I recently made this toy box out of an old chest that we had at Country Kitchen.  Today I gave it to my grandchildren.  How can I resist those cute faces! They were excited and already putting it to use.

I do not have a before picture of it before my husband changed the front panel and the top panel by reversing them. There was a name engraved on the front and a wheat design etched on the top which I did not want to show.  This worked out great because I was able to use the original wood. The picture below shows the engraved name that is   now on the inside of the toy box which is now painted and is not even noticed.

First I painted the entire piece Sherwin Williams Dover White, then painted the top, inside, and drawers light blue, the front panel and a strip around the side and back Sherwin Williams Indigo. I also painted black chalkboard paint on two small areas on each side.  I used stencils for the saying and designs on the front panel.  My husband attached a  strap to each side of the top to keep the top from flipping all the way back.  I put new hardware on the drawers which I think really made a big difference. I decided not to distress it . (I’m sure my grandkids will add that effect to it with time).  I put Polycrylic on the whole piece except for the two small areas that had chalkboard paint so it can be used as an actual chalkboard. I think my grandkids will enjoy it and I sure do love them to the Moon and Back just as the toy box says!      Update: Sad to say that this had to be thrown out after the flood of 2016 in Louisiana