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“Alcott Blue” Vintage Post Office Box Makeover

November 16, 2015 by Brynne 77 Comments

You guys, I’m excited to share this month’s post in collaboration with Ace Hardware – it’s one of my favorites yet!

Did you know that The Paint Studio at Ace has color matching technology that can create a custom paint color from almost anything you bring to the paint counter?!

So this month, the Ace Bloggers were asked to choose an object with a color we love and bring that with us to The Paint Studio at our local Ace to have it color matched.

The Inspiration

Deciding on what to color-match was a no-brainer for me. A few weeks ago, I shared about my love affair with vintage and antique books with you, but crazily enough, one of my favorite vintage books ever didn’t actually make it into the post – this 1880 copy of “Little Women.”

Post Office Box Color Matched to Antique Book

I’ve always adored that deep teal blue color, especially paired with the gold accents. I can get a little weird when I talk about colors, I know, but something about that teal just makes me wish it were edible. Is it weird that sometimes I wish that certain colors were food? Because that teal is seriously delicious.

I was a little stumped on what exactly to paint, however, until I remembered this vintage post office box I found on Craigslist for $25. I never knew exactly what to do with it, so it ended up shuffling from room to room as an end table. In fact, I almost threw it back up on Craigslist in my recent efforts to get rid of anything extraneous!

Post Office Box Color Matched to Antique Book-10

It doesn’t look too bad in this photo, but the fleshy beige color of the doors really wasn’t my favorite and didn’t provide much of a contrast to the beautiful gold Greek key detailing.

I fell in love with the vision of the bold contrast of deep teal with those gold details, plus the black accents on the doors… In fact, it just might end looking very much like my beloved book inspiration!

After my awesome experience with Amy Howard One Step paint last month, I was excited to tackle another furniture painting project. As you might remember, the One Step paint can be mixed in custom colors, a feature I was eager to try out!

So I had a color, I had a “canvas” – the next step was hitting up my local Ace!

The Paint Studio at Ace

This is Robert. He’s the amazingly helpful guy who didn’t even bat an eye when I said, “I have an unusual request. I would like to have this book cover color-matched in the Amy Howard One Step Paint.”

Color Matching Antique Copy of Little Women

Or later, when I asked if I could snap a picture for this blog post!

You guys, this is just my experience, but I have not had great success with special requests at certain other hardware stores that shall remain unnamed. So the idea of walking in with something that wasn’t an on-brand paint chip, but rather a totally out-of-the-box thing like an antique book, was a little foreign to me and I just might have been steeling myself for an “I’m sorry, that isn’t going to work.”

But nope, not here! The process couldn’t have been easier or more pleasant. The machine scanned the book cover, popped up a code for the Dark Base One Step Paint, and just a few minutes later my new friend Robert handed me my custom paint color!

Meet “Alcott Blue.” I’ve included a shot of the label in case you fall in love with it too and want to recreate it!

Post Office Box Color Matched to Antique Book-3

Post Office Box Color Matched to Antique Book-2

While at Ace, I also picked up two packages of these gold (what else!) caster wheels.

Post Office Box Color Matched to Antique Book-4

The Process

First things first, I used some E6000 adhesive to attach the casters to the bottom of the post office box. The whole thing is metal and I didn’t want to have to deal with screws/bolts, so we’ll have to see how the glue ends up holding. I let it sit undisturbed for a good 24 hours as recommended.

Post Office Box Color Matched to Antique Book-6

Then, just like last time, I gave the whole thing a good cleaning with Simple Green, followed by a wash with clean water.

Next, I pulled the box back inside because that was the week I was feeling pretty sick and crappy and marathoning Supernatural like nobody’s business. Thankfully, the One Step paint is no-VOC and very low odor, so I set up a little cardboard painting station in the living room in front of the TV and went to town!

DIY Vintage Post Office Box custom color matched to antique book-17

Now, here is where I explain that I don’t consider myself to be a patient person. I’m a stubborn person, who tackles crazy projects, despairs halfway through, but sees them through to the end anyway out of sheer bullheadedness, but not a particularly patient person. I’m clarifying because sometimes I share projects like this and I get comments like, “Oh wow! You’re so patient!” and I can’t in good conscience let you think that when it’s just pure ornery-ness that fuels me to finish what I’ve started.

