I have a thing for old streamer trunks and chests. I don't know why. I don't even have space for the ones I have but I love them just the same. I supposed I am a sap for all things sentimental and for organization. What better way to keep all of my sentimental items organized?
When my first daughter was celebrating her first Christmas, I asked my husband to buy me a trunk and spruce it up. I had a "baby box" where my mom kept all of my baby things she had held onto--clothes and such. I wanted the same for my girl but I wanted it to have a collage of pictures of her actually wearing the things in the trunk. Well my husband picked out the elements to include in the trunk and used a clear epoxy resin to attach them to the inside. He also included some things of our history together including a list I made before I met him of what I wanted in a man. I will not tell you what is on that list and I plan to cover that with a photograph before my girls can read. Hah! Anyway, here is the trunk I plan to give to my girl someday filled with the her baby things I can't bring myself to part with. Hopefully I can fit them all in there!
The next trunk I altered was for my husband. He was medically separated from the marine corps after 10 years. I wanted him to have something nice to store his special items including old uniforms, medals, photos, and other memorabilia. This was not a task I thought I could atempt entirely on my own as there are a lot of military traditions and "dos" and "donts" that I do not understand. So I enlisted the help of Kirk, an exNavy man who now makes shadow boxes.
First, I went to craigslist and bought this old trunk for $70
With the help of My husbands buddies at work, I collected all the things that needed to go inside the box. Good thing the guys were in on it because I bought female chevrons on accident. haha. Kirk put a wood stain and finish over the box even though it is covered in canvas. It actually came out beautifully and I was so glad he did it:
Then he built a shadowbox into the lid and put some extra hinges on it to support the added weight. He also made an engraving with all of his duty stations and dates listed on it. My husband LOVED it!! He still shows it to every man who comes over.
The most recent trunk I've been working on is one for dress up clothes for the girls. I think I will turn it into a baby box for my younger one when they outgrow the dress-up thing. I bought an antique trunk with domed lid that had already been painted gold for $40 on craigslist. Then I taped off sections of it and painted it pink. My husband thinks it's ugly. haha. I still need to put in some childproof hinges so they can't smash their fingers. The ones I bought don't fit in it so this one is still in the garage as a work in progress. My oldest one sees it and says it's treasure. That's exactly what I was going for--girly treasure!!
Have you done anything to an old trunk? I'd love to hear about it! I may just need another one. ;)
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