Something Old, Something New; A beautiful collaboration

Today's Garage Games submission features photos from an extraordinary woman; my Mom-in-law! If this is your first time visiting Chelsea's Garage, I am so glad you stopped by! Let me fill you in really quick so you can join! I am doing our very own Garage Games right here on the blog over the next two weeks spanning the Olympics. I am asking anyone and everyone to email me, (chelseasgarage@gmail.com), at least one photo of a home decor piece/project/craft/room that is reflective of their style and personality. It can be anything you want so long as it represents you. I will post the photos right here on the blog as they come in as a fun way of sharing our creativity and inspiring one another. At the end of the two weeks we will do a random drawing of all the people who submit photos for a chance to win a piece of jewelry from my jewelry box clean-out! I love accessorizing and have 14 fun pieces that have served me well for several years now, but alas, it's time to change things up and pass them on! So, please don't hesitate to submit your photo(s); you never know who you'll inspire and you could get a cool piece of jewelry out of it! See this post if you'd like more details and a peek at the jewelry pieces! Photos will be accepted until Sunday August 12, (closing ceremonies day for the Olympics).

Moving on to today's photos - I was so excited when I saw that my Mom in-law sent some photos in because her home is the most awesome mix of passed down antiques and new finds from all over the world! Through my father in law's work for the government they have had the opportunity to live in various places all over the world. Wherever they have lived, you can always find pieces that trace them back to their PA roots. I've learned so much from her about pairing old with new.

"On the table is a seashell from FL, Botero picture from Colombia, and a vase that welcomed me to Okinawa upon my arrival. The table is, of course, made by the Amish of Lancaster Co." -D

This GORGEOUS bedroom set is from her grandmother's side. Not sure how old it is, but her grandmother's maiden name is written inside a drawer of the dresser, (right, D?). So awesome! The beachy bedding is such a fun nod to their current residence in FL.

This dining set they picked out when they lived in Colombia for this house that, at the time, was being built in FL. The sparkling one-of-a-kind sunburst mirror is also from Colombia. Perfect accessory for a home in the Sunshine State!

A special thank you to my Mom in law for the lovely peak into her home! Isn't it beautiful?!

We've received some truly unique and stunning photos and ideas so far! Don't forget to send yours in as soon as it's ready - there are no 'wrong' photos! Whether it's an entire room that you just love spending time in or a particular accessory that caught your eye and went home with you - all are welcome here! I can't wait to see what you send!

As they say in Colombia, por favor devuelva! Please come back....I think.:)

~Chelsea

Garage Games Pics and Setting the Mood

Hello Monday. The end of the weekend is not a feeling I particularly look forward to, and I'm preeeeeettty sure I'm not alone here. But, hopefully this Garage Games submission perks you up just as it did me when I saw it!

If you are new to my blog, Welcome! Let me fill you in really quick so you can join! I am doing our very own Garage Games right here on the blog over the next two weeks spanning the Olympics. I am asking anyone and everyone to email me, (chelseasgarage@gmail.com), at least one photo of a home decor piece/project/craft/room that is reflective of their style and personality. It can be anything you want so long as it represents you. I will post the photos right here on the blog as they come in as a fun way of sharing our creativity and inspiring one another. At the end of the two weeks we will do a random drawing of all the people who submit photos for a chance to win a piece of jewelry from my jewelry box clean-out! I love accessorizing and have 14 fun pieces that have served me well for several years now, but alas, it's time to change things up and pass them on! So, please don't hesitate to submit your photo(s); you never know who you'll inspire and you could get a cool piece of jewelry out of it! See this post if you'd like more details and a peek at the jewelry pieces!

Note to all - closing ceremonies for the Olympics is Sunday, August 12. Please submit your photos prior to that date, (preferably as soon as possible so I can post a few photos each day rather than having a whole bunch in the last few days). :) Thanks!

Back to today's submission: This chica is as handy as she is beautiful; what she did with this brass chandelier, (which I am sure we've all walked past those without giving them a second thought), is completely ingenious...I'm pretty sure I'll be trying this myself in my daughter's room!

"This project was born out of both opportunity and need (the best kind if you ask me). I found a brass chandelier in my parents basement while I was home on a college break. At the time I was living in campus housing and wasn't allowed to make structural changes to my living space so there was no way I could install it if I wanted. So I disassembled it, painted it, rewired it with a swag line kit from home depot and voila! I had a upcycled chandelier I could hang from a ceiling hook and plug in to the wall outlet with the 20ft of electrical cord that came in the kit. For extra personality, I added wrapping paper to the candle shafts. I didn't need to cut a whole in the ceiling to install it but simply hang it from a hook instead!" -C

Thank you so much, C, for such a fabulous photo and idea! Keep the pics coming, gals!

