Peek-A-Week #4 AND change of plans!!!

Hi All! Cate and I have some super duper important news to share with you, (and we'd love it if you passed this along)! Rather than haul all of our gorgeous, impeccable, one of a kind pieces across town to the flea market, we are going to stay right here on June 7 and open our door to you!!!

That's right; the Fairfax Lake Park Flea Market is OUT, and Chelsea's Garage's garage is IN! Simply stated, we'll have lots more to offer if we just stay right here where we are with no room constraints in our vehicles and designated 10x10 ft space.

This will happen to be Chelsea's Garage's FIFTH sale and I could not be more excited! Here's a peek at the first four:

I'm the most excited I've ever been for this one in particular. Why? One word. Cate. This will be the first Chelsea's Garage sale where Cate will be selling her own stunning pieces as well, so it'll be an extra special, extra fun time. And as always, refreshments will be served to any and all guests who come out to take a looksie.

Event Details:
--Saturday, June 7
--Door opens at precisely 9am and closes when we're out of pieces, (or 3pm. Whichever happens first)
--Contact me at chelseasgarage@gmail.com so I can send you the address
--At sale #4 there were cars parked in front of our house an hour and a half early. This is a smart choice.

Pieces go fast in the first hour, so try to get there by 9am if possible. If you don't believe me, I snapped this picture as our door was opening at the last sale.

:)

In keeping with the Peek-A-Week series where I was showing you one piece a week which would be at the flea market, I'll just continue on with a peek of something you'll find in Chelsea's Garage's garage, (that's more fun to say than you're probably thinking). This week I've got these two campaign style buddies showing off their versatility:

Side-by-side they'd make a great little media unit, dresser, or sofa table

Stacked they're perfect for a taller dresser, office, or living room space to create differing height.

Or let them anchor a living room by flanking a sofa or pair of armchairs.

So don't forget, the party is HERE on June 7! Trust me, we have a good time. 

Thank you so much for stopping by!

~Chelsea

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

Spring fresh bedroom {Master bedroom update}

Hi friends! Sometimes the most impactful improvements to a room can be made using simple supplies and items from elsewhere in the home, (as demonstrated yesterday with our new and improved guest nook). This point is further made in our refreshed bedroom and I feel a renewed sense of peace and calm in our quiet little 'sanctuary'. Our bedroom wasn't begging for improvement, but it felt tired and over reaching for a direction that it just wasn't hitting. It's a new season, in so many ways, so I just thought "why not?!" and decided to go for it. :)

Here's a flashback of our bedroom before, (in a hand-picked grey that turned out quite baby blue):

The white paint came out last week. I rolled our walls in the same Ultra Pure White by Behr that's on every other wall in our house, (except for the littles' rooms). I always love a fresh white canvas to begin with. It's my favorite starting point, (which I wish I had known about myself before we painted over the builder grade yellow in a dusty blue which was supposed to look grey).

Other changes: I reattached our headboard. Did I ever tell you that my great-great grandmother and great-uncle were actually BORN in this bed? Incredible isn't it?! I also replaced the lamps with gold spray-painted clip-on task lights. One less pillow on the bed. Lighter throw blanket. Art flanking the bed. There's more, let's move on. :)

Coming up I'm gonna show you how easy it is to hang art with this sissal rope. I LOVE the height and interest it adds to the wall without being in-your-face. Just love it.

And something awesome happened to our leaning shelves, too. We're gonna be hitting that soon as well.

That tall leaning panel I found at the Luckett's Spring Market last year got a new coat of paint, (custom aqua using Duck Egg and Old White by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint). The chair seat got a fresh white cover using the same white denim I used for the bench at the foot of the bed.

This hits the mark. As I mentioned, toning down the colors to a calming white canvas, and then  incorporating smaller doses of color and natural elements is my personal winning look. It's what my eyes are drawn to and when I feel the most relaxed. What about you? What design elements are you the most drawn to in a room?

