Better After: May 2011

Black and Blue

May 31, 2011

Seems like everyone is going for lighter and brighter colors these days, which is great, but don't forget about black paint! Deep, dark, moody, sophisticated, elegant, and even a little dangerous? Maybe that's what the color black means to you, if you like to ascribe personality traits to cans of paint like I do. It's not weird. Maybe a little.

So check out this buffet redo by Becki from Infarrantly Creative. She remade this vintage sideboard for a friend, and before you go worrying if grandma is spinning in her grave because she painted it, Beckie reports that it was in such roughed up condition that refinishing the wood would have been impossible. Besides, grandma would probably be like ..."What?! You painted my sideboard?! Oh hey, that looks great!"

And if colorful colors are more your thing, check out this vintage vanity redo from Allison at Vintage Charm. Another beaten and battered piece gets beautiful new life! Even the wood purists would have to agree that using and loving a piece is about 50 billion times better than letting it rot in the garage, right? Thanks ladies!

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Get Some Sun

Abby and her husbandfrom Crafting Up With the Jonses are in the process of remodeling their 100 year old home, and kindly shared their progress in the sun room. Lovely!

This is another example of how adding cabinetry or built-ins can actually make a small room feel bigger. How it works, I don't know. It is one of the mysteries of the universe that can't be explained, like turkey bacon or Lady Gaga. I bet Lady Gaga is wearing a turban made out of turkey bacon right now. Which could mean the universe is about to collapse in on itself. So ... consider yourself warned.

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Bamboozled

So listen to this: I'm walking in to Target today, and as I approach the doors, I see a lady on the other side trying to exit the same doors. The doors that say "ENTRANCE" on my side, and "NOT AN EXIT!" on her side. So as I get closer, the doors automatically swing open, away from me and toward her. This causes her to yank her cart backward, which then causes an open beverage inside her cart to topple over and pour out into her purse. Then she totally gave me an long and evil glare as I walked past her and her dripping cart, like it was all my fault. I felt bad, but I didn't say sorry, and then I kind of felt bad that I didn't say sorry, but dang lady, that was really not my fault.

What does that have to do with this lamp redo by Bambi? Not much. Actually, nothing at all. But Bambi, a sweet soul who would never try to exit from the entrance, found this little unloved lamp for a mere 99 cents. Then she made it into a table! And I think it's super cute. And you can read all about it on her blog Crafting Occurs. And don't you think that the cart/beverage/purse incident was totally not my fault?

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Hip bone connected to the herringbone

May 30, 2011

Happy Memorial Day to my fellow Americans! I'm going to take the day off to relax, but not without leaving you a little something to cast your eyes upon first!

Check out these too cool for school redos by Matt. First he lacquered up the side table and built the tray out of reclaimed cherry wood and gave it a little extra zing with cowhide glued inside. Seriously awesome. I could easily see this for sale somewhere like Z Gallerie or CB2.

As for the dresser he reports that the herringbone pattern on the drawers is actually vintage house shutters that he took apart and rearranged. The handles are vintage belts. How utterly hip is that? So hip that I feel unhip just looking at it, because I could never come up with an idea that hip! If you are also struck by the hipness, then you are in luck because his designs are for sale on his etsy right now!

Check him out and say hello here: Spruce Up. OH, and BONUS! There's a 20% off coupon code for Better After readers: betterafterblog. How cool is that? Thanks Matt!

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'nother dresser

May 27, 2011

Korrie found inspiration for her dresser redo from a similar piece by Anthropologie. Only her version has twice as many drawers and cost about $950 less. Seriously Anthro? $1000 for a 3 drawer dresser? (Don't tell them I said this, because even though they are super overpriced and kind of snobby, I still covet everything in their store and want them to ask me to prom) BUT I think Korrie's dresser is even cuter. See for yourself on her blog Red Hen Home.

And before I sign off for a wild weekend of fun (or cleaning the garage, which is what I will most likely be doing) I want to give a shout out to the sweetest and most talented gal I "virtually" know, Lisa Leonard! You've probably seen her beautiful jewelry creations before, but recently she sent me a piece from her new home decor line, and I couldn't be more in love with it. Check it:

It's true, you know. Check out more from her customizable home line right HERE.

Have a super great weekend friends! Make something and send me the pics!

