Thinkin outside of the {hat} box!

 Posted by Chelsea


Hi all! Popping in today to show you one of my newly finished yard sale finds. I accumulated this pile you see in the photo below about a month ago at a huge community yard sale. I posted the dresser transformation, (found here), and today I'll be showing you what I did with those hat boxes, (well, there's just one visible in the picture, but there are two more inside of it)!

I turned the smaller two, that previously looked like this,

...into one of a kind toys for my little ones!

Just listening to my kids play in their toy kitchen inspired me to make this decadent cake. They've been pretending non-stop to bake cakes! Crossing my fingers that I didn't miss the cake-train and that this delicious looking fake will still be enjoyed!

He's had the helicopter, but no landing pad. Now Colin's chopper can really get to business!

Aside from whimsical and stack-able storage, hat boxes make great toys, too!

Thank you for reading!

~Chelsea

Vanity transformed; memories intact

Posted by Chelsea

Hi friends! Today I have a dramatic transformation to share which involved an exciting challenge. A very sweet client asked me to refinish her Grandmother's vanity; a piece which she had enjoyed playing on as a little girl and hoped her daughters and future generations would enjoy as well. She chose the color and fabric for the seat, and left me to it. But I wanted to give this piece a little something extra. 

~Before~

~After~

I have been asked from time to time how I feel about painting antiques and even challenged by some that it takes away the value. But, I sincerely believe that you can maintain the integrity and character of antiques even when transforming them through simple decisions such as color, where to distress, and hardware. My client wanted this piece done in a very simple black and distressed. Because of it's age I chose to use the color Graphite, by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, because of it's rich matte finish. It's a truly vintage looking 'black', though it is not a true, deep, black-hole of black, as we see in brands of more modern colors. And then I distressed it along the edges and corners, (the first spots a piece would naturally wear), and then around some of the beautiful details to bring them out a bit.

Love how the original hardware is brilliantly showcased now.

I wanted to do something special for this client that would be symbolic of all of her memories of this vanity as it was before the transformation. I cut a strip of the original seat fabric and created a little floret which I placed in a frame, (painted in Graphite just as the vanity), and backed by the new fabric she chose for the seat.

It was such an honor to be entrusted with such a special piece and I hope that it brings many more years of joy to those that use it.

The low-down;

-wiped piece clean with a damp cloth

-painted 3 coats plus touch ups of Graphite, (stirring the can frequently to keep the hue consistent)

-distressed using a medium grit sanding block and 220 grit sandpaper. I learned very quickly to move right into distressing rather than the clear waxing for this particular color; a color this dark does not enjoy being distressed. When you distress a dark color, you'll see the sanding dust settle in the areas you've distressed and will appear gray. In order to return back to your true color, wipe off the loose dust, then apply wax.

-Used a wax brush to apply clear wax, (brush the wax on in a circular motion followed by back and forth, then immediately wipe smooth with a cloth)

-buffed immediately after applying the wax, then again after 24hours

Thanks for stopping by!

~Chelsea

One Saturday morning...

I woke up early and sleepily pulled on some jeans, a flannel, and slipped out early before the rest of my family was up. I drove across the street to the biggest neighborhood community yard sale I have ever attended. After only six houses, twenty minutes, and my allotted amount of cash was mostly spent, I had a car full.

Group shot of the morning's finds!

Tally:

1 large dresser

2 floor lamps

1 lamp shade

1 chandelier

1 play horse

1 zip lock bag of match box cars + 1 car racing track

3 stacking hat boxes

1 bakers cart on casters

The horse and cars/racing track we'll box up to give our twins as birthday gifts next week. Everything else had a makeover plan! Some things are finished, others are not, but I'll show you everything once they're done and photographed!

To start is this piece I showed you last week, refinished in Old White by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, gently distressed, and sealed in clear wax. The full post about it is here. It sold and I was happy to see it go to an awesome new client who is in the process of decorating her dining room!

Next up is the bakers cart on casters which now graces our kitchen!

Thank you for stopping by!

