Years ago, my little sewing box could hold all my notions. Until recently, my notions were located in a shelf in my Stitch Studio....in plastic boxes. That was all fine and good until I spotted this remarkable little chest at My Salvation Army Thrift Store. That was when I realized that what I needed was a Notion Chest! This little overpainted beauty was $5! Score! Do I think about the work involved to make it lovely? Of course not!...it was $5!
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| Pine Chest Before |
The size is perfect and I could envision my collection of cigar boxes fitting in the little shelves with handmade labels for each type of notion. It is well built and fits in the spot in my Studio......
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| Pine Underneath Paint...lots of paint! |
I took some mineral spirits to see what I was up against...How many layers of paint is that? So, after lots of stripper, elbow grease, heat gun and determination...I was happy with the chest when it was mostly stripped. (I have a problem with my hands and my patience.) So, shabby chic is good enough for me. This is not a rare antique, just a darling piece for my studio.
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| Shabby Chic Notion Chest |
I left some of the paint on the shelves, so I painted the inside shelves a soft white. Where I couldn't (or wouldn't) get the remaining paint off nooks and crannies, I added some soft coral paint. I finished the surface with Formby's Tung Oil.
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| The Bark Cloth was a thrift find |
I lined the shelves with this great old bark cloth. It is a print of food with the calory count next to each item. I believe that this bark cloth was kitchen curtains at some point...who would do that to themselves????
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| Labels were added with double stick mounting tape that comes off with no damage to the box |
I love cigar boxes, and I never pay more than $3 for one. The cigar boxes fit perfectly in the shelves.I made a label for each box.
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| Vintage cigar boxes hold sewing notions |
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| These spools came with the threads on them |
I used vintage American Thread Co. thread spools for the door handles.
The important thing in my studio is that there is a cute place for everything and everything is in its cute place. I work with so much stuff that the more organized I can be, the smoother my work goes. Fixing up old things is also good for me....I can take a break from work and still be productive.
