Mid Century Makeover on Wooden Cigar Boxes

Once upon a time on my blog, I upcycled a cigar box into a ring holder for my dresser. But I didn’t touch the exterior; rather, I just worked inside the box. So, when I recently found a pair of wooden cigar boxes while thrifting, I decided to do the opposite. And give them a mid century makeover on the outside!

Here’s the ring holder I alluded to above:

And the two wooden cigar boxes I found at Habitat ReStore. Extra long and in terrific shape!

I decided that their extra long size would make them ideal candidates for storage of some kind. All I needed to do was improve upon the exterior so that I could use them as decor if I wanted to!

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Prepping the Cigar Boxes for a Mid Century Makeover

First things first, I wiped down the exteriors before doing anything else. That gave me a chance to really “feel” the print on the exteriors to see if it was raised or something similar.

I didn’t want to see hints of the words through my paint.

Sanding would be easy enough, just to remove traces of the words and ensure they couldn’t be seen through the paint. So, I grabbed our orbital sander and got to work.

Once again, I wiped down the cigar boxes to remove the sanding dust before moving onto the next steps.

Next, I needed to protect the hardware from the brush-on paint I planned to used. But taping them off wasn’t feasible, given how dainty the latches and hinges were.

So, I brushed on some Vaseline from my crafting-dedicated travel-size mini tub. Just on the hardware to keep paint from adhering to the metal.

NOW I could finally start painting them. I selected bold and bright color samples of Behr paint for the wooden cigar boxes.

Painting and Stenciling the Wooden Cigar Boxes

I painted both boxes with regular old craft paint brushes. And while I tried to avoid the Vaseline-covered hardware (in general), I didn’t panic if I accidentally swiped paint over them.

In the end, this is what they looked like after I was done painting. Once the paint was dry, I used a soft, clean cloth to wipe the Vaseline off the hardware.

Aren’t those colors divine?

Now, for the mid century makeover portion of the project- the stencils! I selected a couple of mid century modern stencils for the makeover. Unfortunately, the artist who made these stencils discontinued them; however, Etsy may carry similar versions!

I also wanted to try out this matte metallic paint for stenciling, as well. I’ve stenciled with regular metallic paint before, but thought the matte version might result in cleaner lines.

So, I centered my stencil, and stippled away with the matte gold paint. I had to go over the stencil more than normal because of the deeper color of the box. But I had a good feeling about the result…

Mid Century Makeover on Wooden Cigar Boxes

And I was right! The matte metallic paint worked brilliantly for stenciling- very clean lines with almost a holographic shimmer.

The colors are gorgeous and you might not even know these were cigar boxes to begin with! They are definitely pretty enough to place on a coffee table or elsewhere around the house.

*****

Also, today is the second Wednesday of the month, which makes it Thrift Store Decor Team Day! Check out what my friends have been upcycling below. 

1. Repurposed Galvanized Funnel – House of Hawthornes

2. Hanging Necklace Organizer – My Repurposed Life

3. Painted Butterfly House – Petticoat Junktion

4. Balustrade Lamp Makeover – Our Southern Home

5. DIY Stoneware Bowl – Domestically Speaking

6. Mid Century Makeover on Wooden Cigar Boxes – Sadie Seasongoods

7. Repurposed Wire Basket into Planter – My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

*****

I recently bought a collection of vintage artist’s paint brushes from this favorite Etsy shop of mine. And they fit PERFECTLY in one of the wooden cigar boxes. Bonus!

Every now and again, a simple makeover project is just what the (creativity) doctor ordered. And I absolutely LOVE how both of my wooden cigar boxes turned out.

If you enjoyed this upcycling idea from a thrift store find, then you may also be interested in these boho pillow covers that I made!

And for another MCM-inspired upcycling idea, check out this wall decor I made from a thrifted frame, too!

Craft on!

S

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