~Before&After~ Oval desk

Hey gang! Quick reminder that the next Chelsea's Garage sale will be on Saturday, May 4 from 10am-2pm.. 

This is an important event because it gives guests first picks on this fresh new stock. After the sale, any items that are left will go in my Etsy shop and get posted on Craigslist. So, mark your calendars and make a date with your friends to come by! I'll have complimentary refreshments, (because who doesn't enjoy shopping with a snack?!), and you are welcome to peruse as long as you'd like.  I am located in Herndon, VA and will be happy to give the address to anyone who needs it - just email me at chelseasgarage@gmail.com.

Okay - This table is one of my all-time favorite transformations, which is funny because for the longest time I had absolutely no idea what to do with it. It definitely needed some TLC before I could even think about whipping out the paint brush!

{BEFORE}

So, in the garage it sat. And waited and waited. Then last week I needed to run to Sherwin Williams to have a stain matched and noticed an ad for their new Color of the Year, Aloe. I kid you not, I did not even see a paint chip of this color when I asked to purchase the quart size sample. The name alone had reeled me in. So thankful it wasn't a disaster. Not only was Aloe not a disaster, it was a home run! I have been all over looking for a soft green that isn't too blue, too yellow, too gray, too bright. Finally! What I've been looking for my whole life...;)

Ladies and gentlemen: 

Aloe

I waited until I was home to pop open the lid and check out what I had just purchased, (for less than $5 - I used a monthly 25% off members coupon). Seriously, as soon as I saw this color I moved the oval table into position to start work. The lightbulb went on and I knew exactly what this table needed to be.

{AFTER}

I am so drawn to all the details of this piece - I've truly never seen anything like it!

Surprise! It's got a disguised drawer! Wouldn't this be incredible as a floating desk in a small study?!

*This piece will be available at the May 4 Chelsea's Garage sale in Herndon, VA!*

Linking to: Blue Egg Brown Nest

The low-down:

-Sanded the top surface down to the lovely natural wood 

-Painted two coats of SW's Aloe on the apron and legs

-Used steel wool to distress

-Seeled with Polyurethane clear semi-gloss

Thank you for stopping by!

~Chelsea

This post was originally featured on Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt!

Glazing: A darn good technique for donuts and furniture!

Glazing. I couldn't figure out why reading about glazing furniture made my mouth water. Then I remembered; glazed donuts. Something that tastes so yummy MUST do wonders for furniture, right?! So, today I mixed up a delicious glaze for a lovely little bookcase. 

Here it is in a few coats of Country Grey by ASCP. I wanted really even coverage so I did 2 coats plus touch ups.

Next I went crazy with my glaze. Like, buck wild kind of crazy. I slopped it on like one of my 3yr olds would. I made sure that all corners, edges and crevices were nicely covered, letting it literally puddle in those areas. I covered the entire piece, waited about 2 minutes, then took clean rag after rag, (I use ripped up t-shirts), and began wiping it off. That's what I love about glazing; it allows you more time to get the look you want since it doesn't dry as fast. Just know that it will change the color of the paint!

After much wiping...voila! Our pretty little bookcase isn't so quiet after all!

 Love how the glaze builds up in the back corners of the shelves

 There are no rules when distressing. Just start on the edges and corners of a piece and go from there. Sometimes that's just enough to pop out the lines and shape of a piece. Other times it's fun to  really take a piece quite a few years back and shake things up with some 'unexpected' worn areas.

"What is glaze and how can I obtain this most awesome concoction" you ask?

As long as you have Valspar Clear Mixing Glaze, (found at Lowes), the sky is the limit. Mix the glaze with wood stain or paint, (about a 2/3 part glaze to 1/3 part stain or paint ratio). Mix well until completely blended, then slop away on your piece, (I like using a brush)! You can even mix white paint with glaze for a beautiful whitewashed look. This is one of those things that is just super fun to try. I love the rich finish it gives to a piece, like it's a legitimate antique.

So there ya have it. Glazing is a fantastic technique to finish off a piece of furniture. Now....donuts anyone?

~Chelsea

This post was originally featured on Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt!

Chair-turned-shelf!

Funky shelf now...

...rickety chair just days ago!

The same lovely gal that dropped off the rusty door, (that we made into a bench), also brought this chair - and if I recall, one of her first instructions was "to go crazy with it" :) After a lot of attempted repair, I realized it was not going to be able to withstand much weight as a place to sit. I did some research to see how to best, (most tastefully), salvage the backrest of the chair since that's the most appealing part. I came across a couple options and my client really liked the idea of attaching a shelf - so that's what I did! 

{done as a custom order, happy to do more if there is interest!}

The Low-Down:

-Sawed the back rest of the chair where the vertical sides met the seat

-Measured the space between the vertical sides and cut an old piece of fence scrap wood to fit inside

-Nailed through the vertical sides to hold the shelf in place

-Attached nailheads around the engraved circle at the top for a little rustic elegance

-Attached a sawtooth hook at the top of the backrest to hang the piece on the wall

Do you have any objects in your home that you are using in an unconventional way? Please share! It's fun to learn how to use something you may have thought about getting rid of!

~Chelsea

This post was originally featured on Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt!