Sweet
Summer Sugar Trunk
Spring
is almost upon us. This means that summer is close behind. After
the long and dark Alaska winters these two short seasons are more
than welcome to us. There is no finer way to welcome the seasons in
than with color, color and more color. Beautiful yet functional,
this charming chest will add style and grace to any space. From the
smallest cabin to the greatest kitchen space, step back in time with
the look and feel you get from gazing here.
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Reminiscent
of a 1940's prairie home, you cannot take your eyes away from this
old world treasure. This is, of course, another Recycle, Repurpose,
Reuse transformation from Arctic Artique. Kitty Wolf had a vision
for this 10 dollar yard sale find. It was just a plain small chest
that laid around the house for the longest time. A couple of years
ago, we painted it sage green which is the base color you see.
Storage is what it saw for nearly a year after paint until we were
able to bring it to our new home.
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She
knew we would do something with it but still wasn't sure what that
something would be. A couple of days ago while at the local thrift
store, she happened on a small bag of fruity paper designs. Apples,
peaches, pears, and plums were what she found when we made it home.
The idea hit her then what to do.
To
begin, a light layer of gold was brushed over the base green. All of
the fruit you see was decoupaged on with a light sprinkling of
glitter mixed in. The effect is stunning. The juicy and ripened
fruits shimmy and shine when looking from any direction. Brush a
little here, lightly glitter a little more over there and she finally
had the look she wanted. A sugary plump delight. The rich deep
colors give the effect of the fruit floating in air. Light touches
of gold add to the depth you see. Aging the surfaces was
accomplished with a vanilla gloss coat. Yes, I said vanilla. Just a
couple of caps mixed in with the gloss tinted just enough to make
this look like it has aged gracefully for decades. I had never heard
of anything like it. An added bonus is the scent of vanilla whenever
the trunk warms, whether from summer heat or winter stove.
The
pompoms running across both front and back were also found at the
thrift store. With a bright lime green look from the 70's someone
got tired of them just wadded in the closet. A vanilla soaking with
a tinge of gold paint aged these perfectly to match.
Even
the tasty apples which also came from the same thrift store trip have
been Artiqued. Starting at bright red, both were aged with gold
paint and decoupage. After seeing these hanging, the outside just
would not be complete without them.
The
interior is every bit as lovely. Lift the lid and a portrait of
sugary glitter glazed ripe peaches with dainty white blossoms and
foliage awaits you. The bottom of this trunk comes alive with a trio
of glittery sugar glazed pears and blossoms. Simply mouth watering.
Framed with 100 year old lace ribbon, the fruity bouquet under the
lid looks as if you had just plucked it to make a pie. Almost an
entire roll of this beautiful ribbon was found at the local transfer
station. Another thing of beauty rescued from refuse. Lace borders
both top and bottom of the interior. To hide the corners, cording
was added as well.
This
is a smaller chest. Standing 18 inches tall, it is the perfect
height to rest and contemplate the day. I have a feeling this will
never be sat on again! The lid is 26 by 15½ inches and overhangs
the box by about an inch all around. Even the handles you see were
added. Someone threw away an entire box of hardware that we kept.
The box had gotten wet so rather than dry and clean everything, the
person went and bought new. Kitty has never seen the value in that
way of life and quite honestly, now that I am learning I don't
either.
ArcticArtique.Blogspot.com
Recucle,
Repurpose, Reuse
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