~Before&After~ Oval desk

Hey gang! Quick reminder that the next Chelsea's Garage sale will be on Saturday, May 4 from 10am-2pm.. This is an important event because it gives guests first picks on this fresh new stock. After the sale, any items that are left will go in my Etsy shop and get posted on Craigslist. So, mark your calendars and make a date with your friends to come by! I'll have complimentary refreshments, (because who doesn't enjoy shopping with a snack?!), and you are welcome to peruse as long as you'd like.  I am located in Herndon, VA and will be happy to give the address to anyone who needs it - just email me at chelseasgarage@gmail.com. 

Okay - This table is one of my all-time favorite transformations, which is funny because for the longest time I had absolutely no idea what to do with it. It definitely needed some TLC before I could even think about whipping out the paint brush!

{BEFORE}

So, in the garage it sat. And waited and waited. Then last week I needed to run to Sherwin Williams to have a stain matched and noticed an ad for their new Color of the Year, Aloe. I kid you not, I did not even see a paint chip of this color when I asked to purchase the quart size sample. The name alone had reeled me in. So thankful it wasn't a disaster. Not only was Aloe not a disaster, it was a home run! I have been all over looking for a soft green that isn't too blue, too yellow, too gray, too bright. Finally! What I've been looking for my whole life...;)

Ladies and gentlemen: 

Aloe

I waited until I was home to pop open the lid and check out what I had just purchased, (for less than $5 - I used a monthly 25% off members coupon). Seriously, as soon as I saw this color I moved the oval table into position to start work. The lightbulb went on and I knew exactly what this table needed to be.

{AFTER}

I am so drawn to all the details of this piece - I've truly never seen anything like it!

Surprise! It's got a disguised drawer! 

Wouldn't this be incredible as a floating desk in a small study?!

*This piece will be available at the May 4 Chelsea's Garage sale in Herndon, VA!*

Linking to:
Blue Egg Brown Nest

The low-down:

-Sanded the top surface down to the lovely natural wood 

-Painted two coats of SW's Aloe on the apron and legs

-Used steel wool to distress

-Seeled with Polyurethane clear semi-gloss

Thank you for stopping by!

~Chelsea

Glazing: A darn good technique for donuts and furniture!

Glazing. I couldn't figure out why reading about glazing furniture made my mouth water. Then I remembered; glazed donuts. Something that tastes so yummy MUST do wonders for furniture, right?! So, today I mixed up a delicious glaze for a lovely little bookcase. 

Here it is in a few coats of Country Grey by ASCP. 

I wanted really even coverage so I did 2 coats plus touch ups.

Next I went crazy with my glaze. Like, buck wild kind of crazy. I slopped it on like one of my 3yr olds would. I made sure that all corners, edges and crevices were nicely covered, letting it literally puddle in those areas. I covered the entire piece, waited about 2 minutes, then took clean rag after rag, (I use ripped up t-shirts), and began wiping it off. That's what I love about glazing; it allows you more time to get the look you want since it doesn't dry as fast. Just know that it will change the color of the paint!

After much wiping...voila! Our pretty little bookcase isn't so quiet after all!

 Love how the glaze builds up in the back corners of the shelves

 There are no rules when distressing. Just start on the edges and corners of a piece and go from there. Sometimes that's just enough to pop out the lines and shape of a piece. Other times it's fun to  really take a piece quite a few years back and shake things up with some 'unexpected' worn areas.

"What is glaze and how can I obtain this most awesome concoction" you ask?

As long as you have Valspar Clear Mixing Glaze, (found at Lowes), the sky is the limit. Mix the glaze with wood stain or paint, (about a 2/3 part glaze to 1/3 part stain or paint ratio). Mix well until completely blended, then slop away on your piece, (I like using a brush)! You can even mix white paint with glaze for a beautiful whitewashed look. This is one of those things that is just super fun to try. I love the rich finish it gives to a piece, like it's a legitimate antique.

So there ya have it. Glazing is a fantastic technique to finish off a piece of furniture. Now....donuts anyone?

~Chelsea

Sale day recap!

It's hard to believe that our 3rd sale is behind us already! It was so much fun to prepare for, (I have realized that the anticipation of things is just as fun for me as the thing itself)!...and now it's old news. But, what a great time we had on Saturday! First off, I want to give a huge THANK YOU to those of you who were able to make it, and those of you who sent well wishes from afar. Your kind words of encouragement and support mean so much to me.

I thought I would share a handful of photos of the day. We lucked out with beautiful, sunny weather! On my first sale day we had snow, and on the second we had rain. But Saturday was a perfect, crisp fall day.

{Incredibly thankful for this man, who supports and encourages this crazy dream of mine}

{These huge sliver balls were $5 at Home Depot. I LOVE the bit of sparkle they added to the 'shop'. Thinking of how to use them in our home once we get decorating for Christmas!}

For any of you local friends who didn't make the sale, here is what's left:

{5 shelf bakers rack}

{Soft custom gray cabinet, distressed, with updated Celtic style knobs. 32.5W x 16.25D x 29H}

{Soft custom blue dresser, distressed, with white hardware and linen drawer pulls}

{Soft gray chair, distressed, with peeks of yellow underneath}

If any of the above 4 pieces caught your eye, please contact me at chelseasgarage@gmail.com :)

Please stay tuned later this week for another giveaway that is sure to add some JOY to your holiday decorating (hint, hint) ;) And if you are not a member of this blog, please make sure you join, (I lovingly refer to members as 'Garage Guests'), so you can enter this next giveaway!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Chelsea

It's that time again!

As the hot days of summer are now numbered I am starting to collect pieces once again for a Chelsea's Garage on-site sale! If you check out my Etsy shop don't expect to find much in there as I will be holding onto newly refinished pieces for an upcoming autumn sale right out of our garage. If you haven't been able to attend or see photos of past sales, it is such a fun day!

Transforming the garage, (with bikes, kids toys, lawn equipment and all), into a warm and inviting little showroom for a day is how this all began. In the past few months my focus has turned more from hunting for my own pieces to taking on client orders. While I absolutely LOVE working with clients and giving their vision for a piece it's own reality, I also still enjoy the thrill of finding interesting pieces and dreaming about what they could be...and working it out!

It's also a fun opportunity to test out different techniques since I don't have to worry about upsetting a client if it goes horribly wrong! In my previous post I had success using Vaseline as a distressing tool. I tried it again on a GORGEOUS dresser yesterday and I must say, I'm a big fan!

 {will be available at the next Chelsea's Garage sale}

 

For me, a piece is not truly finished until it is in my home, staged, and photographed. That's just the icing on the cake for me...buttercream icing. The best kind.

 

Tying these two fantastic reads by my one of my favorite authors, (Jodi Piccoult), in tulle seemed to tie in the Marie Antoinette look that this dresser seemed to have when I stepped back from the finished product. I'm not educated in Marie Antoinette's style, but am I right? From the tone of the blue to the two round pulls and the curves of the upper drawers - when I finished this piece I just had to google Marie Antoinette and check if my first impression was accurate.

It wasn't too far off. But, I'm no expert.:)

 

This piece was done in a lighter shade from the table that I posted on previously. Come back tomorrow to see an entirely different shade of the same blue! We're going ombre this week! Sorta.:)

 

~Chelsea