How to Make Beautiful Jewelry Boxes with Iron Orchid Stamps

How to update your thrift store finds and make beautiful drawers in jewelry boxes, dressers, or other furniture with Iron Orchid stamps.

I was on a hunt… walking the linoleum aisles of the familiar store in the fluorescent lighting. Surrounded by the subtle scent of body odors hanging onto the used clothes. But it’s not clothes that I was after that day. I was continuing my hunt to save every old jewelry cabinet from thrift stores across the country! That’s when I spotted this sad, little, plain-Jane jewelry cabinet.

Today I’m sharing this painted jewelry cabinet makeover with a special surprise inside… Iron Orchid stamps on the sides of the drawers. This is a super easy technique that will really boost the design of your thrift store makeovers, whether you’re painting a jewelry box, dresser, desk, or any other piece of furniture that has drawers.

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Supplies Used for this Jewelry Cabinet Makeover

• old jewelry cabinet
• blue paint – I used DecoArt Satin Enamel in Seaside Blue
• black paint
• glazing medium
• paint brushes
• paper plate
• foam roller
• Iron Orchid stamp
• pie plate (or any other shallow dish)
• dishwashing soap
• decorative metal
• tin snips
• E6000

{{{See a complete list of what’s in my toolbox and supply cabinet.}}}

How to Paint a Jewelry Cabinet

The first step in painting any thrift store find is always to clean it. You can read more about how I clean my thrift store haul HERE. Once the jewelry cabinet was clean, I removed the glass from the doors and the trim that was around them. Most jewelry cabinets don’t have this piece. The piece was plastic made to look like metal so I didn’t really want to keep it. If the handles are screwed in, I’ll remove them. Since these weren’t, I left them in. Sometimes I paint around them but today I painted and glazed right over them. Chalk type paints are super easy to use. I just painted on two coats, letting it dry completely between coats. Once the second coat was completely dry, I mixed some of the black paint with my glazing medium, painted it over, and wiped it off before it dried. No varnish or top coat is needed after this.

How to Use Iron Orchid Stamps

These stamps from Iron Orchid would be beautiful all over this piece but I wanted a special little surprise when the drawers were opened. Pour (or dip) out a little black paint on the disposable plate, roll it onto the stamp, and press the stamp onto the side of the drawer. That’s it! It’s important to keep your stamps clean so I had a dish of warm soapy water nearby to drop it in when I finished. HINT: The chalky finish paint started to gunk up after a while.  Next time I’m going to use regular black acrylic paint.

In this video, the creators of Iron Orchid stamps show you several ways to use them. Skip over to 5:34 to see the “bare” method. That’s what I used for this project. I just used clear stamps WITHOUT  an acrylic block or any kind of backing.

 

And here’s how it turned out. What do you think? I removed the old glass out of the doors and replaced it with a piece of decorative metal that I cut to fit with tin snips. Then I just glued it in with my E6000. I also put together a list of other products you could use to replace the glass in THIS ARTICLE.

Finished Jewelry Cabinet Makeover with Iron Orchid Stamps

The inside was in good condition, just a little dusty. So I wiped it out with a damp cloth. How does it look now? I even like how the painted handles looked. So much easier than removing them! And here it is staged for sale… (SOLD at Paris Flea Market.)

More Thrift Store Upcycles You Might Like

If you enjoyed this thrift store makeover, you might also like these:

• Red Jewelry Cabinet with Stenciled Drawers
• Black Glaze on a Green Jewelry Cabinet
• Turquoise Drip Paint Finish on a Jewelry Cabinet
• Tips for Painting with Chalk Paint
• 15 Jewelry Storage Ideas

Now take a look at these upcycled projects from my upcycled blogging friends!

Thanks for reading about this month’s thrift store upcycle project.  And remember not to overlook the sides of the drawers when you’re painting a jewelry box, dresser, desk, or any other piece of furniture that has drawers.

‘Til the next project,

 Ann @ Duct Tape and Denim

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