Stripping metal from a vintage collectible.

Most pickers will tell you they have a certain something they look for when out hunting.
For me, anything metal and any type of vintage wire basket has my heart.
If you follow my new Instagram Feed (@michellesfinds) you saw that I recently acquired some vintage metal ballot boxes.

They are a cool piece of history but what do you do with them besides put them on a shelf and let them collect dust?
Just because something is vintage doesn’t mean you can’t alter it be functional for today’s needs. Time to get creative.

I’m all about stripping metal down and exposing it’s original shine.
I had that done with these metal dressers.
With a piece of 150 grit sandpaper I sanded the finish right off. You could also use an electric sander to go a little quicker.
I’ve also used a chemical paint stripper in the past but these were too small to be worth that mess.
After I scuffed and distressed up the box I then painted a cross on it.

 I didn’t remove all the finish which was just fine because I wanted to give the box an aged, worn look.

Can you guess who I gifted it to?

We don’t call this blog 4men1lady for nothing.

My men put all their boyhood treasures and trinkets in the boxes for safe-keeping.

See the difference? I’ve even given these as birthday gifts and they’ve been a big hit.
I’ve even done this creative idea in the past with something similar.
If you live in Utah and would like one, pop on over to The Old Flamingo and pick on up.
$21. each.

Instagram:
@michellesfinds
@theoldflamingo
@4men1ladyblog