Thank you for stopping by! And don't forget to pay Cate and me a visit at our ridiculously awesome garage sale happening on SATURDAY, JUNE 7! 9am-3pm, unique refinished pieces, refreshments available, awesome people. Contact me for the address - located in Herndon, VA!

Happy weekend, friends!

~Chelsea

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

Plank a wall with a Sharpie! {plus two more original ideas in our guest nook}

Hi guys! Okay, bear with me. I have been told by my sweet, funny, awesome, HONEST husband that I am an extremist. I call things the best or the worst. Favorite or least favorite. Scalding hot or ice cold. Perfect or horrible. You catch my drift. He's even challenged me to try using words like "good", "fine", "bad", "nice". I love him so very much. But, today I cannot accept his challenge. Why? Because this IS my favorite post yet. For real.

With summer rolling up fast and a handful of overnight guests on our calendar, I wanted to do something in our guest room. Anything. Anything at all to perk it up.

First off, here is our basement:

But I haven't showed you what's around the corner because, well, there hasn't been much to show. This is what we've had going on around the corner: our honorary guest nook:

There's a full bath down here and zero kids waking up at 5:30am, so it makes sense to use this space for guests. But it's always been blahze, (made up french word, pronounced blaa-zay: means boring in french). I think guest rooms should be fun and different! This is the room where you can really stretch your creativity and try things you might not necessarily try elsewhere in your home! If things go horribly wrong it's not like YOU have to sleep in it after-all. ;)

It took me exactly 90 total minutes split up by three separate projects to fix up our guest room from what you see above, to this:

Project #1:
Sharpie plank wall

Supplies:
-piece of cardboard cut to your preferred size, (I tried to make mine about 4" to emulate actual planks)
-Sharpie

How-to:
Start at a top corner. Hold your cardboard strip onto the wall with one hand, and with the other trace your cardboard with the Sharpie. When you've traced the whole cardboard strip, remove it and add two little dots at either end of your 'plank' to look like nails.

If you're thinking to yourself that this looks so fake, you would be correct. I was definitely not going for realistic when I decided to draw planks on this accent wall with a Sharpie. It's just fun, whimsical and gives this space a real focal point! If you like the idea but not the faky-ness, you could always purchase plank wallpaper and do up an accent wall that way! Or, install actual planks.

Project #2
Turn bookcase into sideboard

Supplies:
-brute strength

How to:
First, be sure you have cleared some room - enough for the height, (which will become the length), of your bookcase. Then, very carefully, turn your bookcase over on it's side. Use those metal shelf bracket holders to secure your shelves on each side so they don't flop over. We have ugly office supplies and storage in our bookcase, (now sideboard), so I used a tension rod fixed between two shelves and hung a curtain, (which, is actually a pillowcase from Target cut right down the seam!)

Project #3
Paint splattered rug

Supplies:
-watered down paint
-brush, (I used a 3")

How-to:
Spread your rug out over a protected surface outside. Pour your paint into a plastic cup and add a dallop of water, enough to make your paint moderately thin. Dip your brush about an inch into the thin paint, then hold it over your rug and shake the paint all over. I used yellow, red, aqua, and green.

There you have it! Three easy projects that make this room a truly special space now. Here are some more photos of the nook:

I made another 'macrame' planter from our hammock to hang over the bed. (see how-to here) With an elaborate wall behind the bed, I didn't want to make it too busy with a large headboard. Bringing in a bit of natural greenery is just the touch to liven up the space and keep it fresh. And since this space gets very little natural light, I used a faux fern. No need to water or move the plant around to follow the light. No worrying about dirt spilling on guests heads in their slumber. Easy peasy.

It always amazes me how even the simplest of ideas and projects can have such an impact on a room. I love this space now; it fits in with the rest of our home. Our guest room is officially open for business and we can't wait to show our visitors to their room while they stay! 

If you happen to try any of these ideas, or have already, please link in a comment below or email me your photos!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

~Chelsea

P.S. Don't forget!

Chelsea's Garage sale #5!
Saturday, June 7
9am-3pm
Email me for the address if you're interested!
(located in Herndon, VA)

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