Better After: July 2010

Terri Smith Photo

Jul 30, 2010

I am happy to leave you this weekend with some beautiful images to gaze at from our newest sponsor, Terri Smith Photo! Terri is a photographer based in Florida, who specializes in just about everything. Engagements, weddings, bellies, babies; she can pretty much document your entire life, and do so
beautifully!

She says, "I graduated from Florida State University with two degrees from the business school. While pursuing these degrees, I also enrolled in photography classes to keep my sanity.

After graduation, I went on to work for a software company and continued my passion for getting a great image.

It was not until my husband (then boyfriend), purchased my first DSLR as a present that I was hooked! On him and the camera. Even though I love the darkroom and all the chemical smells, there is nothing like the instant gratification of digital photos.

I continue my education in photography every day.

She is amazing! She also allegedly married a computer genius/male model. Check and check!

I love that she offers home photography too. Perfect for documenting all the hard work you put into making your baby's nursery picture perfect:

Or even if you are trying to sell your home. You know those horrible pictures that people take for real estate sites? That show like, half of a dark bathroom with the toilet seat up?

Well, Terri is out to change that. How quickly would your home sell with pictures like this to show it
off?

Gorrrrrrrrrrrgous! Head on over to her site Terri Smith Photo to see more! They are so lovely, I'm seriously considering using them as my desktop wallpaper!

Contact Terri HERE.
And get to know her on her blog HERE.

In The Closet

For the voyeur in you, I present the next best thing to snooping in your neighbor's medicine cabinet: peeking in their closets!

If you've been meaning to clean a certain closet for forever, wait no more! The weekend is here! Go and get some supplies, (I hear they are cheaper than you think) and get organized!

You can even make your closet ... STYLISH! Yes, you can! Here is proof from Ashli at Maillardville Manor. Stripes! Potted plants! Why the heck not?

Even just a good scrub will cheer your closet up. Sarah from The Ugly Duckling House inherited a dust covered closet full of mismatched and broken hangers thoughtfully left behind by the previous owners.
But she didn't stop there. She added new shelving which looks professionally done, but was done by Sarah and her boyfriend Scott themselves!

Now let's take a peek into Morgan's closet! What a mess! (Sorry Morgan ;) But the after really lives up to her blog's namesake: The Morganizer! Again, the shelving unit is another do-it-yourselfer job. Looks great, and I like how she made that old awkward corner space work for her.

I hope that served up some inspiration for your weekend! Organizing is fun! (No really, it is!)

Feeling hot, hot, hot!

All day, everyday people ask me, "Hey! When are you going to feature some really great fireplace redos?" Ok, no one has ever asked me that once. But you're getting some anyway, and you are going to like them!

First up: Corrine beefed up her wimpy mantel and gave the outdated rock a kiss goodbye with a new all white surround. Much better!

This fireplace from Christine was about the saddest thing I've ever seen! Just a hole. A dirty hole in an empty wall. Nothing but an even sadder patch of tile to let you know that this hole was actually intentional. The after is lovely, I really really like the black river rock surround. Check out more on her blog C+C Marriage Factory, (not to be confused with C+C Music Factory, who is going to make everybody dance now).

Just when I thought it couldn't get any sadder, it does. Behold Jennifer's pink tile atrocity. The mantel is nice, but doesn't do much to disguise the fact that it is strangely floating three inches above a pukey pink tile eyesore.
She and her hubby retiled it themselves in a nice neutral (non pink) stone and painted the inside black. She gives step by step instructions on her blog Paisley Pink Polka Dots. Looks amazing!

Kumbaya

Jul 29, 2010

Sniff sniff... I smell a polarizing redo coming on! People from Camp Howdareyouchangethat-Itwaslovely might have a problem with the campers over at Camp ItsmydresserandI'llpainthowIwantto. It all boils down to the age old debate: painters vs. purists. Who is right?

My take, as a neutral camp counselor is "Everyone can get along! Now lets got make some bead necklaces!"

Seriously, if its going in your house and you're the one looking at it everyday, do what you want! And Katy wanted a sleek black nightstand, so that's what she got. I personally like the single long handle, I think it looks just right. Check more out on her blog Eat, Drink and Decorate.

Graaaay Up High

I'm quite fond of grey. Grey skies, they are rare in AZ, so I like those. Grey clothes, I'm a fan, I swear that's all I ever buy. Grey walls, that's what I painted my bedroom, loves it. Grey hair, just call me silver fox. Just kidding, don't. I haven't had to deal with that yet!

But Anne-Marie was not feeling the grey, and I see her point. This bathroom was small with a hugey high ceiling and no natural light. She and her husband laughed about how quick guests got in and out of there, it was just uncomfortable.

So she brightened it up with navy and fresh green accents, and had a few more tricks up her sleeve to make it feel even bigger. LOVE the $6 mirrors! Check more out on her blog 10 Rooms.

Swankee!

Hold on to your socks, because they are about to be knocked off! Nina, a professional interior and textile designer recovered this antique settee with an organic print from her own collection!

