How to make a 2 year old happy.

I hope that title didn't imply that I was going to be giving some sort of parenting advice, because I'm not.  I'm far from an expert in the rearing of children. 
                       {Side note:  Rearing...that word always makes me giggle.  I'm not sure why.}

 I only have one and she is { as my Mom would say} full of piss and vinegar.  Any given day you will find me beating my head against the wall.  But truth be told, I wouldn't have it any other way.  Case in Point:  my daughter (who is almost 2 1/2 yrs. old) got it into her head that she needed a jewelry box.  What that really means is that she has been harassing me about it for about a week now!  She has NO jewelry...she's 2!  But, when on a trip to good ol' Goodwill I saw a very sad and dated looking little jewelry box.  It was $3.00.  I actually thought that was a little high but I saw what it could be so I bought it.  I knew it would make a certain little 2 year old girl happy.

This is what it looks like now:

This is how it started out:

It didn't take much time or effort to transform this little guy which is good because my daughter was not in the mood to wait.

It require only a few supplies, all of which I already had on hand.


Gorilla glue, America brand glaze, white paint, antiquing glaze and paint color of choice a cheap brush and a detail brush.  I also used Modge Podge but it somehow escaped from the photo.

 First I painted the entire jewelry box in my paint color of choice.  I picked this lovely blue Martha Stewart test pot that was a mistint so it only cost 50 cents.  I applied two coats since I did not prime first. {Mainly because I was feeling lazy, it was cold and well, I just didn't want to bother with it.}
* But, I feel it's my duty to tell you that you should always prime the pieces that you paint because it just makes everything that much more pretty.

Next, I added a white wash effect.  I mixed a 3:1 ratio of Americana Glazing Medium and white craft paint.  I used an el' cheapo brush for this because I wanted it to look worn and uneven.  I also worked with a nearly dry brush to keep the coating light.

After the paint dried completely I used Modge Podge to apply a paper accent which says "Happily Ever After" onto the top of the box.

I also picked out some broken vintage jewelry pieces and used the Gorilla glue to secure them to the top.  I didn't want my 2 year old to be able to rip them off and Gorilla glue is the BEST!

After this my toddler was getting antsy so I let her have a look before I moved on to my final step.



I think she likes it!

 I wanted to add some more depth and a little more of a distressed look so I mixed a couple of drops of Valspar Antiquing Glaze with an equal amount of Americana Glaze Medium .  I used my detail brush to lightly coat the drawer pulls and the edges of the jewelry box.  I used a wet wipe to LIGHTLY wipe away the excess glaze.

I love the way it turned out and so does my little punk.  She keeps talking about needing to have necklaces, earings and bracelets to put in the top and how she wants to put her treasures in the bottom drawer.  Great!  Now I have to go get her some dang dress-up jewelry.  I obviously did not think this thing through.