Garage Sale Wood Trunk Makeover & Day 6 Creativity

I love getting inspiration from everywhere--stores, movies, outdoors. Watching our grandson recently haul our Costco Pendleton picnic blanket gave me the idea to paint a garage sale wood trunk in similar colors as the blanket.

The trunk was probably originally from Pier One or World Market. It did have a big water stain on the top and I did pick it up at the end of the garage sale, so I talked the sellers down to $7.

Some paint and some patience letting paint cure, and I have a campy, Pendleton inspired wood chest, perfect for a side table.

Keep reading to see my tricks for getting clean lines while painting.
 

I removed all of the black hardware and then sanded the trunk down. It is pine and the finish sanded off quickly, other than it took a bit to get rid of the water ring. I decided to leave the top natural and paint the base.

After sanding and wiping the trunk down, I taped off two alternating bands or stripes on the trunk base. There were natural wood lines and breaks so that was my taping guide. I burnished the tape with a plastic scraper to prevent paint leaks.

I then painted two of the four colors. 

I let the paint cure a couple days before taping on the paint to add the two other colors. I did still burnish the tape, but not quite as forcefully.

I used matte Min-Wax polyacrylic over the paint and on the wood top to finish the trunk. I reattached the black hardware.

This wood trunk is updated and fresh with bright colors. It makes a great side table with storage for blankets, games, books, clothes.

Isn't this lamp fun? I had the base, but thrifted the new shade that breaks all of the lamp decor rules. It is okay to break decorating norms, especially with inexpensive items like lamps. The shade being taller and wider than the base gives it an unexpected look and draws your eye. It definitely makes it look modern and hip as opposed to traditional style.

I think this trunk would be fun in a cabin or camper, but also adds a burst of color to neutral home decor. It is an easy way to add color without a big time or financial investment.

The word for today's creativity practice is METAL. I am not sure how creative my project is, but I still used some creative processing to create it.

First, I dug around for metal that I had. I thought about painting something that isn't metal with a metal technique, but finally landed on using a scrap of corrugated metal from the flower bed we made for our daughter and her roommates.

This is the raised, 8' x 4' garden bed we made. Isn't her fence fun? They painted it last year--her love of color comes from her mama.

I thought about using the scrap of tin for a planter or a light, but then decided I would paint a sign for my garden.

After painting bright colored stripes, I chalked out the lettering and then painted it.

I am not really into cutesy or word signs and this saying is an old one, but it is so true for our green house garden.

I hung it next to the front greenhouse door to add a bit of fresh garden color to the space. Time to go weed, again.