Scavenger Chic

Silverware Box Makeover

• By Joan
• October 9, 2019
• 5 Comments

I do have a weakness for boxes, all shapes and all sizes.  And with that being said I’m kind of surprised that this is the first silverware box I’ve ever taken on. 

I really have no idea why.   I see them all the time, they’re beautifully made, they’re easy to transform, they’re usually in great shape since they’ve been stuck in a drawer forever…having said all that I really need to go find another cause I think I’m hooked.  🙂

This one had two areas in which to store the forks and knives, both the top part and a pull out drawer.

I thought I would have to recover the insides but after prying out the blocks that held the old silverware, I found that the existing felt was in terrific shape.   The few nails that were sticking out easily slipped back out the other side.

So with the insides in fine shape, on to the exterior.

First coat on the box was a dry brushed layer of sand colored chalk paint.  Dry brushing is just what it sounds like, get as little paint as possible on the end of your brush and lightly paint.  This was done in sort of a criss cross manner and kind of messy.  Messy, but don’t leave any globs of paint.

Once the sand paint is dry do the same technique with white chalk paint.

Go thru your old letters or find one online to decorate your box top.

To print your picture on tissue paper gather your supplies.  Of course you’ll need a computer and printer but you’ll also need tape, a sheet of tissue paper and a sheet of printer paper.

Iron the tissue paper so that it lays flat then wrap your printer paper with the tissue paper and tape in place.  Put this sheet in your printer paper feed.

The letter I chose was from my great grandfather to my great grandmother dated August 1915.  I believe great grandma was visiting her sister in Kansas with her two young children and great grandpa was getting a little lonely being left at home.

It was folded like a card so I scanned  all sides, cropped and edited on the computer and formatted it so it will print out on one sheet of paper.

With my photo editor I also got rid of the natural aging of the paper.  I thought the white background  would go better with the white chalk paint.

Printed out on the tissue paper with as little border as possible.

You can trim the small border that was leftover with scissors but I chose to just tear the edge to get rid of that straight edge.

Attach the letter to your box with modpodge or a Spray Adhesive.

While I was waiting for the adhesive to dry, I searched out other vintage images I could use to give the top a little interest.  This sweet angel was from The Graphics Fairy.  She was also printed on tissue and cut out.

I redid the same paint treatment that I did for the rest of the box on the edges of the letter.  This is the sand colored chalk paint. again painted in a criss cross pattern with a fairly dry brush.

The sand chalk paint was again followed by another dry brushed layer of white.

The box is a perfect place to store all those old letters.

This was not my first project that took advantage of my stash of old letters.  This pillow was made from my mom’s letters…

…and this Valentine heart has just a hint of  one of my Grandma’s love letters.

Is it time for you to dig out all those old letters? Stay inspired.

Related posts:

Painting a Nightstand and Creating an Heirloom Upcycled Salad Bowl Belted Mirror DIY Curbside Rescue Blanket Chest DIY Easy Thrift Store Makeovers with White Chalk Paint