MALOUF Giveaway!!! (now closed)

***GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED ***

Hi friends!  I have an exciting giveaway to share today!  The fantastic people at Malouf Fine Linens are offering a pair of their exquisite Z pillows to one lucky Better After reader!

How do I know these pillows are so exquisite?  Because they kindly sent me one to review, and it is hands-down the BEST pillow I have ever owned.

I took it camping, ya'll. 

That's love.

Check out the pillow manufacturing operation going on here.  You are not getting any old bag of feathers, no.  This is science!
 

After a little questioning, (side sleeper?  back sleeper? ) they determined which pillow was right for me, and it turned out to be the  Zoned Talalay Latex, which, have I mentioned?  I LOVE. 

 I've had memory foam pillows before, but this one is way different.  It is so light and bouncy!  It didn't feel like my head was sinking in a pillowcase full of wet sand, (like memory foam) but totally supported and floating happily! 

After awhile I noticed that I no longer needed to sleep with my blankets bunched up behind my lower back like I used to.  These pillows can save the world, I'm convinced. 

Check out all the options: 

The only problem is ... everybody else likes my pillow too. 

 I recently caught this little ragamuffin red-handed, or rather, dirty-footed, flagrantly hogging my pillow. 

Malouf Fine Linens also offers a whole line of bed products, from Sleep-Tite mattress protectors (fantastic for people with allergies or bedbug/dust mite phobias), plus Egyptian Cotton Sheets, the famed Z Pillows and even  Structures adjustable bedframes.


So, guess what!?  You could win two, yes TWO pillows from Malouf Fine Linens!  This is a seriously big deal, because these are like the Prada of pillows. A luxury car for your dreams.  You will be so happy to win.

To enter:

Simply leave a comment on this post!

(please leave a way for me to contact you)

Additional entries:

"Like" Malouf Fine Linens on Facebook!

(tell them Better After sent you!)

Leave a comment on the Malouf Fine Linens Blog! 

 (you could learn a lot over there, like how other manufactures scam you with their "thread counts")

There you have it, three chances to win!  (Plus they are running their own pillow giveaway, so you can double up your chances!)  Good luck!  And one more big thank you to Malouf Fine Linens.

Read more...

Sunnyellow

I'd love to impart some delightful descriptions of the following pieces to you, but when it comes to yellow, my vocabulary gets stuck somewhere around "cheerful!" "happy!" and "cheerful!"  So let it be known that I think that these redos are swell! And truthfully, sometimes too much description can just be a bad thing. Proof: Lil' C. See Also: Steven Tyler.

(Seriously, I just tried to read Steven Tyler's new book and it was so mind-bendingly painful, I couldn't even make it past the prologue.  More Proof: "I've been mythicized, Mick-icized, eulogized and fooligized, I've been Cole-Portered and farmer's-daughtered, I've been Led Zepped and 12-stepped. I'm a rhyming fool and so cool that me, Fritz the Cat, and Mohair Sam are the baddest cats that am."   Can a brain sweat?  Because mine just did).

Anyway, what the heck were we talking about?  Yellow!  Yes.  It is delightful.  Also, cheerful!

From the always fail-proof Jesse at Nine Red.  




Gorgeous, isn't she?   From Lauren at B and B's Nest.  





A cozy (and cheerful!) scene from Better After reader April.  Great work everybody!

Read more...

Park n' Wash

A few basic rules of bathroom design: You shouldn't be able to wash your hands while sitting on the toilet.   Also, if you have a few cracked floor tiles, find it in your heart and budget to replace them with tiles of the same size and color.  And, seeing how you just love all that tile, why not make sure that your "decorative" tiles all face the same direction?

This little bathroom of horrors was the first thing to go when Jeanette and her husband started remodeling This Dusty House.   They included a whole new layout, a shiny white toilet and tub, and tasteful tile that doesn't give me the OCD itchies.  Fantastic!

 

Read more...

Railing It In

FYI: This hutch was your typical hokey-oak country cabinetry type piece, not a glowing portal to an otherworldly dimension, as the poor-quality photograph may suggest.  Bummer. 

So Better After reader Camille stuck to its country roots with a smokey blue paint job and a distressed finish, along with the naturally stained top and uh ... other top.  The higher top.  The crown moulding part on top.  You know what I mean.  Anyway.

I also love how she put plate rails in place of the teensy railings that served no practical purpose I can think of other than protecting teacups during a very slight earthquake.  Great job Camille!

Read more...

Stick it to the man!

Catherine found this jewelry box at a thrift store and fell it love with its swirls and curves. However, not caring much for the cracks and dents, and oh yes, colonial kitchen-slavery scene depicted on the lid, she whipped out her spray paint and fashioned the sweetest little pincushion you've ever seen instead.  I think I smell a trend!  Check it out on her blog Cat on a Limb.

 


 
And just in case you saved room for more pointy household item makeovers on your plate, then chew on this:  A grimy, rusty, bronze wastebasket turned into a cheerful be-chevroned wastebasket from the infinitely talented Beckie at Infarrantly Creative.  

