Ghosts and Vintage Steamer Trunk Turned Media Cabinet

A few months ago while perusing my local Home Goods I found four of these industrial wheels.  I didn't know exactly what I was going to use them for, but they were too cool to pass up.  I figured I could always return them, but if I didn't buy them, they wouldn't be there when I came back. 

I thought I would make some sort of media cabinet for my husband's Man Cave and attach them to the bottom. 

Here are some pictures I pinned for my inspiration.

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While shopping at my local thrift store I found an old trunk.

 It was marked $25, but I bought it for $20. 

I always ask if they will sell it cheaper and usually they will. 

It never hurts to ask.

It had some old peeling stickers on it that I didn't pay much attention too until I got home.
 After a closer look, I did a little research.

The Norddeutsche Lloyd was German shipping company. It was founded 1857 and merged in 1970 with Hamburg America Line to form Hapag-Lloyd.

Cunard-White Star Line was a British shipping line based in Southampton, England between 1934 and 1968, due to the merger between the Cunard Line and the White Star Line.

Ever hear of a little ship called the Titanic?  It was part of the White Star Fleet.

Unfortunately I can't read the date of sailing.

I also found this Railway Express Agency sticker. 

It says Flushing, NY.  That's were my husband is from.  

I can read Grand Central Station, but again I can't read the date.

The Railway Express Agency was a parcel service started in 1917, much like UPS. 

It ended operations in 1975.

 I wondered who Martin Broones was/is so I googled him. 

There was a Martin Broones from NY, (1901 – 1971) He was a music composer.  "He wrote the scores for many musical comedies which were produced in New York, London, and Paris, and he organized and directed the first Music Department in Hollywood for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His musical styles range from Classical to Broadway to the Hollywood film scoring of the 1940-50’s."

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How cool if this was his old steamer trunk?

The kids were a little worried it might bring a ghost into the house. 

 I hope he plays beautiful music.

I hope Mr. Broones doesn't mind I made a little modification to his trunk.  First I cleaned it up.  It was damp and musty from being left outside at the thrift store.  I sprinkled baking soda inside to absorb the smells.  I Modge Podged over the stickers to keep them from peeling off any more than they already were.

The bottom was rusted out and I needed to reinforce it with ply-wood before attaching the wheels.

I bolted a piece of ply-wood to the inside and a piece to the outside using metal brackets.

This gave the trunk enough strength to support the heavy industrial wheels.

I worried that my modifications would devalue the trunk, but it was so damaged and rusted out, I got over that quickly.

I love all the rust. 
I ended up sealing to whole trunk in Modge Podge because the sheen was different on the stickers than the rest of the trunk.

My husband's Man Cave TV is sitting on it for now, but the TV is going to get mounted on the wall above the trunk.

The leather handles were missing so I added some rope ones. 

It cost me under $100 to make this new/old media cabinet. 

The ones I pinned started around $1000.

On the to do list, make tall industrial shelving to flank each side of the trunk like my industrial shelves I made for my great room.

To see how I made these shelves go HERE.

For under a $100 I have a new media cabinet, a piece of interesting history, and hopefully a friendly, musical ghost.

I hope you didn't mind the History lesson today? 

Sometimes I'm a nerd, I guess it's the ex-school teacher in me.

Found any interesting things at your local thrift store lately?

Thanks for checking it out.

Goodbye Elementary School, Hello Middle School

Windsor Chair Update

More Man Cave projects.

I've had this hand me down chair for many years. 

It's very comfortable and sturdy.

Seat before

A little too shiny for my taste.

The finish has seen better days.

The seat and arms were scratched.

I like distressed pieces, but this didn't look good.

 

 

A little sanding, some tape, a little spray paint and here is my new Windsor chair.
It kind of reminds me of a rugby uniform or racing stripes on a vintage car.
My family is not a fan of this project.
 Most of the time they like my DIY projects, but this one fell flat. 
Oh well, you can't please everyone all of the time. 

 

 

I want this for an office chair.

Ripple Black Leather Office Chair from Crate and Barrel $299

I just don't feel like spending that much on a chair at the moment.

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Then I saw this Etsy chair on Lakeitha's blog, Home To Three Duncan Boy's.

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She did this one.

I love it.

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Sorry I don't have any pictures of the process.  My camera memory card is full and I deleted the pictures thinking I had already downloaded them to my computer.  Here's what I did.  I sanded the deep scratches smooth and spray painted the whole chair black satin.  Next I taped off half the chair and spray painted it hunter green.  I taped off the stripe and spray painted the blue stripe.  I sanded the whole chair again to give it a distressed look. 
I used left over paint I already had so this makeover was free.
Glad it was free because I'm not sure how long it's sticking around?

For now it's going in the Man Cave with my leather studded desk.