For today's post I thought I'd share a short tour of our main living spaces in the evening. I look forward to the evening every day. My husband comes home from work. The noise of giggles and squeals from the babes in their excitement to play with Daddy. The smell of dinner. The smell of my babies after their bath. The quiet of my babies when they're all asleep. The peaceful calm of the home which, just a few moments ago, was a hustle and bustle of little feet running around and toys covering every square foot of surface space. I love turning all the overhead lights off and toning things down with lamp light.

{Basement}

{Living Room}

{Dining Room}

Turning down the lights in the evenings reminds me of a scene from one of my favorite movies, Meet Me in St. Louis. Esther, (played by Judy Garland -- love her!), has a scene after a party where she moves from room to room singing as she dims the lights around their massive home. I don't sing, but there is something so soothing about dimming our lights.

I am looking forward to posting more of your photos - this has been so much fun and it's only been a few days!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Chelsea

Garage Games, Day One

Hello, hello! What an amazing opening ceremonies in London yesterday; I both laughed and teared up throughout the event! Well done, London, well done!

If you missed yesterday's post I am doing our very own Garage Games right here on the blog over the next two weeks spanning the Olympics. I am asking anyone and everyone to email me, (chelseasgarage@gmail.com), at least one photo of a home decor piece/project/craft/room that is reflective of their style and personality. It can be anything you want so long as it represents you. I will post the photos right here on the blog as they come in as a fun way of sharing our creativity and inspiring one another. At the end of the two weeks we will do a random drawing of all the people who submit photos for a chance to win a piece of jewelry from my jewelry box clean-out! I love accessorizing and have 14 fun pieces that have served me well for several years now, but alas, it's time to change things up and pass them on!

I have already received some fantastic photos to kick things off for us! I love the little explanations these gals sent along with their pics.

Our first participant submitted an awesome before and after of the ceiling fan in her daughter's nursery. The white really brightens up the room and draws the eye down to the adorable nursery decor. Well done!:

"I thought I would share the fan that I redid for Bella's nursery.  I simply spray painted the base and fan blades." - M

This next gal was the lucky recipient of this fine sideboard table that her talented Mom found and refinished! I love the way she set up this gorg table with items that are as beautiful as they are meaningful to her.

"I love everything about this table. My mom bought it at a yard sale and refinished it to give it the lighter color/ distressed look it has now. The hydrangeas I dried out about a year ago and they came from my parent's yard. And of course the best part of this look is the cute picture of my pup, Lucy =o) The look of my apartment is very "beach cottage-ish" so the lantern and the seashells really pull together the look from the rest of the room." -K

 Nice work! Thank you so much for sharing these awesome photos!

Thirteen days still remain to email me your photo(s)! Whatever you want; nothing is too big or too small to share! It's just fun to pass on ideas and inspire each other!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend out there! I'll be working on a few newcomers to the garage while Matt works on our new landscape design. I am so excited for a fresh look to the outside of our home!!! The progress will be documented weekly as this will be an ongoing project over the next few weeks.

Thank you for stopping by!

~Chelsea

Let the Games begin!

Happy Opening Ceremonies day! I am a huge fan of the Olympics and look forward to watching in awe and wonder every couple of years, (particularly the summer Olympics, so every 4 years really). What is so striking to me, aside from the astounding levels of athletic achievement, is the coming together of all nations in peace for this momentous occasion. It truly is such a remarkable tradition that I had childhood fantasies of being a part of. In honor of this special occasion that only comes every few years, I thought it would be so much fun to have our very own

GARAGE GAMES

Over the course of the next two weeks while the Olympic Games are taking center stage in world wide media, I would love for you to email me something representative of you in your home decor. It could be a fantastic piece of art that you scored and found the perfect spot for, an entire room that you enjoyed putting together, a piece of furniture that you transformed, setting your dining table, dressing up a bed, etc. It need not be a grand statement, so long as it is reflective of you. You don't have to be a homeowner to participate in this - however big or small your space is, it's yours and I love sharing creativity with one another. As your photos come in over the next two weeks I will post them so we can share our creative work and encourage one another. Whether you're a fellow blogger or this is your first time visiting a blog, please don't be shy! All are welcome here!



And what would our Garage Games be without awards?! Rather than gold, silver, or bronze medals, I do have some gold, silver and bronze, (not all of it is real, though some is), in the form of jewelry that I will be giving away. My jewelry box has been in need of reorganizing and 'cleaning out' and I have some fantastic pieces that have finished off many an outfit, but just like with my home decor, I like to change things out now and then. I have 14 pieces of jewelry which will go to 14 individuals who submit photos. When a photo is submitted I will add your name to a drawing. At the end of the 2 weeks my lovely 2.5 year old assistant, Shire, will randomly draw names from a hat. Based off of when your name is drawn, that will be the order by which you get to pick out a piece of jewelry. I will contact you when your name is drawn and you will have 24 hours to pick your favorite piece, then I'll mail it to you!

