April 15, 2009

labor of [tiffany] love

My latest DIY project: my childhood jewelry box. Before:



After:



And still to come:



(Please forgive my messy little kitchen--note the big bunny; it's all Easter stuff we either came home with or are using for decor.) I love Tiffany & Co. They're so classic. Whether you love their deeply rooted vintage history or you're a modern girl who just loves her labels, you just can't go wrong with Tiffany's. Now of course I can't always afford their jewels, but I do own one of their classic heart necklaces (a key inspiration since my box already had the heart theme going on). I still keep it in its little pouch and box just to remind of what I may someday be able to buy whenever I want. So until that time comes, I figured all my jewelry (from the cheap to the good stuff) should rest inside a beautiful blue box.

The process was intense as I had to disassemble and remove all the old lining. I swear for as cheap as this box was made, they must have used the strongest glue known to man because I was hating life trying to get that stuff off! Hubbs finally suggested I try heating the lining up with a hair dryer, which proved to speed the removal along.









Then I used wood putty to fill in some of the seams...



...and fill in my non-see through heart.



Add a little blue and silver paint...





...and you have my new jewelry box! My saving grace was a fabulous invention called stick-on felt (hallelujah for Michael's!), which I used to line the case and the drawers. It also turned out to be a savior when I recovered the little ring holders. The final touch will be the application of the Tiffany & Co. logo and lettering (which will be another DIY since I can't find vinyl lettering in the style and size I want it). I'm also thinking I may add a small swirl to that now plain drawer. I think it kind of tops it off.



I can't wait to have it fully completed and sitting up on my dresser!

5 comments:

  1. Just checking in to see how you are doing. What a darling project, I , too, have been painting and dismantling. It can be fun, though, right!

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  2. It was fun, but I'm so glad to be done with it!! ;)

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  3. What a clever Kitten you are! I have a couple of smaller Tiffany pieces and I've even kept all the little blue boxes and bags they came in.

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  4. I had to looke twice! The hardware looked like you had gotten diamond look-alikes. So appropriate to the theme.

    This turned out well. How did you get the words on the outside?

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  5. Roxanne: It's basically the equivalent of a rub-on. In this case, a DIY made using transperency sheets (like for a projector) and a household printer. I haven't actually applied them yet, but once I do, I will do an in-depth tutorial on them.

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