Read more...

Grannie's Girl

Say you have some sort of family item that has been handed down generation, to generation, to you.  What would Gram-Gram prefer?  That you freshen up her old chair in a way that delights you so much that you catch yourself gazing at it in happiness at least once a day? Or letting it collect dust in a corner of the attic that might as well be labeled "Stuff I Feel Like I Have to Keep." 

No brainer!  Check out more from Ashley and her Great Grannie's chair on her blog Ashlilium.

Read more...

Campaign Trail

Yet another case of "Someone Who Is Not Me Finds Awesome Campaign-Style Furniture at Thrift Store."  I must say, I like this either way ... the natural wood with the brass hardware, or white and sleek with silver hardware.  What's your vote?

As far as decor goes, I would also have to choose The Hunger Games series vs. the cat,  but just because my son is allergic and also I have a fear of cats laying on my face and trying to suffocating me in my sleep.  It could happen.

From Elisa at What the Vida?

   

Read more...

Breaking In

I'm guessing this kitchen remodel from Amy at Style by Design was some sort of dismal office break-room area.  I've come to this conclusion by gathering the hard facts, namely: the soul-crushing utilitarian vibe I feel just by looking at it, plus the telling boxes of office supplies.  All it needs now is a typo-riddled sign taped to the refrigerator "You're mom doesn't work here! Clean up you're mess!" and the look is complete. 

But boy howdy, wouldn't you rather heat up your Hot Pockets in that after kitchen?  I know I would. That's gotta be a boost for morale.  Great work Amy!  See more on her blog here.

Read more...

Easy as Pieces

Nadia currently hails from a small farm in Tunisia, which is the northern-most country in Africa, which is the very first sentence that pops up when you google "Tunisia."  Tunisia is totally civilized, but something tells me there isn't a Home Depot on every corner.  And apparently broken tile is in abundant supply over there.  So Nadia used this to her advantage when she wanted some attractive patio decor.  She  cleaned up some old paint and olive oil cans, raided a few nearby tile piles, and boom!  Spiffy mosaic planters were born. 

Way to save the earth Nadia!  And your plants look nice too!  Check out the process on her blog Multicolored Pieces.

Hurry, sale ends this week! Plus get FREE SHIPPING with the code SUMMER20 

Read more...

Mute and Dilute

Aren't these yellow side tables fantastic?  The color totally reminds me of dandelions!  Oh, snap that's because the paint color is called Dandy-Lion from Martha Stewart!  That Martha. Is there anything she can't do? But don't rush out and buy Dandy-Lion paint just yet.  This is actually a muted version of the color because Liz-Marie added a coat of stain after painting and distressing. 

So NOW you can go get that paint, just throw a can of stain in your cart while you're at it, or your sweet little Dandy-Lion will be more like DANDY-LION-ALL-UP-IN-YOUR-FACE-YA'LL, and we don't want that. 

Read more...

Totally Epical

Surely you have heard of the Epic Makeover that took place over on Mandi's blog Vintage Revivals.  But then again, maybe you haven't, if you are a little bit like me and took a major break from blog reading this summer because you were really busy and hot and also taking a nap.

So here's the breakdown: Mandi had a contest to see who deserved a room makeover of epic proportions. After several rounds of voting, Jessica and her sad, sad bedroom won (nothing says romance like a workout calendar hanging over the marital bed), so Mandi personally came to her house and whipped said bedroom into all kinds of shape.  It's pretty great. You can see more from Jessica on her blog My World Made by Hand.

Read more...

Story of my Life

I went to the thrift store today and found this really great coffee table for $12.  It was a little wobbly and sticky to the touch, but that wasn't enough to scare me off.  As I stood there waiting for the Goodwill guy to come back with a "Sold" tag, I dreamed of all the possible fates that awaited my sweet little coffee table.  White and distressed?  Black?  A dramatic peacock blue like Centsational Girl recently used?  Maybe just a good sanding and staining?  Hmmm. 

And as I sat there pondering, I realized I didn't really have a very clear idea of what I wanted.  And plus that Goodwill guy was taking for-flipping-ever.  So I wandered away and bought some candy bars at the store next door instead.

Aren't you glad this blog isn't about my projects?  Because they don't exist.  So check out this lovely dresser from Nick at Lindauer Designs instead.  I admire his decision-making skills and follow-through.  And someday I'll get my head screwed on straight too.  But probably not.

Read more...

Under the Sink!

Unless Deedee was planning on keeping a tiny pet mermaid in her bathroom, that old vanity had to go.  A tiny pet mermaid is the only explanation I have for those built-in seats inside the shell-shaped sink, nothing else makes sense.  Isn't the new countertop fabulicious?  It's just plain old lumber, distressed and stained!  And don't feel bad for the baby mermaid; she has a tiny new sailboat to float around in now.  Check out the whole story on Deedee's blog Clover House.

Read more...