Room makeover in progress!

Hi guys! I have GOT to share this note I received from my grandma yesterday, following my previous post, (which you'll need to read to understand):

"Chelsea, the only time cows stay out late (all night) is in the summer when its warm.  The cows come home around 4:30 PM. cause they get full, if u get my drift!!!  Gm L"

My grandma grew up on a farm; I just love when she shares little tid-bits like that. Isn't she hilarious?!? I love you, Gm L. :)

Today is just a quick pop-in to fill you in on some exciting things going on here! I have a bad habit, as a blogger, of not sharing things I'm working on until they're already finished and I'm able to share the oh-so-dramatic 'after' photos. But as a blog reader myself, I genuinely enjoy hearing what some of my fellow DIYers are up to, even if they're just in the beginning stages of a project. Even ideas are fun to read! 

So, that being said, there are some really fantastic projects going on right now - not just for Chelsea's Garage, but for One Kings Lane, (again!), POPSUGAR Home, (BTW, thank you guys for selecting me as your home blogger of the week over there! Check them out here and find more talented and creative bloggers), and a handful of clients. One near and dear 'client', in particular, who's project I'd like to share with you today: my Mom! 

Cate, (my friend, SIL, and clever guest poster here on CG), and I have been in cahoots planning the makeover of a guest room in my parents' new home.

Current room:

My Mom's style is so much cooler than mine. I'd describe it as very laid back and relaxed, but nowhere close to boring. She mixes raw, natural elements with funky, industrial pieces. And she's really good at adding a small dash of unexpected whim to keep things interesting and to prevent a room from feeling too serious. The coolest things in my wardrobe have come from her and my favorite elements in my home are inspired by her. 

After Cate and I had a chance to hear some of my Mom's hopes and desires for the room, we've come up with a key check list:

-Keep the Queen bed, (rather than replace it with a King), but make the bed appear larger in the room. Hard to tell from this photo, but it is a rather large room. The room could easily handle a King, but why replace a perfectly good bed in excellent condition unnecessarily? The Queen stays, but make it appear larger than it is.

-Find a storage piece that can also be used for the TV. It's just a small box TV with a VCR, (what's that?), and the only three guests that would happen to use it, (until there are others), are my little ones. But, my Mom loves putting a little video on for the kids up in that room when they're having trouble calming down for a nap. It's a nice room where all three of them can relax on the bed and at least have some quiet time, if not a nap, when we're all over there visiting for an extended period of time. The piece also needs to have a decent amount of storage, be high enough to watch the TV from the bed, and not be so bulky that it's difficult to walk around.

-Design the room around this piece of art which my Mom picked out at HomeGoods. Isn't it gorgeous?! It'll go right above the bed and serve as a central focal point for the room. 

This painting is our inspiration as we collect ideas for bedding, lighting, floor coverings, furniture, everything.

 How fun is that!!

-Comfortable seating area for guests to read, take a nap, feed a baby, (my Mom quite adores her grand-babies), or just kick-back, (while perhaps watching, yet again, the animated Robin Hood with the kids).

Those cover some of the main elements that Cate and I have been tackling and we are so excited about a few ideas that are both imaginative and stunning. Rather than wait until the room is completely done, I'm going to do my very best to take lots of photos of the room as it transforms and keep you updated on the progress. 

Now, should we try to keep my Mom out of the room until it's completely finished, (after the painting is done)? I vote YES!!

Thank you for stopping by!

~Chelsea

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

Garage Sale Peek-A-Week #1 (plus, what's got us screaming with joy)

Hi friends! These were taken earlier today...moments after our first Yard Sale sign spotting of the season. :)

Are you feelin' it, too? Shire sure is! The future love of her life is going to have to make a hard decision at some point: Either find a hobby of their own on Saturday mornings in the Spring and Summer, or embrace hers and join along. This girl can yard sale til the cows come home, (whatever that means. Do cows stay out late and break curfew?)

Back to reality. There are less than 6 weeks until the June 7 garage sale! Cate and I are super excited and working hard to bring a fantastic collection of pieces. I thought it might be fun to share with you a peek-a-week of a piece I'll be selling on June 7! With only so many weeks between now and then I won't be sharing everything, but enough to prove it'll totally be worth your time to stop by! I'm even planning to pull out my paint, brushes, and a few spare pieces to offer on-going chalk-paint demos! It'll be a fun time, for sure.

Peek-A-Week #1
Custom aqua nesting tables w/ gold-dipped legs

If you follow me on Facebook you might recognize these!

I loved these as-is, but the rattan was faded with water marks on so many spots on the top. Since I couldn't decide on what color to paint them I put it to a vote between Duck Egg blue, Paris Grey, or Old White. Although Duck Egg won the votes, I decided to tone it down a bit and mixed 1 part Duck Egg with 3 parts Old White. I LOVE this mix! So subtle but with a hint of fun.

Find this and other one-of-a-kind pieces at the market!

Saturday, June 7
9am - 3pm
My garage! Located in Herndon, VA, email me for address.
No cost to get in
Refreshments available, as always!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

~Chelsea

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

Time away and upcoming fun!

Hi friends! It's been a while, eh?! So grateful for some time away over these last couple weeks. And especially thankful for a beautifully creative friend and sister-in-law who shared her genius ideas with all of us while I was away! Just in case you missed them, you can see Cate's latest ventures herehere, and here.

Two weeks ago Matt and I packed up the van, loaded the kids and drove 17 hours down to sunny Florida to visit my in-laws. The time away spent relaxing and playing with my family was worth every minute of the drive. But still, I want to kiss the person who invented portable DVD players on the lips. On. The. Lips.

Here are some highlights from our vacation!

The water; I have a hunch our kids may be part fish.

Helping Nana with everything!

Catching beasts, (aka bass), in the canal behind the house.

Sunset beach date with my Matt

Watching this little love, who doesn't care for the sand, be brave and make the most of our time at the beach.

It was wonderful. Praising Jesus for blessing us with a vacation. What a treat! 

And while we were away I got an email from an Apartment Therapy photographer who was interested in shooting our house for the site! The only time that worked for both of us happened to be a day and a half after we got home. Whaaaaat?! It was almost a "Check please!" moment. But, Natalie, the photographer, was so kind and definitely helped ease my nerves about having the kids around, getting the house ready, etc. It was a push for sure, but Matt and I were able to use that short time to get the house cleaned and camera ready. What an honor to have our home featured on such an inspirational source! I can't wait to see it! Once it's up on their site I'll link up here on the blog so you can check it out!

Natalie was truly awesome. She showed the kids the camera and even let them take a few pictures!

Coming up; an exciting announcement from Cate and me that local friends won't want to miss! Hint, keep June 7th open.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Chelsea

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