All American Dresser

Hi friends! It's been a little while since I've had a custom order request for a child's room, and here's a little secret: Those are some of my favorites! If this red dresser doesn't scream 'little boy's bedroom', I don't know what does!

It almost went in a completely opposite direction when I started on it in Annie Sloan's French Linen, a warm, taupey grey. I went outside during a brief break from snow and got one whole coat of the soft color on, came inside, checked my email, and saw an urgent one from a very sweet woman who's first email never made it through the week prior! She wanted the piece for her 5yr old son's room, and she was thinkin' RED! So fun, right?!! Suddenly, the French Linen was just all wrong and I knew immediately that Annie Sloan's Emperor's Silk would be the perfect color. This pure, fire engine red is so classic, and surprisingly earthy.

And let's talk about these awesome rope pulls, shall we? They are from Anthropologie, (find them here), and compliment the rustic nature of the distressed dresser SO perfectly. I don't  currently have another piece to use these on but I may just go ahead and order another handful anyways. Love them!

When you're transforming a piece and aren't sure what to do about hardware, don't be afraid of giving the original pulls and knobs a little makeover of their own, too! For this piece, I painted the round pulls in the middle the same color as the piece, Emperors Silk. I've also frequently spray painted my hardware in flat black by Rustoleum - my usual 'go-to' if I plan to reuse original hardware.

Remember when I first showed you this piece?

 Paint is incredible, isn't it?

Thanks for stopping by!

~Chelsea

This post was originally published on Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.

DIY headboard {With coffee filters!}

Ok coffee lovers, I've got a good one for ya: a DIY headboard made from dyed coffee filters! This was super easy and I love the airiness it brings to our eclectic bedroom.

To begin, you'll need at least one hook and two nails, or 3 hooks to create a triangle above your bed. I actually already have hooks screwed into my bedposts so I used those and then a wire heart hook from World Market, ($1.99). You definitely do not need bed posts for this project! You can attach your lower hooks, (or just use a nail for each side), right into the wall. Tie the ends of a length of twine to each side, looping it over your upper hook in the middle, (top of the triangle).

Now you're ready to work on your filters! First, grab as many coffee filters as you think you'll use, (I used 11), and let them sit for an hour or so in a sink or pot full of warm water that is brown with either tea or coffee, (I used a bunch of tea bags from a few teas that I don't care for...see, careful what you throw away)! **This first step, (and the one following), is definitely not necessary! You may want to keep the coffee filters white depending on the colors in your room, your style, etc. I wanted to give the filters a deeper, aged look for our headboard, so I dyed them in the tea.

Second, as you pull each one out give it a good squeeze over the sink to remove excess water and then either lay them out to dry, (I spread them out over a couple cooling racks), or hang them on cabinet knobs.

Once dry, you are ready to make your florets. Simply pinch your filter from the middle, fold a bit until you have something resembling a flower, and then pierce where you pinched with about 1.5" of floral wire.

Finally, attach your filter florets by wrapping the wire around the pre-hung twine above your bed!

Instant headboard!

Have you ever made a headboard? What did you use?

Thank you for stopping by!

~Chelsea

This post was originally published on Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.

Pretty succulent centerpiece

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

This post was originally published on Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.