Hex on you!

When the only item of visual interest on your wall is a lonely little smoke detector, that should alert you that it's time for a change.  Holly knocked out this amazing hand-stenciled wall with the help of a friend and the Michael Jackson playlist she brought along.  (Seriously, it helps.  I'm listening to MJ right now! Shake it shake it baby, ooh girl!)

Anyway, she found her inspiration from a David Hicks wallpaper sample and recreated the same thing with a  homemade stencil!  So chic. Thanks Holly, for proving that homemade doesn't have to look homemade!

Check out more on her blog Adventures of an Almost 40 Year Old Intern.

Isn't that amazing?  I didn't know I had such a thing for gold hexagons until today! 
Oh, and check this out too!  She had a lame light fixture outside her bedroom and DIY-ed up a glam solution with thin sheets of brass and a circle punching tool.  Easy as 123!  See it HERE.

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You Hoser!

Someone once said, "I love seeing transformations of thrift store treasures or overlooked items into beautiful and functional design and decor. I'm endlessly inspired by what people can conceive and create."  Who said that?  Oh, it was me!  See, it's right over there on my sidebar!

And after all this time, it's still true.  I LOVE seeing the ideas that people come up with that would have never popped into my fuzzy brain.  Here is one example, not a dramatically huge makeover, but a pretty ingenious idea nonetheless: an old candlestick repurposed into a hose hanger!  From Heidi at The Red Dollar House.  Way to use the ol' noodle, Heidi!

     

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Mama Mia!

If my eyes could bug out of my head like in the cartoons, they'd be bugging so hard right now they'd probably bump into my computer screen and leave greasy little eye-prints.  Ew.

But seriously man, didn't Mia do an amazing job on her kitchen makeover?  It was such a blank slate before, and now there are just layers and layers of personality.  I'm loving the new glass fronts, the apron sink, the three different styles of hardware on the cabinets, and that island!  Also, what's especially cool about the backsplash is that while the grout was still wet, Mia scraped it down to make it seem weathered, like it had been there forever!  It's all in the details.

Bizillions more details to see on her blog Jilly and Mia.

 

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Bye bye hi-fi, hello wi-fi!

This shuttery old thing used to house a record player in a previous life.  For all you youngsters out there, "records" were these round shiny things that played music.  No, no you're thinking of CDs.  CDs were round shiny things that also played music during the days of yore – back when people couldn't download libraries of music in two nanoseconds onto their phone while driving.  Ahh, how far we've come!

And this old cabinet has stepped out of the stone age as well, now serving as a flat-screen TV stand.  Courtney picked it up off craigslist for a grand $15, removed and replaced the doors and finished off with a warm gray.  I'm loving the latticework.  Great job!  See more on her blog Bowdenisms.

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Honey, I'm Home!

This home was giving off a very cheerless vibe.  And also a creepster vibe, what with the leering man there in the window.  But with a little fixin-uppin', it looks like the cutest house on the block now.  I spy new shutters and fresh paint, a nicely trimmed yard, and a red door that could make anyone smile.  See, the even the creepy guy in the window looks happier!

From Laurie at The Beekeeper's Granddaughter, (and her husband TeeJay, who is not actually a creepster in real life.)

   

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Owl bet ...

I bet you haven't seen anything this cute today!  Unless you just like, had a baby or something, and you are currently snuggling your fresh little newborn, then maybe.  But if not, behold the cuteness overload of this dresser redo from Megan at Never a Dull Day for her newest nephew's nursery.  (It totally matches the bedding too, ack, so cute)!  

She completed this (not to mention a taller version of the same thing) in 32 hours over five days from start to the final glazed finish.  My favorite detail is the (look veeery close) contrast stitching along every branch and leaf, which Megan drew on one stitch at a time with a Sharpie.  Talk about aiming for extra credit!

Thanks for sharing Megan! 