~Chelsea

Friday Love

This weeks Friday Love is really more of an obsession; one that I've had for a long time. Layered rugs! The image below is one that I saved a long time ago from the ever fresh, In the Fun Lane. The overlapping area rugs going in two different directions adds a quiet exclamation point to one cozy scene. A favorite, for sure.

Aside from the inviting, eclectic aesthetic of layered area rugs of various size, shape and color, it is also a fine economical answer to covering more space on a tight budget! 

If the printed rug you've got your eye on either doesn't come in a size large enough that you need OR blows your budget out of the water, then grab something cheap and neutral in the size you need and top it with a smaller version of the printed rug! Lovin' these examples, (shown above and below, stay-blog and tracizeller.com, respectively):

Or forget the neutral rug all together and create your own custom floor covering with layered rugs exactly where you need them:

(Creamy Life)

 

(PlazaRugs)

How about these punctuations of color and texture in the master bedroom!

 (indiapiedaterre)

hgtv

Have a wonderful weekend!

~Chelsea

Mismatched Chairs

Posted by Cate

Mismatched chairs are becoming more of a thing these days and I don't mind one bit.  {A} I've always been pro a bit of whimsy and beautiful disorder.  {B} It's economical!  Thrift for loners and you can get a great set you don't have to worry about matching.   And {C} I like to think of it as rescuing the "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" of sad and lonely chairs - find it, give it some shiny love, and put it with some new friends!

This summer I was helping out some great friends who just moved their home business into their first ever office space.  They asked me to thrift for some chairs to fix up and transform into their conference table chairs.  Normally, I would not recommend painting your chairs "Berry Pink" but these guys wanted their chairs to be the color of their business logo.  So I set out to find some lonely chairs to "Charlie Brown Christmas" ;)

The hunt did not let me down!  It can be easy to pass by such losers as these pieces when you are looking for to impress your clients with at the new office.  Although it is hard to believe that these chairs could ever look like they belong together, after a coat of paint and new matching upholstered seats - it's a mismatch made in heaven!

Ahhhhh.  That's better.

Now it's your turn,

~ Cate

Old White, distressed dresser; Classic

Posted by Chelsea

Hi friends! Well the garage became quite full this weekend and I'll be working steadily over the next week or so to complete both custom orders and my own finds, (including a beloved family heirloom, my first dining set in a long time, and an experimental piece...). Most of what you'll see from me here will be furniture transformations, at least for a little while. So let the good times roll!...

~Before~

~After~

When I have the opportunity by both space and time to work on my own found pieces, I love to hunt for versatility; pieces that can swing more than one way. This piece, refinished in Old White by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, is the epitome of versatility. Place the TV on top and add a dash of sophistication to the family room. Stand it up against the wall in the dining room to double as an elegant buffet and serving ware storage piece. Or complete a bedroom with a vintage vibe with a dresser capable keeping all garments organized.

Through gentle distressing of the warm off-white color and reattaching the original aged brass hardware, this piece has a distinctly sophisticated vintage feel. 

{SOLD}

*contact me if interested in a similar piece*

Thank you for stopping by!

~Chelsea

Any takers?

Posted by Chelsea

Hi All! I think this may be the first time I have ever posted on a Saturday...feels strange. I just wanted to drop in really quick and show you all a few new pieces that I haven't started yet. If there's anyone who wants first dibs on these pieces and knows how they'd like them refinished before I get started, let me know within the week! I've got a couple custom orders to work on this coming week, so these pieces will not get started until the week of October 21 - 27. 

Drop leaf table and 4 cane-back chairs

Table dimensions: 66"L with leaves up, 48"L with leaves down. 36"W

Chair seats will be recovered - I'm happy to choose a neutral fabric or use one that you bring over.

*Contact me if interested and please include details of how you'd like it refinished*

3-drawer dresser, solid wood

38"W x 30"H x 18"D

*Contact me if interested and please include details of how you'd like it refinished*

Have a marvelous weekend, friends!

~Chelsea