Star Spangled Banner Trunk

So I see this trunk on the curb. Beat up.
A total mess.
Not antique.
A bit vintage.

I saw potential.

Even on the inside.

So I peeled off all of the cloth/vinyl coverings and the paper inside. Then cleaned it and started sanding it.

And I saw too many stains and a lot natural distress. Removing the wood and replacing it would basically rebuild it. It wouldn't be much of a rescue if I did that. 

I had an idea. Since this is for my son's room and we are doing the Americana theme. this would make an awesome flag trunk.

A distressed flag.

The famous one.

The Star Spangled Banner.

I had the idea that this heavy trunk will be an awesome pride and joy. Right down to the rusted metal work. So I drilled holes in each corner to accommodate castor wheels for easier moving around. 

Then set off to paint the entire lid with a USA blue color.
I used Country Chic Paint in Midnight Sky... watered down to make it translucent so making the stains show through.

Then stenciled on the 15 stars to replicate the Star Spangled Banner Flag.

Then hand sanded, lightly, on all of the high parts of the ripples in the wood.

For the stripes on each side of the trunk, I used painters' tape to paint on a latex white, thinned with water.

Instead of painting and sanding to distress, I allowed the real distress to show through.

Then taped off the white stripes and painted the red stripes in Country Chic Paint in watered down Devotion.

Then I had to address the missing handle. So I used a very thick and double stitched man's leather belt. It was the right size to insert and screw into place.

Then removed the other handle and replaced it with another piece of the leather belt to match it up. 

Then using a world atlas book, I applied Mod Podge to decoupage map pages on the inside of the trunk. The first was of New York State, where my son was born.

Then added pages of the countries where our ancestors came from to become Americans.

 Then all of the rough bordered seams of the trunk got rubbed and buffed with a metallic wax.

It freshened up the corners and framing. 

Then I wrote out the national anthem on the front of the trunk. 

First in pencil for mistakes, then topped off with a black sharpie pen.

Now, there is this awesome Star Spangled Banner trunk with 15 stars, the national anthem, and the stripes all in a natural distressed look.

I would totally decoupage a flag on a trunk. It would be amazing. But I can't. That should be another rescue... a tattered flag, embraced with respect. I'm looking for one or two.

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