Wood Blanket Chest

Wood blanket chests are so useful when you’re addicted to blankets like I am!  Wisconsin gets cold in the winter.  Plus, you have the top surface for drinks, books and decor.

My vision for this trunk included a raised stencil with layering and distressing, but the layers didn’t work together the way I had hoped.  In this Facebook Live video, I share my original steps and then the step-by-step revised process.  And even though it was Plan B or C, I’m really happy with how it turned out!

Here’s the back.

Of course, any combination of stencils and paint colors will work.  So you can use what you have!  But here’s what I used.

Resource List:

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• Trunk-Style Coffee Table (thrifted)
• White Lightning
• Rusty Nail
• Sea Spray texture additive
• Corner embellishment
• Buttercream
• Coffee Bean
• Patina Paint in Iron and Bronze
• Patina Spray in Green and Blue

If you want more detailed information on Dixie Belle paint and products, you can download one of my free guides here by clicking the picture:

Adding a Raised Stencil

I used Sea Spray to thicken my paint for this stencil, but you could also use Dixie Mud or spackle or anything that dries fairly hard.  To start, I poured some Rusty Nail onto a paper plate.  I eyeballed the amount of Sea Spray to add.  It was not quite a scoop, but enough to make the paint pretty thick and scrape-able.

Mix it up well before applying it to the stencil.  My stencil was fairly small, so I kept moving it around to get an all-over look. It also wasn’t any special kind of stencil, although they do make stencils specifically for raised stenciling.  Have I used the word “stencil” enough?  I feel like this should be a drinking game!

Taking a plastic mud spatula, I loaded it with a little paint mixture and scraped it over the stencil.  Peeling the stencil off right away, move on to the next area.  It dries fairly quickly, so try to allow a little drying time before working that area more to avoid smears.

Wood Blanket Chest Painted Rusty Nail

A short while ago, I noticed I didn’t have an orange piece in my portfolio.  I have every other color of the rainbow, and way-back-when I actually do have a coral piece.  But I thought a bolder shade of orange was in order.

After the raised stencil was all dry, I painted a coat of Rusty Nail over everything.  The top took 2 coats, but the rest was just 1 coat.

Speaking of the top, I hope you love it as much as I do!  I saw this “blending” technique done by Debbie Pfrimmer of Elsi Lane Boutique.  Go check out her Youtube videos.  She’s a huge source of inspiration for me!

When the Rusty Nail was dry, I “blended” on Coffee Bean.  Using the mister bottle quite a bit, I kept brushing horizontal and vertical until the paint was getting pretty dry.  If I liked the look, I stopped there.  If not, I added more water and continued with the same process.

Buttercream Highlight

This step is super quick and easy.  I got a small amount of paint on my brush and dry-brushed over the design in every direction.  This really brought out those details!

Coffee Bean Shadowing

I didn’t even wait for the Buttercream to dry before I moved on to this step.  For a little depth, I painted Coffee Bean in the crevices and on the edges.  My water mister bottle helped me keep the paint moving, and a little more shear.  

Hardware

To complete this southwestern wood blanket chest, I HAD to use the patina line to get some actual rust on this piece.  I mixed up my patina paint really well, to ensure the metal particles were evenly incorporated. 

Then I painted one coat of Bronze which I let dry, and then another coat of Iron immediately followed by the blue and green patina sprays over the wet paint.  Then, I just waited for the reaction to happen. 

Here’s what it looked like after leaving it overnight.

Isn’t that the coolest look ever?  If you’re ever using the Patina line and the reaction is too much for your liking, you can always go back over with a little paint to tone things down.

If you like this Wood Blanket Chest project, please Pin!

Here are a few more projects I hope you enjoy.

How to Paint a Fun Toy Box

Boho Style End Table

Cedar Chest Rescue | Trash to Treasure