Better After

4 In bedroom/ kiddie

Seuss Spruce

Did you wake up this morning and think, “You know, I’d love to see a boy bedroom makeover today. But not just any makeover, one that’s heavy on the Star Wars memorabilia?”

Well, that’s exactly what I have to show you today you creeper, how did you know?!

Vel’s son Aiden had outgrown the Dr. Seuss decor in his bedroom. She wanted to bring in a little more sophistication, but keep it fun, while displaying his collection of toys, yet making sure they were accessible, plus organizing his spaces, but leaving him room to express himself, and doing it all in a way that would grow with him. Whew! That’s a tall order if I ever heard one.

But she nailed it. At first glance the room definitely looks more grown up, but there’s much more to it. Vel thoughtfully considered every last detail in this room, right down to light saber storage.

All of her son’s favorite toys and books are proudly on display, but still easy to access and play with. As you can see, he’s a big Star Wars fan, but Vel also made a good point: children’s favorite things can change on a whim. Next month he may be big into Spiderman or Pokemon or whatever the kids are doing these days.

That’s why she made sure that nothing ‘Star Wars’ is a permanent part of the room. Everything can be switched out easily and the room maintains its design.

She’s a smart one! See more of Vel’s work and take a closer look at all the updates in this room on her blog Life & Home at 2102.

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October 25, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

5 In bathroom

After the Flood

My terrorist toddler has a new favorite game called “Leave the Bathroom Faucet On and Lock the Bathroom Door!” It’s really cute. Basically the bathroom floods while I frantically look for that weird little key that unlocks the door from the outside, and he giggles with glee at the chaos and destruction he’s created yet again. But I’ve gotten wiser. Not only have I hidden the key in a place that I usually remember; I also just run outside and shut off the main line as soon as I see water dripping from the vents in the ceiling. Haha, your move, toddler.

It’s a great game. You should try it. Unless you’re one of those people who doesn’t enjoy the bathroom flooding. (I don’t enjoy it either, I’m just crazy now).

Jae’s bathroom had suffered from a couple bouts of water damage too, which meant a remodel was in the cards.

Luckily, it’s a small space at 5’x7′, so the damage was contained. She only needed to replace the vanity and flooring, which was less than 25 square feet. That meant she was able to splurge on a beautiful marble hexagon tile, which you can see more of on her blog Design OCD.

I’m sure that’s my toddler’s plan all along. He just wants mama to have some pretty new tile too. Such a sweetheart that kid.

October 24, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

9 In desks/hutches/buffets

Some Misses and a Hit!

Lauren had an impossible dream. She wanted a Pottery Barn media cabinet on a Craigslist budget. *pause for laughter to subside*

I’m sorry, it’s not that it’s impossible, it’s just impossible here in Phoenix where our Craigslist is so hit or miss. As in: 1% hit, 99% miss. At least in my experience. Hey, let’s do my favorite thing, where we go take a look at what is offered on the Phoenix Craigslist today just for funtimez!

Maybe in your city you can find an immaculate pair of mid-century wicker patio chairs for $6. But Phoenix can offer you …

… what appears at first glance to be a pile of dead snakes.

Did you score vintage Hendredon from your local listings? Lucky you.

Over here in Phoenix, if you act fast, you can nab this set of rusty trampoline springs, guaranteed to maybe probably not kill anyone who attempts to use them on a trampoline.

“Surely it can’t be that bad,” you are thinking. You’re wrong. Here is listing for a plastic bottle:

Yes. This is real.

Granted, all these were taken from my favorite part of Craigslist: the ‘Free’ section.

Or, the ‘Fre’ section, if you’re not picky. And you’re probably not at this point.

But Lauren was. She had a vision in mind of a Pottery Barn-style media cabinet and she knew this Craigslist buffet table would get her there. She looked past its ’80s curves, rust colored stain and with the help of some plywood, liquid nails, and a whole lotta cup pulls she created …

This beauty! Oh yeah. I’d Craigslist the crap out of that. I don’t know what I’m saying.

But this is fantastic and full of storage too! Fabulous job Lauren. You can get the whole step-by-step on her blog Bless’er House.

October 19, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

10 In kitchen/dining

Backsplash to the Future

People tell me all the time: “I love white kitchens. I want one so bad! They make my blood boil with desire. But *sad face* … my husband says no way.” Then they pull me in closer. They glance behind their shoulder and drop their voice to a whisper, “He thinks they’re … trendy.”

‘Trendy.’ Spoken like a dirty word. Psh.

I want to shake them and shout “WHAT IS SO WRONG WITH BEING TRENDY?!”

And then I want to go find this naysaying husband and set him down with a flip chart of kitchen trends that clearly illustrates how the honey oak cabinets and bisque-colored tile he may consider ‘timeless’ are actually on the last gasping breaths of a trend that started 20 some years ago.

That’s the thing about kitchen ‘trends.’ They last a realllly long time. It’s not like a shirt you get tired of wearing after six months. It’s one of the biggest investments in the home, and people aren’t going to go ripping them out and starting over every couple of years.

