Paint a Trunk Pretty Pale Pink & Silver

November 28, 2021

When you paint a trunk pale pink and silver, it doesn’t have to have a little girl vibe. This painted trunk idea is proof positive the design can be feminine and still be sophisticated.

I’ve been working my way through this vintage French Provincial bedroom set, and this week I started with this blank slate.

I debated filling in those details across the bottom, but my Facebook crew advised againt it. They were right! You’ll see how pretty they are in the end. Here are the supplies I used.

Resource List:

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If you want tons of information on Dixie Belle paint and products, you can check out these Comprehensive Guide posts – general and kitchen, and you can download the free guides here by clicking each picture:

guide to dixie belle chalk paint updated

Floral Decoupage Paper

This was the first time I’ve used the peony decoupage paper. It reminds me of a vintage wall paper. Using the carved details on the front of the trunk as a frame, I applied a big section of rice paper using Satin clear coat for the glue.

You might notice the piece looks primed. I actually started out to paint it Buttercream, but then my vision changed (not uncommon!). The Buttercream ended up working as a nice primer for the next coat of color.

I find it’s much easier to apply the paper untrimmed, and trim it to the shape needed once it is on. This means I brush on a layer of satin, smooth the paper over it and allow it to dry before trimming. There is no clear coat over the paper at this point.

With a sharp exacto knife, gently trim inside the carvings. It takes a little patience, but it’s not difficult to do.

Paint a Trunk Gravel Road & Tea Rose

At this point, I just started pulling paint pots off my shelves and holding them up to the paper to decide what looked good. Caviar was an option, but I thought that would be too modern for the piece. I chose a very dark brown-gray called Gravel Road for the outside edges.

Dixie Belle carries a good selection of pinks. But Tea Rose is a favorite and it has a brown undertone like Gravel Road, so they blend really well.

Using a large round brush, I pounced these colors on, keeping the gray to the outside and the pink to the inside. The pouncing created a cloudy blend and some texture. I love the color variations created in the blended areas as well.

My workshop pictures look like there is a lot more gray, but you can see the pink is dominant here.

Silver Details

To add the final touch, I painted the frame using Gemstone Mousse in a silver color called Diamond. I also painted the inside of the carved details at the bottom and edges.

The metallic silver adds a glamorous glow to those details. The whole piece is sealed with 2 coats of Satin clear coat, including over the decoupage paper.

painted pale pink trunk floral decoupage

If you’ve never used decoupage before, the Dixie Belle papers are very strong and forgiving. They come in a wide variety of designs too, so there is something for everybody. You can check them out here.

Time to go paint a trunk (or any piece) with your favorite colors, using the tips you just learned!

Be sure to save this project to your Pinterest board, and I’ll see you next week with the twin headboards from this set.