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 

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

Color huntin'

Hey there! In case you missed it last week, I thought it would be fun to do a little color challenge with you all! See this post for all the details, (or click the color challenge link to the left), but basically, you choose one new color to incorporate in some way, shape or form into your home. Take the next couple months to think about how you want to use your chosen color, then enjoy the hunt! Early April I will invite all who have accepted the challenge to email me photos of how they've used their color and I will post all photos here! It can be one small detail in which you've used your new color or a whole room painted over! It's all up to you :)

If you are even remotely interested in trying this but on too tight a budget to shop for new home decor items, I feel you. We recently celebrated reaching our new budget goal for grocery and home products, (cleaning supplies, diapers, wipes, etc), and I'm not about to blow that out of the water with unnecessary home decor spending. It is amazing to me what you can find if you keep your eyes peeled and your heart patient. Let me show you some of the things I have found recently between thrift stores, antique shops and etsy:

CORAL HUNT

This old grain sack will make an excellent pillow for our couch!

Found at Lucketts Antique Store

This coral and white stripe removable wallpaper was tucked behind a bookshelf at Goodwill. I actually pinned a very similar wallpaper on Pinterest to put up on the back of a tall bookshelf in our Living Room. The wallpaper I pinned would have cost $40 before shipping, (for a very small quantity). There were 4 large rolls priced at $1.96ea at Goodwill. I bought 2!

Six coral scalloped dessert plates found at Goodwill for around 50 cents ea. Planning to hang them on a wall in our Living Room!

Print of Boston's Louis Warf also found at Goodwill for less than $4. Love the touches of aqua and coral in this scene, but mostly I love that it reminds me of the last vacation my husband and I had together before our children were born. We had the most amazing road trip up to Boston and spent a whole week just enjoying one another and the beautiful city.

Coral table runner found at Etsy shop, Floratouch, for less than $10. Think this will really be a wonderful element to flow the color from Living room to Dining room. Etsy can be a great source for quality made items at a very decent price. When searching for something particular it can be overwhelming when you have hundreds of shops making the same thing. I always start by plugging in my max price to narrow the search. And many shops have regular sales where they mark particular items way down.

Found a few more goodies last weekend at my trusty Goodwill that I can't wait to show you soon! 

So what do ya say? Will you accept the color challenge? 

The fun is in the hunt!

Thank you for stopping by!

~Chelsea