Are you looking for a simple project with a lot of WOW that actually looks quite regal in a short period of time??? How about dressing up a few simple wooden boxes? I'm thinking they make great gifts, plant holders, mail catchers, pet beds, kitchen island displays..... and so many more uses! Making nail head trim box with the same name stencil by Dixie Belle. I created two here for you to see!
One is a wooden box with a cute drill press handle that I picked up at Hobby Lobby for under $20. You can see the before here:
The other box is actually my favorite! I've repurposed these wine crates for years! You can usually get them for FREE from you local wine store.... and if they do charge for them they usually ask for $1-3 per box. I mean really???? They are so cool! And I love the stamped label on the them!
I did each box a little differently so I'll explain each one here for you:
Light green box with handle:
Painted the box first with Silk in Cactus green. Applied MUD (in white) over the Nail Head Trim Stencil creating a raised stencil effect.
Applied a second coat of Cactus once the faux nailhead trim dried which took about 2 hours.
Once dry.... I applied a light coat of Best Dang Wax in Black and wiped back to give a shadow around each raised nailhead. Laid the stencil back down over the faux nail heads and applied gold gilding wax with my finger. VOILA!
Dark green wine box:
Painted the box with Silk in Midnight Green
Once dry I laid taped down the stencil in preparation for the MUD application.
I then applied Dixie Belle MUD in Black this time.
I applied it using a metal paint spatula. I applied it evenly and thin.
It is best to immediately remove stencil and wash stencil with water. Do not rinse this MUD down your drain. I use an outside faucet.
While the MUD was drying I focused on the wooden label stamp on the end of the box. I decided I wanted to accentuate the lettering by adding Best Dang Wax in black. I applied with a brush and wiped back the excess. I LOVE the outcome!!! The letters had virtually disappeared when just painted.... so this was an easy way to bring them back to life!
I then decided to line the inside of the box with this gorgeous rice paper called Art Deco Bird Pattern (lol.... not a super original name).
This is a really easy process. I use Dixie Belle Satin top coat..... apply it to the wood on the box..... and then lay down the pre-trimmed to fit paper while the top coat is still wet. I then smoothed it out with my fingers and hands and applied another coat of satin top coat on top.
And finally..... I added the Gilding Wax in Copper to the railed black nail head trim. I laid the stencil back over the pattern..... exposing the black nail heads only..... and used a small brush this time (instead of my fingers) to brush on the copper finish! And VOILA! Since both projects were painted in SILK... which has a built in top coat.... no protective coating is required! I think both of these boxes would look great with metal legs on them! I just couldn't wait to take the photos..... so I did without them!
I hope this will inspire you to try the raised stencil technique. It is a lot of fun.... and this simple nailhead trim is an easy pattern to use to try it for the first time! XOXO, Tracey
For those of you that would like to watch me create these boxes and discuss the techniques used…. please check out my YouTube video here:
