Thrift Store Jewelry Box Makeover with Handmade Drawer Pulls

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Close-up of a thrift store jewelry box makeover with a soft champagne painted finish, floral fabric-lined drawers, and handmade white clay charm pulls edged in gold.

I couldn’t pass up this broken thrift store jewelry box. With a little glue, a fresh coat of paint, and a few handmade details, it’s one of my favorite upcycle projects.

See the transformation unfold below.

Broken cherry wood jewelry box with two drawers sitting on a thrift store shelf before its makeover.

Removing the Hardware & Fabric

I started by removing all of the hardware, including the drawer pulls, hinges, and decorative feet. As soon as the hardware came off, the jewelry box practically fell apart. The original glue joints had weakened over time, but since I planned to paint all of the surfaces, it actually made the project easier. I tucked all of the hardware into a small bag so nothing would get lost when it was time to reassemble.

Removing the brass hardware from a thrift store jewelry box before sanding and painting.

I also decided to remove the original fabric insert glued to cardboard. An awl made it easy to lift them out without damaging the wood.

Removing the original fabric-lined cardboard insert from small drawers with an awl for a thrift store jewelry box makeover.

Sanding

To revive this broken gem, I gave every surface a light sanding to remove the glossy finish. There was no need to sand down to bare wood—just enough to help the bonding primer grip the surface.

Lightly sanding a thrift store jewelry box with 320 grit sandpaper to prepare the glossy finish for primer.

Priming

Next, I applied a coat of Dixie Belle Bonding Boss. I didn’t want to take any chances with paint adhesion or the original dark stain bleeding through.

Applying Dixie Belle Bonding Boss primer to a thrift store jewelry box before painting.

Painting & Finishing

It took two coates of Dixie Belle Fluff to fully cover. Then after a light sanding I applied a metallic top coat of Wedding Belle over the piece for a soft champagne finish.

Dixie Belle Fluff chalk mineral paint, Wedding Belle metallic paint, and sandpaper used to create a soft champagne finish to comlete a thrift store jewelry box makeover.

For the knobs, I shaped small pieces of polymer clay, baked them according to the package directions, and added gold edging with an oil-based paint marker. Once the paint was dry, I attached the finished knobs to flat-head screws with epoxy.

Photo of making handmade lucky charm shaped knobs, stars, clovers, spade, heart, moon shapes made from polymer clay, baked and then adding gold edging with a oil based acrylic gold pen for a thrift store jewelry box makeover.

Looking for more ways to organize your jewelry? Explore more Creative DIY Jewelry Organizer Ideas.

Last, I made simple drawer inserts by covering lightweight cardboard with floral fabric using spray adhesive. Here are photos of the finished piece.

Vintage jewelry box refinished in soft champagne with an open mirrored lid, floral-lined drawers, and handmade white clay charm pulls edged in gold, including hearts, stars, a moon, clover, spade, and diamond.
Slightly overhead shot of a vintage jewelry box refinished in soft champagne with an open mirrored lid, floral-lined drawers, and handmade white clay charm pulls edged in gold, including hearts, stars, a moon, clover, spade, and diamond.
Star divider used has two hand drawn lines with a star in the center, used as a content break and signals new or different content below. This doodle style illustration is in a medium charcoal gray.

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