Vanity Flair

Are you a vanity-using type of girl?  Or are you a stand-at-the-bathroom-counter-with-one-foot-in-the-sink-while-you-do-your-makeup type of girl?  That's what I am. (The foot in the sink thing is weird, I know, I inherited that from my mom).  But I've never once sat at a vanity whilst applying my makeup; I guess I just prefer to stand.  How's about you?  Sitter or stander?  I suppose I could pose this question to my male readers too, but we'd be talking about something else entirely.

ANYWAY, what I'm trying to say is, check out this fabulous vanity makeover from Melissa at Living Beautifully.  It just might convince you to take a seat!  Can you believe everything you see here — I'm talking accessories and all — was less than $50?!

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Modern and Homey, Homie.

As you may know, I am a big proponent of "using what you have." That's why my family ate a spinach-asparagus-rice-and-cheddar casserole for dinner last night. True. It wasn't as bad as it sounds.  Ok, it was. I was too tired to go grocery shopping.  But shopping around your house for items to use in a makeover instead of spending extra cash at a store?  That's a recipe for success!

So check out these room redos that made magic out of a little refreshing and rearranging instead of a total renovation.  First this bedroom got a major update with some new linens and a homemade headboard!  Yup, nothing much more than plywood under there! See the tutorial on Sandi's blog Making it Homey.

And resident staging expert Robin from Madison Modern Home de-brownified this monotone living room with fresh paint and a lil' furniture swapping.  Robin says she was aiming for a casual, coastal vibe by incorporating colors of sand, sea and sky, while trying to avoid "beach" cliches (like lighthouses)  Check and check.  And that spooky hovering puppet is gone too, so double bonus!

Thanks ladies!

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Slipping Through

Shelley from Slipcovers by Shelley was commissioned by a client looking to spice up some parson chairs. After a quick trip to the curtain department of IKEA, this is what she came up with: ruffles!  Rows and rows of linen ruffles.  I love this look.  I've never wanted to wear a chair until now.  Do you think I could commission Shelley to slipcover me?

So what if you want to update your chairs, but just aren't a big fan of ruffles? (It's strange, but it happens). Well, take a look at this menswear-inspired slipcover job Shelley did for another client. Tight and tailored and totally tubular!  Do people say that anymore?  Did they ever?  See more HERE.

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Rub a Tub

Kammy's tub was pretty cool, if only because it was a claw-foot tub.  Everyone knows claw-foot tubs are simply cooler than any other tub, except maybe those walk-in tubs for seniors, which, don't lie, you've always wanted to try too.  Anyway, this tub was skating by on it's coolness factor alone, because in reality, it was kind of freaky. Kammy didn't realize just how bad it was until the children of her out-of-town-guests shed actual tears at bath time because they didn't want to get inside the "scary tub."

But hold on to your hats, because a mere $25 worth of Rustoleum Countertop Paint later, and it's the official opposite-of-scary.  Add the black and white stencil, and it's entered a whole 'nother stratosphere of cool.  Check it out on her blog Kammy's Korner!

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Fashion Friday: Accessory Edition

Hey there!  It's Friday, and you know what that means!  It means I have the "song" Friday by Rebecca Black stuck in my head, as usual.  I'm afraid I'm cursed for life from that one.  BUT it also means it's time for Fashion Friday! Specifically, accessories! Because what is fashion without accessories?  It's like a bell without a ringer thing.  You know what I mean.  Here we go!

First Nat from Doodle Craft rescued this drab and babyish purse by basically tearing it apart and just re-using the hardware.  So clever!  And wickedly cute to boot.

Margot at Sassy Feet wanted to add some color to her silver mesh purse, but not just any color, specifically the colors in the gemstone watermelon tourmaline.  Wow, sounds fancier already!  She used a cotton ball to dab on StazOn ink, which is permanent even on metal.  Love it. 

 

If you're like a lot of people I know, it's not too far-fetched to consider a can of Diet Coke an accessory. (Hi Mom.)  Lindsay at Diary of a Crafty Lady took her love of Diet Coke to another level with a keychain made with an empty Diet Coke can and Dimensional Magic Mod Podge!

Ooh, this next one is one of my favorites! Christie at Lemon Squeezy Home made an Anthropologie knock-off belt by simply adding lace to this skinny old belt!  I think it's my favorite because it looks freaking adorable, and also EASY!

