Skip to main content

FEATURED Blog Post on Hometalk

Classic Black Antique China Cabinet

  Does anyone have china dishes anymore? Is it still a thing? Years ago, when I got married, it was all about picking your china pattern and creating a gift registry for the pieces you needed. My pattern was called Chelsea by Royal Doulton, and it was a soft muted floral.

Ornately Carved Wood Jewelry Box goes Farmhouse - updated!


Hand carved jewelry chest anyone?



When I see these amazing hand carved solid wood boxes in any size I am drawn to them. I find the intricate carved wood so interesting. But they are not usually a pretty nor consistent stain color.

UPDATE #2: A kind reader let me know the wood is sheesham; a popular wood from India that holds a sharp edge when carved. And that the carving is done with hand tools and a hand run drill. Thank you for that information Jacx.


This cutie had one major issue; a missing foot. I did an online search and put out a request for any parts with no luck.
So I came up with a replacement using small wooden candle cups and chopsticks for the dowels (tip #1).



Subscribe to this Blog    
Follow me on Pinterest ~  
Follow me on Hometalk 
Email me



The chopsticks were cut to size and glued in place with my wood glue. HOWEVER after I had them glued securely in place I asked myself why I did not paint them first!! Here is your second tip of the project.


Then it was bath time. As you can see the original stain was washing off which means there will be bleed thru most likely.


To combat this I used Dixie Belle's Boss in clear.


It goes on white but dries clear, and very fast as you can see above. 


A narrow 1" chip brush is perfect for getting it in the hand carved detail areas in a pouncing swirling motion. Then let the coat dry. 

Tip #3, spray the piece with  Zinsser Bull’s Eye spray shellac rather then the Boss as there was a faint tinge of the original stain once the piece was complete. More coats of Boss may have helped but I know shellac works like a charm. 


UPDATE!!! the chest continued to bleed thru as it cured (above). I repainted it starting with more boss then paint but it bled thru again so it was time for Zinsser Bull’s Eye spray shellac. This stuff has not let me down in the past. I sprayed on a couple coats of spray shellac, let dry then redid all the steps below once again.



For the color I chose a lovely crisp white called palace by Jolie Paint from my recent shipment.



Everything has 1 coat of palace white brushed on but not in the carved areas.


And seeing I did not think to paint before gluing on, I used an fine pointed artist brush for painting the new feet.

Two coats of white were brushed on and when dry everything was sponge sanded smooth.


Then it was time to seal the paint. Using Jolie's fabulous wax brush I applied their clear wax. To give some more age and dimension to the piece their brown wax was brushed on around the edges and in the carved recessed areas.

And it now has a whole new look.












This project has my affiliate link to Jolie Paint; prices do not change when you purchase paint and supplies thru the link, They do however give me a small credit to continue creating more amazing pieces using Jolie Paint.



I have linked items I use on my projects via my Amazon affiliate for your convenience. Rest assured there is no pressure to purchase nor is there any increase in price using my links. It is only meant to share what products I find useful.


FEATURED!!




Comments