Date: 22 January 2016. Making a Treasure Chest.

© janice142
 

Gosh it was wonderful to see my baby girl this past week. She flew into Tampa for a course and was able to take dinner with me one evening. I loved that. It was fun to catch up in person. I am very fortunate in the Kidlet generally calls me on the way to and/or from work each day. I like that a lot.
 

I share with her my trials (engine swap woes) and triumphs (solar panels installed) along with Skipper stories. She tells me about her job, my Grand and her busy life. And we share Pinterest stuff too. I also tell Kidlet about the things I find at thrift stores for her daughter.
 

You see, I cannot simply go to a toy store and buy things. I would not know what she has or does not have. Because items at thrifts are older I find gems that may not be available today. Last autumn I found a darling cloth apron with lace edging. Now when the Princess plays in her kitchen she has a beautiful apron on.
 

Thrift Store finds:
Bits of fluff and a new pillowcase			Dr. Seuss baby quilt
The dog was supposed to be a jewelry box I think. My grand likes purses so I suspect it became a purse. In any event, all these were found at a thrift store on either Monday or Wednesday. Half price days are a particular favorite.   I prefer to buy pillowcases and bed linens from a thrift store. The quality of the fabrics is far better than I could afford at retail prices. That green plaid pillowcase could not be softer and I paid 49 cents for it.   A lot of folks prefer to shop retail. As for me with bargains like the dog purse (99 cents) and quilt ($1.49) well, I will be at the thrift stores. Finding someone to go with is always a problem. Down here in St. Pete I met Cheryl and she is a blast. We seem to shop at the same speed which is a bonus.   The Salvation Army does have the Husband Section. Up front near the registers there is a large selection of couches. The men-folk tend to gather there while their ladies shop.

Since late November I've been to the thrift stores a couple of times and been quite disappointed. It seems that many others view thrifts as a place to buy gifts. The pickings were slim and the prices went up as the snowbirds arrived. Now that the holidays are over I expect lots of cast offs will make their way to the shops and am looking forward to acquiring a few treasures for Seaweed.
 

One of my favorite places to shop is the local Salvation Army store. On Mondays and Wednesdays they offer a 50% off discount for seniors. Those are my favorite days. And look what I found and made for my three year old Grand.
 

Meet Sarah:

Last time in the Salvation Army store I found a cute little wooden box. It had "secret treasure chest" potential so I snapped it up.
 

Treasure Chest opened
Seashells for the Princess ↑
On the inside I cut out and glued in pieces of an old nautical chart I had on hand. Out-of-date charts make wonderful wrapping paper too. The lid had a piece of foam tucked in there so I "hid" another chart with a note telling my grand she's my treasure!   Filled with a pearly shell from Sparrow, a scallop from Kim and another seashell from Tara, it is the start of Sarah's collection of treasures.   Side note on the chart gluing: I had trouble at the corners because my cuts were not perfect. I solved that by adding a 1/2" wide strip at each corner before I glued down the main pieces. It mostly hides where the real parts do not line up quite right.

I wanted the top to be extra special. First I cut out a piece of the chart showing Tampa Bay. The chart covered the lid. That did not look old or authentic enough for a Treasure Chest so I took out some matches and burned the edges.
 

The flames got a bit away from me and Tampa Bay lost it's "T"

I added a thin bead of Elmer's Glue (do not buy cheap glue!) around the edges. Then I smeared the glue to the edges of the chart. Flipping it over I centered the treasure map on the top of the box. When Kidlet got home she promises to spray it with clear paint for an added layer of protection.
 

Voila: One happy princess with her very own Treasure Chest.
Cost: $3, and a bit of time. Have I mentioned how much I love thrift stores?!?

As long as you are with me this far, here is a bit more about my Grand: At Christmas she was looking at her tree. There is an ornament with a picture of my Son when he had a patch on his eye. Sarah asked "Who is that?" and my daughter replied "That's your uncle." Sarah looked at the picture with wonder in here eyes and said "My uncle is a pirate!"
 

She thinks that is just the coolest thing in the world. And
now you know why I wanted to make her a Treasure Chest...
 

Thanks for reading and may all your wishes come true.
 

What have you found of late at a thrift store?
And, do you know how to do "real" decoupage? 
 

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