Decorating: Second Hand Style {+ a brief MIA}

By Chelsea

Alright, friends; it's about to quiet down here on the blog for a short bit. As we've been sharing over the past week or so, Cate and I are working on our new DIY resource blog, Style Mutt! We'll be using much of this coming month to work on the site and hope to have some fun sneak peeks to share with you soon! I'm sure a few posts will trickle in here and there over the next few weeks, but they'll be irregular. We'll sure miss you but feel that taking a little time off from publishing posts will enable us to make some big steps forward with Style Mutt. We can hardly wait!

And not to be sidelined, we are so delighted to report that we also have our first design project together! When a super sweet, fun and spunky gal contacted us to help makeover her English basement, we knew a really exciting door was opening. Over the past few weeks the three of us have been brainstorming style aesthetics, design logistics, and are moving forward with tackling each element on the checklist. We will absolutely be sharing projects with you here and there and are looking forward to a full before / after reveal once the job is complete!

Cate and I feel that one of our strengths as a design team is finding chic, quality used pieces. We thrift, sure, but we have a particularly sharp eye for pieces that reach a standard of quality and style. For this English basement project we will certainly be doing a fair share of thrifting; looking for one of a kind, cool pieces that meet both the expectation of quality as well as style. These pieces may be found on Craigslist, at thrift stores, flea markets, and the like.

I've been wanting to share a little example of something that could be 'thrown together' using only second hand pieces. With just an hour yesterday afternoon, I scoured Craigslist, finding beautiful pieces at fair, secondhand prices, and created a hypothetical 'Craigslisted Living Room':

Okay, so I added a small handful of decorative knick-knacks, (including my favorite pillow by Cushion Cut Decor Here is a 1000% Craigslisted living room:

Pretty sweet, right?! Every single item above was currently available for sale, (by various sellers), in the Washington D.C. / Northern Virginia area as of yesterday afternoon. I didn't double anything that wasn't being sold as a pair, and only used photos listed in the ads. Obviously, it's always important to go and see a used piece in person, but I think it's worth giving secondhand a chance! 

So, that's what Cate and I will be up to over the next month! Between Style Mutt and this English basement, we are so excited about sharing some fun projects when we come back! Please continue reaching out in post comments, Facebook, or via email with any suggestions you have for Style Mutt. Your input and advice is imperative!  

Thank you for stopping by and we'll be back soon!

~Chelsea 

Steve. {Thrift Store Find No. 3}

By Cate

Good news!  It's finally time to reveal the last mystery item from my fateful trip to the thrift store last Spring.  Ok, so if you've been following my guest posts here and here, you may recall that I went to the thrift store looking for bookends {which I still have not found for myself by the way} and ended up buying 3 completely not-on-my-shopping-list things: a cane-backed chair, a picture frame, and mystery item No. 3.  Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado, may I introduce to you... Steve.

{His name is a nod to Chelsea's post on Ricky the metallic Rhino.}



Now when thrifting it is important to keep an open mind.  You never know what you will find to take home and transform so you can't just look at things for what they are.  Let's face it, everything looks a little gross in a thrift store - sitting on dusty shelves under florescent lights, inevitably sporting some form of sticker residue.  When you're thrifting, you need to look beyond the items for their potential.  

I noticed this brass deer amidst a shelf of knicknacks because it was shiny {my parents can attest to my crow-like sensibilities: always gravitating towards things that sparkle}.  Upon closer look I realized there were two holes in his noggin.  This was no Debby the Doe, this was a Steve the Stag - he was just missing his antlers.  Nothing a touch of whimsy and couple twigs couldn't fix.

Now he has a position of honor where he can nobly pose next to the chandelier terrarium on our credenza.

And I'm not the only one in love with Steve.  His metallic profile is trending everywhere:

Here he is on some illustrious Anthropologie wallpaper.

And with a lady friend on One Kings Lane.

And even making a cameo appearance on Etsy via this lovely gilded portrait.

So when you're sorting through the flotsam and jetsam at your local thrift store, remember to keep an open mind to what you see.  You might find something you could love if you put your own spin on it.

And there you have it!  A happy addition to my credenza's vignette and No. 3 installation to this thrift store mystery series.

Also, this is what's happening right now as I type.  {And yes, he's dead asleep in that position}.

Happy Wednesday,

~ Cate

Earring Holder

By Cate


Hey readers!  Cate here with a Wednesday guest post.  Ok so awhile back in my Cane-Backed Chair post, I confessed that I went to the thrift store for bookends but left with 3 completely not-on-my-shopping-list things.  As promised, I have the scoop for you on item No. 2 - a picture frame.

I liked the round frame and the keys on the side to tighten it at your desired angle.  I did not, however, like the idea of cutting up a photo just to fit inside.  So let's do the craft math everybody: what does picture frame + paint + cotton batting + burlap equal?

How 'bout an earring holder!

The frame was disassembled and repainted in the same warm gray chalk paint called "Primitive" by Americana Decor that I used on the Sisal Rope Chandelier from last week's post.  I also heavily distressed the edges to bring out the great detailing on the frame.

I removed the glass since I wouldn't be using it and recovering the backing with burlap over a layer of cotton batting from the fabric store. 

After it was recovered, I put the backing back in the frame without the glass so that the filler and fabric would create a pincushion effect.  For some added glamour, I stuck a couple pearl-tipped pins in there to perch the earrings on {although you can easily stick the earrings straight in}.

This was actually my first item to sell at the Garage Sale we had on June 7th.  I am so tickled someone loved it enough to snatch it up within the first few minutes of opening the garage door! 

Now, I know what you're thinking... what about thrift store item No. 3?  You will have to check back in for that post soon ;)  And I truly hope you do because it might be my favorite find of all!

Happy Wednesday,


~ Cate

Our living room

Hi guys! We rearranged our Living Room a while ago and while I had updated it on the Tour Our Home link, I thought it might be fun to walk you around the 'new' space and explain some of our changes. 

Then

Now

I really enjoyed the room the way it was before. But as the furniture refinishing business goes, pieces are constantly moving in and out of our home, (a flow which I've noticed my kiddos are completely immune to at this point), and when just one little piece sells and moves on to a new home, sometimes that sparks a complete room re-haul.

This is what you see when you walk through our front door.

The white armchairs define the Living Room space without completely closing off the Dining Room. What I love about an open floor plan is the opportunity for socializing to flow from one space to another. 

This metal table from Target was the only new purchase for the Living Room. I wanted a really airy piece between the chairs to keep an openness between the two rooms.

The antique church pew was a Luckett's Spring Market find this past May! I didn't do a thing to it, (besides clean it). Love the chippy paint revealing the original forest green underneath!

My old college buddy, the wrought iron leg side table. I painted it Old White by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, and added faded grey stripes in Paris Grey, also by ASCP.

I love me a naked lampshade. Thinking about covering it in chicken wire for more visual interest. I'll get back to you on that... (I spray painted both my table lamps in this room in flat black Rustoleum spray paint).

The old grey cabinet I painted in a custom mixed soft grey and gently distressed.

The big wood and wrought iron coffee table was a Christmas gift from my Matt. He found it at a thrift store while out with our boys last fall! My man sure knows where to shop for me... :) The wooden shelves next to the bench were from a barn sale - a friend found the piece for $5, (and since she had no use for it I was the lucky beneficiary)!

Looking across the room from the Dining Room.

Thank you for stopping by!

~Chelsea