From Amish to Amped

Brittany was on the hunt for a 'romantic' girl's dresser for her daughter's room.  This $20 Craigslist find was more like a sturdy Amish person's dresser: frill free.  Not that Amish people aren't romantic. I know this to be true because I've been reading a lot of Amish romance literature lately.  (Seriously, it's a real thing. And very chaste. The steamiest thing that ever happens is like, holding hands and blushing in the barn. Or a chaperoned buggy ride.)

But anyway!  Brittany wanted more from her dresser, so she painted it white and used an overhead projector and a cellophane bag (true!) to complete the hand-painted design.  It's perfect! Check it out on her blog Interestosity.

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Where's the beef?

I'm not confused!  This really is the before. And no, Karianne's big dining room makeover was not taking down the Christmas decorations.  Look closer ... do you see it?   I'll give you a hint: beefy window mouldings!  I guess that was more than a hint.  But yes, doesn't it make SUCH a dramatic change?  Now when you look back at the before, I bet you are all like, "Woah, those windows totally need beefier mouldings."  And here's the best part, it cost a grand total of $22!  I know.  I'm off to Home Depot right now too. 

See the whole story on Karianne's blog Thistlewood Farm.

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Chair Scares and Repairs

I hope you have a hankering for a whole lot of chair makeovers.  Because you are about to get some!

Ok, so this first one isn't really a chair.  It's a demonic bench that is possibly concealing some kind of lumpy illegal contraband.  The whole shamdangle is giving me nightmares, and I'm not even asleep yet.  Holly found enough inner fortitude to start over and make it shine with glossy black paint and fun fabric.  BETTER.

Virginia from Live Love DIY has a special talent. It's something that very few people in the world possess: The ability to make brown paint look like wood and not poo. I honestly thought she had stripped off the plum paint from the before chair and restained the wood, but nope!  Just brown paint!  Trust me on this, that's rare.

No need for mod to be sad!  Beth beefed up her chair's cushion and recovered it in a fun fabric that no longer looks like the interior of a driver's ed car.  She also refinished the wood, but kept it as close to it's original flavor as possible.  See the whole process on her blog After the Dust Clears.

Jesse from Nine Red decided this simple chair should get in on the ombre trend. I need to get in on the ombre trend too. It makes me feel pathetic when furniture is hipper than I am.  He gives a full tutorial over on The Divine Minimalist.

Maria Difonso has found a new passion: saving the world from ugly upholstery, one tattered sofa at a time!  Move over heart surgeons, there's another noble profession in town.

Here's another skeevy chair given another shot at life, and it owes everything to Maria.

And here's another Maria!  There must be something about that name.  I think it translates into 'she who is not afraid of hopeless upholstery.'  Even though these orange chairs were pretty fun, Maria couldn't overlook those mega rips. Who could? No throw pillow in existence could conceal them. But after stripping the chairs down to the nubs, she brought them back to life with a neutral fabric and some sweet detailing.  See it all on her blog Our Lake Life.

Valery gave this chair some added 'oomph' which is such a weird word.  Does anyone ever use that term in everyday life?  Doubtful.  Nonetheless, she oomphasized it and accessorized it with a snazzy little chevron pillow, and the whole thing is adorbs.  See it on her blog Merry Go Round Boutique.

And now we've come full circle, as we end today with another bench redo, this one thankfully free of creepy cherub heads, although frighteningly enough, it appears to have been upholstered with a  prom dress from the '90s.  Zorrie from Let's Talk Chic must know what she's talking about, because now it's is the epitome of chic.  To be fair, hunter green sateen was probably once the epitome of chic too.  Those were different times.

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Legacy Referee

There were some serious style violations happening in this before kitchen. That pink wallpaper border?  The tile 'backsplash' that extends from one edge of the oven to the other? The 'space age' radio inserted randomly into an empty patch of wall?  Dana wasn't having it.  She blew the whistle on this whole mess, and threw the entire kitchen off the court and out of the game.  She started over from scratch, choosing warm woods and neutral stone to bring warmth and life back to this space, which is now worthy of the first draft!  

See more on her blog Our Life's Legacy.

(I wouldn't mind a radio inside my wall. I would mind this one though.)

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Table Troubles

Ashley redid this sweet little side table with white paint, glaze, and a fun leaf motif on top.  Easy as pie, huh?  Of course not. She doesn't call it "the cutest table I've ever hated" for nothing.  After a few minor disasters and setbacks, and an emergency "ginormo handful of chocolate chips" (which fixes almost everything in my world too), she buckled down and made the makeover magic happen. At least it looks effortless! See the whole story on her blog Domestic Imperfection.

 
         

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Incrediberry

Does your dining room look like it survived an epic Kool-Aid flood?  If the answer is yes, then it's probably time for some updatin'.  Brighten things up like Annie did with classic paneling and a neutral color scheme that won't leave you craving a tall glass of Purplesaurus Rex.  (Actually, I think it's more of a Black Cherry, but that flavor isn't nearly as catchy).  

Check out more from Annie on her blog Behind Our Front Door.

