Decorating: Second Hand Style {+ a brief MIA}

Alright, friends; it's about to quiet down here on the blog for a short bit. As we've been sharing over the past week or so, Cate and I are working on our new DIY resource blog, StyleMutt! We'll be using much of this coming month to work on the site and hope to have some fun sneak peeks to share with you soon! I'm sure a few posts will trickle in here and there over the next few weeks, but they'll be irregular. We'll sure miss you but feel that taking a little time off from publishing posts will enable us to make some big steps forward with StyleMutt. We can hardly wait!

And not to be sidelined, we are so delighted to report that we also have our first design project together! When a super sweet, fun and spunky gal contacted us to help makeover her English basement, we knew a really exciting door was opening. Over the past few weeks the three of us have been brainstorming style aesthetics, design logistics, and are moving forward with tackling each element on the checklist. We will absolutely be sharing projects with you here and there and are looking forward to a full before / after reveal once the job is complete!

Cate and I feel that one of our strengths as a design team is finding chic, quality used pieces. We thrift, sure, but we have a particularly sharp eye for pieces that reach a standard of quality and style. For this English basement project we will certainly be doing a fair share of thrifting; looking for one of a kind, cool pieces that meet both the expectation of quality as well as style. These pieces may be found on Craigslist, at thrift stores, flea markets, and the like.

I've been wanting to share a little example of something that could be 'thrown together' using only second hand pieces. With just an hour yesterday afternoon, I scoured Craigslist, finding beautiful pieces at fair, secondhand prices, and created a hypothetical 'Craigslisted Living Room':

Okay, so I added a small handful of decorative knick-knacks, (including my favorite pillow by Cushion Cut Decor Here is a 1000% Craigslisted living room:

Pretty sweet, right?! Every single item above was currently available for sale, (by various sellers), in the Washington D.C. / Northern Virginia area as of yesterday afternoon. I didn't double anything that wasn't being sold as a pair, and only used photos listed in the ads. Obviously, it's always important to go and see a used piece in person, but I think it's worth giving secondhand a chance! 

So, that's what Cate and I will be up to over the next month! Between StyleMutt and this English basement, we are so excited about sharing some fun projects when we come back! Please continue reaching out in post comments, Facebook, or via email with any suggestions you have for StyleMutt. Your input and advice is imperative!  

Thank you for stopping by and we'll be back soon!

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

Hand Painted Globe & Stand

As Chelsea told you, we cannot be more TICKLED to launch our new blog and resource site: StyleMutt 

As we prepare for some big changes we will be working hard to give you something we hope you will love as much {if not more} than this site that started it all.  And don't shy away from telling us what you want to see on the new site!  We want Style Mutt to be a home for all design aesthetics, budgets, and skill levels so your unique input is invaluable to us.  {If you missed it, check out how your feedback can win you a special something from us in this post.}  But in the meantime, it'll be CG business as usual and since it's Wednesday, I'm coming at you with another guest post.

I'm so glad I showed you all the tour of my living room when I did because now it's buried under three new projects...

No.1: a handsome globe & stand
No.2: a bamboo-front dresser 
No.3: an old silver chest  

This epic thrifting score means get ready for some transformational debuts!

So how 'bout I kick us off with item No.1:

For such a handsome devil, the globe was actually an impulse buy.  In fact, he practically jumped into my cart at check out.  I think he thought if he didn't act fast, no one would ever take him home.  Lucky for him I scooped him up even though he had two obvious flaws that were dating his look.

The first was that shiny finish on the wood:

{See the Citristrip?  No secrets what I plan to do with the wood finish there.}

And the second was that old geography circa 1991 - can you spot it?

It was no wonder why he was at the thrift store in the first place, poor guy. Ok.  So here's the real question - what do you do with an outdated and outmoded globe...

How bout turn it into a piece of art?

I gold leafed the continents and then hand painted over them in all sorts of colors.  I kept applying paint and washing some off, applying paint and washing some off to reveal the gold glimmer underneath.  I wanted each region to be an abstract blur like God's rainbowed creation: a beautiful mix of so much complicated individuality, ethnic diversity, and unique points of view.

Let's take it for a quick spin, shall we?