So go get that white kitchen of your dreams, even if you have to paint it yourself. It will still be looking fresh for years to come. Tell him I said so.

Jordan had already painted her cabinets white and loved the look, but was not so much in love with the beige backsplash that remained. Replacing it seemed daunting, so there it sat, in all its mismatched cream-colored former glory. But then she learned that with the right materials, she could simply paint right over it.

So she did!

You can see exactly what she used on her blog The 2 Seasons, and chime in with the debate on what she should hang inside the rectangle to add a little color. Fun platter? Monogram? Halloween clown mask? (That’s my vote. Keeps the kids in check).

Here’s a look at the whole makeover. Before it was definitely nice, but definitely heavy on the orangey-brown.

Now it’s just the way she likes it, bright and full of light. And maybe someday in the far-off future she’ll get tired of this look too. At that point, hooray! That just means there will be something new and trendy to get excited about all over again.

October 17, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

9 In decor/ fashion/ outdoors

Marimekko Makeovers!

If Marimekko makes your eyeballs squeal with delight, I’ve got a treat for you.

If you are unsure what Marimekko is, I’ve got a paragraph copied and pasted from Wikipedia for you:

“Marimekko is a Finnish home furnishings, textiles and fashion company based in Helsinki. It made important contributions to fashion in the 1960s. It is particularly noted for its brightly colored printed fabrics and simple styles, used both in women’s garments and in home furnishings.”

Okay, now that we’re all caught up, here are some Marimekko inspired makeovers. Fun for everyone!

Claire is a self-professed Marimekko maniac. She has added touches of their iconic designs all over her home, inside and out.

She decoupaged this weather-beaten bench with paper napkins and it’s so darn cute I almost didn’t even notice her equally cute dog. Isn’t he posing so nicely? Who’s a good boy? You’re a good boy, yes you are!

Right. I bet you are wondering how she plans to protect her paper-covered bench. Two words. Yacht varnish. Unofficial slogan: Protect Anything From Everything.

See the how-to on her blog Pillar Box Blue.

As for the inside of her home, Claire was looking for any reason to say goodbye to the beige-colored carpet on her stairs. They are the first thing you see when you enter the front door, so she decided to make them worthy of center stage with Marimekko wallpaper.

Not only a huge improvement from before, but she smiles every time she walks in her home now. Her teenage boys even told her (without prompting!) that they really liked the new look. She said “I know they maybe a bit over the top for some people. They are what we British call ‘A bit Marmite.’ (You either love’m or hate’m). So far more people seem to love’m than hate’m.”

I bet they do! Also, I had to look up what Marmite is, and was stunned to find out. Ummm, my British friends, can we talk? WHAT? WHYYYY?? Please explain.

See more on her blog Pillar Box Blue.

If you love Marimekko but aren’t ready to make a staircase-sized commitment, here’s a cute little project from Kat at Just Crafty Enough.

She thought she could recreate their most famous pattern, Unikki on a pair of shoes, but her husband thought she shouldn’t bother. It would be too hard. Yeahhhh. Who do you think won that argument?

Kat, of course. “Challenge accepted and accomplished!” She executed it perfectly. Many people have used acrylic craft paint to do something similar, but Kat thought paint pens would give her more control. Unfortunately, she found that fabric paint pens lacked great color saturation. No big deal, she used Sharpies instead, and as you can see, she had no problems with bleeding. They look fantastic.

Next, it wouldn’t be the internet without a Mason jar or two. Linda from Mason Jar Crafts Love created this cute Marimekko-style vase from a plain-jane jar.

Girrrl, you are looking SO influential-Finnish-designer now!

I bet you have everything you need to make yourself one of these today.

And lastly, the only thing in the cards for this card table was a trip to the dump. It was less ‘Marimekko’ and more ‘Jackson Pollack as angry toddler with a hammer.’

But Stacey somehow saw potential here and brought it back to life with a fresh coat of paint and a yard or so of the Siirtolapuutarha fabric in vinyl. If you can’t find vinyl or PVC fabric you could always use … yacht varnish. On second thought, that doesn’t sound very food-safe, so yeah, maybe don’t.

See Stacey’s step-by-step on her blog Addison Meadows Lane.

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October 14, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

5 In decor

Knockoff Knockout

Mirror, mirror,

on the floor,

you don’t do much

for my decor.

Mirror, mirror,

you’re not deluxe,

I guess that’s why

you cost five bucks.

But don’t feel sad,

don’t feel lame,

You just need some glue

and a chunky frame.

And that’s the story of how Alicia updated her $5 mirrors into the Ballard Design knock-off version you see here. And her version probably costs a million dollars less, so it’s the fairest of them all if you ask me.

I’m not exactly sure what glue-like product she used to make the lines in the glass, because my computer keeps crashing if I’m on it for more than 12 seconds at a time. It’s really exciting, you should definitely not try it.

But Alicia can tell you all the details! Take a closer peek at Thrifty and Chic.

October 11, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

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