DIY Project - Hope Chest

This weekend I scored a great hope chest from Carroll Creek Antiques, Etc. in Frederick, MD for only $42.  I knew the chest would need some work, so after purchasing the chest I headed to the Home Depot to pick up some supplies.  I picked up a sanding sponge for $3, contact paper for $7 and clear gloss lacquer spray for $5.

Outside:  Before

 Inside:  Before

I started by cleaning the inside and outside of the chest with mild soap and water.  I highly suggest this for anything you pick up at an antique store because you never know how long it's been on display in the store and you never know how long it was sitting in an attic or basement before that.

Starting to clean with mild soap and water

You can see how dirty it was!  I made sure to lay down a towel before starting the cleaning process.

Halfway there!

Once I finished cleaning it up, I sanded all of the wood and pulled off as much of the paper from the inside of the chest as I could.  I also sanded a few rust spots off of the metal parts.

Next I started to measure and cut the contact paper to put inside of the chest.  

Then I placed the contact paper into the chest and smoothed it out with a piece of thick paper.

Finished bottom

Then I started to paper the walls and edges

After that was completed, I began on the top.  At the end, I went back and filled in all of the edges and spots that I missed.

Next, it was time to spray it with the Rust-Oleum clear gloss spray lacquer.  I sprayed one coat and let it dry overnight.  Then I sprayed another coat and let it dry over the next day.  It was very easy to do, I just followed the directions on the can, which were to spray evenly over the product (wood, metal, etc.) and then let it dry for a full 24 hours.  It suggests using at least two coats.  

And... here's the final product!  It's now ready for all of my wedding keepsakes!  

Inside Before                                                                             Inside After

Outside Before                                                                         Outside After

DIY Wedding Projects: Wedding Isle Vases

My Pinterest Project Inspiration:

With my wedding only four months away, it's time for the DIY projects to commence!  I will be having a very small and intimate beach wedding ceremony this upcoming February.  Since the ocean naturally provides a beautiful backdrop for my wedding ceremony, there is not a lot to do by way of ceremony decorations other than my bamboo canopy with custom floral arrangements.  However, I did come across this idea on Pinterest and thought that it will add a little spice to my isle seats!  

First, I bought some mason jars online.  A case of twelve was under $10.  Then I went to my favorite craft store, Hobby Lobby, to pick up some hemp twine and wire.  The project was very easy to do and only took a few minutes.  I began by creating loops with the wire on the sides of the mason jar.  I twisted a little loop on each side and connected the wire in the middle of the rim.  

Close-up of the loops

Then I wrapped some twine around the rim of the mason jar and tied it off on the end.  From there, I measured out enough twine to hang from the isle seats, and strung it through the wire loops.  Then I tied it at the top.  Super easy! 

Measuring the twine

The finished product.  I can't wait to see how they look with flowers!

Stay tuned for more wedding DIY projects and a photo recap from my upcoming wedding and reception.