Confession o’clock. I’ve been creatively spent during this pandemic.

This time last year I was desperately clamoring for a “new normal” while transitioning back to my day job after maternity leave. I had no idea how to do things with a baby in tow and certainly didn’t have the emotional bandwidth to absorb the larger problems of the world. Admittedly, this is when my StyleMutt projects started to take a back seat to juggling family and work. I sought fewer and fewer outlets to create and found myself too creatively spent to be inspired by many new projects anyways.

I was just beginning to chip away and new work again (see my goals for 2020 here) when COVID-19 enters stage right. Suddenly, my husband has turned half my workshop into a home gym and we are splitting up who gets what “me time” between working from home and engaging the baby without daycare.

For some, stay-at-home orders and the lack of access to the rest of the world seemed to fuel many to alternative creative outlets (did you see this post about Chelsea’s home garden project?) but I actually found it to be quite draining. The unique challenges of this upside down world have been eating up all my creative bandwidth: how can I safely buy used project pieces now? How can I safely interact with clients in my in-home garage workshop? How can I maintain proper social distancing when helping someone load up a piece? I admit, these questions halted my already limited motivation. COVID-19, I would very much appreciate if you could exit stage left now pleaseandthankyou.

I can’t be the only one who’s yearning for “normal” out there can I? I want you to know that I feel you friend and I do believe it’s going to be ok. I may be mourning what used to be, but I don’t believe this will be forever. And it’s ok to acknowledge that. I have to acknowledge that if I’m ever going to find a way to a new normal. I have to call it what it is and try to move on - even if it took me 8 months to share my first flip of 2020 (let’s be real… that’s like 19 in Coronayears.)

So I clumsily got back in the saddle, trolled facebook marketplace for a new project, put on my facemask, and bought myself a big fat box from a nearby horse farm:

Don’t let the listing pic fool you. I could probably quarantine in this thing if I needed to - it’s that big. The original owners said it was handmade by grandpa and basically used for garage storage, but it was in great shape and it had that warm wood stain I like so much so I thought why not? It would make for good project to flex my atrophying creative muscles.

At first I thought I would add legs and make it a bar cabinet but I felt like it needed a shelf or two. I was looking for a simple project to get my sea-legs back so in the end, I opted for some small embellishments to make a simple storage coffee table.

I’m calling it a horse tack box to pay homage to the farm I bought it from although it’s in such good condition that I doubt it was ever near a horse.

All I did was add a few black accents: black casters so it can roll away if needed

Some black corner braces for character

And a black hasp (aka a latch) for the lid

And this guy has loooooooads of storage. We’re talking blankets, or board games, or bodies - whatever you’re into these days. (Oh come on - don’t tell me you don’t need your own secret hidey-hole just to get away from your family during quarantine?). Huh - must just be me ;)

Large coffee tables are fun to style - there’s such a large surface area to play with.

I went with several stacks of coffee table books, some backyard branches, and a few figurines.

I have a few more pieces coming your way as I get my mojo back (here’s a tip: check out the shop to see what’s available). But if you’re looking for big blanket chest, email me so I can work with you for a contactless pick-up.

Horse Tack Coffee Table
Now Available for Sale
48”L x 24”D x 19”H
$295

If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, email me at cate@stylemutthome.com

Hi All! Fall is happening in Northern Virginia! The air just smells delicious. Even with a 30 degree temperature drop to the 30s this past weekend, my favorite part was sitting around a fire pit, snuggling under blankets, and roasting s'mores with my family. This season is short but oh, so sweet.

Today I'm excited to share that we've got brand new toy-shelves! We were previously using the IKEA TROFAST toy storage system. It ended up not being the most practical toy storage for our family. The stacked bins made it really hard to see what toys were where and as a result I felt like the kids weren't enjoying playing with their toys as much as they should. Then it hit me - if the toys were out in the open, perhaps they'd be played with more!

**Before, with the IKEA TROFAST storage system**

After running the idea by my husband Matt, and getting one thumb up, I was ready to begin! I measured the wall space where I wanted to build shelves, and went out to buy a couple 1" x 12" shelves, (which I cut to 60" myself at home), and brackets. I stained the shelves in Hickory wood stain and then got to work with hanging!

Matt was kind enough to help me with this project so I could take pictures of some of the steps. Since we don't have studs in the particular section of wall we used, I think this is a good opportunity to address how to hang heavy shelves without using studs, (well, I did have one stud...get it...)!

**Measure and mark with a pencil where you want your brackets to hang, then mark the holes where your anchors and screws will go.**

**Make sure you use a level several times to make sure your brackets are lined up straight.**

**These drywall toggle anchors are not jokin' around and are what you want to use when hanging anything substantial into drywall.**

**No electric drill needed for this project! Just a regular screw driver gets the toggle anchors securely into the wall.**

**Screw them into the wall until they are flush with the surface.**

**Once your toggle anchors are in, place the bracket over the anchors and screw the screws into the anchors.**

**Again, a screwdriver is all you need for this job, no electric drill needed!**

**Then lay your boards on top of the brackets and use shorter screws to attach the boards to the brackets, (from underneath, as seen in the picture).**

All done!

Those toggle drywall anchors are what dreams are made of - no more worrying about studs or tossing projects out just because the studs aren't lined up where you need them! These babies hold up to 100 lbs each! Not too shabby.

To round up some of the smaller toys I found some old metal containers at the Old Lucketts Store, (rt 15 North in Leesburg, VA).

Looking at these shelves, you would never know we have a daughter, too... But, this new 'system' of keeping everything out in the open has been a home run for us! The kids have been playing so well and creatively together - something I thoroughly enjoy watching or being a part of myself!

And if I have any work to do, I get to sit right there with them in our little built in office!

View as you come down the basement stairs. So grateful for this space to play and kick back!

(If interested, I've added the rest of our basement onto the Spaces page, seen in the menu bar!)

I know not everyone is looking for toy storage solutions, but hopefully this post is useful to anyone needing to hang shelves into stud-less drywall! I was pretty excited about this discovery - it's like a whole new world opened up!

Thank you all so much for stopping by!