Vintage Toolbox Centerpiece

Sue Purdy
by Sue Purdy
We all love Joanna Gaines' "chippy Fixer Upper vintage farmhouse" style, of course. While I don't typically use this style of decor in my own home, I can appreciate it's unique beauty.
However, whenever Spring rolls around, I find myself oddly attracted to all things farmhouse and vintage. That being said, I went online looking for an affordable vintage toolbox to use as a centerpiece. There was literally zero, zip, nada available. So..................... I decided to make my own.
We had some 1 ft. x 8 ft. pieces of wood left over from our recent closet reno, so I decided to use that for my toolbox (awesome, since it cost a total of $0.00). I had the husband cut the pieces to size. For this part, we used a circular saw.
Here are my finished pieces. This project can be customized to any size you like, and that's why I love it so much. My toolbox is 26 inches long, and 6 inches high. The ends are higher obviously to account for the handle. So far, the cost is still $0.00, as this wood was just sitting in my garage, but it you were going to a hardware store, this would all cost under $10.00, and they would likely cut the wood for you too.
To add my handle, I laid one end on to of the other and drilled a hole near the top. A special drill bit is required for this step, but most drill bit sets come with several sizes of these. For the handle, I used an old broken broomstick, and fit the stick into the holes using the persuasion of a mallet. It's an extremely tight fit, which is perfect.
To secure the sides and ends, I used wood glue and a nailgun. Here is a picture of the completed toolbox ready for paint/stain. At this point, I could have chosen to just stain it, but I decided to try my hand at making wood look old. I used a light grey chalk paint for my first step.
ext, I used a cloth to rub on a dark decorative glaze. I had this glaze lying around from a prior project, but I never used it. This glaze is FAST, as in, you don't want to leave it sitting on the piece for very long. I wiped it down fairly quickly after applying it (5-10 seconds), and the end result was a weathered aged effect. I'm certain that any type of decorative glaze would work in this case, and usually runs about $10-15.
I wrote "Farm Fresh Eggs" on the side with a sharpie and after a good sanding, the words looks faded and weathered.
Since it's going to be used as a Spring / Easter Centerpiece, I added some tulips, faux succulents and some moss to make it Springy. Check out the link to My Crafty Spot to see more photos of this project http://mycraftyspot.com/how-to-make-a-vintage-toolbox-centerpiece/ and you can also check out my blog for more DIY and how-to decor ideas.
Sue Purdy
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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