As Chelsea told you, we cannot be more TICKLED to launch our new blog and resource site: StyleMutt

As we prepare for some big changes we will be working hard to give you something we hope you will love as much {if not more} than this site that started it all. And don't shy away from telling us what you want to see on the new site! We want Style Mutt to be a home for all design aesthetics, budgets, and skill levels so your unique input is invaluable to us. {If you missed it, check out how your feedback can win you a special something from us in this post.} But in the meantime, it'll be CG business as usual and since it's Wednesday, I'm coming at you with another guest post.

I'm so glad I showed you all the tour of my living room when I did because now it's buried under three new projects...

No.1: a handsome globe & stand
No.2: a bamboo-front dresser
No.3: an old silver chest

This epic thrifting score means get ready for some transformational debuts!

So how 'bout I kick us off with item No.1:

For such a handsome devil, the globe was actually an impulse buy. In fact, he practically jumped into my cart at check out. I think he thought if he didn't act fast, no one would ever take him home. Lucky for him I scooped him up even though he had two obvious flaws that were dating his look.

The first was that shiny finish on the wood:

{See the Citristrip? No secrets what I plan to do with the wood finish there.}

And the second was that old geography circa 1991 - can you spot it?

It was no wonder why he was at the thrift store in the first place, poor guy. Ok. So here's the real question - what do you do with an outdated and outmoded globe...

How bout turn it into a piece of art?

I gold leafed the continents and then hand painted over them in all sorts of colors. I kept applying paint and washing some off, applying paint and washing some off to reveal the gold glimmer underneath. I wanted each region to be an abstract blur like God's rainbowed creation: a beautiful mix of so much complicated individuality, ethnic diversity, and unique points of view.

Let's take it for a quick spin, shall we?

And the last but not least: Antarctica {and the final continent remaining on my travel checklist}

And using my new Olloclip for taking iphone photos {alas I don't have a real camera these days but hey, rock what you got right?} I was able to get some macro shots of the paint effects so you can appreciate the detail. Woot!

Shout-out to Caleb for surprising me with such a great gift #besthusbandever

Bonus alert: the ocean is a chalkboard paint!

As for the wood, I wanted to strip it naked and sand it to give it an un-finish like Chelsea's post about this dresser. I wrestled with it for hours trying to get every spec of finish out of the nooks and crannies of the spindles. In the end, I surrendered gracefully to the stubborn finish and decided I liked the distressed effect.

Call it laziness, but I call it a mutual agreement.

Well mister, your dated days are over - now you are a piece of art!

16"W x 16"D x 39"HSOLD

Happy Wednesday,

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

Hello again! It's been quite a week so far, let me tell ya! My 2yr old twins have both been a little 'off'. If you're a parent, you know what I am talking about. Whether you are or not I'll spare you the details because I'd really like you to come visit my blog again! ;) Anyway, I feel like I'm pulling teeth just trying to get them to nap for more than 30 minutes in the afternoon! Perhaps it's the warm sunny weather just calling their name :)

Amidst this 'phase' that we have found ourselves in, I did manage to finish 2 end tables in the past few days. One is new, the other I've had for a while. You may have seen it from photos before. A friend gave this to me to redo, and because of it's size I was a little dumbfounded by what exactly to do with it. First I painted a base coat of white and topped it with gray, then distressed it down to see some of the white and natural wood. This is how it looked for quite a while:

But, it just never felt right to me. It didn't seem done for some reason. So this past week I dusted it off and started working on it again. I added some faded yellow stripes to the top and sanded it down all over, (again). I clear coated it in semi gloss and - Ah-hah! Much better, I think :)

For faded/weathered looking stripes, I painted the yellow on with a dry brush technique, then once it was dry, I used a fine sanding block to remove excess paint, allowing the gray to be seen underneath. I love how these two particular colors play off each other.

Who says you can't have print on your furniture? Every room needs a balance of solids and prints and I absolutely love how stripes go with any other print; floral, paisley, geometric, polkadots....it adds an element of whimsy that I have grown to adore. Stripes definitely call a bit more attention to this table than it previously had. :)

Now onto the other table I was simultaneously working on. This one is newer to the Garage, but I took it back a few decades by adding several layers of color. This little number was given a base coat of black, a layer of soft yellow, and finished in a light peach. Then came the fun of distressing and with this piece I didn't hold back! You can see all the layers of colors which makes this small, soft peach table look like it's seen nine lives. It's small and chippy and perfectly imperfect.

I decided to keep the original hardware because when I removed it I realized it was tarnished and blackened on the back, so I decided to put it back on backwards, showing the blackish edge.

This was sealed in Minwax Polyurethane Semi Clear Gloss for a smooth, shiny finish. Wouldn't it be cute as a bedside table?! Or in a foyer to throw your keys? Or in a bathroom for spare toothpaste and brushes for guests? Or in a reading nook? Oh, I could see this little number in some fun places :)

These pieces will be saved for now as I am in the process of collecting once again for another sale! I'm hoping to have one at the end of June or beginning of July. We have to plan around some upcoming family trips so I am not exactly sure at this point how much stock I will have by mid-end of June and I want to be sure to have plenty! I will definitely let you know when a date is set!

In the mean time, do you have any fun transformations happening in your home? We'd love to hear about em' - you can even post pictures when you leave a comment!

Have a fun day!

~Chelsea