Isn't it amazing? Don't you love it? Don't you kind of want to marry it? Line starts behind me! See more of what Nina has to offer on her site Swanky Swell.

Japan Pad

Jul 28, 2010

Some of my very favorite redos are the ones that cost next to nothing. You don't always need to hire a contractor or buy a bumload of new furniture to make a dramatic improvement, knowwhatImean?

Kate is living on a military base in Japan. She can't make any huge changes to her home, or she runs the risk of being dishonorably discharged (not really), but she did want to spruce things up. Even just adding a few colorful accessories can make all the difference. And I love the way she defined her dining room space with curtains, I would call that "making it work!" Thanks Kate! See more on her blog Sometimes Life is Messy.

Chair Repair

Time for a virtual fist bump! Touch your fist to your screen and I'll do the same and we'll toast to this amazing chair redo by Hannah Stanton.

She deserves kudos and then some for sticking with this chair, even after discovering the hellacious rotted remains that lurked under the fabric. She had to strip this chair down to nothing but its naked iron frame and produced a magnificent chair in the end. If only it was that easy! Great work, thanks Hannah!

*via design sponge

Silver Metal

This. Exactly this. I want a dresser exactly like this. Dear Universe, take note.

I love what Heidi did with this piece. While the before was certainly not offensive - I mean there's not even any cigarette burns or mold or missing parts! The after makes me swoo-hoon. (That's swooning so hard it takes two syllables).

She says she accomplished this with silver spray paint, and I'd love to know what kind, because a lot of silver spray paint delivers really cheesy fake results, and hers looks superb. And I love the mirrors extra much. Thanks Heidi!

UPDATE! Heidi has shared more info on her brand new blog: Glam in a Can

Julia's Cooking!

Jul 27, 2010

Julia decided it was time to update her kitchen, and who can blame her? It somehow managed to be gloomy and dim despite that giant window trying its darndest to lighten things up.

So she tweezed that window's bushy eyebrow curtain down to a manageable size with some cute apple fabric found on etsy, but she didn't stop there. The whole room was given a lighter brighter look which came in at around $1500, including everything from new granite countertops to the $5 "Kitchen" sign from Hobby Lobby.

See more on her blog Pugs Not Drugs. Thanks Julia!

Brassy to Bronzed

I just love a chandelier redo. Even when they are brassier than Britney's weave and covered in dust, they still can't help but be fabulous. An ugly chandelier is like the nerdy girl in the movies; you know she's a total babe underneath her glasses.

Rachel updated this babelicious chandelier with oil rubbed bronze spray paint and hung her in her craft room. Check out whole transformation on her blog Everyday Ellis. Thanks Rachel!

Faux My!

Ok, so maybe this isn't a project you could bust out with your spray paint in one afternoon, but wow! What a dramatic difference! Tinsley, owner of the faux interior design company Pattern, is responsible for that fantastic wall treatment. Look closely at the brads bumping out from the wall where the diamonds meet. Love that!

I want to be in that same number...

Jul 26, 2010

Ok friends, listen to this. The other day, a friend offered me a free piano. She was moving to a house that already had a piano, and who needs two pianos? The only condition was we would have to move it. "Yeah, no problemo! A free piano! Woot!" I thought to myself. Then I shared the news with my husband, who was way less excited.

"I don't want to move a piano," he said.

"But it's free!" said I.

"But it's heavy." said he.

"But, I don't think you understand. Try to follow me here. It's FREE! And it's a PIANO!"

"You don't even play the piano," he said.

"All the more reason to GET a piano!" I replied, humbly refraining from reminding him that I can indeed play at least half of "Oh When the Saints Go Marching In."

"Not going to do it." he replied.

I was seriously distressed, and pouted for a long time, which makes me think that I need to learn how to pout more cutely or something, because my husband is totally immune to my pouting. Anyway, the point of the story is this: Don't you think I'm right? A free piano is worth the trouble? Arg. I get agitated every time I think of it.

Which brings us, finally, to Cassie's piano redo! It's beautiful! Check out her blog HERE to see how far it's come. She even re-keyed it! Great job. Play one for me, Cassie!

Joyful Joyful!

Wow, with all the hulking masses of furniture clogging up this room, I hardly noticed that the bottom half of this room is painted in the official color of the 1990's: Hunter Green.

Joy was tired of her awkward furniture arrangement and dark bedroom too. So she used the chair rail to her advantage by adding a board and batten treatment, and lightened up the whole look. I love the color palette she used, it is so fresh and welcoming! Great job Joy! See more on her blog Thrifty Parsonage Living.

From Chip to Hip

Jul 23, 2010

Can't keep my, can't keep my, no I can't keep my poker chip table...

Apologies to Lady Gaga, but that's what Charity thought after her sister pointed out that the pink design on this table looked like a poker chip. Not wanting to subconsciously inflict a lifelong gambling problem on her little girls, she went with another look, courtesy of an old ruffled skirt. Ack, it's so cute I can hardly stand it!

Check out her blog All Things Beautiful for her table skirt tutorial and more!