First piece of Spring!

Hello there! Three days ago I was looking at the weekend ahead with a pit in my stomach. None of us could walk through the garage, that's how full it was. Saturday morning Matt and I got our kids, (who have kind of become wild animals throughout this fierce winter), outside to do their thing, and we tackled the garage. One mound was a trash pile. The other a donation pile. Here are a few words I would use to describe our garage-clearing experience: Invigorating. Cleansing. Therapeutic. Rejuvenating. Terrifying. (every time I went to pick up a bag or towel or move something that hadn't been moved in months, I was sure I'd see a dead animal. Or worse, a living one). Romantic. (hey, watching my man lift heavy stuff is never a bad thing).

So, when I got to drive the van jam-packed with stuff to donate to the thrift store, I couldn't help stepping inside to check out what they had in the furniture section. I mean, we had just cleared TONS of room, so why not, right?!

True as it may be that I was probably not the right one to go to the thrift store, (especially with all the new space in our garage), I really could not pass up this beauty. Thankfully, Matt agreed!

First piece of the Spring season!
I have a lot riding on this piece, not least of which is a better mood!

Hello rocker-chic hardware!

So, I'm starting on the piece this week. Old White with light distressing, original hardware. Dimensions are 47.5"L x 30"H x 17.75"D. If you have any interest at all please contact me ASAP at chelsea@stylemutthome.com. Finished pictures will be up when it's done! 

And just so you don't miss it, our beautiful Cate, (SIL, just married my brother, incredibly talented DIYer), will be stopping by soon to share some of the amazing projects she's been working on over the past few months. Stay tuned!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

~Chelsea 

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

Chelsea's identity crisis

Hi friends, when I refreshed the whole look and feel of this blog a little while ago I had the hardest time deciding on my 'subtitle'. Before the new look, it had been 'Furniture refinishing. Home decor. Life happening', so I was torn on whether to change it up or keep it the same. Actually, the only change I was considering was removing 'Life happening.' because I never really get into that. It's not that I don't have anything to share about Life, it's that I don't think it would be interesting. Even though Life here is full and moving forward for better or worse, (depends on the day), I just assume that anyone would find that stuff mundane.

But, a very sweet repeat client who I wish I had more time to see amidst Life happening sent me a dear email to inform me of her newest little one on the way. After sharing her exciting news, she told me she missed seeing my family on here. I used to share more pictures and talk more about them, but for no reason in particular, I've gotten away from that. It touched my heart that she cared about them and enjoyed seeing them now and then on my humble blog. (Thank you MY.:) I didn't tell you how much that meant to me) So, I've pondered that quite a bit. Why do I keep Life and this business so separate?

The funny thing is, just as I don't talk much about Life on Chelsea's Garage, I also don't talk about Chelsea's Garage hardly at all outside of this context right here. It sometimes feels like I'm leading two lives. Herein lies the identity crisis. Am I a stay at home Mom raising our three little ones to the best of my abilities, (around the clock)? Or am I a (very) small business owner with dreams and goals and aspirations? Is it okay that I enjoy being both? Even still, when friends ask how I'm doing, I always, 100% of the time, answer according to how the kids are doing, (i.e. "I'm good! The kids are all healthy, we're having a good week together....you know..." OR "Ugh, I'm okay. So-and-so were sick so we were up at this time and that the last few nights...you know..."). I rarely mention anything regarding my business, no matter how fantastic or awful things may be. In the few cases I've brought it up, the responses have been a bit confused. I think it's a hard concept to understand! I have a very small handful of friends who I feel comfortable talking about it with; the friends who are a few chapters ahead in life than me. But with my peers, it's a bit uncomfortable to talk about these dreams and hopes I have for something that isn't directly related to motherhood. Motherhood, (in my short experience thus far), is hard and funny and confusing and raw, so I'm so grateful to have friends to swap stories and experiences with. We laugh, we cry, we read, we pray, we encourage.