Do you ever do projects that your family doesn't like, or am I the only one?

Thanks for checking it out.

To see more Man Cave projects click on the links below

New entryway table and mirror

$4 Jute Light

My leather studded stump

DIY Restoration Hardware Rope Planetarium Chandelier

New/Old Entryway Mirror and Table

Here is my new/old entryway mirror and table. 

This little project took me about two hours to do, 

not including clean up and accessorizing.

 Both the mirror and the table were hand me downs from different friends. They originally didn't match and were stained dark brown.  I painted them a distressed white and used Rub' n Buff to add gold to the carved detail.  They were two of my early pieces that I painted in our old house when Casey was just a toddler.   I remember she wanted to "help" mommy paint and she ended up with a streak of white paint in her hair for several weeks.  She was a good little helper.  Now she is 14. 

I liked both pieces white, but with the new gray paint job in the Man Cave, the paint took on a yellow tone. 

Here it is last Halloween 2011. 

While I LOVE to paint (it's therapeutic for me), I HATE to sand and do it as little as possible.  This project required sanding because I had used a crackle finish on top of the original white paint job.

I only sanded the top of the table because I'm lazy.

Next I sprayed it with two coats of black primer.

One more coat of black Rustoleum Satin Black.

Next  I added my old friend Rub 'n Buff to the carved detail.
We go way back.

To finish it off, More sanding with a power sander.
I ended up with a chippy, distressed, kid proof entryway table and mirror.

The old white paint shows through and I like it.

I shopped the house and added some cream and brown accessories. 

I used the same little lamps and stuff I already had.

I picked up the lamps at Marshall's years ago.  Notice they are slightly different?

 

My husband's name is Henry, can you read the title on the little black book?

King Henry VIII

You can see some maps in the reflection of the mirror I'm playing around with.  One is of Coronado Island and it's dated 1956.  The other one is of Martha's Vineyard and it's dated 1941.  I picked them up for $2 each at an Estate sale and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them yet?

This was a very quick makeover. 

Sand, wipe down, quick spray paint, add the gold, sand again, wipe down, done.

My husband says I'm great at projects, not so much at the clean up part. 

That didn't happen till two days later.

Oh well. 

What would I do without spray paint?

Hope you have a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Thanks for checking it out.

$4 Jute Light

The Man Cave makeover continues and here is the latest $4 transformation. 

This is the track home, builder grade light in our entry that came with the house. 

I gave it a little makeover last week.

I have never liked this light fixture, but it's 15 feet in the air and I could never decide what to change it out for?  I found nice lights, but if you have been a follower of my blog for awhile, you know I'm a tad frugal when it comes to buying lighting.

It's so much more fun to make my own for pennies less.

This is how the room looked before paint and the light makeover. 

Here is the after.

Painted, new completed crown molding and window casings, and the same light with a jute rope makeover.

I had left over rope from my DIY Restoration Hardware Planetarium Knock Off Chandelier. 

Say that five times fast.

To see how I made this fixture for under $50 with hula hoops, an old brass light fixture, and jute rope go

HERE.

The electrician was able to come back and add the j box to the ceiling.  What a production, he had a tough time getting the wires through the attic and I got to help fish them through the hole while he crawled in the attic up above. 

I finished off the light with a ceiling medallion.

The room is so much more inviting at night with the new light and it's on a dimmer.

Here is the inspiration for my new entry light. 

Coastal Chic Rope Chandelier from Shades Of Light.

$999

"999 are you out of your mind?"

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I took $4 roll of 50' x 3/4" jute rope that I picked up from Big Lots and hot glued and wrapped it over all the metal parts of the fixture.  It's not rocket science.  Just wrap and glue.  It took almost the whole 50' roll of rope.  I taped up my fingers with athletic tape BEFORE I used the glue gun this time.  I'm happy to report no blisters and no cuss words were yelled that would make a sailor blush this time.  I didn't bother to take down the light to wrap it in rope.  I carefully balanced on an extension ladder and wrapped and glued.  I would recommend taking the light down, I'm just lazy. 

It's much safer to do this on the ground.

Here is what it looks like closeup now.  

If I find something better to hang here, I'm only out $4.

Can't beat that.  OK, I guess free beats it.

It'll do for now. 

It only took me eleven years to do something about my most unliked light in the house.
The jute rope is a little fuzzy close up, but from the ground you can't tell it needs a shave.
The ceiling in this entry alcove is 15' high.

Here is a picture of the two lights together. 

They are totally different, but now they go together. 

 I like that they aren't too matchy, matchy.

I love solving design problems with inspiration, creativity, a little DIY,  and not big bucks. 

$4 fits my budget. 

I still have one more roll of jute rope left. 

Who will be my next makeover victim?

Thanks for checking it out.