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Innovation Station

If you are new to my blog, you might not be aware of the 'categories' section over there on the right hand side.  Convenient if you are looking specifically for bathroom inspiration or chair makeovers or what have you.  But there is a tiny little category called 'innovative ideas' that is my secret favorite.  It's makeovers that just have that little extra 'huh!' factor, like an unconventional technique or solution that seems so genius you wonder why you didn't think of it yourself. 

I think these next couple of makeovers fit the 'innovative idea' bill, so here we go!  First, Carly had a bit of a stuffed animal infestation.  She says, One of the fluffy burdens of being a huge Disney fan married to a huge Disney fan is that we've both spent our lives collecting Disney stuffed animals. For some reason, Kyle and I grew up under the impression that the world would stop producing stuffed animals when we had kids, so we needed to save each beloved friend for our progeny. In the event of a toy apocalypse, our kids would be all set.   Ha ha! I get the feeling she's not exaggerating.  So, she came up with a solution to store all these beloved toys by re-purposing a Ikea PAX wardrobe unit into a stuffed animal storage station.  Bungee cords (smart!) keep the animals snugly stuffed into place.  See the whole how-to on her blog The Disney Baby Blog.       And here's another storage solution from Karen who didn't want to spend tons of money on new shelving for her laundry room. (And seriously, who wants to spend extra income on laundry room shelves?  I can think of about 10,000 other things I'd rather spend my money on first).  So she just hid her plain wire shelf instead, and it looks SO much better!  I love how she hung the curtains all the way from the ceiling, it really gives the illusion of more space and storage, even if that's not the case!  Who has to know?  

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Living (room) in the past.

If there is one bit of wisdom I can impart to you today, it would be this: photograph your home!  I'm sure most of us are pretty diligent about photographing our kids and families as they grow, even if it's just casual snapshots here and there.  But do you document your home as it changes and evolves?  Those pictures are priceless!  Great for cheering you up too.  All I have to do to feel pretty awesome about my house is glance through some of our newlywed apartment pictures. Back then, 'decor' to me meant dollar store artwork classily thumbtacked to the wall and an obscene amount of fake greenery.  I thought I was really taking it to another level if I bought a Kleenex box that matched my bedspread.  Wow.

  Shelly has a great collection of living room pictures that show just how much her style has changed through the years. This most recent look is definitely my favorite!  Check out all it incarnations over on her blog Slipcovers by Shelley.



 

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Chop and Change

Jen received this desk from a friend who knew of her talent for transformations.  What a nice friend. Guess how many of my friends have given me free furniture?  NONE OF THEM!   They must know me too well, and figure that if they gave me some item to makeover, I would either let it sit in my garage for 10 years or sell it on Craigslist.  That's why I live vicariously through everyone else and their fantastic abilities. 

Jen, for instance, chopped half of this desk off with a chainsaw and turned it into a side table!  That's pretty amazing to me.  Check out all the details on her blog Eating My Candy.  
 

  Tara didn't take any power tools to her telephone chair, but she did knock out the side for a more open look, which really highlights its curvy shape.  It's like a brand new chair! I'd even call it better than new, because new furniture doesn't come with the pride of doing it yourself, or the fun stories to tell about how you had to de-spider it either. Where's the fun in that? Great job Tara!
 

 

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Reform Spool

Are you looking for a cheap table project?  Then look further.  Seriously, keep looking, because this one cost almost $100!  That was way more than Joda had planned on when she started this spool makeover, but then again, she started from scratch.  Now that she has all the paint, putty, stain and polyurethane needed to transform a grimy old spool into a gleaming table, she thinks another one would be a fraction of the cost.   

  She started by puttying all the dents and cracks, then sanded everything smooth.  Since you never can be too sure how food-safe industrial items like this are (answer: probably not that safe) she opted for a prefabricated table-top from Lowe's which also added a nice bit of overhang. Paint, stain, and casters to easily move it to and fro, (because you can't really flop it on its side and roll it place to place anymore) and she has a totally unique addition to her outdoor decor!  See her inspiration board HERE.  

 

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Tuft Love

Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was swell. I think I am finally fully recovered from strep. That was miserable. I don't recommend it.  And here's the lamest thing of all: I GAINED weight!  Isn't that the only good thing about being sick for a week, you might lose a few pounds?  I ate nothing but popsicles and toast and gained eight pounds.  Strep can suck it.

But you know what doesn't suck?  This settee makeover from Katie, AKA The Sewing Nerd.  It's so modern and fresh, especially since she painted the frame white and opted to take out the tufting.  That's probably something I wouldn't have realized until it was too late: tufting and striped fabric is a match made in Wonkyville.  Great job Katie!

 

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Floored by the Foyer

This foyer was in such sad shape that if guests came over, I would bring them in through the garage, or if that was unavailable, an open window.  But all it really needed was a fresh coat of paint and a thorough sanding of that splintery door to become bright, welcoming, and safe to the touch.  The parquet floors and rock accent wall don't even look dated anymore, they add a ton of character, yeah?  I also love how Virginia turned the closet into a pretty little nook, it appears to have tripled the square footage of the whole thing! I would totally do this to the closet by my front door, if it wasn't the ONLY closet in my entire house.  Sheesh, who's idea was that? 

  Get all the details from Virginia on her blog Live Love DIY.
       

 

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