But where does Chelsea's Garage fit in? That's also a part of my life; a part that is really good, exciting, challenging, sometimes funny, (and sometimes not). Yet, where does it fit in with stay-at-home motherhood? If I talk about it then will people assume I'm neglecting my children? Or that I'm selfish? Or ungrateful? If you call yourself a stay-at-home Mom, does it mean you can't work on projects unrelated to motherhood? What if you're a stay-at-home Mom who loves her children to the deepest depths of her core, but finds it difficult to actually stay at home? Are you in the wrong field?

I'm not going to pretend that I've mastered the balance of owning and operating a small business alongside raising our three kids here at home. It's very, very hard. But, it's a choice I still stand behind after 2.5 years. My babes are growing up around a creative business and are an integral part of it themselves. They help me pick pieces of furniture. They help me pick paint colors, (and I listen to them)! They even help me with first coats of paint now and then. Our oldest, the twins, are starting preschool this fall and I'm so grateful to have had these years all together before school begins to share this business with them. Who knows, when they're older it may be something they want to be a bigger part of! If not, that's okay, too! The point is, it's been our adventure together and that's irreplaceable.

So, about this identity crisis. I'm not really sure how to fix it; all I'm sure of is that Life will continue moving forward and Chelsea's Garage is nothing without my family.

My hope for this post is to create a bit of discussion. Any thoughts to add? Please feel free to share in a comment and/or email me! I'd love to hear what you have to add from your own experience, mother or not, business owner or not. All are welcome to speak up!

Thank you so much for reading what's been on my heart.

~Chelsea

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

DIY - Yarn art

Well what do ya know, dear friends; we're covered in snow again! Good grief, Charlie Brown! Will it never end?! I sure am looking forward to long days outside with the paintbrush again. On a positive note, we've been stretching our creativity inside and I tried a really cool, (and easy to make), piece of art that I'm excited about sharing today!

What you'll need:
-1/2" pdf board, (the piece I used was a scrap piece from a sheet I had cut at Home Depot. The whole sheet was $11.50 and this was the half I didn't need)
-nails and hammer
-yarn

Step 1:
-Stain your pdf board as dark as you'd like for a richer finish. When applying stain I prefer to use a lint free cloth, (aka ripped up T-shirts), rather than a brush. It helps me get a more authentic finish and into all the grooves. I dip the cloth into the stain and then wipe it on moving in all directions, finishing with a back and forth motion.

Before

After a coat of Minwax Golden Oak stain

Step 2:
-Once the stain is dry, trace your design onto the board with a pencil, (press lightly). I decided to do a heart but you could choose whatever shape you want.

Step 3:
-Using a hammer, gently tap the nails into the board following the trace of your design. Don't tap the nails in all the way; about half - 2/3 will do. I spaced my nails about an inch apart.

Step 4:
-When you have covered your whole design with the nails, it's time to string the yarn! Tie the end of your yarn to a corner of your design, then start stretching the yarn across your design, looping it around each nail. When you like how your design is covered, cut a few extra inches of yarn and tie a knot around a nail, (snip the 'tail').

Lovin' our new funky art!

I propped the new piece up on a shelf in our little entry 'nook', which is a shared space with our living room, dining room, and kitchen. And that train track has practically become a 6th member of our family. I can't remember what the room looks like without it!

Photo bomb! The very best kind. :) Love that boy, (even though he's gonna go and turn 3 on me next week)!

This piece of art was so easy to make but the finished product is rockin'! So, something good did come out of being snowed in again. Sweet Spring, where are you?

Thank you for stopping by!

~Chelsea

P.S. Local friends to Northern Virginia, the garage is caving in with refinished pieces ready for a new home. Please check my Available for Sale page for all current listings and let me know if anything interests you, (and please, please share with anyone you know who might be interested)! If price is an issue contact me anyways. I would like to be ready with more work space for new pieces when the weather warms up again, (hopefully soon?). Thanks, friends!

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