Fresh White Distressed Dresser ||And Classy Spooky Decor||

Dowdy dresser, scratched up by a cat.
Turned into a stunner,
Just like

THAT!

Sadly, I misplaced my wand before this transformation so I had to do it the good ol' fashioned way with a brush and paint. ;)

This color is a mix of Pure White by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Grain Sack by Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint. Two fantastic paints, and with their magic combined they create a custom chippy, distressed finish! This is a wonderful way to get a little more out of half-cans of paint you have left and waiting to get used!

The recessed brass pulls are really what the story is about here, though; let's be honest.

And the birds, "Do they ever stop migrating?!"

The 1963 film, The Birds, inspired me to get a little spooky when staging this piece. Classy spooky, that is - it's a thing! Or at least it is now.

||Origami bird instructions here||

After helping me shoot the dresser, the birds migrated to various parts of our home...

This is the most Halloween decorating I've ever done! And it's about as much as I could live with for a few weeks. With our twins' birthday being two days before Halloween, I've pretty much got their birthday decorating done now! Guess I killed two birds with one stone, eh? :)

If you're a DC/NoVA local and interested in the rustic white dresser, feel free to contact me at chelsea@stylemutthome.com!

Thank you so much for stopping by, friends!


Little Orphan Lampie

True confession: I've had a lamp rehab post drafted since March.  EEP!  I had finished up this project in our old apartment last spring and was in a rush to sell before we moved (one less box to pack etc...) - so I never got around to it's debut post.

But now we are getting ready to move again and I was reminded that I never told you the story of little orphan lampie.   She was all "it's a hard knock life" lying there at the thrift store - with no base to stand on. You may recall that I actually found her the day a brought home the metal card catalog drawers I used for this guy (who's on super duper sale by the way *hint hint*).  

I was drawn to her industrial flare, flint gray paint job, and her graceful movements despite the layer of dust on her springs, but she couldn't stand up on her own.  So what to do, what to do...  Build her a concrete prosthetic.

Obvi.

My supplies:

Lamp in need
Concrete mix
Round cardboard box lid for a mold
Wooden dowel that's a small enough diameter to fit inside the hollow tip of the lamp
Duct tape
and WD40

Scroll through the images below to see how to use  the cardboard box lid as a concrete mold.

Surgery went well so are you ready to try standing up for the first time little lampie?

That's it girl!

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Keep going!

Now don't be shy!  Can you look up for the camera - show us who's my little number one?

The sun totally came out tomorrow for you didn't it little orphan lampie?

Even though this is old old news, I am happy to report that little orphan lampie went to live with her very own Daddy Warbucks (well actually it was city-living young professional, but same thing ;)

Have you rehabbed and orphaned item of your own?  I'd love to hear about it in the comments below or tag me in your pics on instagram!

 

Fall Leaves, Apples, and Two New Repurposed Pieces

So I'm not even gonna try to hide it -  fall is my FAVORITE time of year.  I think it's because it's the perfect storm for so many of my favorite things: leather boots, cute scarves, comfortable sweaters, crisp air, crunchy leaves, hot beverages, delicious soups, and best of all: family time. 

But I don't have a home to decorate for fall - and it's KILLING ME!  Well not really.  I admit I'm being dramatic.  What can I say, I'm in my tumultuous twenties where for the last 5 years my now husband and I have collectively lived in 8 total towns and bounced around 5 total jobs.  I'm so ready to have a house of my own to decorate/ experiment with/ work on furniture in, but Caleb and I are still SO young in our finances.  

 

But it's this time of year that also reminds me I need to give thanks for what Caleb and I do have:

Almost 2 years of marriage under our belt
An incredible dog named Thor
Jobs
A place to live
Both sets of parents in the area
All 8 of our grandparents
and last, but not least:

all of you fellow style mutts

So without a home of our own to decorate, I'm celebrating fall in my own ragamuffin way with a new pair of pieces in the garage shop:

Photo Sep 28, 5 41 37 PM-001.jpg

Psst do you recognize those table bases?  Maybe this instagram post about flotsam and jetsam will jog your memory:

 
 
Photo Sep 28, 5 43 52 PM (1)-001.jpg

It actually was a very simply upcycle: I made the bench seat out of wood planks and the trestle with a new piece of wood cut to length, all stained to match the harvested table bases [as always, pun SO intended]. Then I sealed the whole shebang with some polyurethane just in case someone out there is looking to furnish their orchard with some weather-proof benches...

 
 

Trestle Benches
$160 for the pair
SOLD

Cate sig.png

I hope you all are also savoring the season and thinking about all you've got to be grateful for friends.  And don't forget to stop by on Friday for another showstopping #stylemuttspaces Reader Design!