Let the Games begin!

Happy Opening Ceremonies day! I am a huge fan of the Olympics and look forward to watching in awe and wonder every couple of years, (particularly the summer Olympics, so every 4 years really). What is so striking to me, aside from the astounding levels of athletic achievement, is the coming together of all nations in peace for this momentous occasion. It truly is such a remarkable tradition that I had childhood fantasies of being a part of. In honor of this special occasion that only comes every few years, I thought it would be so much fun to have our very own

GARAGE GAMES

Over the course of the next two weeks while the Olympic Games are taking center stage in world wide media, I would love for you to email me something representative of you in your home decor. It could be a fantastic piece of art that you scored and found the perfect spot for, an entire room that you enjoyed putting together, a piece of furniture that you transformed, setting your dining table, dressing up a bed, etc. It need not be a grand statement, so long as it is reflective of you. You don't have to be a homeowner to participate in this - however big or small your space is, it's yours and I love sharing creativity with one another. As your photos come in over the next two weeks I will post them so we can share our creative work and encourage one another. Whether you're a fellow blogger or this is your first time visiting a blog, please don't be shy! All are welcome here!


And what would our Garage Games be without awards?! Rather than gold, silver, or bronze medals, I do have some gold, silver and bronze, (not all of it is real, though some is), in the form of jewelry that I will be giving away. My jewelry box has been in need of reorganizing and 'cleaning out' and I have some fantastic pieces that have finished off many an outfit, but just like with my home decor, I like to change things out now and then. I have 14 pieces of jewelry which will go to 14 individuals who submit photos. When a photo is submitted I will add your name to a drawing. At the end of the 2 weeks my lovely 2.5 year old assistant, Shire, will randomly draw names from a hat. Based off of when your name is drawn, that will be the order by which you get to pick out a piece of jewelry. I will contact you when your name is drawn and you will have 24 hours to pick your favorite piece, then I'll mail it to you!
Let's see the prizes!
(all pieces have been cleaned appropriately and sanitized)
{Item 1}


{Item 2}

{Item 3}

{Item 4}

{Item 5}

{Item 6}

{Item 7}

{Item 8}

{Item 9}

{Item 10}

{Item 11}

{Item 12}

{Item 13}

{Item 14}

So, email me at chelseasgarage@gmail.com a home decor/project photo that represents you. I will post your photo and we can all enjoy sharing our creativity and what inspires us! In two weeks we will have a random drawing for those who have sent photos for a chance to score a used piece of jewelry. Yea! I cannot wait to see what you come up with!

Let the Games begin!

~Chelsea


Dining addition and Project of the week!

Hi Friends -  I hope you are having a wonderful week! We have finally been given some sunny weather today after a chain of gray and rainy days. My little ones were so grateful for a trip to the playground this morning to play on the "Tunnow, swide and sings!" =Tunnel, slide, and swings for those not fluent in tot talk :)

I , too, enjoyed some playing of my own this afternoon. Over the past few days I've been working on a new addition for our dining room. This sweet little cabinet was just the perfect height for our not-so-grand dining room!


I have been wanting something for our short wall with a small 'footprint' that would still allow for plenty of walking space between the table/chairs. I say walking, but really, I mean running. Our main level is a high traffic area for our kiddos as they love to zoom around playing tag and hide and seek. While I wanted a piece with a bit of surface space, I also didn't want to sacrifice floor space for my kids. This fit the bill perfectly.




We have an outlet on that wall which I've been wanting to plug a lamp into since we moved in! I found this paper shade at Goodwill for 98 cents and painted it an aqua color to tie in some of the other blues/teals/aquas around this level.


What a sweet punch-out design! Not that ANYONE would ever notice this, but it reminded me of the celtic style knobs that I attached to the piece.



And our dining room would just not be complete without one of our family's all time favorite evening games: Dominoes! Now we've got a convenient spot to keep them, out of hiding and in the open. This antique set of Double Twelves was passed down to us from my husbands grandparents. How cool!