The post office box has, as I mentioned, these gorgeous gold raised Greek key details, and I didn’t want to cover those up with paint.

vintage post office box

So this was my process for dealing with those areas:

Step 1: Use the tiniest artist’s paintbrush known to man to pull a bead of paint through approximately 1-inch of the gold detail.

Step 2: Swipe a clean fingertip over that area to remove any excess paint from the raised details.

Repeat ad infinitum for all. twelve. doors. 

AND THEN DO A SECOND COAT!

Painting-a-Vintage-Post-Office-Box-with-raised-details

I started to doubt my sanity after the first four doors or so, and had firmly lost it after around 30 episodes of Supernatural. But then again, who wouldn’t?vis

But overall, I actually enjoyed the process of painting this piece and seeing my vision unfold. It certainly beat a week on the couch mindlessly browsing Facebook. Although the detail painting process was tedious, it wasn’t difficult, and the end result was undoubtedly worth it, in my opinion!

Remember, One Step Paint doesn’t require any kind of top coat, but I decided to go ahead and add Light Antique Wax and Dark Antique Wax to this piece for both the subtle sheen and tint they provide.

DIY Vintage Post Office Box custom color matched to antique book-18

Visit this post for a full tutorial and tips for applying wax!

I used the light antique wax for 100% coverage and then added the dark antique wax around the edges and around the gold details, working my brush into the nooks and crannies where dirt would settle naturally over time.

DIY Vintage Post Office Box custom color matched to antique book-20

After allowing the wax to dry for an hour, I buffed the entire piece with a handful of clean cotton rags, creating a soft and velvety finish.

DIY Vintage Post Office Box custom color matched to antique book-21

The Finished Product:

DIY Vintage Post Office Box custom color matched to antique book-16

DIY Vintage Post Office Box custom color matched to antique book-2

DIY Vintage Post Office Box custom color matched to antique book-3

DIY Vintage Post Office Box custom color matched to antique book-5

DIY Vintage Post Office Box custom color matched to antique book-6

DIY Vintage Post Office Box custom color matched to antique book-9

Eager to see how the color-matching turned out?

DIY Vintage Post Office Box custom color matched to antique book-14

DIY Vintage Post Office Box custom color matched to antique book-11

DIY Vintage Post Office Box custom color matched to antique book-15

It’s so perfect I can’t even handle it!

Suddenly my Craigslist purchase that was pretty-cool-but-never-exactly-amazing became one of my favorite projects and pieces of furniture ever! I’m not exactly sure where it will end up, but I can tell you that it won’t be slipping onto my “purge” list anytime soon!

Tips for Color-Matching

If you have a special object with a color you’ve always adored that you’d like to see reincarnated as paint, here are a few tips from The Paint Studio at Ace:

  • The item to be color-matched must be at least the size of a quarter.
  • The color must be opaque in order for the machine to read it accurately.
  • At least a portion of the item must be able to be flattened to fit inside the color matching instrument.

Beyond that, the sky is the limit as to what you can bring in! And keep in mind the custom color can be mixed in tons of different kinds of paints, whether you want to tackle an entire room, a furniture makeover, or a smaller painting project.

And guess what? Today you have the chance to enter to win a $100 gift card to Ace Hardware so you can jump start your own custom color-matching adventure… Enter through the Rafflecopter widget below!

*Open to U.S. residents age 18+. Giveaway runs 11/16-11/23. Winner will be chosen at random and notified by email and in this post. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Brynne


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Ace Bloggers logo cropped I couldn’t be more excited to be a member of the Ace Bloggers panel this year and to partner with Ace on this post! Ace Hardware provided me with the materials for this project and I was also compensated for my time and this post. All opinions and positions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of Ace Hardware.

Pin it if you love it!

DIY Alcott Blue Vintage Post Office Box Makeover

Filed Under: Ace, DIY Project Tagged With: Paint, Sponsored, Tutorial, Vintage Furniture

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Comments

  1. Debra says

    November 16, 2015 at 6:02 am

    Your vintage post office book looks so great! And the paint matching is perfect!

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 8:41 am

      Thank you so much, Debra! The color-matching is really some amazing technology!

      Reply
  2. cassie @ primitive & proper says

    November 16, 2015 at 6:57 am

    HOLY WOW, brynne! that is AWESOME! love the color, the piece, the gold… just amazing!

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 8:42 am

      No, you’re amazing, Cassie! 🙂 Thank you sweet friend!

