Mabel tells Kitty that she has a surprise waiting. She wants Kitty to come along with her. Kitty says goodbye to her friends at the Christmas party and leaves with Mabel. She is excited to find out what the surprise is! (Read the first part of this story in Kitty’s Christmas Party.)
When they arrive, Kitty’s friends Maeve, Shannon Rose and Hitty Sis are waiting for her, dressed in their best holiday outfits.
Kitty admires the lovely screen decorated with antique Santas. “Is this the surprise?” she asks. “No,” they all reply, and Shannon Rose and Maeve carefully move the screen away.
Kitty is speechless! She has never seen such a beautiful trunk before. She asks where it came from, and Maeve explains that Mabel found it at an estate sale in pitiful condition, but the girls all worked hard to restore its beauty.
Before and After Photos
Want to learn more about the antique trunk transformation? Read on to see how much effort it takes to make this old trunk new again.
When Mabel purchases the trunk at an estate sale, it needs a lot of work. The old shellac finish is flaking off. But she can tell that it has an interesting shape, and it will be the perfect present for Kitty.
The inside is a disaster. The silk lining under the lid is shredding, and the side of one of the hinged drawers is missing. Both of the drawer bottoms are loose.
Shannon Rose is an expert at crafting and refinishing furniture, so she takes charge of the refurbishing. It requires a lot of scraping and sanding to remove the paper lining. She cuts pieces of wood to replace the loose and missing ones and glues them in place. After the removing shellac finish, she applies Watco Danish Oil to enhance the woodgrain.
The lid seems a little stiff. Maeve helps her remove the front flap and reposition the screw holes. They use toothpicks to plug the old holes. It’s lot of work, but it will make the trunk perfect!
Finally, the trunk is ready for the clear coat. To seal the stain, Shannon Rose uses a clear satin polyurethane. She prefers Wipe-On Poly because it is easy to get into all the cracks and crevices.
The trunk must be polished after the first two coats of polyurethane. She uses steel wool to buff the trunk. A final layer of polyurethane will finish it off.
What to do about the inside of the trunk? It is pretty rough, so Hitty Sis decides to line it with red felt. She takes measurements to make the pieces fit perfectly.
Mabel uses her artistic talents to paint an insert for the lid. Since it is a Christmas present, she adds holly leaves next to Kitty’s name. Shannon Rose helps her glue it in place.
