I’m only calling it the Anniversary Chest because I finished it on my wedding anniversary. April 21 my husband and I celebrated nineteen years of marriage and, just a couple days before that, we had celebrated the date we had met twenty-two years before. And by celebrated, I mean acknowledged each remarkable date during a FaceTime call while separated by an ocean, 4,297 miles and a 6 hour time difference.

That wedding knot we tied nineteen years ago must be tied pretty tight because we’ve spent a fair amount of anniversaries apart. We’ve been through our fair share of stress together (we have teens!). And we’ve chosen to live on separate continents for the last ten months for an amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The irony of this separation is that I stayed behind in the States to see our oldest through senior year of high school. We were on the back nine, the 3 yard line, the last inning, when some little event like a global pandemic brought the school year to an early end causing all those events we stayed home for- prom, graduation, dance competition season- to be canceled. Not to mention my husband and I reuniting is on hold for the time being.

But… Spring has sprung. The trees are budding and the flowers are gearing up for their showtime. Life is still moving forward. And I’m still painting.

I scored the plain wood chest on Facebook marketplace and paid more than I should have but it’s been slim pickins out there and thrift stores are closed. I’m super proud of myself as I only had it for a week or two before I finished it. That never happens.

I painted it with lots of texture and crackles which I accomplished using DIY Paint and a heat gun. No crackle medium, no crackle varnish, no paint additive. Due to DIY Paint having a clay base, it is very easy to achieve texture and crackles.

The bottom is painted in Prairie Grey and Gravel Road which I applied with a cheap chip brush using lots of paint and a stippling motion. I then took my offset knife and moved the paint around. I got even more texture by using my Wagner heat gun to dry the paint some and then again used my offset knife to move the drying paint around. You’ll really be able to feel and see the clay in the paint while doing this.

The top of the chest was done with the same technique using Mint Chip and Apothecary. Crackles are easy to achieve by applying a think layer of paint and drying it with your heat gun. Don’t hold the heat gun in one spot for too long as it’s easy to almost set your piece on fire (slight exaggeration but ask me how I know this).

Once the painting was finished I used my Birds, Blossoms and Branches (say that 3 times fast) stamp set from Iron Orchid Designs. I used black ink, white ink and IOD Turmeric ink to create a random design of branches and blossoms with a few well placed leaf clusters.

I then sealed the entire piece with DIY Clear Wax, adding just a touch of Decrepit Dust in some of the nooks and crannies for a little bit of an aged effect.

Oh- and I almost forgot about the legs. The LEGS! How could I forget. They are brass legs I had from another project. That one was a very small footstool I dug out of the bins at the Goodwill outlet back in the day before just going to the mailbox required a mask and gloves. I reupholstered that footstool but struggled to get those legs back on because I couldn’t get the screws through the upholstery fabric (it’s something I struggle with). I was thinking this box reminded me of a very extra large jewelry box and those look great with feet added and then I remembered I had those brass legs! Serendipity!

I love this box with all its imperfections, blemishes, and history. It’s a metaphor for our marriage which is not perfect. It’s a little beat up and blemished sometimes, but still functional and sturdy with a beautiful and amazing shared history.

For the full video tutorial, please visit the new DIY-aGoGo YouTube channel. I am a monthly contributor! You can find the video here. You can shop for all your DIY Paint supplies here.