Better After: June 2011

St. Craig

Jun 30, 2011

Don't you love when you are searching on Craigslist and suddenly you just happen to find the very item you've been looking for your whole life? Do you? Because I have no idea what's that like. All I ever see on my local craigslist are overpriced mattresses "STILL IN PLASTIK!"

Well, Ronda found this old cane bench, which just happened to fit perfectly around the dining room table she just happened to be redoing, along with the matching set of chairs that just happened to have cane-backs too. Ronda just might be the patron saint of Craigslist. See it on her blog Edward's Lane.

Eye-melting Green to Serene

Gina from A Sense of Design has shown us some of her glorious makeover work before, in particular, her most fabulous kitchen. Trouble with that gorgeousness was that it didn't leave much money in the budget for anything else. Like this homage to green that was happening in her bathroom. I love those two randomly placed decorative tiles. And that pink soap holder. And that mirror that may have been stolen from a public bathroom.

But Gina isn't afraid of hard work, so she tackled every square inch of this green beast with a little ingenuity and a lot of tile paint. You'd think I have been doing this long enough that I would know all about tile paint, but you'd be wrong! Never heard of the stuff, but it appears to have saved the day!

Get it Poppin'

Elle from Banksia Gate Blog redid this weary little chest in a cool blue that makes the gold handles POP like popcorn! I don't really think they look like popcorn. I think they look like stars. Or suns. Or asteriks. But they sure do pop, eh? I don't really even like that word, POP! I propose we find a new word that also means "stands out brightly amid its surroundings." I'll let you know if I think of one.

A Punch for Lunch!

Jun 29, 2011

Well it is mid-day here in my part of the world (not really, it is in the middle of the night! Because that's when I blog! Because I'm a night owl! Hoooooooot. But I have scheduled this to post at mid-day! Shhhhh, our secret!)

Um, obviously I could do with more sleep. Anyway, it is mid-day! Sure it is! And so here are a couple of visual punches to your eyeballs to get you over the hump of Hump-Day. (That is what we call Wednesdays in my part of the world, just in case they don't say that in your part of the world and you think I'm some kind of weirdo perv).

First an overly cutesy-pie lil' heart-adorned dresser gets a chic bird motif makeover instead. From Kristina at Always Springtime Flowers.

And secondly, an overly ugly, big dresser gets a cutesy-pie lil' makeover fit for a princess. Yes, I do believe I will smile. From Kayla at A Jump Up from Junk.

It Don't Matter if it's Black or White

Yesterday, a few commenters said they preferred the black and white "before" decor on Anita's porch makeover. Personally, I loved the serenity of the neutral colors she used that let the views do all the talking instead. But I hear you, B and W lovers! I am lover of the stuff myself. So here is some tasty black and white damask to start your day, yum!

From Better After reader Jessica, who owned these chairs for 16 years. Bet she wishes she had done this about 15.5 years sooner!

Porsche of a Porch

Jun 28, 2011

Earmuffs on if you happen to live in a tiny apartment or some other type of cramped environment. Seriously, get them on, because I don't want you do die of jealousy when you hear that Anita had the tragic problem of a 600 sq ft PORCH she needed to decorate! I declare! That thing is enormous! You could go square-dancing out there!

Anita needed to fill the space, so she bought this set of furniture in a hurry, not really loving the black. It didn't flow with the peaceful farmy scenery. But she knew she could eventually paint them, and she did, with white exterior house paint followed by a glaze of thinned Paris Gray Annie Sloan Chalk paint (although she doesn't recommend that technique, too drippy). The pillows and daybed cover were made with linen and vintage feedsacks, and the whole thing looks like porch paradise to me!

Check it out on her blog Cedar Hill Ranch.

What Goes Around

Caitlin picked up this shabby, bestickered table at a fundraising rummage sale, for a whopping $5. When she got it home, her mom laughed and said it was the exact same table she had just found in the garbage! She had plucked it out earlier to donate to the sale! Oh well, it was $5 to a good cause. And now it's looking good, fully un-sticker-fied, proudly adorning the front porch in red. See it on her blog Riparata.

