My kind of white and some tables for sale!

White paint. We have a love-hate relationship. Before we moved into our home I had admired dozens of pictures of bleached white interiors with crisp white linens, bright white walls, and white painted pieces. These photos all looked fresh, crisp, clean, and peaceful. A big bonus in my mind since at the time we had 11mo old twins and one on the way; I was all about creating as tranquil a home as possible!

First, we painted our walls Ultra Bright White by Behr. - loved. Then, we brought in the white slip-covered furniture - loved. Then we acquired some pieces which I began to paint in the same white paint as our walls - oh no! Wrong, wrong, wrong! Too fresh, too crisp, too clean. Instead of looking tranquil I thought it looked sterile, cold and boring!

I lost my style in trying to replicate the same all white rooms I had admired from pictures. I didn't realize it wasn't me until we were living in it and it just felt all wrong! Since that time several years ago I have learned how I like to do white.

White + distressed + grainy natural woods = my kind of white.

Here are a couple tables I recently refinished following my ingeniously mathematical formula... ;)(photographs from our living room, all tables done in Old White by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint)

Harp table with stained wood top

Weathered indoor/outdoor table

Drop-leaf table

{All three tables are available for sale. Please see this page with all pieces available for sale}

Thank you for reading! This week I am working on refinishing my very first wardrobe. Never really been interested in doing wardrobes, but this piece pulled me in the moment I saw it. Pictures at the end of the week, (I hope)!

~Chelsea

Spring sale recap

We had the most perfect weather on Saturday - and I woke up so grateful to be doing what I do. Grateful for the patience of my family who allows me the time to do this and do it right. Grateful for the support and encouragement of family near and far, good friends, and complete strangers who have stumbled across my business and given the kindest compliments. Grateful for not just the emotional encouragement from my husband but the use of his handy skills. And let me tell ya, he's got mad skills. And so grateful that my loving Father has blessed this business beyond measure and allowed it to prosper over my family.

It's all too much, sometimes. I feel so incredibly blessed.

So Saturday! I opened our garage door on a beautiful Spring day to show and sell the pieces I've been working on over the last few months. It took a while to accumulate the stock I had as working through the winter tends to be slower. Aside from the fact that I lose feeling in my hands after about an hour and a half in a freezing garage, the paint doesn't agree much with the cold weather either and gets goopy. But, I finally had enough pieces for our little garage to handle and set a sale date!

Here are some photos of the day!

I always offer refreshments. I want people to feel right at home when they step inside.:)

I didn't have my lights on during the before sale pics, so I got a quick photo in between customers. The big white lantern was an Ikea accessory that I found at Goodwill! It lit everything up perfectly!

A nod to Derby day

It was a wonderful day. I said goodbye to a few pieces, hello to some good friends, and met a lot of new ones! There are custom orders lined up and appointments scheduled to view the remaining stock of pieces. If  you are local and didn't make the sale please contact me and I can send photos of the remaining pieces. Or check back in soon because I am working on filling my Etsy shop with the remaining pieces and will post the link here on the blog once that's ready.

Thanks for reading!

~Chelsea

Refinished antique dresser

Hi All! I've got a fresh-from-the-garage piece to show you today! It's an antique dresser I spotted at my go-to thrift store recently, (Goodwill off Sterling Road in Sterling, VA). It had beautiful lines to begin with and was set on old casters, so there was no question it was coming home with me. But the layers of what appeared to be paint mixed with some sort of dark wash were not so pretty. Not to mention the veneer. I don't usually think anything of painting over veneer when I'm using chalk paint, because it adheres so well to anything, but the veneer has to be done well. No pulling apart. The veneer on this dresser was in such sad shape, the top surface primarily. So, over the course of 5+ hours I worked on peeling it all up, (see my previous post to learn how). After the veneer demolition, I painted everything, except for the mirror, in Annie Sloan's 'French Linen'. I used very gentle distressing after two coats of paint; just enough to highlight the details and lines of the piece. I really wanted to keep the integrity of this piece in tact, as it is a true antique, so I wanted to keep the makeover simple.

Finished product, ready for a new home!

Really crazy about these details. I knew they'd be fun to play up with a sanding sponge.

The mirror I left in it's original chippy paint/wash. The finish was a mess over the whole piece, but when I removed the mirror and had it by itself...I kind of liked it in a smaller dose.

I'm a legs girl, what can I say...

Hello. I wear my morning workout clothes sometimes until 8 o'clock at night. It's awesome.

{This piece will be available on Saturday, May 4 at my spring sale}

~You, (and your bffs), are invited to the Chelsea's Garage Spring Sale!~

Saturday, May 4

10am-2pm

Herndon, VA

(contact me at chelseasgarage@gmail.com for the address)

What you can expect: 

-Complimentary refreshments

-Norah Jones, (probably not in person, but I'll work on it)

-One, two, or three of my children making an appearance if you're lucky

-My husband making an appearance if you're really lucky

-Oh yes, and lots of gorgeous, one-of-a-kind pieces all ready for a good home

Among all the pieces available are:
coffee tables
accent tables
dressers
buffets
consoles
storage cabinets
chippy chairs
desks
mirrors
sofa tables
book cases
and a handful of home accessories

Thanks for stopping by!

~Chelsea

New store alert! (for Northern VA)

Last weekend I had the special gift of a rare date with my sweet boy, Colin. Colin is my oldest son, (3yrs), and Shire's twin. One of my greatest pleasures in life is one-on-one alone time with any of my children. Each of our three have such strikingly different personalities that getting to be alone with any one of them for even a short period is an adventure.

Colin and I had a little adventure of our own when he accompanied me to On a Whim in Leesburg for more Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

It's my favorite errand to run just because of the beautiful drive!

God, the Creator. So magnificent!

On a Whim - check em' out!

After we picked up our paint at On a Whim, we walked next door to this new treasure hunter's hot spot, Rust and Feathers. This gem opened in January and I couldn't be more excited to go visit again! The owner has a fantastic eye and you'll find a plethora of vintage home accessories as well as refinished pieces.

Naturally, we came home with more than just paint ;)

Rust and Feathers had a large basket filled with horse shoes. Colin and I dug around, picked out a few, and then decided this was our winner. It was different from all the others and seemed well used. I kind of like the idea of horse shoes as gifts. Who doesn't want a small dose of good luck in their home?

Plus, they're just cool looking, yea?!

On a Whim was having a free Annie Sloan workshop so Colin got to test some colors on his fingers. Barcelona Orange on the left, Arles on the right. No one but a mother could possibly treasure two small slips of paper so dearly. If you know Colin, (and I'm pretty sure most of you don't), the fact that he even touched the paint is huge for him. These will be framed.:)

~You, (and your bffs), are invited to the Chelsea's Garage Spring Sale!~

Saturday, May 4

10am-2pm

Herndon, VA

(contact me at chelseasgarage@gmail.com for the address)

What you can expect: 
Complimentary refreshments
Norah Jones, (probably not in person, but I'll work on it)
One, two, or three of my children making an appearance if you're lucky
My husband making an appearance if you're really lucky
Oh yes, and lots of gorgeous, one-of-a-kind pieces all ready for a good home

Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

~Chelsea