The piece I started with was this super cheap MDF child’s jewelry box. It was great for my kids when they were little, but hearts and flowers no longer cool when you are on the cusp of middle school so I thought it was time to give it a makeover. I loved the little ball feet, but the heart pulls were too ‘babyish’ according to my fifth grader. and don’t get her started about the ladybug! (*insert pre-teen eye roll here!)
This is how it looks today and the girls couldn’t be more thrilled. They plan on adding labels to the pulls with their names.. so each of them gets three drawers.
The cool part about this project is that I only used a SINGLE power tool (a random orbit sander) and the chippy distressed paint job on the front isn’t exactly as it appears!
I’ll share the whole step by step process below.. but first you need to see the projects from the other 8 participants in the challenge this month:
Modified Leaning Ladder Storage By Designed Decor
How To Resize A Wood Picture Frame By Her Tool Belt
How To Resize A Wood Picture Frame By Her Tool Belt
Ikea Moppe Hack Apothecary Cabinet by Interior Frugalista
Portable Craft Table By Create and Babble
Grown Up Jewelry Box By Kim Six
Modified Dresser By My Repurposed Life
Bed Spindle Candle Holders By H2OBungalow
Ammunition Crate Table by Virginia Sweet Pea
Child’s Jewelry Box Makeover
Supplies:
Putty Knife or Razor BladeWood Filler or Spackle
Random Orbit or Palm Sander
220 Grit Sandpaper
Paint & Roller
Mod Podge
Scrapbook Paper
Scissors
Name Plate Drawer Pulls
Hammer & Nail or Awl
Screwdriver
Process:
The original jewelry box was pretty colorful, and the little heart pulls were just glued on.Using a putty knife or paint scraper remove the handles. A few quick taps on the handle is all it took for these:If the MDF below is damaged you will want to fill in the holes left behind.
Next using your power sander, remove the top layer of paint. Since this was MDF I was very careful to not oversand. I just wanted the pattern knocked down enough that I wasn’t worried about it showing through the new paint. If you are painting it dark, you only need to sand it enough to rough up the surface. High grit (220-300) work fine for this.
Next I painted the entire jewelry box. I used a cream colored wall paint I had leftover from another project.
I went to the craft store and found some fabulous faux wood scrapbook paper. There are a lot of types and colors and styles to choose from, so I brought home a few and settled on the one that looked best (since the box is small.. a small scale print was my favorite.
I also picked up these label holder drawer pulls, to give the box a card catalog feel.
I traced the scrapbook paper and cut them out with a scissors. Then I painted on a layer of Mod Podge, added the paper and coated with another layer of Mod Podge. After that layer dried I added a second layer, taking extra care to make sure I sealed the edges really well.
Next I added the pulls. Make sure you put them high enough that you can still pull out the drawer below. To attach them I used a hammer and nail to create a pilot hole through the paper (you could also use an awl.) I then used a screwdriver to add the label holders. (You don’t want to use a drill or driver for this since the jewelry box is so thin!)
I slid the drawers back in and that is all there was to it! It is an amazing transformation.. and it only cost about $6 for the pulls and the paper! A much better deal than buying my picky tween a new jewelry box!