Stump the Yard

Alicia's husband looked at her like she had grown a third head when she got excited over this pile of stumps. But Alicia had a vision. And that vision was stump tables. After I saw her stump tables, I got excited too! My dad has all kinds of stumps! I'm sure he'd be happy to give me some, even though the conversation would probably go like this:

me: Dad! Can I have some stumps?! I'm going to make a stump table!

dad: Wuh?

me: TABLES out of the STUMPS! So easy! You take the stumps, paint them, and BAM: stump tables.

dad: So .... you want ... to build a table ... with the stumps?

me: Nope! No building. Just paint + stump = table. That's it!

dad: *looking at me like I have grown a third head*

Ah well. I see the vision. Check out more on Alicia's blog, Thrifty and Chic.

Silhouette Winner ... and more!

Jun 27, 2011

Oh boy, we have a Silhouette WINNER! Lindsay from Larsen Legacies, it is YOU! Woot!

If you aren't Lindsay, well, shucks. You can still take advantage of the great reader discount by using the promo code AFTER at checkout. Silhouette is currently offering: • The complete Silhouette SD (everything you need to get started)
• 2 Packages Temporary Tattoo Paper
For only $199!

(I'm no math whiz, but that's like, $120 in savings!)

If you've already got a Silhouette machine, you can still receive 25% off all other products from Silhouette, (excluding gift cards and download codes).

Ok, welp, let's look at something else. I must be in the mood for the two-toned look today, because that's what the first post of the day was, and that's what Nick did with his dated set of dressers too. They were in pretty decent shape, the only thing dragging them down were those handles, which I have heard described as everything from a Batman insignia to squashed bugs. Instead Nick swapped them out for his and hers knobbies!

1st Place Medallion

Christina from Christina's Adventures wanted to dress up her plain table, but when she told her husband of her idea to paint a medallion on top, he thought it would look gaudy. Bound and determined to prove him wrong, she went ahead and painted a friggin medallion on top, hand-painting two coats, followed by a light sanding and three coats of poly. The results, I think, are so far from gaudy, they're over the river and through the woods, straight into Awesometown.

Sponsor: Home Talk

Jun 24, 2011

Happy Friday friend! If you are planning on tackling some home improvement projects this weekend, let me give you a little heads-up: Check out HomeTalk first!

Home Talk is a FREE online home improvement community that can answer all your home improvement questions, everything from "How can I remove stains from my concrete driveway?" to "Why are my tomatoes rotting on the vine?" I know this, because those were my questions! (answers: a high-pressure wash followed by muriatic acid, and "blossom end rot," a result of uneven watering or a calcium deficiency).

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It's like hanging out at your local hardware store, only everyone there is super knowledgeable and friendly! Plus they have weekly giveaways. This week they are giving away $250 to Plow & Hearth! Does your hardware store do that? Mine sure doesn't.

Here's a little screenshot to show how it works:

So easy! And now Donna knows exactly what to do (and what not to do) to fix up her popcorn ceilings. Head on over there with YOUR home improvement questions and check out Home Talk today! And have a great weekend, I mean it! And thank you so much for reading and contributing to this blog! You are the best.

Y? Because we like you!

I love Sierra Lee's honesty: she has no problem serving her kids dinner in front of the TV. But on cartoon-covered primary-colored trays? Not on your life. She gave these little trays a quick coat of made-for-plastic spray paint and said "C ya real soon" to Mickey and Co. by decopauging right over the top. It's the little things that keep us mom's sane, you know?

Speaking of decoupage, this desk and chair got in on the action as well. Decoupage is an iffy art. Most often than not it doesn't turn out all that eyeball-pleasing, but I think this little set is just perfect. The desk and chair complement each other so well, you would never know they didn't come together! From Kelly at Orangie's Attic.

