An old piece and a new opportunity

By Chelsea

Hi friends and happy Friday! I've got a couple of items I'm so excited to share with you today, but first things first...

My youngest, Mason. He's three, free and wild at heart. This view, when I ducked out to call my kids in for lunch yesterday, absolutely made - my - day. Afterall, why have kids if not for a few laughs now and then?! :)

Moving on, (to more appealing things - I hope). A few weeks ago I posted this photo from the thrift store on Instagram and Facebook, unsure whether to purchase or not. 

This mid-century era vanity was in fabulous condition, but it's matching mirror was no where to be found and the whole thing looked a little 'Jetsons' to me. But it was so intriguing I ended up sitting on it, literally, for about 10 minutes. Thanks to those who happened to be on Instagram and Facebook at that moment  and encouraging the purchase, I brought it home with no reservations!

The first step in this makeover was finding out what was underneath the stain. The stain on the drawers, especially, was showing a little wear, so I just took my sander and removed the stain in about 15 minutes using 100 grit sandpaper.

How awesome is that wood grain! And so much easier to see without the orange-y stain!!

Then I painted the entire body of the piece in Old White by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, and sprayed the hardware gold. 

All spiffed up and new again!

The piece does happen to have a matching seat, which would be easy to recover.

Piece now available

$395, (bench included)

*if you would like me to recover the bench, 

I am happy to do so with fabric of your choice for a fee of $20.

*****

The last order of business for today is a new opportunity here on Chelsea's Garage: 

Advertising! 

If you are a small business owner of a creative business and have a website, blog, or Etsy shop, I want to help you be seen! I am now offering small creative businesses one month of advertising here for $20. Just click the 'Buy Now' Paypal button and you'll be taken to a secure site where you can choose your payment method. Then email your link and logo to chelseasgarage@gmail.com and I'll include you in the sidebar! Have any questions? Don't hesitate to contact me and I'll be happy to help! I'm so excited to start this venture together!

One month of Advertising on Chelsea's Garage - $20

Enjoy a wonderful weekend, friends. Thank you so much for stopping by!

~Chelsea

Peek-A-Week #2 {Rustic white table}

By Chelsea



Hi All! I hope everyone had a splendid weekend! Ours went something like this:

 Furniture pick-up with my merry crew, (the piece is for the room makeover that Cate and I are working on)

My Shire, determined to save a lone Robin's egg from it's fallen nest.

And an up and back road trip to Philadelphia to celebrate my sister's birthday over a Phillies vs. Nats baseball game.

Colin and Mason overlooking the Phillies ballpark

Me, Mom, Casey, (sister), Shire

Matt, (husband), and Mason

It was a beautiful weekend, indeed. Kicking off our new week is another Peek-A-Week piece I'll be selling at our garage sale on June 7! (see the first one here) Today's peek is of this adorable table refinished in Old White and gently distressed. I stripped and stained the top in Minwax Hickory and added a simple blue and mint watercolor inspired knob. Love the simple details that give this piece depth of character and interest!

Just for fun, a before & after side-by-side:

 

Find this and other pieces at the fifth Chelsea's Garage sale!

June 7, 9am-3pm

My garage in Herndon, VA! (email me for address)

Stop by, grab a refreshment and find a treasure to take home!

On the agenda this week is refinishing that piece crammed in our van in the first picture, (for my parents' guest room makeover). I'm using an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint color I've never used before. Will be back soon with pictures!

Thank you for stopping by!

~Chelsea

Room makeover in progress!

By Chelsea



Hi guys! I have GOT to share this note I received from my grandma yesterday, following my previous post, (which you'll need to read to understand):

"Chelsea, the only time cows stay out late (all night) is in the summer when its warm.  The cows come home around 4:30 PM. cause they get full, if u get my drift!!!  Gm L"

My grandma grew up on a farm; I just love when she shares little tid-bits like that. Isn't she hilarious?!? I love you, Gm L. :)

Today is just a quick pop-in to fill you in on some exciting things going on here! I have a bad habit, as a blogger, of not sharing things I'm working on until they're already finished and I'm able to share the oh-so-dramatic 'after' photos. But as a blog reader myself, I genuinely enjoy hearing what some of my fellow DIYers are up to, even if they're just in the beginning stages of a project. Even ideas are fun to read! 

