measure twice...cut once!

When Top was a small boy

 he was given a box, 

very like this,

 for his toys

The main difference being

 that the lid was rounded at the corners in the front

                                                                                                                                                                                         here

  

Over the years 

it became rather battered

 and eventually 

it passed to our children, 

as their toy box.

But, as all children do,

 they grew up 

and didn't want, or need a toy box anymore.

So now we had a well worn but well loved box

What to do with it?

We stripped it....

we painted it white....

we painted it black...

It just didn't fit with the rest of the house.

  So

I painted it citrus yellow 

 and then aged it with burnt sienna

I removed the lid

and painted it with a scene from

the tapestry

the Lady and the Unicorn

This scene in fact.

I was absolutely thrilled with it

 it had taken me two weeks of painstaking work

note the detail in the background    

When we were sure it was dry Top very carefully screwed the 

lid back onto the box

 remember those rounded corners at the front!!!!!!!

I HAD PAINTED 

THE WHOLE THING

 UPSIDE DOWN 

Two days later,  it was sanded back, 

repainted yellow

 aged again with the burnt sienna

Two days later I had finished the top again

remember it took two weeks the first time!!

 and now it looks like this

  

Not quite as good as it had

and I realise now

 that when I started painting the first time 

I should have remembered that there is a reason that carpenters 

always measure twice and cut once!

  it saves a lot of costly mistakes

There's a little change here Kerry from
 http://tranquiltownhouse.blogspot.com    
suggested I  send this link to                                                                                                                  

Between naps on the porch  

for metamorphosis Monday 

don't know if it will work but I am going to give it a try.