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Drama Class

Do you have that one Facebook friend who is always updating their status to say something like: "I AM SOOO OVER THE DRAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and you roll your eyes and try to stop the urge to reply: "For someone so allegedly over the "drama," that was the most dramatic thing I've read all day!"

But instead of instigating more drama, you could just say something like, "Hey pal, drama is a good thing!  Check out this dramatic bedroom makeover from Sanita at Sany-Sunnylife!"   And voila: Drama-devotee diffused.

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I'm a Swinger

I could probably devote an entire week to pallet makeover projects.  Who knew they were so versatile?  Outside of the DIY world, pallets are considered little more than leftover junk or firewood, which is good news for us, because you can easily find them for free.  I know this is true, because there are always piles of pallets listed in the free section of Phoenix's craigslist, home of the most worthless crap on the planet.  Go grab some now before the rest of the world catches on!

And check out Sheryl's pallet porch swing on her blog Sheryl Salsbury Photography.

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A Bowl Full of Chair-ys

Today a friend and I went on a little excursion to a fabric store that we had heard was pretty cool, about 25 minutes away.  When we got there, it was out of business!  A little discouraged, we decided to turn around and try a different fabric store we had seen on the way there.  Also closed!   Did the poopy economy hit fabric stores especially hard?  It seems like the opposite would be true, don't you think?

Because why go out and spend big money on a new chair, when you can find an old one to recover for next to nothing?  It makes sense to me!  Here are a few examples that might get your creative juices flowing.  If so, here's a tip: Call ahead to the fabric store.

From the identical-twin designing duo, Milla and Kah at Design Par Deux.

One more shot, because I always love to see the finished product at home.  Works PERFECTLY with those the accents in the room.  *coughfabricjealousycough*



  From Better After reader Rachel who purchased this chair for cheapity cheap and will probably be able to turn a tidy profit when she sells it.  Heck, I'd buy it!  I love the glossy black.



 
And a granny-chic rocker redo. That old fabric was pretty grimy. It looks like it may have crossed the plains once or twice.  (No, no, I haven't featured this one before, you are thinking of this one).  From Ashley at Domestic Imperfection, who helped rescue this cute little thing from a dumpster!   





Great job ladies! 
 

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Aesop's Tables

Once upon a time, there were three tables.  A papa table, a mama table, and a wee baby table.  They were pretty boring and plain.  They never did anything exciting, like take walks or eat porridge. 

Until one day Janette snatched them up for $30 on Kijiji  (a site similar to Craigslist, let you think I just had a stroke) and brightened their lives with a rocking shade of red.  Now they're the fairest of them all; the absolute belles of the ball!  Uh, I might be getting my fairy tales confused. 

See it on her blog Janette Drost.  Thanks Janette!

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Sit for a Spell

Nothing massively major took place in Gloria's porch makeover here.  But see how adding a couple of chairs and an outdoor rug made such a huge impact?  It is much more welcoming now, whereas before I would have thought twice before trick-or-treating at that door, just based on the gloomy picture.  Not that I trick-or-treat at my age.  Often.  Usually I just hide most of my kid's candy until they forget about it, then I eat the good stuff.  What?  I'm saving them from cavities.

And here's a good idea if you don't feel like drilling through your brick wall to hang house numbers.  Put them on a sign!  It's far more noticeable anyway. Simply hang it from a screw drilled into the wood trim up above like Gloria did here.  Smarty pants.  See more on her blog A Little Paint.

 

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Rock-a-bye-bye

There is a painful transition in parenthood, the point when the last of your widdle babies has finally outgrown the crib.  In anguish you cry, "Where does the time go?!"  "He's all grown up, he doesn't even need me anymore!"  "It seems like only yesterday that he was born!" Also,  "I paid 300 bucks for that crib!" 

In this case, the not-so-anguished parents tossed it to the curb.  Beckie from Infarrantly Creative came along and scooped it right off the sidewalk and made it into a bright scripture plaque to hang in her home.