Kalleen from At Second Street didn't love this fake leather handbag she found at a thrift store, but she bought it anyway. Because she figured it had all the ingredients to make perfect bracelets!  That is vision, my friends.  If you gave me this purse and told me to make bracelets out of it, I'd probably still be confusedly trying to shove my hands through the strap rings.

And here is another yellow purse that got a makeover, only gold and glitterfied!  Shhh! Don't tell all the mega-expensive luxury handbag companies that we can totally knock off their looks with modge podge and glitter.  Check out Tiffany's tutorial on I am Style-ish.

Or, for a less luxe look, (tongue twister!), you could always knock-off some feed-store designs. Gladys did with a tote bag made from an empty bag of bird food! Have you ever felt those bags? I bet that thing is durable as heck.  Check it out on Pondered Primed Perfected.

And finally, Linda at Spellbound Beads shows us that you don't have to toss out your beloved but tattered books!  She recycles them into jewelry so you can always keep your favorite books close to your heart.  She's recycled art books, atlases, best-selling masterpieces, and even braille for secret messages!  Pretty and cool!

Have something to submit for Fashion Friday?  Hit me with it!
betterafter@live.com

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Gabbin with Gabby

ME: "Hey Gabbi, what's new?"

GABBI: "Well, I just bought this house and the kitchen has GOT TO GO."

"Really?  What's the prob?"

"It's cramped and it's dark, and it's still rocking a few 'trends' that have totally overstayed their welcome.  Old linoleum, wallpapered shutters on the window ..."

"Wow!"

"... backsplash tile that goes beyond the bounds of propriety and creeps up on the sides of the cabinets ..."

"Ew!"

"... and fast-food restaurant booth seating ..."

"Wait, was that ever trendy?"

"... to name more than a few." 

"Yeah, good luck with that!"

But Gabbi knew there was a beautiful kitchen lurking somewhere under there.  Would you believe those are still the same cabinets?  Sigh.  It's dreamy!

Because the last thing you want is your home to feel like a Burger King. 







Ahhh, I love the splashes of aqua.  In fact, the insides of all the cabinets are aqua too!  Check that out and lots more on her blog Retro Ranch Reno!  Thanks Gabbi!

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House Dressing

Meg recently restored this "kitchen dresser," as she likes to call it, and I guess I'll call it that too, because the only other words I could think of were "hutchy thing."  The previous owner had also planned to restore it, but never found the time, and over the years it just became a beaten up place to store tools instead.  Admitting defeat, he sold it to Meg, who wasted no time getting back in fighting shape!  It looks fantastic, I love the contrasting hinges and hardware.  Check out her blog Meg and Mum's to take a peek inside.  True story: it's lined with Vegemite fabric!

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Bring on the Stain

Today's makeovers feature the often overlooked and ignored cousin of Paint – Stain.  It's not Stain's fault, he really is a great guy.  He's just a little more subtle and subdued than that loudmouth Paint.  If you get a chance to spend some quality time with Stain, I think you'll really come to appreciate his good qualities.  He's classy and refined. He has a certain glow about him and always seems to bring out the best in others.  So let's tip our hats to Stain, and to these stunning redos that he made possible.

I lovity love this dresser from Jill at Junky Vagabond.  It's both masculine and elegant!  It's masclegant!  It's elemanly!  I'll work on it ...

And I also love this desk from art student Emily. She needed an upgrade from her flimsy drafting table and decided to refinish this relic to take its place.  I love how the stain brought out it's character, which is a nice way of saying 'flaws' ... but I'm kind of digging those flaws.  It looks weathered and worn, but also loved.  Our ol' pal Stain took it from a wreck to a WOW!

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Honey, I bunked the kids!

Nikki from Grand Design Co. is one of the craftiest people walking the earth, this is a fact.  Her son's before bedroom can attest to that, as she single-handedly hung all that beadboard and moulding, repurposed the globe, painted the chalkboard border (genius!), and probably sewed the comforters and laid the carpet. I wouldn't be surprised if she smelted those beds out of old pipes she found in her garage too. She's handy.

So handy that none of that stuff was even a challenge. No, she wanted to stretch herself.  She wanted to build quadruple bunk beds in a weekend.  And she did.  Actually, there are two trundle beds underneath each side, so that's like sextuple bunk beds, which sounds kind of wrong to say in a kid's room, but amazing nonetheless.  Kinda makes my weekend marathon of Toddlers n' Tiaras look unproductive in comparison.

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