So, that being said, there are some really fantastic projects going on right now - not just for Chelsea's Garage, but for One Kings Lane, (again!), POPSUGAR Home, (BTW, thank you guys for selecting me as your home blogger of the week over there! Check them out here and find more talented and creative bloggers), and a handful of clients. One near and dear 'client', in particular, who's project I'd like to share with you today: my Mom! 

Cate, (my friend, SIL, and clever guest poster here on CG), and I have been in cahoots planning the makeover of a guest room in my parents' new home.

Current room:

My Mom's style is so much cooler than mine. I'd describe it as very laid back and relaxed, but nowhere close to boring. She mixes raw, natural elements with funky, industrial pieces. And she's really good at adding a small dash of unexpected whim to keep things interesting and to prevent a room from feeling too serious. The coolest things in my wardrobe have come from her and my favorite elements in my home are inspired by her. 

After Cate and I had a chance to hear some of my Mom's hopes and desires for the room, we've come up with a key check list:

-Keep the Queen bed, (rather than replace it with a King), but make the bed appear larger in the room. Hard to tell from this photo, but it is a rather large room. The room could easily handle a King, but why replace a perfectly good bed in excellent condition unnecessarily? The Queen stays, but make it appear larger than it is.

-Find a storage piece that can also be used for the TV. It's just a small box TV with a VCR, (what's that?), and the only three guests that would happen to use it, (until there are others), are my little ones. But, my Mom loves putting a little video on for the kids up in that room when they're having trouble calming down for a nap. It's a nice room where all three of them can relax on the bed and at least have some quiet time, if not a nap, when we're all over there visiting for an extended period of time. The piece also needs to have a decent amount of storage, be high enough to watch the TV from the bed, and not be so bulky that it's difficult to walk around.

-Design the room around this piece of art which my Mom picked out at HomeGoods. Isn't it gorgeous?! It'll go right above the bed and serve as a central focal point for the room. This painting is our inspiration as we collect ideas for bedding, lighting, floor coverings, furniture, everything. How fun is that!!

-Comfortable seating area for guests to read, take a nap, feed a baby, (my Mom quite adores her grand-babies), or just kick-back, (while perhaps watching, yet again, the animated Robin Hood with the kids).

Those cover some of the main elements that Cate and I have been tackling and we are so excited about a few ideas that are both imaginative and stunning. Rather than wait until the room is completely done, I'm going to do my very best to take lots of photos of the room as it transforms and keep you updated on the progress. 

Now, should we try to keep my Mom out of the room until it's completely finished, (after the painting is done)? I vote YES!!

Thank you for stopping by!

~Chelsea

Garage Sale Peek-A-Week #1 (plus, what's got us screaming with joy)

By Chelsea

Hi friends! These were taken earlier today...

...moments after our first Yard Sale sign spotting of the season. :)

Are you feelin' it, too? Shire sure is! The future love of her life is going to have to make a hard decision at some point: Either find a hobby of their own on Saturday mornings in the Spring and Summer, or embrace hers and join along. This girl can yard sale til the cows come home, (whatever that means. Do cows stay out late and break curfew?)

Back to reality. There are less than 6 weeks until the June 7 garage sale! Cate and I are super excited and working hard to bring a fantastic collection of pieces. I thought it might be fun to share with you a peek-a-week of a piece I'll be selling on June 7! With only so many weeks between now and then I won't be sharing everything, but enough to prove it'll totally be worth your time to stop by! I'm even planning to pull out my paint, brushes, and a few spare pieces to offer on-going chalk-paint demos! It'll be a fun time, for sure.

Peek-A-Week #1

Custom aqua nesting tables w/ gold-dipped legs

If you follow me on Facebook you might recognize these!

I loved these as-is, but the rattan was faded with water marks on so many spots on the top. Since I couldn't decide on what color to paint them I put it to a vote between Duck Egg blue, Paris Grey, or Old White. Although Duck Egg won the votes, I decided to tone it down a bit and mixed 1 part Duck Egg with 3 parts Old White. I LOVE this mix! So subtle but with a hint of fun.

