~Fresh out of the Garage~

Happy Friday! I'm going to try to finish this post before my kids break out of their rooms, (do ALL kids tend to wake up earlier when they've gone to bed later the night before???), but wanted to show you a couple pieces that I just finished this week. One will stay with us and one will be available at the next Chelsea's Garage sale, (date TBD)!

I'll start with the one staying with us. This dingy old desk was covered in cobwebs and starting to fall apart. But it's small size and compartment for storage of books, paper, coloring supplies, etc instantly hooked my heart as a potential little spot for our Shire girl to sit and create.

She has a strong love for art and crafts and has been recorded sitting in the same seat, alone at a table, for nearly 3 hours just coloring or playing with play dough. She has such a fun and exciting imagination, (ONE of a very small list of things she shares with her twin brother, Colin), and I would love to give her the gift of space where she can sit and create whatever her heart desires. It's not a big desk and will probably not be sufficient for spreading out to do homework when she reaches school age. But, as she grows, perhaps the desk will serve new purposes for her, (wouldn't it be a cute writing desk placed by a front entrance and organizing keys and mail, or in a kitchen, or a bedroom?!) . It will always be hers, as long as she wants it. :)

I didn't sand this piece down very much. It has clearly seen years and years of use and I imagined another little one sitting here long ago and enjoying some creative time to themselves. All the little nicks and divots and scratches I let be rather than smooth over. This piece has a sweet history, (or it does in my imagination), and I really wanted to preserve that when I started working on it. After adding a few nails here and there for additional sturdiness, I painted both the desk and stool a saturated aqua. 

 

The seat I recovered in a tablecloth, (using the back side/inside out). It was a cheap find at an old thrift store a while back. And while sitting here to write this post I just remembered that it was actually a little date with Shire that I was on and she picked it out!!!! I'm pretty sure it's because this happened to be on a shelf right at her eye level, but she picked it up and showed it to me, pointing to the pretty flowers. Though I knew I had no use for a tablecloth, it's colors were pretty and the price was just a few dollars, so I let her carry it right up to the cashier. I used the back side for this seat because I thought the more muted, faded colors complimented the aged old desk well.

I cannot wait to see all the things she creates while sitting here.:)

 

The next item hot out of the garage this week is this cool coffee table! It's a World Market piece that I found used. What caught my eye first was the awesome black rod iron legs and accents. I love seeing  tiny touches of black in even the lightest and airiest of rooms. The woven surface in the middle I thought was unique as well. I painted it a custom blend of a bright aqua and a warm gray, (1 part aqua, 4 parts warm gray so that the final color had just a tiny hint of blue in it - nothing obvious, but very subtle). After light distressing I did a dark glaze along the sides and edges.

 



{Available at the next Chelsea's Garage sale}

 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Thank you for stopping by!

 

~Chelsea