Tool Box Makeover

I love my old wooden tool box, but I felt like it was a little washed out.  I showed you first in this post.

I decided to move it in front of my fireplace and the old weathered pallet board that I have in front of my fireplace is white and the white tool box just kind of washed both pieces out.  So, I decided to paint it a distressed olive which is a color I love and use frequently throughout my home.  I started out by painting it a darker shade of green.

I wanted to give it depth and contrast.  Next, I painted it olive and distressed it a little bit.  I added some pink flowers and now it looks really cute in front of my fireplace.  I need to get a few more flowers though, it needs to be a little fuller.  But, it's definitely working better for me now.

Love it.  Old wooden tool boxes are so popular in blog land and on Pinterest.  Do you have an old tool box?  If so, how do you use it?  Where do you use it?

A Couple of Shabby Projects

First up is an old tool box that I painted and distressed and filled with flowers.  I like to change out the flowers to match the season or the holiday.  It started out like this:

After some painting and distressing with fall flowers:

Here's a close up:

To go along with this, I wanted to make something to cover my fireplace when it was not in use.  I just didn't like the idea of a big, black hole staring at me every day.  I used pallets to make a shabby board which I also painted white and distressed.  I intend to hang different wreaths on the front of it which will also coordinate with seasons and holidays.

Sorry, this wreath is not finished yet, I just wanted to get a feel for the size I needed.  I'll be showing you different views of it throughout the year.

How about you?  If you have an old tool box, what do you use it for?  I've seen a lot of different uses for them.  And, if you have a fireplace, do you leave it open all year, fill it with candles or other decor, or find something decorative to cover the hole?