 
And rejoiceth in this while you're at it:



Oh yeah, stealth jewelry storage! Awesome. Step by step tutorial on her blog HERE.    
Courtney also found herself with an old crib on her hands, and she knew exactly what to do with it.  Remove all but one of the sides to make a trainer-crib, to discourage her children from rolling in their sleep!  Oh, no, my mistake, actually this is a bench!  Much better idea. See it on her blog A Diamond in the Stuff.

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Haute Pink

This room had a lot going for it.  Like uh ... like ... that, um ... that phone!  That's a handy bedside item!  Also the ... umm ...  the ... the mini blinds sure looked sturdy!  Ok, fine, there was nothing.  A beige wasteland of beige.  If I had to name the paint color, I would either call it Boredom or State-Funded Nursing Home.

But that that was then. Today it is home to a spunky, sassy little girl named Lily,who craves color and excitement!  Submitted by her grandmother and Better After reader, Kathy B, who tells us that the stripes were made by alternating gloss and flat versions of the same shade of paint.  A shade I would name Ooh-la-la Fuschia!

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Shapely Seats

So remember earlier today... when I was all "brown paint, ew!"  Well, I may have to soften my stance.  Because these freshly-browned geometric wicker chairs look pretty cool.  And that concludes the first time I have ever used the word "cool" to describe something categorized as both "geometric" and "wicker."  From Stephanie at The Handy Life.

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A Marred Armoire

Amateur furniture refinishers of the world, listen up.  I have a request. Stay away from the brown paint, ok?  Just stay away.  It doesn't look like wood.  You are not fooling anybody.  It looks like ... well, I don't have to explain to you what it looks like. (crap.  literally.)

But this armoire had bigger problems than just a poopy paint job, it had been in a fire!  And it stank to high heaven.  Brooke at Bee Interiors washed, rinsed and repeated and repeated, not to mention stripped, sanded, scraped and oiled until it finally looked like the magnificent piece of furniture it was meant to be.  Thanks Brooke!  Is that fabric not the best thing that's caressed your corneas today?

     

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Fresh and Pretty

I'm in the mood to look at something pretty!  How about you?  If you are, then take a gander at this lovely dresser redo from Kari at Made Fresh Again.  If you aren't ... well, I don't know what to tell you.  Why don't you want to look at something pretty?  Maybe you should go back to bed.  What's that?  You've changed your mind?  I'm so glad!  Behold, something pretty!

 

  Oh, and take note of this!  Do you like that coral atop the dresser?  That stuff can get pricey. BUT I hear you can go to the pet section of your local Wal-Mart, or whathaveyou, pick yourself up some of that cheapy neon pink coral aquariam decor like they have, you know what I'm talking about, and simply spray paint!  Who's the smarty pants who thought of that?   

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Storming Off

What happens when you convert the storm porch of an old home into a makeshift laundry room?  Answer: You get a makeshift laundry room that pretty much looks like it used to be a storm porch. Nothing more.  

Julie knew her laundry/mud /storm/bath frankenroom was only temporary until it could be turned into the fantastic real-deal bathroom of dreams that it is today.  Yup, that is the very same space.  How about that dresser turned vanity, eh?  I'm sure no one is missing that haunted hospital sink. Can you even spot the extra piece of trim her husband had to attach to the dresser front to make the sink fit?  Very sneaky!  Check it out on her blog Thrifty Chic Designs.

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A Galaxy Far Far Away

If you looked at this item and guessed right away that it was a lamp, give yourself a high-five.

I thought it was maybe a tractor cog, or a toy for highly advanced toddlers, teaching them how to stack rings while they learned about the solar system at the same time.  I see the Milky Way!

But didn't Missey do a great job de-ugging it?  Check it out on her hilarious blog, RedoPalooza.  Unbelievably, this (before) lamp wouldn't even be a contender in the Ugly Lamp Contest.  I have gotten some doozies so far that are going to blow your mind with fugtasticness.  Enter your ugly lamp today!

 

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