A Thrifty Decorative Storage Box

It should come as no surprise that I have a love affair with pretty storage boxes.  Anything that can tuck away clutter and goodies gets an A+, and if it is pretty, it will receive extra credit!

But man are they pricey!  Lacquer, capiz shell, leather, stained.... decorative boxes come in oodles of finishes and sizes, but often at oddly high prices. 

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So imagine the happy little dance I did in the aisle of Goodwill when I spotted boatloads of these little red lacquer boxes:

At $2.99 each, I picked up two {originally $20 at Target, wahoo!}.

One would be cleaned up and left "as is" for the boy's shared bedroom to hold little collectables {what boys don't collect things right?}, and the other was going to live in my studio.

I started out armed with my favorite supplies.  The Goo Gone was the only thing getting the tape residue off of the box.  Then, I wiped it all down with some all purpose cleaner.  From there, I gave it three thin coats of spray paint.  I went with Rustoleum's Paint & Primer, and stuck with a smooth, high gloss finish.

So much better already!  But a little blah for my taste. 

Lately I have been itching to find small touches of gold to bring into our spaces.  Up until recently, I have been afraid.  Very afraid.  Gold reminds me of brass and brass reminds me of bad decor choices my mom made in the 80's.  Love my mom, didn't love the brass side tables.

However, I have been seeing it used so tastefully and I have found that, in small doses, I kinda LOVE it!  Isn't it fun when you surprise yourself?

I cheated and used some gold foil sticker paper that I could cut with my Silhouette, but they also have gold duct tape that could easily be cut down to create a similar look.

I decided to go with a chevron type pattern {found in the Silhouette store}, which I cut a little long, just to be sure it would fit the way I envisioned.

Then I just turned the top over and used a craft knife to cut carefully cut the excess edges off.

Isn't she pretty?!!?

I love the gold against the white.  Feels so fun, fresh and hip.  Something my studio will totally need.  The pattern makes me bright eyed and grinning big!

Since I spend so much of my time sitting at a desk, I find myself reaching for many of the same favorite items throughout the day:

• Blank notes
• Hand cream
• Lip balm
• Paperclips
• Pen
• Page flags
• Washi tape

This new pretty box will hold all of my favorite things in one place!

Anyone else gaga over decorative boxes?  What do you love to stash inside?  Any other thrifty storage box makeovers you wish to share?