      Reply
  3. Lisa Brown says

    November 16, 2015 at 7:13 am

    I would color match the wooded/paper divider I have in my living room and name it: Arabian Nights ( A deep blue shade).

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 8:42 am

      Oh yes! Arabian Nights sounds like the most perfect paint color! I love it!

      Reply
  4. Julia@Cuckoo4Design says

    November 16, 2015 at 8:44 am

    The color matches perfect and I love the makeover. So good!

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 12:25 pm

      Thank you Julia!!!

      Reply
  5. Georgia Mallory says

    November 16, 2015 at 8:46 am

    Love your postage box ! The paint color is beautiful and well matched! A nice addition to your room decor!

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 12:26 pm

      Thank you Georgia! I’m so glad you like it! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Haley says

    November 16, 2015 at 9:03 am

    This looks AMAZING! I’d probably color match this african fabric I have (it’s like a dark plum/maroon/purpley color that I’ve never been able to pinpoint), but I’m not sure what I’d name it yet.

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 12:27 pm

      Oh wow! That sounds like it would make such a beautiful paint color! Now I’m kind of dying to see pictures of everyone’s colorful objects!

      Reply
  7. Krys says

    November 16, 2015 at 9:06 am

    All your hard work really paid off. It Looks Fabulous. Ace Hardware my favorite paint go to store and if I had to match something it would be my glass case that is brown with a hint of dark red and I would probably call it Maggie’s Brown. Thank you for sharing this with us.

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 12:28 pm

      Thank you so much, Kris! Oooh, a dark red-brown sounds like such a neat color! I wish I could see pictures of everyone’s inspiration – so many great ideas!

      Reply
  8. Linda @ It All Started With Paint says

    November 16, 2015 at 9:07 am

    Gorgeous!!!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 12:30 pm

      Thank you so much, Linda!

      Reply
  9. Darla says

    November 16, 2015 at 9:51 am

    I tried to color match a color in a fabric. It didn’t turn out great. Your project looks spectacular!

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 12:31 pm

      Thank you Darla!

      Reply
  10. Michelle (4men1lady.com) says

    November 16, 2015 at 10:03 am

    Love the color, love the piece, love the gold detail! You never cease to amaze me with your awesome Craigslist finds! Well done girl!

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 12:39 pm

      Aw, thank you so much Michelle! Those gold details make all the effort totally worth it in my book! I actually have another post office box (taller, with drawers) like this one that I might be crazy enough to make over as well at some future point!

      Reply
  11. chris aka monkey says

    November 16, 2015 at 11:08 am

    you can purge that my way any time ha ha , i have this very old plastic round thingy that held powder and a puff it is a funky yellow and i would love to have some paint in that color and i would call it funky yellow lol xx

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 12:41 pm

      Haha! I’m pretty glad I hung onto it! 🙂 Love the idea of funk yellow – I’m wishing I could see pictures of all these fantastic colors you guys are describing!

      Reply
  12. Peg says

    November 16, 2015 at 11:30 am

    Love love love, did I say love the color, Byrnne. And I’m so jealous of the piece too. I’ve seen several bloggers make over card catalogs lately and have a serious case of drooling lust for them. Thank you for writing about color matching. I knew about it, but had forgotten that it is a tool to use in creating our own spaces. Great post and even better, fantastic piece!

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 12:43 pm

      Oh yes, card catalogs are absolutely swoony, but I’m declaring that post office boxes are the new card catalogs! 😉 At least locally, they are much easier to acquire! So glad you enjoyed the post, Peg!

      Reply
  13. lynda santillan says

    November 16, 2015 at 11:33 am

    love love love the color….I have not tried all the new paint out there…I still use regular paint to paint all the furniture I collect…ive been doing furniture painting for about 18 years…and now they come out with such easy paint…will have to try…but love that piece and have never seen anything like it….thank you

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 12:45 pm

      Thank you so much, Lynda! The One Step Paint is so easy, it feels like cheating! 😉 But I don’t dread painting furniture anymore like I used to!

      Reply
  14. Dena says

    November 16, 2015 at 12:08 pm

    Good lawd, Brynne. You ARE patient. It looks amazing! Also, Little Women is one of my favorites. I watch the movie multiple times each Christmas and now I think I need to quit what I’m doing and watch it right now.

