Duck Egg + gold casters

Hi friends! I absolutely adore the piece I'm showing you today; in fact, I was so excited to begin working on it that I completely neglected a before picture. Shame, shame. I wish I could say it won't happen again...

When I found this amazing coffee table, (originally a messy dark stain with lots of nicks and scratches), showing off it's gold capped casters, I felt a little challenge to make it something exciting. After sorting through various colors that are more classic and sophisticated in nature, I decided on Duck Egg by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - a rich aqua that is playful and fun, but elegant and classy when distressed and paired with gold.

SOLD

The low-down:
-Cleaned the piece using a damp cloth
-Blue taped each gold cap to protect from paint
-Applied 2 even coats of Duck Egg by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint using a 3" brush
-Distressed every corner and edge with a medium sanding block
-**Sealed using Minwax Polyurethane clear semi-gloss

**I wanted this piece to really shine. Traditionally, chalk paint is sealed with soft clear wax, which works beautifully to protect pieces. However, you  to will end up with a fairly matte finish, even after buffing. I love the matte finish, but every once in a blue moon I want to give a piece some real shine. If you want a shinier, glossier finish, there is nothing wrong with applying a clear gloss sealer over a chalk painted piece. If you are using a lighter color, just be sure you choose a water based gloss sealer, rather than oil based, which can result in yellowing the finish. Water based gloss sealers will keep your white pieces white. I've sealed chalk painted pieces in Minwax Polyurethane clear semi-gloss only a handful of times, but it has worked out really well each time I've tried it.

Thank you for stopping by! 

~Chelsea

This post was originally featured under Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.

Retirement for a tired suitcase

It's pretty awesome to find a gem on the side of the road, such as with yesterday's roadside rescue. To find two in one week? Ridiculously awesome. Last week was a pretty good week...

Descent smelling, good condition, camel color leather suitcase left out for trash pick-up during an evening walk?

Don't mind if I do!

I had two similar ideas for this item: keep it together and create a bar cart, or break it in half and create two bedside tables. Since I am in need of a couple bedside tables for a design project, (which I can't wait to share with you soon), I decided to separate the two halves of my suitcase. It really was very easy to do and required just a little cutting with handheld garden shears. 

The next part I forgot to photograph, but it's easy to explain. I set up a couple wooden TV tray tables outside with some cardboard underneath, and sprayed them with satin black spray paint by Rustoleum. Then I set one suitcase half on top of each table and screwed them onto the tabletop, (one screw per corner of the table, so 4 total per table). 

The final product

I love the details that make these tables so unique. I didn't try to remove the handle or the locks or change the quality of the leather. I really kept the character of this old suitcase in tact, right down to the leather packing strap.

Leather suitcases are popping up in home design a lot these days, especially now that few people actually travel with leather suitcases anymore. All we have in our closets here are rolling suitcases or duffle bags! How about you? Would you decorate using a leather suitcase?

~Chelsea

This post was originally featured under Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.

Roadside find: Gorgeous chair on casters!

Warning: The following image may move you to tears and result in the sudden urge to donate to your local thrift store.

I found this chair left on the side of the road near our gym one morning a few weeks ago. Instead of making my turn for the gym, I drove straight across the street when this beauty caught my eye. I'm weary of pulling things out of tall grass. First of all, snakes. Second of all, spiders. Third of all, snakes. So I tried to keep my feet on that furthest patch of blacktop and reached over to pull it out...then I jumped out of the way, just in case.

Upon super close inspection, (since I had to put this thing straight into my car where I also had my 3 helpless little spider snacks, ages 3, 3, and 2),  I realized it probably hadn't been abandoned for very long. No cobwebs, no dampness,  and no other signs typical of long outdoor wear. So in the ol' van it went! 

And it was finished before dark that same day.

Painted 'Spring Mint' by Behr

My latest mini-obsession is with very pale mint green paired with vibrant jewel tones. So I had to snap a pic with this gorgeous pillow I found on clearance at Target. Looks like watercolor doesn't it?!

Very minimal distressing that happened naturally as I applied the sealer

SOLD

The low-down:
-Gave the chair a good scrub down with the hose and a thick bristle brush, wiped dry and let air dry completely
-Sanded everywhere except for the cane using 120grit sandpaper
-Blue taped around the wheels and base of the chair
-Used Rustoleum spray on primer over everything but the base
-Painted 3 coats of Spring Mint by Behr using a 2.5" brush, (when painting cane, do not overload your brush with paint. Just dip in the very ends and then move over the cane in a circular motion so the paint doesn't get clogged or glopped inside the little holes)
-Using a clean rag, I applied Minwax Polyurethane clear high gloss sealer

Thank you so much for stopping by!

~Chelsea

This post was originally featured under Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.