Matters of a momma's heart

Hi All,

I just wanted to share with you something that has absolutely nothing to do with our home or furniture refinishing, but is so much more important - and I need your help!

On March 3 I will be running a local 10 mile race here in Northern Virginia on behalf of a ministry called AHOPE for Children. In short, AHOPE works to care for those children who have the least hope for survival in Ethiopia; the orphans affected by and infected with HIV. No child under the sun deserves to perish resulting from lack of basic needs for survival. Orphans affected by the Aids epidemic in Ethiopia are considered the least of the least, as the disease is incredibly misunderstood. I'm running with the prayer to bring attention to this wonderful foundation and the desire to help. Please see their website here for more information about who they are, what they do, and how you can donate to this cause. If your heart moves you to support AHOPE, please use my fundraising link below. The steps toward giving are very simple. And if you wouldn't mind sharing this with your friends I would greatly appreciate it! The more opportunity that AHOPE for Children has of being supported the better!

Thank you, friends!

~Chelsea

Fundraising link found HERE

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

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

Let's be real

We were given the pleasure of a couple 70 degree days this week that called us outside from breakfast til dinner, (with a break for nap time, of course...oh precious nap time)! The fresh air and warm sun were just the break we needed; a sweet gift of rejuvenation. But, when the outdoors are not as welcoming, we bide our time best as we can indoors. And let me tell ya; it ain't a pretty site sometimes.

The kids get faster at making mess...


...and slower at cleaning it up.

But, it doesn't really bother me. 

The long days of winter spent inside urge them to work their wild imaginations

And pushes mine along, too.

I am a full time stay at home Momma with 3 toddlers. 

This is my reality.

And someday I'm gonna miss it.

I know this isn't the eye candy that would have been fun for a Friday, but I thought I'd take a minute to be real. And if your home looks anything like mine, that maybe you'd appreciate my honesty :)

Back to eye candy next week :) Have a happy weekend!

~Chelsea

Wall art

Funky shelf now...

...rickety chair just days ago!

The same lovely gal that dropped off the rusty door, (that we made into a bench), also brought this chair - and if I recall, one of her first instructions was "to go crazy with it" :) After a lot of attempted repair, I realized it was not going to be able to withstand much weight as a place to sit. I did some research to see how to best, (most tastefully), salvage the backrest of the chair since that's the most appealing part. I came across a couple options and my client really liked the idea of attaching a shelf - so that's what I did! 

{done as a custom order, happy to do more if there is interest!}

The Low-Down:

-Sawed the back rest of the chair where the vertical sides met the seat

-Measured the space between the vertical sides and cut an old piece of fence scrap wood to fit inside

-Nailed through the vertical sides to hold the shelf in place

-Attached nailheads around the engraved circle at the top for a little rustic elegance

-Attached a sawtooth hook at the top of the backrest to hang the piece on the wall

Do you have any objects in your home that you are using in an unconventional way? Please share! It's fun to learn how to use something you may have thought about getting rid of!

~Chelsea

When one door closes, make a bench!

There is a special kind of thrill from building a piece of furniture from scratch. Designing, measuring  marking, cutting, nailing...it's serious business and major fun at the same time! I didn't know this when a dear client approached me about turning an old door that she found into a bench. I was leaning towards declining for fear of disappointing her vision. Thankfully for me she was persistent and open minded.

Before I knew it I was knee deep in something new and slightly terrifying!

{Before}

A little fear can be healthy, as long as it doesn't stop you from trying.

{After}

Because the painted part of the door was so flaky and chippy, I decided to use the unpainted side for the bench, but used the painted side up for the shelf underneath. Lots of sanding smoothed out the splintery edges, and polyurethane semi-gloss filled in and softened some of the divots. 

It was a somewhat simple project. The hardest part was figuring out which part of the door would be the bench, and which part would be the shelf underneath. Since it was such an old door it had some pretty good cracks that we wanted to avoid putting any weight on. Then when we decided on the sturdiest parts of the door to use, we had to figure out where to attach the legs, which was much easier said than done. The legs had pre-designed holes for the screws, and since the door is not a completely flat piece of wood, we needed to find the best flat parts on either end where the legs could be tightly attached. 

We played around with a lot of different options, but I am very pleased with the final product. I can assure my client that we didn't compromise on quality or her vision, and that is a great feeling as a furniture re-finisher.

This piece would not have been possible without 2 amazing sources: my Matt, (who has modestly kept his mad woodworking skills from me all these years, but now I'm on to him!), and an awesome Etsy shop called RusticLiving. Their trade is designing and making furniture legs out of steel. I did a lot of research before deciding on this shop and I would love to use them again! Their prices and quality of work are unbeatable. Check them out here!

Thank you to my dear husband, Matt, and my new friends over at RusticLiving!

I think I could get used to this piece in our bedroom... But, it's waiting out a weekend departure in our garage. To find out what happened to the leftovers from the door, check out this post here.

The next Chelsea's Garage sale is set for 

SATURDAY MAY 4! 

Hope to see you there!

Linking up at Blue Egg Brown Nest!

~Chelsea

Spring in Winter

Wouldn't you know it - our mystery buds, (found popping up from the garden Christmas morning), bloomed into daffodils last weekend! What a sweet winter treat for inside our home. This was my first time digging up bulbs and bringing them inside. I'm so excited it worked! I sadly suffer from whatever is the opposite of a green thumb. I think 2013 will be a good year.

While our daffodils were working hard to bloom over the weekend, we were working hard in the garage on this old door! Check back in soon to see how we transformed it into an awesome rustic bench! I am so excited to share with you a most amazing source which made it all possible. Love supporting fellow small businesses!!!

Happy Monday and thanks for popping over!

~Chelsea