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 12:48 pm

      Thank you so much, Dena! I always loved Little Women and always identified so strongly with Jo growing up! I think I’m due for a move re-watch too! Today is cold and dismal here – perfect weather for curling up on the couch with a heartwarming movie 🙂

      Reply
  15. jo @ simple pleasures vintage reimagined says

    November 16, 2015 at 2:11 pm

    Not only is that postal box amazing, but it looks like it was born to be that color right from the start! Let us know how the wheels hold up. It’s an amazing piece!

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 4:56 pm

      I’ll try to remember to give an update on the wheels! Fingers crossed the glue holds! 🙂 Thank you, Jo!

      Reply
  16. Jennifer says

    November 16, 2015 at 3:01 pm

    Great job!

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 4:56 pm

      Thank you Jennifer!

      Reply
  17. Suse says

    November 16, 2015 at 3:06 pm

    What a beautiful color! I love old books, too, and Little Women is a particular favorite. I have a labradorite necklace and would love to have a similar color of paint. These semi-precious stones are a purple gray with a hint of green in them. I would call the color Labradorite, of course! Thanks for sharing this lovely project.

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 4:57 pm

      Oh wow – that could be a truly amazing paint color! Thank you Suse!

      Reply
  18. Tanya from Dans le Lakehouse says

    November 16, 2015 at 4:08 pm

    I love it! But then, I firmly and passionately believe that everything is better teal 😉

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 4:58 pm

      You know, I think you just might need some “Alcott Blue” in your life, Tanya! 🙂 Thank you!

      Reply
  19. Echo Szymanik says

    November 16, 2015 at 4:37 pm

    love love love the color! and one step, even better!

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 4:59 pm

      Thank you so much! The One Step is awesome – a good cleaning first, and you’re good to go – no priming or sanding!

      Reply
  20. Mary Beth says

    November 16, 2015 at 5:28 pm

    Love the look! If I could have a special paint made it would match a lovely Chinese vase I have . It would be called MING RED. Beautiful color.

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 7:01 pm

      Oh yes! I would certainly buy that color if I saw the name “Ming Red” on a swatch! Love it!

      Reply
  21. Ellen says

    November 16, 2015 at 6:41 pm

    You are my hero! This piece is incredible. Let me know when you get tired of it! Haha.

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 16, 2015 at 7:02 pm

      Thank you so much, Ellen! I am known to rotate through vintage finds… We’ll see if I ever need to find a new home for this one 😉

      Reply
  22. Susan the Farm Quilter says

    November 17, 2015 at 2:23 am

    Your Alcott Blue is pretty darn close to perfect for me too!! It would match quite well the quilt that I am making for my bed!!! LOVE IT!!!

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 22, 2015 at 12:30 pm

      Oh how fun! Let me know if you ever use the color – I would absolutely love to see photos! Thank you, Susan!

      Reply
  23. Jan P says

    November 17, 2015 at 7:48 am

    Wow – love how that turned out! I can so identify with being impatient – I’m impatient too!

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 22, 2015 at 12:31 pm

      Thank you Jan! It always cracks me up when someone says, “You must be so patient!” because it’s so far from the truth! 🙂

      Reply
  24. Ali Celestino says

    November 17, 2015 at 5:59 pm

    I would color match my headboard on my bed name it midnight turquoise

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 22, 2015 at 12:32 pm

      I love the name, Ali! So fun!

      Reply
  25. Dianne Hall says

    November 18, 2015 at 1:04 am

    Wow this is amazing! I have a shirt I got from Turkey that I would love to color match. It is a burnt orange color so I would call it Fall on Fire!

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 22, 2015 at 12:33 pm

      Thank you so much, Dianne! That sounds like an amazing color and name – I would love to see it!

      Reply
  26. Kenny says

    November 18, 2015 at 1:28 am

    You did a fantastic job on this. I love everything about it.

    I have a blanket that I would like to color match. I am not quite sure what I would name it though!

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 22, 2015 at 12:33 pm

      Thank you so much, Kenny!

      Reply
  27. Denise K. says

    November 18, 2015 at 2:21 am

    The gold detail is spectacular. I am not sure what I would color match (maybe an article of clothing?) good idea!

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 22, 2015 at 12:34 pm

      Thank you so much, Denise! The gold really stands out so much better with the new color – I’m so thrilled!

      Reply
  28. Holly says

    November 18, 2015 at 8:47 am

    Vintage mailboxes have a special place in my heart from where we spent time during summer vacations. You took an interesting piece and made if phenomenal! The color, the detail – oh my!!

