A Very Old Box

Thought I would share with you, this very very old box, it must be early 1900s. When I bought it, it was in a very bad condition, one hinge was missing and the ones left were badly rusted and all coming apart, some of the screw pins were also missing and some falling out as well. It’s a real shame because it’s a very beautiful box, and it looks as if it never had been looked after at all. After I bought it, I removed all these bits of wood inside the boxes including inside the large section of the box, it was really horrible. I cleaned it up as much as I could; I couldn't use that magic polish, as I was afraid it would stain the lighter sections of the design and turning the design into a big smudge. So I bought some old fashion French Polish made from beeswax. It hasn't got the shine yet as it needs to be done a number of times before it gets that look. I had to buy doll house hinges to put the box together, it was a big learning experience for me, and I know where I went wrong and will know better for next time, but I hope if there is a next time I will not have to go through hamming in hinges. Anyway, here are the picture of before and after. I placed some ribbed ribbon and then on top of that I placed some old lace that I had in my stash, the lace is about 40 yrs old. I decided to do a swan on the inside lid of the box, and decorated with some gold tiny bead string that had to be glued on. I also stitched a rabbit for the big section and 2 little hats for the small little box sections. I have been working on this for a long time and im glad that now I have finished it. The box doesn't really close properly, but its still very useful for a sewing box where you can keep some scissors and other little things in there. The box is about 8 inches in width, 3.5 inches in height, and 4.5 inches in depth sideways, just to give you an idea of the size of the box.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Luv from Olga.