Lucky at Lucketts

This weekend I pulled on my wellies and shopped the Lucketts Spring Market

There is certainly something to be said about finding gems in the midst of rubble. I do much of my hunting at thrift stores and the like. However, the Lucketts Spring Market this past weekend was no pile of rubble! There were beautiful things at every turn, (thanks to the many hours the vendors there spent finding and creating their lovely pieces). I had the most fantastic time popping in and out of tents with my Mom, chatting with the talented vendors, and waiting out the worst of the rain on a beautiful linen covered camelback sofa inside the Old Lucketts Store. If I had come home empty handed it still would have been a wonderful time! 

But, I came home with a car full. Naturally.

Our adventure began with a list of items that I wanted to look for specifically for our home, space measurements, and a budget. This week will be about getting these pieces in tip-top shape for our home and moving some old things out for these replacements. I can't wait to see how they all turn out! Pictures to come.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check my updated list of pieces available for sale, (link at the top of the page).

~Chelsea

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

Paint on, Wipe off - How to get a weathered finish

If there is one kind of literature that I just completely soak in, it's information regarding refinishing techniques. There is so much out there in the world of refinishing furniture. So many ways to make an old piece come back to life. I learned a new way recently from the talented Christen at Blue Egg Brown Nest as she tried out a new technique from Annie Sloan, creator of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Waxes and author of her new book, Color Recipes for Painted Furniture.

Weathered. 

It's probably one of my favorite techniques as it creates a rich, weathered, time-worn finish. The steps are simple. 

1. You need a piece that has good texture and grain - nothing smooth! 

2. Using Old White chalk paint, brush the paint on in a small-ish section, wait about 30-ish seconds, and use a soft cloth,  like an old t-shirt, to wipe it off. 

3a. Touch up areas that you feel need more paint with a fairly dry brush - dipping in just the tip of the brush and wiping off any excess.

3b. Touch up any areas that you feel have too much paint and it's too late to wipe off with a fine sanding sponge. You can soften any thick areas of paint this way.  

Christen demonstrates this technique on her blog using an oak pedestal table. Coincidentally a very, very, kind client recently asked me if I had any use for a lone oak pedestal table that was taking up space in her garage. She and her husband were anxious to just get it out. Lucky me, indeed!!!

Now, this table was almost perfect for trying this weathered technique. The only issue was that the top surface was sealed fairly smooth. The sealer was coming off in areas, but I didn't have as much texture up top as I would have liked. I ended up favoring a really chippy, time-worn finish on the top rather than a soft, whitewashed look, (which I was able to achieve on the pedestal base as there was plenty of texture down there). I did a lot of sanding to the top to remove paint. Now it looks as if it's seen years of love and family gatherings! As you can see in the pictures, the top has a gorgeous sunburst design, so I followed the direction of the wood with my painting, wiping, and sanding.

With the leaf. Seats 6-8.

Weathered Oak Pedestal Table

62 x 30 with the leaf, 38 x 30 without the leaf

SOLD

Alright, enough about my newfound refinishing technique. Here are some real highlights of our week.:)

I don't blame you one bit if you move on at this point. I get it.

Doctor date with my under-the-weather daughter. Doesn't she look ill? ;)

(we were both happy to be out of the house together without the boys!)

Silly mirrors in the waiting room

I don't just have one, but TWO superhero sons. Though, Superman won't do much good with that paci and his finger in his bellybutton...

Won't be long until they're joining the kids they watch board the bus every morning with their "pack-packs"

If this is a foreshadow of what's to come, I am totally okay with that!

First sunglasses and they couldn't be prouder of themselves. 93 cents at Walmart for a few priceless smiles and giggles.

Kids not available for sale. Not today ;)

Last thing; if you happen to have an open weekend coming up and are somewhat local to Northern Virginia, check out the Luckett's Spring Market! Saturday and Sunday, 10-5, shop hundreds of home decor vendors outdoors and in. Admission is $7, (worth every penny), and there will be something for everyone - not might be, but will be! 

~Chelsea

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

My cozy auto-shop chair

Ok, here's the thing. If you are passionate about refinishing furniture then you probably notice furniture everywhere. Sometimes it's not even a conscious effort to find furniture; it's just there.

This is basically how I came about a battered, bug crawling chair a few weeks ago. I, (and my 3 toddlers), had to go get our van inspected and while we were waiting outside, (picking a bazillion dandelions), I noticed this tattered chair up against the concrete wall of the building. I noticed it because of the wood. It was perfection.

 Gray and textured from spending who knows how long outside. The seat was a mess, as you can see, and the entire thing was covered in cobwebs. But it was solid as a rock. When I inquired about this chair upon check-out I'm pretty sure the guy had no idea what I was talking about, so we took it for free! I didn't get a before before picture. This was after a good scrub and hose down. But the seat speaks for itself. You can't see the colony of stinkbugs that were occupying that tattered cushion at the time of this picture. Grossness. 

Before

After

I replaced the seat and cushion completely. Not only was the original in pretty hopeless shape, I didn't want to risk bringing any stinkbugs inside!

The fabric is so soft. Not sure what it is, but when I touched it I grabbed it and checked out, (JoAnns).

This little reading chair is just the first of a few changes I'm making in our room. It'll be a bit of a process as I swap a few things around and get a few pieces painted, (not the bedroom suite, Grandma Livi, not to worry!). I'll share pictures once it's done but until then just know that it's really coming together beautifully in my head ;) 

Tomorrow is a new painting technique reveal, (if I can get decent pictures in time!), and an exciting event happening this coming weekend for local friends!

Thank you for reading!

~Chelsea

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