Marilyn Monroe Jewelry Chest

I finally got my hands on a curvy chest of drawers! 

Vintage jewelry chest of drawers, that is.

I immediately knew I was going to make it my first Marilyn Monroe piece. I don't have that whole "download and print and transfer photos" thing down yet. So I scoured thrift shops and local stores for Marilyn magazines, posters, photos and books to use the pics for decoupaging onto the chest. Found none. But I scored a few Marilyn books loaded with her on Amazon for less than $5 each with shipping! 

To begin, I removed the little handles, then cleaned and painted the chest. 

I used semi gloss black enamel.

Then, I went through the books to choose the right photos. I was careful to take out the pages that were photos on the front and the back of the page so I can still read the books without missing any of the stories.   :)

After deciding which three to use, I glued and sliced the largest facial photo onto the drawer fronts. And used mod podge to coat the photo and edges.

While the drawers were drying I cut the remaining photos to size and glued onto the sides of the chest.

I was loving how the curved sides were unique frames for the pictures.

When the drawers dried...

I put the handles back on.

I hated to, because they were on Marilyn's face. But had to because they are needed to open the drawers. Then end result is not as distracting when you look at the whole chest as a photo display.

To balance out the gold color of the handles, I used a metal paint to accent the chest around the edges in slight brush strokes just for highlighting.

Then I was done.  

This photo from a movie set fit perfectly for a curvy chest side. 

This photo of Marilyn with roses was perfect for the left side. 

The whole time I was doing this project, I wanted it for myself. But it was intended as a gift for my sister, who loves glam... lashes, nails, jewelry... I usually get her jewelry but this time, something to put it all into. 

When I think of Marilyn, I think glamor. Just like jewelry being so glamorous... paired up as a classy way to sport a jewelry!.


I just might have to find another jewelry chest...after all,  I do have plenty more photos!  ;)

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