Find this and other one-of-a-kind pieces at the market!

Saturday, June 7

9am - 3pm

My garage! Located in Herndon, VA, email me for address.

No cost to get in

Refreshments available, as always!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

~Chelsea

Pretty succulent centerpiece

By Chelsea

January 28, 2013

What a difference a year makes! We had daffodils popping up in our garden due to the mild temps, so we transplanted the bulbs and brought them in to unleash. Definitely no daffodils trying to emerge this year...

But we're not without any popping fresh greens, either.

During a quick trip to Home Depot with my littles, (and my Mom!), we picked up 3 different real succulents, (because the fake ones are over 3 times the price)! 

These three ranged from $1.99 - $3.99ea.

I did a bit of research beforehand to learn how to take care of succulents. They like dry soil, sun, and do well in a shallow dish. I wanted to use a pretty green glass bowl I found at the thrift store a while back, but since it doesn't have holes for drainage I poured some rocks in first so the soil could sit on top of those, allowing water to drain into the rocks.

I had plenty of help ;) And I scooped a couple handfuls of rocks out after this picture. That was too many - I really just wanted a couple layers of rocks.

Then I added soil on top of the rocks

I dug three shallow holes and stuck the plants in. I haven't watered once, and it's been a week! I read that in the winter they go dormant, so they only need water 1-2 times a month. I don't know how I feel about that but I will trust those who know (wayyyyyy) more than me!

I love how this centerpiece turned out but only time will tell if it was successful! Anyone green thumbs out there have any suggestions to keep these babies happy?

Thanks for reading!

~Chelsea

Friday Love {SALES}

This photo is AWESOME! Chick with the pink slippers on the left is in it to win it. I mean, look at that form! (Pink Slippers, if you see this please send me your address and shoe size. I'd like to mail you some running shoes for next year).

Indeed, I love me a good sale. 

I also love throwing a good sale!

That's right; it's time to clear some room in the garage! I've been reducing prices on some pieces that I really need to have outta there to make room for new inventory. Please check out my Available for Sale link below and if anything interests you email me right away so we can coordinate a time for you to stop by! (Located in northern Virginia)

Available for Sale

Happy savvy shopping!

~Chelsea

Lucketts find No. 1

~All pieces available for sale can be found here~

A few days ago I talked about shopping the Lucketts Spring Market last weekend with a list of specific items I wanted to look for. I couldn't believe I drove home with each item checked off the list! I'm excited to finish each piece and share its journey from Lucketts to our home!

The first one to make it in is the tall wooden door you see behind the bench.

I wanted a little height in a particular corner of our bedroom, and had envisioned something tall and rustic propped up near or behind the chair. My thoughts were either a latter or a door. I was hesitant about using a door because I didn't want anything too wide. But, when my Mom and I spotted this one at the LSM, it was perfect! Tall and narrow. Scooped it up. 

I painted it the same color as our wall, (Marilyn's Dress by Benjamin Moore), played a whole lot with the placement in that corner, and finally liked it this way. Placement does not come naturally for me. I have to try every which way before finding a set up that appeals. Play, play, play! It's a good way to learn if you're ever unsure.

The sketch on top was a thrift store score when we first moved in our home a few years ago. The painting on the bottom was a gift from my grandma - she painted it herself! She's been a talented artist for many years and it's a pleasure to display her work.

Taking a cue from some of the earthy greens used in the art on the wall, I pulled out a can of French Linen, a warm greenish-grey by Annie Sloan chalk paint, and covered a low bench that now sits at the foot of our bed, (and holds all my extra pieces of linen and burlap)

Last week I brought in that refinished chair in the corner, (the one found at the auto shop), and at the beginning of this week I added the antlers, which I showed a few days ago. 

I feel like we have made a smooth transition from a once delicate and frilly looking bedroom to something with more edge and personality. It's still soft and airy, which I love, but the addition of a few rustic pieces gives it a touch of masculinity, which is important to me since this is my husbands sanctuary from the crazy, too.

So, that's Lucketts find No. 1. Stay tuned for where the other two turn up! 

Thanks for reading!

~Chelsea