.

Once I had the floral transfer in place, I had a couple of somewhat blank spaces in the opposite corners that needed just a little something.

I added a small portion of the old, small Seeds transfer (also sent to me by Monica!) to the front corner.

That tiny crown at the bottom is from one of the knob transfers from re.design with prima.

As are the bees and crowns that I added to the latches.

I added a few more scraps here and there from various transfers.  I have a big pile of random bits that have been left over from previous projects.

Once the transfers were in place, I protected everything with Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat.

I did opt to leave the handle unpainted …

And as a nod to the original finish and color, I also left the little clasp thingie unpainted.

I just have to say, that Elysium transfer is so pretty.  And it works just beautifully with that new Cottage Door paint color from Dixie Belle.

Don’t you agree?

By the way, I just couldn’t resist using my Limelight hydrangeas as a background for these photos.

They are looking particularly fine at the moment.

I absolutely love the way this one turned out, and I hope not too many of you are disappointed that I painted it.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

This toolbox is for sale locally (sorry, I don’t ship my items).  Check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for providing the B.O.S.S., paint. and flat clear coat used in this project.

I’m back with the remaining two metal boxes that I promised from last week.

As a reminder, here is the stack of boxes that my friend, opK, gave me.

I shared the end result of the largest box on the bottom of the stack last Friday (and it is sold, fyi).

Now let’s look at the middle sized box.  I have no idea what this box was originally intended for.  It has built in dividers inside that would have worked for holding a screwdriver and screws, or maybe some other sort of hardware and/or tools.  Who knows?

I have to say that initially I wasn’t sure I even wanted to bother with it because of those dividers.  They sort of limit what you can keep in the box.  But then again, they also provide a way to keep some bits and bobs organized, don’t they?

Rather than trying to paint a coat of Dixie Belle’s B.O.S.S. inside those little cubbies, I opted to spray paint it.  I find that spray paint also does a pretty good job of blocking stains.  I didn’t have a color of spray paint that I liked though, so after the blue spray paint was dry, I brushed over it with a custom mix of Dixie Belle’s Silk paint.

I mixed up this color a while back for another project.  I was trying to match Annie Sloan’s Scandinavian Pink, and I think I did a fairly decent job.

The outside of the box did get an initial coat of B.O.S.S. followed by two coats of Dixie Belle’s Dried Sage.  Then I added a few random scraps of transfers from my stash.

The florals are from the I.O.D. Floral Anthology transfer, and the wording is from their Label Ephemera transfer.

I especially love the little blue and white daisies that I put on the front of the box.

I also really like the way that this one distressed.

I think it has a very authentically aged feel.

As for the smaller box, I did give that a coat of B.O.S.S. inside and out.  Then I painted the inside in one of the colors from Dixie Belle’s new Cottage Core Collection called Cottage Door.

Isn’t that a gorgeous warm coral pink?  I love it.

After adding the bee transfer from re.design with prima’s French Labels set …

I protected the interior with a coat of Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat.

Next I painted the outside of the box in my favorite Drop Cloth, and then added some florals that are also from I.O.D.’s Floral Anthology transfer.

I love the way the Cottage Door color works with the those Floral Anthology blooms.

As for the top of the box, I went with a scrap of wording from an old re.design with prima transfer called Paris Valley.

The little “No. 1483” on the lid is from a Tim Holtz transfer.

This box is really a little bit wonky.  You can shut the lid, and you can maneuver the little handles up over the top, but it does take a bit of finagling.

That being said, I think I’d be tempted to just leave it ajar.

Cuz it’s awfully cute.

So … boxes before and after …

Which one is your favorite?

Recently my friend, opK (that’s oar painting Karen) offered me a stack of metal boxes.

Before I got started making them pretty, I gave them all a good cleaning with some Dawn dish soap and the garden hose.  Then I let them dry in the sun, and followed that up with a coat of Dixie Belle’s B.O.S.S. inside and out.  I like to use the B.O.S.S. to reduce the chances that any rusty spots will seep through my paint job.

I decided to paint them all in different colors, which required the use of a lot of paint stir sticks and brushes.  At one point I had six different paint brushes going, lucky I have a lot of brushes.

I started with the largest box.  I painted the inside in Dixie Belle’s Silk Paint in Fiery Sky.

Then I painted the outside in DB’s Sawmill Gravy.  I’d used this combo on a toolbox once before and really liked it, so I thought I’d do it again.

I also already knew I wanted to use I.O.D.’s Redouté II transfer on the outside, so the Fiery Sky was going to be the perfect compliment.

In case you aren’t familiar, Pierre-Joseph Redouté was very famous for botanical paintings, especially those of roses.  I bet that back in the 90’s quite a few of us shabby chic lovers had a Redouté print or two hanging on the wall, I know I did.

I picked up this transfer recently at a brick and mortar shop that’s not terribly far from me called Liza Jane Designs (in Afton, MN).  I thought I’d share her info for any of my local readers who use I.O.D. products because she had a pretty much complete inventory of everything (which I think can be rare in a brick and mortar); transfers, paint inlays, molds, stamps and ink .

This particular transfer is an older release from 2021, but I’d never used it before.  It comes with 8 full pages of roses, so I’m sure I’ll get a number of projects out of it.

