Shire's room: Mini-makeover

Posted by Chelsea

Hi friends! Whew! This has been a full week of celebration! Over a stretch of 7 days we'll have celebrated 3 family birthdays, 1 bridal shower, (for our very own Cate, who shared with us yesterday her repurposing PINspirations), and of course, an evening of trick-or-treating tonight. It's been busy and beautiful, indeed. 

I decided to take the week mostly off from working on my own refinishing pieces and since I had a few days in between custom refinishing orders, I decided to give my daughters room a little makeover. 

It started with new bedding. As the nights are dropping to the 30s and we're trying to maintain a modest electric bill, Shire simply needed heavier sheets and blankets. Then, of course, one thing led to another...

I found her coral blanket and sheets on Ebay for $10.50, originally Macy's, (though I believe this set has been discontinued as I couldn't find it on their site). The color caught my eye first but the ruffles running down the blanket sold me.

The step stool I found at a thrift store and painted in Duck Egg by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

The new bedding came with three pillow cases! I only needed two so I used the extra, along with various scraps of fabric, to make some art for her wall. The large framed piece is wrapping paper that Shire picked out and a verse I painted in the middle, (with a scrap paper bird glued on).

The 'HAPPY' banner I made using cardboard, (from a cereal box), with computer printed letters glued on top and glitter glue on the edge, then made the trim using cream colored crepe paper glued on the back.

I jazzed up her plain, white, Walmart, assemble-yourself bookshelf with some Washi tape. I glued the bookshelf where I wanted the tape to go, then placed the tape right over the glue.

 

My old doll bed from when I was a little girl. I added some decorative moldings to the headboard, (removed from a custom order dresser because they were too feminine), and painted the piece in Duck Egg by ASCP. I cut a piece of 2" foam from JoAnns to make the mattress and slipped one of the pillow cases from Shire's new bedding on to act as a fitted sheet.

I made the headboard when she first moved into her own room, (how-to found here), the white globe light was a thrift store find, (originally from Ikea, and the hanging cord I wrapped in twine), and the butterflies were an antique store find back when Shire was a mere 6mo old.

For other DIY tutorials around the room, (how to make a pallet bed, how to add length to your curtains, please check out my DIY Project Tutorials, found here).

Thank you for reading!

~Chelsea

Fun with frames

Happy Friday, friends! I am sure you're as grateful as I am that the weekend is nearly here! I've been talking an awful lot lately about color, (sorry!), but it really is something that's at the forefront of my mind right now. I know that I like color. I know that I like neutrals. So it's figuring out how to mix color in with my love of neutrals that is fun, exciting, and sometimes challenging.

One easy way to try on color in your home is simply by adding small, inexpensive, (colorful), accents. Home decor accents are like adding jewelry to an outfit. I like to kick it up a notch with some bling when I want to make a statement! Never underestimate the impact of a long pendant necklace, (my favorite piece of jewelry)! Those small decor accents that you might overlook could really have more impact than you think! A colorful vase, a pretty candle, even books bound in a pretty hue - these smaller objects are important for completing a room, just as jewelry completes the outfit!

This week I took my first step in joining the two colors I am favoring at the moment: coral and aqua. I bought a few frames at Goodwill last week for less than $2 each, slapped some paint on them that I already had from my stash, and they totally added a snap of color on our gallery wall! 

Here is how our gallery wall looked since last November:

And here it is all jazzed up with some color!

Now I am even more excited to bring in the rest of my coral finds from last week, (found here)! This photo of our living room and dining room space is going to change a bit over the next month or so. Hooray for Spring and some refreshing change!

And hooray for overcoming my reservations about hammering a bunch of nails into our wall ;)
Totally worth it; like getting my ears pierced. 

To maintain an element of class and elegance on this wall, I mixed in some various metallic frames and kept the rest of the frames very neutral in black or white. I know that combining coral and aqua together is towing the line of looking like a child's nursery, so it's super important to me where and how I use these colors. 

Have you thought any more about trying the Color my World challenge? Please, oh please join! All are welcome - and if you are a blogger friend then definitely let me know you're doing it and I'll link you here on Chelsea's Garage! This post has the 'info', (it's really just a casual invitation to try out a new color in your home and share photos here on the blog)!

Have a fantastic weekend!

And Happiest Birthday to my little and only brother, Caleb!!! I am pretty certain he doesn't read this...but just in case. ;) Either way, he is dear to me and I treasure birthdays.

~Chelsea

Color Inspiration - Coral and Aqua!

Hello, February. This is the month that I long for Spring, which tends to feel so far away this time of year. But, it's a perfect time of year to dig deep into one's creative juices! Finding something creative that passes the time for the warmer months to come is pure gold. One thing I've been biding my time with lately is thinking of how to incorporate a specific color combo on our main level. Allow me to introduce my love affair with coral and aqua!

Take a look back at our wedding to get an idea of my love for this particular marriage:

What I wouldn't give for a slice of that cake now

*peach filling between layers of moist vanilla cake and aqua tinted buttercream frosting*

Girls in aqua dresses with bright coral and peach bouquets

We've already got some punches of aqua and teal with our buffet:...

...and china cabinet

I love that these two pieces are big and in your face; that they aren't the same color but that they look well across the room from each other. I have a few accessories that have touches of aqua, so I think I'm pretty set on that color. What I am keeping my eyes peeled for now are objects in coral! I've got a few items so far, all found at thrift stores. And after looking around for some inspiration, I think I've got a few craft projects ahead of me that will complete this bright and fun look. It will be a couple months before I can show you the new color combo in our home, (this is my plan to get through the remainder of the cold winter months), so in the mean time I thought I'd show you some spaces that have increased my love for this color marriage and my inspiration!

 {Tobi Farley}

 {honeyandfitz.blogspot.com}

{Tracery Interiors}

What color combo catches your eye the most? Please share!

~Chelsea