I inherited this cedar chest a couple of years ago when my father’s estate was settled. This piece was a gift to my mother from my father on their wedding day and is close to seventy years old.
My mother passed away suddenly when I was eleven years old so you can imagine how sentimental this is to me. All it takes is one glance and the memories of her come flooding back.
This is where she kept her most prized possessions such as her grandmother’s hand-embroidered handkerchiefs, my baptism outfit, baby shoes and crocheted baby blankets. They were all neatly packed right there alongside her white lace wedding dress and photo albums containing memories of special moments in her life. Anything that was near and dear to her heart was kept in this hope chest.
While the outside of this chest looks all of its seventy years, the inside is as pristine and cedar fresh as I remember it being as a child. But I would like to know your advice on whether I should keep it in this condition or either re-stain or paint it?
I don’t have a lot of experience with staining, so if I were to do anything, I would more comfortable with paint, but I’m really ready to try anything to bring back a little life to it. Or, I’m just as happy keeping it like it is.
What would you do?