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Ex-sponged

When I saw this lovely after dresser by Gail, I thought she did an exceptional job sponge painting that dahlia design on there. Let's face it, most of the time anything that has been painted with a sponge looks like ... it was painted on with a sponge. Then I found out it was actually wallpaper. So my prejudice lives on. But in any case, this turned out beautifully! The knobs are the perfect touch! Thanks Gail!

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Fun, Funky, and Functional!

Alexis hadn't used her dining room since waist-high navy wallpaper and oak trim were in style. Ok, not true, she actually used it a lot, but needed to get her home office out of the basement and closer to the action. She says it was "an organizational decision first, and a decorating decision second." So with a little shuffling, (and some french door building) she gained a new office and functionalized her home! Thus she christened her blog Funktional Home! (Ok, that is also not true... it was already named that from the beginning).

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Jack in the Pot Hutch

May 26, 2011

Stephanie from BirdHouse Family hit the jackpot when she found this hutch on Craigslist for $90, especially considering that she sold an armoire for $125 to make room for the hutch! So ... I guess that would be like ... a $35 jackpot. Which doesn't sound like much of a jackpot at all. Not to mention she spent forever removing doors and screws and that chain link fence stuff, plus sanding and priming and painting and polishing the original hardware (luuuuhve), but at the end of the rainbow she has a finished product that could easily sell for quadriplet what she paid for it.

Do you know what I'd call that? JACKPOT!

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Purty Porch

Summa summa summa ti-iiime! Time to sit back and unwind! Easier said than done when your front porch looks like a drug dealer drop spot. Or a very sad bakery. Carol-Anne wasn't having any of that foolishness, so she upgraded her puny porch into a lush little piece of happiness! Check out her blog Use the Good Dishes to get an up close glimpse and to drool a little bit over her outdoor rug too.

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Rug, Doctored

If you want to add a lot of impact to a room with only a little bit of effort, paint a rug! I've painted rugs before, and it actually takes quite a bit of effort. But quite a bit of effort for me is probably nothing for you, because as I've said before, I'm profoundly lazy. I didn't give my blog a name that could be typed with one hand accidentally, you know. From Beth at Sawdust and Embryos.

Thanks Beth!

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Fire Fox!

May 25, 2011

Better After reader Deb had a fireplace that was practically begging out loud for an upgrade. "Looooook at me! Look right here! Look at this big, blank space around me! There is major personality potential here in this region that I am wildly gesturing toward with my imaginary hands!"

Deb heard its cries, and in just a few short hours the fireplace gained a shiny new surround and lost its inferiority complex! Great work Deb!

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The Best of the Doors

"Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Thermos."

"Thermos who?"

"Thermos be a way to make a console table out of this door that I'm knocking on!"

"Cool! Ok, knock, knock."
"Who's there?"
"Noah."
"Noah who? "
"Noah how to make anything else?"

From a few old doors and a headboard/footboard set! Genius! See more from Alison on her blog The A Gang. Thanks Alison!

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A TV Guide

Laura was inspired by Beckie's makeover of a vintage TV set, so she got her hands on something similar. The first time I saw this, I threatened to rob my grandma of her old set, which looks exactly the same and is currently being used as a TV stand for the TV that works. Someday, Grandma, someday.

The key is cutting down the depth of the box, that way it looks like a bona-fide shelf and not what is obviously the empty husk of a gutted old TV. Check out more from Laura on her blog The Happy Homemaker!

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Your Mandala is Showing

May 24, 2011

Do you know what a mandala is? Me neither. Two seconds of research on google tells me that it is a geometric figure representing the universe. Mary tells us that a mandala is involved somehow with this wacky table redo. Maybe the circle part? I'm still confused.

But look! Stripes! Polka dots! Checkers! Cow print! I can't look at this little table without smiling. Maybe that's all the universe is trying to tell us after all. Wow, that was so deep I need a life jacket. Or a nap. Check out more of this funky little table on Mary's blog The Decorative Paintbrush.

Winning Window

I'm trying to go with a cheerful theme today, have you noticed? Cheerful to me equals things that are yellow. I was never a huge fan of yellow, but – don't tell – it is starting to win me over!

So Maxine had this busted up window that was next in line in the burn pile. Luckily some other crap was taking a while to burn, so she got to thinking ... "Hey! This window pane isn't crap at all! I'm going to save it and make it a window box instead!" So she hung it on her shed and she's glad she did, because it's an old window from the barn on the farm where her husband was raised. Aww, sentimental and cheerful AND eco-friendly! Triple win.