And when it was time to transition her daughter from a baby nursery to a big-girl room, Cassie didn't shy away from color or punch! Click on over to her blog Hi Sugarplum to see the whole reveal. There's lots of yummy tidbits over there, like the reading nook and the bright yellow highboy! And a tutorial about the DIY faux moulding that only cost around $30! Whaaaat? I love how she shows us that kids decor can be sophisticated and fun. I think kids can appreciate it, and if you've ever had to spend the night in a kid's room-acting-as-a-guest room, you can appreciate it too. I still vividly remember waking up to a life-size mural of Goofy leering down at me when I stayed overnight at a cousin's house a few years ago. Yikes.

Projecting Project

Korrie from Red Hen Home is one of those prolific makeover mavens. She is constantly churning out projects so inspiring that I feel like I should just close up shop here and hang a sign pointing you over to her blog instead. But don't worry, I won't! I'll just gaze alongside you in wonder at yet another makeover so fantastic that I actually saved this under the name "korrie-awesome." I even Pinterested it. (PS: Are you on Pinterest yet? What the heck are you waiting for? Come over and friend me or follow me or however it works, I'm still not quite sure how to find people, but do it, it's rad, I promise.)

Anyway, Korrie did this with a clipart graphic and an overhead projector. I loves.

One for the Oak Lovers

Jun 23, 2011

Strange but true: oak cabinetry CAN look nice! I know, I had to read that sentence twice to make sure I wasn't joking too. I think the raging hatred that exists for typical oak cabinets is due to the fact that 99% of them are usually a horrible faux-oak, (I tried to combine those words into a singly catchy word, but it looked very much like a swear word), very cheaply made and rocking an obnoxious orange hue.

But Renee's cabinets had actually held up pretty well, as her home hadn't been updated since the 80's. The cabinets were just about the only thing that DIDN'T get a touched in this kitchen makeover. But even though I think they look pretty great, guess what? Renee is planning to stain them a red mahogany, which will be even better! So I guess the oak loses again. Sorry oak, I tried my best.

Read more about Renee's kitchen makeover on her blog Love, Life and Living Quarters, and be prepared to be jealous of all the smokin' deals she found!

You say tomato, I say Persimmon

You know, I'm not a big fan of orange. But if you take that same color of orange, name it something fancy, like Persimmon, well, sign me up, pal. I'll be the first one in front, proudly waving my flag in the Persimmon Parade. Besides, this looks so good, who wouldn't be a fan? And who knew that it would pair so nicely with dark stain? Not me. From Suzy at Lil' Suzy Homemaker. Thanks Suzy!

Lyre, Lyre

It's only fitting that a harp-backed chair should have a musically-themed makeover, yes? Jessy from Where the Wild Things Grow thought so, so she paid $3 for this chair, added a clef note and now this chair really sings! Ok, that was corny, I'm tired today. This chair was an extra special find for Jessy, who used to be an Alpha Chi Omega, and one of their symbols is a lyre! I was never in a sorority, if I had a symbol that represented my college years, it would probably be a pizza box.

Oh oh ohh oh-oh ... the white stuff

Jun 22, 2011

If you are one of those people who doesn't like the look of painted wood, then look away. WAIT! I take that back. Don't look away, look long and hard at the following pieces from Melissa at Living Beautifully. Then ask yourself if they aren't kinda really fantastic. Especially with the silver and black and white accessories. I guarantee you will be forced to admit that it all is very chic. And if I am wrong, we will settle this argument with an arm wrestle. And if I lose that, because I probably will, at least I can say that I tried my best to convert you to the Church of White Paint.

From Mild to Tiled!

From boring to alluring! From not bad to so rad! From cliché to hooray! From yawn to fawn! From ho-hum to yum! From cut-rate to super great! From lame to hall of fame! From so-so to hello! I could go on all day. From mundane to public domain! OK, now they're not making sense. From Faith at Faith's Place.