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 22, 2015 at 12:36 pm

      Thank you so much, Holly! 🙂

      Reply
  29. Cheryl says

    November 18, 2015 at 4:06 pm

    Love how you did this. Looks great. Just curious, do you store anything in particular in this? I have a small section of 16 smaller boxes, but can’t figure out what to do with it to make it more useful. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 22, 2015 at 12:39 pm

      Thank you Cheryl! I actually used this box as tool storage for a little while and simply accessed them from the back, which is open. It’s currently empty, however. Now that I have some good tool organization in the garage, I’ll have to think up a new purpose for this!

      Reply
  30. Jon M says

    November 18, 2015 at 5:16 pm

    Wow, that turned out great. Love the color and your attention to detail.

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 22, 2015 at 12:40 pm

      Thank you so much, Jon!

      Reply
  31. Nicki Joseph says

    November 19, 2015 at 1:58 pm

    I would match a blue scarf I have. The color is so pretty. I’d name it Antartic blue.

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 22, 2015 at 1:20 pm

      Oh, I love that idea, Nicki! Great color name!

      Reply
  32. Susan says

    November 20, 2015 at 1:15 am

    I love the paint color you chose. I think I would color match the color of my car. It is a really pretty steely gray.

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 22, 2015 at 1:34 pm

      Thank you, Susan! I love car paint colors – it would be so neat to see one color-matched, although you might have to get very creative about bringing a piece into the store, haha 😀

      Reply
  33. Heather S says

    November 20, 2015 at 10:29 am

    I would color match these gorgeous green earrings my grandmother gave me and call it Brazen Green 🙂

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 22, 2015 at 1:34 pm

      I love it – both the inspiration and the color name!

      Reply
  34. Lucy @ Patina Paradise says

    November 20, 2015 at 6:38 pm

    This piece turned out just stunning! I would love it if you would share it at Friday’s Furniture Fix. Have a great weekend! http://www.patinaparadise.com/2015/11/fridays-furniture-fix-17.html

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 22, 2015 at 1:35 pm

      Thank you so much, Lucy!

      Reply
  35. Gina M (Wild Orchid) says

    November 22, 2015 at 6:18 am

    I would color match my favorite green sweater, and name it “enchanted forest.”

    Entered the Rafflecopter as “Wild Orchid”

    Thanks for the chance to win!

    wildorchid985 AT gmail DOT com

    Reply
    • Brynne says

      November 22, 2015 at 1:37 pm

      Oh lovely! I don’t think I could resist a paint color called “Enchanted Forest”!

      Reply
  36. iamalighthouse says

    November 22, 2015 at 5:27 pm

    I’d color-match this lovely green-blue perfume bottle I have. It’s vintage…so an appropriate name would likely be Glass Staircase.

    Reply
  37. Julie says

    November 22, 2015 at 7:32 pm

    Now I need to try that one coat paint for some projects! And I can’t believe you almost listed that beautiful piece, of course, I have trouble letting go haha!

    Reply
  38. Anadryl says

    November 23, 2015 at 11:21 am

    I just pinned this to my color attitude board including the lid information. This is a wonderful project. I don’t care for gold as a rule but this project was absolutely made for these colors together. Excellent eye and great job on the tutorial.

    Reply
  39. Trisha D @Black and White Obsession says

    November 24, 2015 at 10:42 pm

    I cannot believe how amazing your piece turned out!! Such a happy dance must have occurred not only after it was the perfect shade but also all that detail work.

    Reply
  40. Judy Van Hamond-Ball says

    December 12, 2015 at 7:02 pm

    Hi! just subscribed to the gathered home. FYI for Canadian viewers – take you coloured object to Rona for paint match. if you didn’t know, now you do.

    Reply
  41. Corinna - ADesignerAtHome says

    April 7, 2016 at 8:09 pm

    How did I miss this post!? This piece is incredible! I wish I could kidnap it for my home. The color is beautiful. I’ll have to pick some up once I finish up the paint collection I’ve got now. Need to try this brand!

    Reply
  42. Alora says

    October 18, 2016 at 10:53 am

    It’s lovely! Amazing color! Thanks for sharing this. 🙂

    Reply

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I believe the best kind of home is a gathered one, full of treasures with a story to tell. Join me in celebrating a lifestyle of finding and making beautiful things, right where you are. Read more...

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