I added a small Tim Holtz number transfer to the latch on the front of the toolbox.

I love adding small details like that, and like the bee under the handle (from re.design with prima’s French Labels transfer, which has plenty of bees, FYI).

As per usual, I wrapped the roses around the sides of the toolbox too.

And speaking of wrapping, I’m just wrapping up the finishing touches on the other two boxes and I’ll be sharing those next week.  So be sure to stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, how do you like this rosy makeover?

This toolbox is available for sale locally (details can be found here).

Thank you Dixie Belle Paint Co. for providing the B.O.S.S., paint and flat clear coat used on this project.

It’s time for another toolbox from the stash … well, technically a lockbox this time.

It was an easy decision to paint this one, that bankers box gray is nothing to write home about.

For some unknown reason I’ve been really drawn to avocado-y shades of green lately, so I ordered some of Dixie Belle’s Holy Guacamole.

This paint is only available in the 4 oz. size.  I hope that doesn’t mean they are phasing it out and all they have left is the 4 oz size.  Regardless, I ordered three of them, just in case I wanted to use it on something larger than a toolbox.

But for now, I used it on the inside of this lockbox.

I think this is one of those colors that people are either going to love, or hate.  I get it, it kind of looks like pea soup, but then, I love pea soup too.

I added a simple transfer from the Classic Vintage Labels from re.design with prima to the inside lid, and then sealed the interior with some of Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat.

And in the end, this color works perfectly with the I.O.D. Floral Anthology transfer that I used on the outside of the box.

The leaves in the transfer definitely have that same yellow-green in them.

This continues to be my favorite floral transfer, and this time I paired it up with a Classic Vintage Label on the top of the lock box.

I’ve shared so many ideas for ways to use these lock boxes in the past.  You can use them for your stamping supplies, your cosmetics, your seed packets, your sewing kit, your vintage photo stash, your arts and craft supplies, your ribbons, and on and on.  If you want to see all of my lock box posts, you can find them all under the ‘toolboxes.’ category under ‘sorted.’ in the right side toolbar (if you’re looking at this on a computer screen, it’s at the bottom of the screen on a cell phone).

This time around I just simply filled it up with paint brushes.

So what do you think?  Is Holy Guacamole for you?

Unless someone local wants to snatch this up first (see details on my ‘available for local sale‘ page), I plan to take this one into the shop next week.

 

A little while back one of my readers, who also happens to live near me, offered me a box of bottlebrush trees and this blue tacklebox.

That was awfully kind of her, don’t you think?

I rather liked that pretty shade of cobalt blue, but I didn’t love the stenciled yellow wording or the big patches of rust.  The lid was a bit banged up too.  So I used a hammer to mostly pound the lid back into shape (pound gently from the inside to push a dent out), then I did my usual cleaning/sanding/priming with Dixie Belle’s B.O.S.S.  Then I decided to pay homage to the original color of this tackle box by painting it in Dixie Belle’s Cobalt Blue.

It’s a bit brighter than the original color of the tackle box, but who doesn’t need to brighten up these gloomy winter days a bit?  Might as well beat the winter blues with some Cobalt Blue.

I painted the box inside and out in the Cobalt.

So far I’ve used the I.O.D. Rose Chintz paint inlay over white, black and green, so this was my chance to try it over blue.

Sure enough, it works beautifully over blue too!

I ran the paint inlay all the way around the bottom portion of the tackle box.  Next came deciding what to do on the top.  I wasn’t sure that the black lettering of my usual I.O.D. Label Ephemera transfers would work.  So I decided to do a test board.

I painted it with the Cobalt Blue, then I pulled out some transfer scraps in black, gold and white to see how they looked over the blue.  The black was my least favorite, but then I’ve never been a big fan of the combination of black and blue.  The gold actually looked quite nice over the blue, but I didn’t think it would work as well with the paint inlay colors.  I was surprised to discover that I actually liked the white the best.  That is a scrap from the I.O.D. Traditional Pots transfer.

I have to say, the newer white transfers are a huge improvement over the old ones.  Or, at least these Traditional Pots are.

So I went with some bits and pieces from that transfer on the top of the toolbox.

Looks pretty good, right?

The white transfer ties in nicely with the little touches of white in the paint inlay.

I used clear wax to seal the top and interior of this box, and I used a spray matte sealer over the paint inlay.  If it were summer I would have spray sealed the entire thing, but this time of year I try to keep my spraying to a minimum.  It involves taking the item outside, spraying quick, and then bringing it back inside to dry.

I have to admit, I wasn’t sure at first how I was going to stage this one.  Then I remembered my pretty blue and white tea cup, and I thought it would make the perfect prop.  But what to fill it with?

Q tips of course!

And that led to staging this one as a makeup case.

I mean, why not, right?  Who says you can’t keep your cosmetics in a tacklebox?

If the Cobalt Blue is just a bit too much for you, I recommend trying Dixie Belle’s Bunker Hill Blue as an alternative.

Next time I think I might try a 50/50 mix of both colors, which might be just perfect for a piece of furniture.  But for today, that pop of Cobalt Blue is perfect for beating the winter blues.

If any of you locals would like a Cobalt Blue tacklebox for your makeup, or for anything else, be sure to check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details because this one is for sale.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for supplying the B.O.S.S. and paint used in this makeover.