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From Waste To Good Taste - A Music Box 🌼

Hi everyone! 🌼

I hope you are all doing ok at this time. For those of you who are struggling with the extreme lows of lock down I really hope that reading this post will help to inspire you and help you escape, even if only for a moment, from everything else.


This week I was going to be doing a DIY on a set of drawers but of course, I changed my mind! After a very safe, social distanced trip to the local charity shop I came home with a fair few goodies that I was dying to share and another piece to DIY. I couldn't wait to share with you guys what I had done to change this music box around so here it is.


There will be a poll over on Thefoxsfern Instagram story as to whether you'd like a little charity shop haul or another DIY next week so go and vote for which you'd prefer! 🌼


At the end of the post I reveal just how much this little beauty cost so no skipping ahead! Read it all and ready yourself for the reveal.


As always I really hope you like this post, don't be afraid to leave a comment or a like, you can find me on Instagram, all my links will be at the bottom of the post, and don't forget to stay smiling! 🌼


🌼 Let's begin 🌼



As you can tell I got carried away and started sanding before I had even taken my "Before" photo, but honestly this is pretty much the condition it came in.


I was not a fan of the dark varnish on top and it had began to chip and fleck away. I did check to ensure that the actual mechanism inside the music box worked perfectly before I purchased it and it really did. It may not be in perfect tune, but that just makes me love it more!




It has some really gorgeous detailing on the edges and front of the box. The detail around the top reminded me of little crescent moons and I instantly fell in love.


I really had no idea where to start with this or what I was going to do, as usual, but I did know I wanted to see what the wood was like underneath that dark varnish.


Of course I'm not expecting you'll find one the same as this but you may have a box, trinket dish, or something alike you may want to DIY, so I will list the supplies right below! 🌼



For this DIY you will need: 🌼


🌼 A box / Music box

🌼 Gloves

🌼 Mask (The varnish had a really funky smell and I really regret not using a mask for the sanding portion)

🌼 Sandpaper

🌼 Paint of your choice

🌼 Stain of your choice (I chose not to stain mine, but I may bleach stain it in the future as I'm still not settled on the colour of the wood so I will include that method below)

🌼 A soft cloth

🌼 Paint brushes

🌼 Masking tape

🌼 Screw driver

🌼 Clear furniture wax


It seems a lot of supplies but not all of them will be necessary depending on what look you are hoping to achieve with your music box!


To start with, this isn't on the list but I antibacterial wiped the hell out of this because it was clear it had been very warn, chipped and used, and wood is especially one of those surfaces that make me a little sceptical of the cleanliness because germs can really sink into the surface. This may not be actual fact but it's how I feel when I'm around wood surfaces.


I then waited for the surfaces to fully dry and removed the lid. It is worth putting all the little screws in a bag with the hinges and folding the hinges down the correct way, just to ensure it goes back together as easy as possible! Trust me I speak from experience of holes not lining up and hinges not fitting back properly.


I decided that I was going to start with the lid first, making sure this was all sanded then I would figure out what I was going to do with the main body of the box later.


One thing to remember when sanding wood is to go with the grain, on mine you can see there is what looks like two separate grains where wood has been stuck together and this actually meant I then caught the sandpaper against the grain leaving very small scuff marks. I also only used a 120 grit sandpaper which is the smoothest I had as the varnish was very thin I didn't want to damage the wood underneath.


I then remembered the "Retro Yellow" paint my mum had given me for a cupboard I am working on and thought yes. Simply - Yes. I didn't want to cover the whole lid in paint but I definitely wanted to add a good accent of colour around it so I painted the outer rim with this gorgeous yellow colour and it looked so much better!


I then used the gold furniture paint from my last blog post to go in all those little crescent moon shapes and it finished off the lid lovely!


I know this yellow colour isn't for everyone, at first I wasn't quite sure myself, but I'm so glad I stuck to my guns and went for it.


I also decided to paint the inside of the lid, I only scuffed this up enough that the paint would stick because this varnish was actually really pungent when sanding so covering it was easier than removing all of it. I actually really love the inside being yellow when you open the lid its so bright.


I did also think of maybe adding a little mirror to the inside to give it an edge of extra personalisation but that felt a tad too extra for what I was going for.


The next thing was tackling this bodywork. The carving was so intricate I knew there was no way to sand it all and didn't want to use a harsh chemical stripper because I just don't agree with those.


I started off covering the musical mechanism, it is so important to try and preserve this the best you can and not get dirt jammed up in there. So I covered it with two layers of paper and then masking taped all over the area to ensure minimal dust would get in.


It looks a little messy but it worked really well for covering the mechanism and keeping it clean! I also kept the hinges in the box right next to it because although I said to put them in a packet. I know if I put them in a packet I will loose the packet! Some people chose to masking tape their metal pieces to the bottom, but I don't trust they wont get lost that way.


I then went around the whole box (except from the bottom) sanding again. I actually really enjoyed sanding, painting and then sanding.


Rather than sanding in one big bulk because it just gives you a break from the one task and allows you to think of what steps you are going to take next.


I had originally planned on staining or bleaching the wood and didn't, but for those of you who might here's how:


🌼 Bleaching method - This method is super simple, you simply get a cloth or rag, pour bleach onto it without diluting. Make sure you wear gloves and a mask for this part! Then gently rub it into the wood in an even fashion and let it dry. Once dry wipe over with a damp cloth and again leave to dry. This method works so well at lightening wood and I am still considering it, but I'm unsure if it will chip my paint as I ran out of clear wax so haven't had chance to buff that in.


Clear furniture wax, such as bees wax or you can even use a varnish is there to ensure no damp or dirt gets into your furniture, as this piece isn't a high traffic piece I am hoping to not need to varnish or wax it, but I may in the future just to help preserve the item better.


🌼 Staining method - Choose whichever wood stain you prefer, pour or dab a small amount on a cloth and rub it into the wood. Do not rub the surface over and over again as this will lift the stain back out. Allow it to dry and wipe any excess off with a dry clean cloth. If you desire the stain to be darker simply apply again and repeat the steps.


I didn't really know which parts I wanted to paint, I just knew it was going to be in the retro yellow or gold. So naturally I used both.


And here's the finished product 🌼


I decided to paint the main rim of the box in yellow as well as the side parts that lead to the legs because I really wanted to create some form of cohesive line from the yellow in the lid, down through the rest of the design.


I then decided to paint all of the intricate detail in gold and I'm honestly still unsure about this. Even though it makes it look so shiny and high end I don't know if it gives a large enough contrast to the wood. I'm sure I'll change my mind at some point!


That's the thing with DIY, a lot of it is simply trying things out because what's the harm? If you don't like a colour you chose, you can sand it back and paint it again, or bleach, or stain. There are endless possibilities and only by trying these things can we find what we love and what works for us!


This item only cost £3 in the charity shop and I had all of the items I needed to transform it. Of course if you were to buy the paint new it would be more expensive, but honestly for such a beautiful music box - I'd pay for my materials over and over again.


Thank you all so much for your support, a comment, like, even a read means so much to me! I hope you loved this diy as much as I did, if you decide to recreate yours the same tag me over on Instagram @thefoxsfern I'd love to see what you come up with!


I hope you all have a lovely evening and a bright weekend,


Feel free to leave a comment, like or reach me on social media!


🌼 Stay smiling







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