blanket box makeover

I finally got around to painting this blanket box. (What do you call these in the States?) 

It had been stripped and sanded ready to paint about ten years ago, but it never was very high on the priority list. But I had some cream  paint left over from another project and so I decided to use it up rather than keeping a small amount in the tin to dry up.

This was what it looked like before!

I used this graphic from the Graphics Fairy. 

I had some carbon copy paper leftover from when my mum was a typist. I printed out two copies, one reversed, and then I traced the outlines on top of the carbon paper onto my box. I adjusted the design a little bit as I didn't want the stick thing that goes diagonally across the basket. I then painted the design with black acrylic artists paint. There are some differences between the left and right one because there was about a month in between each image, but I think that just adds to the handpainted look. 

My intention was not to leave it in this state. My intention was to distress the piece and then antique wax it. But I have chickened out of doing that for now as I have got used to it as it is. However, once the piece starts to naturally distress over time- and it will- I shall help it along a bit. 

At least I finally painted it!