Let's see the prizes!

(all pieces have been cleaned appropriately and sanitized)

{Item 1}

{Item 2}

{Item 3}

{Item 4}

{Item 5}

{Item 6}

{Item 7}

{Item 8}

{Item 9}

{Item 10}

{Item 11}

{Item 12}

{Item 13}

{Item 14}

So, email me at chelseasgarage@gmail.com a home decor/project photo that represents you. I will post your photo and we can all enjoy sharing our creativity and what inspires us! In two weeks we will have a random drawing for those who have sent photos for a chance to score a used piece of jewelry. Yea! I cannot wait to see what you come up with!

Let the Games begin!

~Chelsea

Dining addition and Project of the week!

Hi Friends -  I hope you are having a wonderful week! We have finally been given some sunny weather today after a chain of gray and rainy days. My little ones were so grateful for a trip to the playground this morning to play on the "Tunnow, swide and sings!" =Tunnel, slide, and swings for those not fluent in tot talk :)

I , too, enjoyed some playing of my own this afternoon. Over the past few days I've been working on a new addition for our dining room. This sweet little cabinet was just the perfect height for our not-so-grand dining room!

I have been wanting something for our short wall with a small 'footprint' that would still allow for plenty of walking space between the table/chairs. I say walking, but really, I mean running. Our main level is a high traffic area for our kiddos as they love to zoom around playing tag and hide and seek. While I wanted a piece with a bit of surface space, I also didn't want to sacrifice floor space for my kids. This fit the bill perfectly.

We have an outlet on that wall which I've been wanting to plug a lamp into since we moved in! I found this paper shade at Goodwill for 98 cents and painted it an aqua color to tie in some of the other blues/teals/aquas around this level.

What a sweet punch-out design! Not that ANYONE would ever notice this, but it reminded me of the celtic style knobs that I attached to the piece.

And our dining room would just not be complete without one of our family's all time favorite evening games: Dominoes! Now we've got a convenient spot to keep them, out of hiding and in the open. This antique set of Double Twelves was passed down to us from my husbands grandparents. How cool!

Our dining room; nothing fancy but we cherish our time around that table with dear family and friends. It's been a work in progress and seems to suit our {crazy} stage of life! 3 booster seats, (all Craigslist scores), for 3 wee hineys.

What? How did these pictures make it in?!? ;) *This* is my real project of the week:

Potty training.

The bane of my existence.

Our older two are twins, but I'm doing this one at a time. One's enough! Anyhow, I just thought I'd share some real pictures of what our house looks like at the moment. Dino potty on our main level and jars of m&m's lying around for 'successes'.

Okay, I can't leave you with a potty photo. Here's a pretty one, (or three). :) Matt got Shire and me a bouquet of flowers yesterday for all our hard work with potty training, (purple is Shire's favorite color). They took my breath away when i came downstairs this morning and the bright sun was beaming in. What a site to wake up to, huh?!

Much better; now, I can sign off. :) Thank you for popping by!

~Chelsea

The 411 on the Refinished Gray Cabinet
Supplies:
Paint, (custom blend), 4" paint brush, 120 and 220 grit sandpaper, Minwax Polyurethane clear semi gloss, extra fine sanding block, two cloths
Technique:
-Removed cabinet doors and hardware
-Used 120 grit sandpaper, (with electric vibrating sander), to strip the surface down to a smooth 'raw' wood, (removing the 'shiny' finish)
-Removed all sawdust with a damp cloth. Then used a dry cloth to remove any excess.
-Painted with a 4" brush, (I never paint insides of cabinets or drawers), let dry over night, smoothed surface with an extra fine sanding block and painted a quick second coat. Let dry.
-Lightly distressed using 220 grit sandpaper
-Sealed using Minwax Polyurethane clear semi gloss, (applied evenly with a slightly damp sponge)
-Reattached hardware and put the doors back on

House, Interrupted

We did it! We managed to turn the inside and the outside of our house upside down in one weekend! In the last post I told you we'd be uprooting our whole front landscaping to replace everything with some more fresh and current things. For over 5 hours yesterday, that's just what we did. Well, my Dad and my husband did. Bless their sweet hearts. It was pouring rain, which they both agreed made the ground easier to work, but they were completely covered in mud, soaked, and beat by the time they were done. I stayed inside the entire time watching from the windows, playing hide and seek, tea party, and 'choo-choo' with our 3 toddlers.