Our dining room; nothing fancy but we cherish our time around that table with dear family and friends. It's been a work in progress and seems to suit our {crazy} stage of life! 3 booster seats, (all Craigslist scores), for 3 wee hineys.


What? How did these pictures make it in?!? ;) *This* is my real project of the week:
Potty training.
The bane of my existence.
Our older two are twins, but I'm doing this one at a time. One's enough! Anyhow, I just thought I'd share some real pictures of what our house looks like at the moment. Dino potty on our main level and jars of m&m's lying around for 'successes'.



Okay, I can't leave you with a potty photo. Here's a pretty one, (or three). :) Matt got Shire and me a bouquet of flowers yesterday for all our hard work with potty training, (purple is Shire's favorite color). They took my breath away when i came downstairs this morning and the bright sun was beaming in. What a site to wake up to, huh?!




Much better; now, I can sign off. :) Thank you for popping by!

~Chelsea

The 411 on the Refinished Gray Cabinet
Supplies:
Paint, (custom blend), 4" paint brush, 120 and 220 grit sandpaper, Minwax Polyurethane clear semi gloss, extra fine sanding block, two cloths
Technique:
-Removed cabinet doors and hardware
-Used 120 grit sandpaper, (with electric vibrating sander), to strip the surface down to a smooth 'raw' wood, (removing the 'shiny' finish)
-Removed all sawdust with a damp cloth. Then used a dry cloth to remove any excess.
-Painted with a 4" brush, (I never paint insides of cabinets or drawers), let dry over night, smoothed surface with an extra fine sanding block and painted a quick second coat. Let dry.
-Lightly distressed using 220 grit sandpaper
-Sealed using Minwax Polyurethane clear semi gloss, (applied evenly with a slightly damp sponge)
-Reattached hardware and put the doors back on

House, Interrupted

We did it! We managed to turn the inside and the outside of our house upside down in one weekend! In the last post I told you we'd be uprooting our whole front landscaping to replace everything with some more fresh and current things. For over 5 hours yesterday, that's just what we did. Well, my Dad and my husband did. Bless their sweet hearts. It was pouring rain, which they both agreed made the ground easier to work, but they were completely covered in mud, soaked, and beat by the time they were done. I stayed inside the entire time watching from the windows, playing hide and seek, tea party, and 'choo-choo' with our 3 toddlers.

{That is onnnnne naked house}

We have no new plants yet. A landscape friend is going to be helping us with a design so we will be sitting bare for about a week until we meet with him. Some might have a hard time seeing their house this way, (understandably!), but this already looks better to us than the old, overgrown plants that were there when we moved in. It's a wonderful feeling to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. Now, the sky is the limit and we can put our touch and taste on the outside appearance of our house, just like we've done inside.

{Special thanks to my Dad and my husband, Matt for all their hard work in giving us a fresh start. Hope you're not too sore today!}

Inspired by the fresh start our front yard was getting yesterday, I tore off all of our living room slipcovers and had a field day in the laundry room. I frequently hear how brave I am to have white furniture and 3 tots under 3 under one roof. I confess that I do not clean my slipcovers as often as I should, but there is nothing in the world easier and quicker than throwing my slipcovers in the wash with a bit of bleach, hanging them to dry, and zipping them back on. I love knowing my upholstered furniture is actually clean, and since I am not one to ever get to spot cleaning, this works out beautifully for me.

{Slipcover cleaning day = ultimate living room bounce zone }

The kids had a blast with the pillows strewn about. There's something so magical about couch cushions; I remember spending hours playing with our couch cushions growing up; building forts or pretending the floor was made of hot lava and we could only jump from cushion to cushion to get around. I wonder what crazy fantasies my minis will come up with. For now they just think it's hilarious to pile the cushions on the floor for the heck of it. And I'm happy as a clam to watch them do so. :)

Well, that's just about the long and short of our wild weekend ;) We are looking forward to selling a dining table, (hopefully), within the next few days and opening up some space for some exciting new projects coming in this week! Any fun upcoming projects on your agenda? Do share!

~Chelsea