South America

Africa

Australia

North & Central America

Europe

Asia

And the last but not least: Antarctica {and the final continent remaining on my travel checklist}

And using my new Olloclip for taking iphone photos {alas I don't have a real camera these days but hey, rock what you got right?} I was able to get some macro shots of the paint effects so you can appreciate the detail.  Woot!

Shout-out to Caleb for surprising me with such a great gift #besthusbandever

Bonus alert: the ocean is a chalkboard paint!

As for the wood, I wanted to strip it naked and sand it to give it an un-finish like Chelsea's post about this dresser.  I wrestled with it for hours trying to get every spec of finish out of the nooks and crannies of the spindles.  In the end, I surrendered gracefully to the stubborn finish and decided I liked the distressed effect.  

Call it laziness, but I call it a mutual agreement.

Well mister, your dated days are over - now you are a piece of art!

16"W x 16"D x 39"HSOLD

Happy Wednesday,

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

Creamy paint + Distressed leather {Fall inspired}

Hi guys! In case you missed it, please see yesterday's post and leave us some feedback to help us make StyleMutt simply amazing! There are 4 opportunities left to receive a special gift for commenting and we'd really, (reeeaaallllyyy), appreciate your input. 

So sorry, (not really), to bring it up again, but I've got to talk about the undeniable spark of inspiration that Fall brings. All over social media, television, and magazines in the newsstands, the fashionistas are hitting hard with all the upcoming trends for this Fall. Predictions seem to be heavy in soft, creamy knits paired with various shades of leather. Inspiring? Indeed! But why limit these delicious pairings to fashion? 

Such a cozy thought with an edgy twist must have a place in the home, too.

A piece like this works for almost any décor out there, and better yet, is an easy look to replicate!

This piece one start off so cozy but it sure was a tight ride bringing it home with the crew! (best crew around!)

This transformation was relatively simple and required two supplies:

Old White Chalk Paint, (check here to find who stocks it closest to you or for ordering info), which I painted on in two solid coats, followed by a single layer of clear wax. I did not distress this piece, but rather left some areas along the sides and top surface a little thinner with the paint, (rather than full, complete coverage). This achieves a warm, weathered look without quite going all the way down to the wood. 

 And I used one leather belt to make drawer pulls.

To make drawer pulls out of a leather belt, you first need to figure out how long each pull must be based on the distance between your pre-existing holes, (if you don't want to fill those and drill new ones). The last time I did this, I had all the pulls horizontal and screwed in like handles, (piece painted in Chateau Grey mixed equal parts with Old White):

With today's piece I wanted to try something a little different and make tab pulls on the middle drawers. 

Don’t ever be afraid to get creative and test new ideas. If you don’t end up liking something, you can (almost) always switch it out; that’s the beauty of DIY projects! For this piece, 

I cut 6 x 6" strips of the leather belt, folded them in half, (matching the ends together), and used a drill with a larger bit to screw a hole into the leather. Then I used screws just slightly larger than the hole size and screwed the leather pulls right into the original holes. Finally, I secured the screws from behind the drawer fronts with the appropriate size nuts.

On the cabinet doors I used the pre-existing holes as well. I just measured what was left of the belt, cut it in half, and drilled the holes into the leather just like I did with the tab pulls. I wanted the leather straps to bow out a bit for easy gripping, so I made sure the length of the leather was a couple inches longer than the distance between the holes.

Piece now available for sale
58"L x 32.25"H x 19.25"D
$475

Please contact me if interested! chelseasgarage@gmail.com

I love transferring inspiration from all elements of design, (fashion, graphic, architectural, etc), into the home. It's completely possible to decorate how you dress, if you so desire! As I type this I'm looking down at my paint splattered leggings and baggy tank; it may be better for some not to decorate how they dress. ;) But on a serious note, if you’re not sure what your own style looks like yet, start looking around the web, in magazines, books, and even the world around you for home décor inspiration. Pinterest is a great starting point, and has lots of DIY inspiration for big and small projects. If you want to start small, photos are a great way to instantly freshen up your home. Resources like Shutterfly have fun options for printing and displaying a cute gallery wall, or just some simple wall art!

Tomorrow we get to hear from Cate and it's a good one, (as always)! Thank you so much for stopping by!

~Chelsea

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