{That is onnnnne naked house}

We have no new plants yet. A landscape friend is going to be helping us with a design so we will be sitting bare for about a week until we meet with him. Some might have a hard time seeing their house this way, (understandably!), but this already looks better to us than the old, overgrown plants that were there when we moved in. It's a wonderful feeling to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. Now, the sky is the limit and we can put our touch and taste on the outside appearance of our house, just like we've done inside.

{Special thanks to my Dad and my husband, Matt for all their hard work in giving us a fresh start. Hope you're not too sore today!}

Inspired by the fresh start our front yard was getting yesterday, I tore off all of our living room slipcovers and had a field day in the laundry room. I frequently hear how brave I am to have white furniture and 3 tots under 3 under one roof. I confess that I do not clean my slipcovers as often as I should, but there is nothing in the world easier and quicker than throwing my slipcovers in the wash with a bit of bleach, hanging them to dry, and zipping them back on. I love knowing my upholstered furniture is actually clean, and since I am not one to ever get to spot cleaning, this works out beautifully for me.

{Slipcover cleaning day = ultimate living room bounce zone }

The kids had a blast with the pillows strewn about. There's something so magical about couch cushions; I remember spending hours playing with our couch cushions growing up; building forts or pretending the floor was made of hot lava and we could only jump from cushion to cushion to get around. I wonder what crazy fantasies my minis will come up with. For now they just think it's hilarious to pile the cushions on the floor for the heck of it. And I'm happy as a clam to watch them do so. :)

Well, that's just about the long and short of our wild weekend ;) We are looking forward to selling a dining table, (hopefully), within the next few days and opening up some space for some exciting new projects coming in this week! Any fun upcoming projects on your agenda? Do share!

~Chelsea

Rustic Burlap bar stools

Well, today I hit the nail on the head. Literally. I have had this pair of bar stools for a long time and had already refinished them. You may remember these from a while back? Anyways, something wasn't right - They just weren't 'me'. Even though these stools are to be sold I love the freedom of non-custom orders to do absolutely anything I want to a piece. Every piece that I have free reign with should reflect me and be something I would put in my own home. The first time around with these stools just missed the mark.

But, the good news is......PAINT CAN BE CHANGED!!!!!!

So this week I got to work stripping, sanding, spray painting, whitewashing, stapling, hammering; the whole nine yards. The result, I think, was totally worth the time to re-do and make it right.

{ah yes, much better}

My inspiration for refinishing these stools, (again), was this photo I found through a google search from Restoration Hardware. Their 19th C Rustic Stool is no longer available, but I loved the idea of burlap and exposed nail head trim. I also loved the driftwood texture of the wood and since we JUST spent a long weekend at the lake house I was extra motivated to create that look on my stools.

{Brilliant!}

I wanted more of a contrast between the burlap seat and the wood of the frame, so I mixed a very light gray rather than brown, though you could easily get that authentic 'driftwood' look with a light shade of brown. First, I spray painted my frames in white, (after stripping them of the old color). If you want to do this in brown, like above, then paint a base coat of a very light shade of brown - more of a tan. Then fill a bowl with your top paint color, (should be darker than your base color - I used a very light gray, if you want a real 'wood' look, then use a darker brown), and another bowl with some water.

Dip the end of your brush into the water, then shake it out

Then dip the end of your brush into the paint and let any large drips fall off, (sorry so blurry!)

Brush your watery paint on in long stokes. Watch for splatters! Thin paint flies far :)

The result when it dries; a worn patterned look to your wood. Finish by gently rubbing fine sandpaper, (I used 220 grit), over every square inch.

I also made the seat cushions from 1.5 inch thick seat padding, (JoAnn fabrics), and burlap. I layed the top of the seat on top of the padding and scratched with a pen the outline of the seat.

Then I cut and glued it onto the seat using all-purpose craft glue.

I attached the burlap with a staple gun and then the nail head trim along the bottom side of the seat using a 'chain' like trim from JoAnns, (brand Dritz Home, pictured), - which was technically cheating, but I made a mess of trying to nail in each tack individually! Every 4th 'nail' on the chain had a hole so I could hammer in a real nail which keeps the trim attached secure and tight to the seat.

It just felt so good to remake these stools in a look that feels natural to me. What a joy it was to find an inspirational style and work it out to make it my own.

{Available for sale}

We are going to be up rooting our front yard this weekend to dig out all our current bushes and shrubs that are both overgrown and outdated. Kind of scary to go to a blank slate but SO exciting! I have no green thumb whatsoever so I'm hoping to learn a lot as we re-landscape our yard.:) Any tips out there?

Next week I have several new pieces coming in for a custom job. I can't wait to hear what the new 'orders' will be and share some good before and afters!!!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

~Chelsea