Hello friends, today is Int'l Bloggers Club day and our group challenge this month is Black & White. The timing couldn't be more perfect because I just happen to be undergoing a home office makeover and my theme is, you guessed it...black and white. Well, more grey and white with black & white accents. I've had this small wooden bento-style box in my stash for a few years. It looks to likely have been a high school shop class project. It's three sections make it a perfect desk organizer and so the stacking keepsake box got a whimsical black and white makeover.

Upcycled Black and White Stacking Keepsake Box

In case you're new here and wondering what the heck is Int'l Bloggers Club, we are a group of blogging friends from around the world who come together the third Monday of every month to share a themed DIY project.

We have members from Spain, South Africa, Australia, the United States, and Canada. I'm from a hamlet east of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Home of the Edmonton Oilers NHL Hockey Team and West Edmonton Mall, one of the largest malls in the world. We are a 4-hour drive east of Jasper National Park and 5-hour drive north of Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies.

Links to this months black and white ideas from my talented friends are at the bottom of the post. Last month for our EGGcellent Easter challenge I made a super easy DIY Dollar Store Easter Wreath.

Back to the trinket box soon to be a desk organizer. So here's what the wooden box looked like before.


Now before the wood lovers beat me with a wet noodle for painting beautiful maple and the lovely half-lap (I believe that's what they're called) joints, I figured if the maker didn't even want their handiwork, then it was fair game. Besides, it sat collecting dust for at least two years in the basement and now it suits my style and will be used on a daily basis. That's a win and justification in my books.

Here it is painted black and white...


This is what the wooden box looked like inside with the handy three-section dividers.


Now the whimsy vibe on this box is business on the front and party inside.


The plan was to paint the original round wooden knob on the lid black like pictured below and call it a day but it looked...umm...BORING. The lid needed some drama so I went searching through my hardware stash and found this fancy-schmancy rosette knob instead.


Spray painted high gloss black and it's just what the lid needed.


Let's take a closer look at the three divided sections of the bento-style box, starting with the bottom one.


...and here it is painted black on the outside and white on the inside with black & white striped paper.

Rather than decoupage the pretty paper I simply set them inside each section so if I want to change them down the road, I can.


This is what the middle section of the wooden box looked like before...


...and here it is now white on the outside and black on the inside lined with fun zebra print paper.


And last, this is what the top section looked like before...


...and here it is after painted black on the outside and white on the inside with a mix of bold black and white patterns.

Here are the steps I used to transform the small trinket box

Prepping the wooden box for paint

In order for the paint to have some bite, I removed the glossy clear coat first with my well-used mouse sander.

Painting the wooden box

So the plan for this wooden box makeover was to do it the quick and easy way with spray paint. But with our weather being too cold to spray outdoors I decided to try chalky paint in a spray can indoors.

Turns out even though it's chalk paint it's just as toxic to spray indoors as regular spray paint. So onto plan B, the more labor-intensive route, with a brush. I used Behr Chalk Decorative Paint in the colors Tin White and Classic Noir.

Like I showed in the photos earlier, I alternated the colors so if the exterior was painted black, the interior was painted white and vice versa, layering the paint colors on the three sections for a whimsical vibe. Once the paint was dry I brushed two coats of Dixie Belle satin clear coat to protect the paint.

Replacing the knob on the wooden box

Like I mentioned earlier, I had intended on using the original round knob painted black but the lid needed some drama. Deciding to go big or stay home, it was replaced with a pretty rosette knob painted high gloss black. Yes, I did spray paint it indoors only because very little paint and just one coat was required and I had the windows in the shop open for ventilation.

A pop of bold pattern inside of the box

To add drama to the inside of the box I found some fun black and white scrapbook paper with bold patterns in my stash. Whoa, does that make the eye's go a little wonky or what!


I measured each divider, cut the paper with a paper cutter, and set them inside. Easy peasy!

So what do you think? The whimsy of this upcycled trinket box now desk organizer is perfect for my new black and white home office - reveal coming soon!


Whenever I go thrift store shopping I'm always on the lookout for wooden boxes, trays, and caddies to upcycle. They make wonderful budget-friendly hostess gifts, wedding decor, and ways to decorate my own home. You can find some of those projects here on my wooden box makeovers, wooden caddies, and wooden tray upcycles on the blog.

If you have any questions about this small wooden box makeover, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top. I love hearing from you!

If you enjoyed this Stacked Trinket Box Upcycle, I'd be so thankful if you shared it with a friend and pinned it to your Office Organization or Upcycled Wooden Boxes board on Pinterest.



Now let's go see what my talented friend's made for the Black & White challenge by clicking each link below.

1. A Crafty Mix
2. Northern Feeling
3. Raggedy Bits
4. Faeries and Fauna
5. Unique Creations By Anita
6. Interior Frugalista (that's me)

I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.