Wood box with dollar store frame

My spare bedroom has slowly become a dumping ground for all my future "projects".  There's an assorted collection of picture frames, fabric, cabinet doors, several pieces of scrolly iron things and a clock that I want to "do over".  It's getting pretty scary in there.

Before  I hit another thrift store and bring home other people's stuff to work on, it's time to focus on the pile of things I already have.   And with family coming out this summer to visit, it's time to start making a dent in that pile and reclaim my guest room.

Out of the pile came a wood box that I've had for 2 years.  Probably longer.  Got it from a garage sale.   It sat on top of my kitchen cabinet filled with boxwood that I cut from an overgrown shrub.  When the boxwood shriveled up and died, I took the box down.   The plan was to give it a new look, cause it looked too plain,,  Just blah.   

 No "before" picture.  Sorry.  I was putting on the second coat of paint before I realized that I didn't take a picture.  It had a bronze spray paint on it...like someone wanted it look like metal instead of wood.   

I had some oops paint in a pretty periwinkle blue color that I had been dying to try.    Here is is after 2 coats.

And of course, it got a good sanding down for a distressed look.   Cause everything has to look old and scuffed up.

I got this frame from Dollar Tree.   It's super thin and light, but I liked the detail.  This was going to get painted the same color and put on the box.

I have no idea what these are called.   I found them when I was walking around Lowes.  They were in the plumbing section.  These are 2" size.  Well, whatever they are, they are now my handles.

  This is what they look like after soaking 24 hours in a bleach/vinegar mix.

I took the backing off the frame and pulled off the tabs with pliers.   Since I was going to glue it directly on the box, I needed it to lay flat.  

Next, 2 coats of the same periwinkle blue.   What I SHOULD have done was make my own chalk paint for the frame instead of plain latex. The latex was okay, but CP would have been better.  Live and learn, right?

I very, very gently sanded around the frame.  I didn't want "shiny" to come through.   A watered down brown craft paint was brushed on and wiped off to age the blue paint.  The idea was to match the frame to the box.

Now time to make a chalk board.  I removed the cardboard that was inside the frame and traced it on foamboard (also from Dollar Tree) and cut out.  This will be the chalkboard.   The cardboard that came with the frame had small holes in it, so I couldn't use it.

I gave the foamboard 2 coats of chalkboard spray paint.  As soon as it was dry, I rubbed a piece of chalk sideways all over.  Wipe on, wipe off.  I did this a couple of times, because the foamboard has little dips in it.   After the third time, it really started to look like chalkboard.     Normally, you're supposed to wait longer than that before you put chalk to it, but I'm impatient that way.  And this isn't chalkboard that anyone will write on anyway.

I placed a graphic with little clippies and traced with a stylus.   Since this is foamboard, it left an indentation which made it easy to fill in with paint.

When that was drying, I attached my handles.

Now I can glue the frame to the box.   The foamboard fit in the frame perfectly.    It was pretty thin.   I think the kind that Michaels carry would be too thick to fit inside this wimpy frame.

I really like how this turned out.   Best of all is that there is one less thing in my pile.   

I'm on my way to getting my guest bedroom back.