Vintage Jewelry Box makeover

I love thrift and antique stores. If I’m in the mood to go shopping, that is usually where I’d prefer to go. I love old, well loved treasures, and sometimes I really enjoy finding treasures that could use a little love and fixing them up. I’ve been looking for a little table top jewelry box for some time now. Most I’ve come across were either too damaged, too small, or too expensive. Since I was planning to buy one to make my own, I didn’t want to spend a large amount to do it! I found the perfect cabinet while I was visiting family and checking out a local thrift store in my home town.

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I’ll start by saying that my mom thought I should leave the jewelry box it as is.  I usually listen to her, because she’s usually right. But in this instance the old case just wasn’t me. I love the shape of it, but it needed some updating for sure.  The wood was scratched and dinged. The 70’s mustard yellow velvet lining was dirty, and peeling. The red and gold design on the doors dated it even further.

Sorry mom!

First step was to disassemble the box. I ripped out all of the old yellow velvet linings, removed any hardware that I could take off, and cleaned the box well.  I pulled the window panes out of the frame. They were acrylic, not glass.  I used acetone nail polish remover to strip the paint from the windows.

I used Decoart Glasstique in Smoke Quartz to add texture to the windows. Once that was dry I brushed Shimmering Silver Opaque Gloss enamel paint on the back of the panel. This gave the windows a fun textured silver look.

I painted the outside of the cabinet with Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint in “Relic” (a nice dark gray) and the inside of the cabinet, and the drawers a lighter gray color called “Yesteryear” and I sealed it all with Decoart Soft Touch Varnish (which is my very favorite sealer).

Once the jewelry box was painted and sealed I could add a pretty new gray fabric to match the paint.  I glued the fabric in with Decoupage matte finish.  It’s super easy to know exactly what size to cut the fabric if you save the old liner when you pull it out. I used the old yellow velvet liner to measure the new fabric.

Isn’t it lovely now? No more dated yellow velvet, or cheesy painted doors. The scratched and dented wood is now a smooth calming gray.

While I know that not everyone loves painted wood, I think in this case it turned out to be an improvement and I love my pretty new (to me) jewelry box! Also I think I’ve found a new hobby. Refinishing the small jewelry cabinet was just as satisfying as refinishing a full size piece of furniture, except on a smaller less time consuming scale. I love it! Now I just need to find another one.