Better After

20 In tables/dressers/ wood

Campaign Management

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you! If I was a good blogger, I’d have a big round-up of green-themed makeovers to share, but I’m not and I don’t. I didn’t even know that today WAS St. Patrick’s Day, until my kids reminded me this morning. So I hustled downstairs to make green pancakes before they went to school, which they were happy to NOT eat because they had already eaten breakfast, but didn’t tell me that until after I had made a big stack of shamrock-shaped pancakes, which were 0% recognizable as shamrocks. At least my son went to school in a green shirt. A shirt that I’m pretty sure he slept in last night. Yep, I’ve got it together over here! I blame the newborn who never sleeps more than two hours at a time.

In other, more interesting news, check out this campaign dresser makeover by Better After reader Maribeth. It didn’t start out as a campaign dresser though, just a simple handmade dresser that her father-in-law had built over 30 years ago. It was high time for a fresh look, so she taped the edges and varnished the rest in red mahogany, then used L-brackets and new pulls for that campaign look. Love it!

PS: Have you entered the MyQ Garage giveaway? It’s one of the coolest products I’ve tried in a while, and it could be yours!

March 17, 2014 By Lindsey @ Better After

221 In Uncategorized

MyQ Garage GIVEAWAY! (now closed)

Friends, my robot arsenal is growing.

Remember how it all began with my robot vacuum? Then I added the voice activated wi-fi thermostat, so that I could control the temperature in my home without getting off the couch? But I couldn’t stop there. I’ve added more to the brood. I’m like the Brangelina of smart home-appliances. So please welcome the newest member of my ever-expanding robot family, the MyQ Garage!

When I was asked to review this product, I immediately knew it would fit right in at my house. Here’s the gist: it’s a little slice of technology heaven that links your smartphone to your garage door.

Ever had one of those panicked moments, usually after you’ve been driving for about an hour, and you suddenly think “Crapola! Did I shut the garage door?”

Or perhaps you’ve never wondered that at all, but come home from being out all day only to discover that you indeed forgot to shut the garage door, and now you have to pretend to be brave in front of your kids as you search your house for ninja boogymen hiding in the closets, and this actually just happened to me last week. It’s the worst feeling!

With the MyQ Garage, you’ll never have to wonder again. Just pull up the free app on your phone and it will tell you the current state of your garage door:

Phew! Talk about peace of mind.

But that’s not all. You can also control it with your smartphone too! Tap that little garage door icon, and up it goes! Tap again to close! It sounds an alarm inside the garage for about 10 seconds, so you aren’t catching anyone off guard when it engages.

My boys ride their bikes to school, so they come and go through the garage. So all year long, I’ve had an alarm set on my phone to remind me to open it up a few minutes before they get home. There’s been a few instances that I haven’t been home in time to open it, whether I got stuck in traffic or had errand take longer than I planned, and they’ve been locked out of the house. But now I never have to worry about that again! I can open the door anytime, anywhere.

It’s super simple to install too – no wiring necessary, which is great because that means I can easily take it along when we move out of this rental.

The larger WiFi hub is plugged into the ceiling, next to the garage door opener. The smaller sensor is attached directly to the inside of the garage door, either with screws or heavy duty mounting tape. Then you download the app, which walks you through a few simple steps to set it up, and that’s it! The app is password protected for an extra level of security.

I’m thrilled with the MyQ Garage, and happy to confidently recommend it to you, and also happy to be able to give one away to a Better After reader today! Woo!

Enter to win a MyQ Garage now, a $129 value!

Entering is easy! Simply leave a comment!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And for more information about the MyQ Garage, please visit www.Chamberlain.com.

Good luck friend, I hope you win! Have a great weekend!

>>This post is in collaboration with Chamberlain MyQ Garage in which I was provided a product to review, all opinions are as always, 100% my own.

March 14, 2014 By Lindsey @ Better After

6 In chairs/ottomans/seating

Choose Your Own Makeover Adventure!

Remember those ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books? Those were the best. Although, if I remember right, seems like I always picked the safest and most conservative choices and my ‘adventure’ ended on like, page 15. Anyway, you get to choose your own makeover adventure today! Here we go.

You are in a thrift store. You see the chair of your dreams. The perfect size, the perfect style, ok, so the fabric is super ug, but you already have the perfect spot for it in your house. What do you do?

A. Buy the dang chair already.

B. Walk away.

If you picked A, continue to the next paragraph. If you chose B, your adventure ends here, coincidentally, the same place where your life of regret begins.

Woohoo, you bought the chair! Let’s load it in the trunk. But you have a confession to make. You are really nervous to reupholster a chair. Ain’t never tried that before. It looks like a lot of work. Now what?!

A. Reupholster that chair! You can do it! There are videos all over YouTube that can teach you, and tutorials like this one from Kristen on her blog Sophia’s.

B. Um … paint that chair? That can work too, right?

If you chose A, proceed to the following makeover. Holy cow, it’s gorgeous. I love the fabric, and I love how the white wax brought out the detailing in the wood. Good job!

If you chose B, right on! You can totally paint fabric too! Can you believe that’s what Jenny did to these chairs? Four coats of paint, plus beeswax to seal and soften it. Amazing. And how perfect is that cameo stencil? Such a regal little touch. See more on her blog Ava Blake Creations.

The End!

March 13, 2014 By Lindsey @ Better After

14 In bedroom/ other rooms

Closet Case

Poor Rachel. Her closet was way too small, stuffed to the brim, everything crammed in there all willy-nilly. If only there was a giant stretch of unused space immediately adjacent to it. That’d be nice. Then she could expand to a his-and-hers closet situation, with enough room for a flat screen TV and a cupboard devoted to shoes.

But that was too good to be true. Or WAS IT? (Hint: it wasn’t) See more on her blog Always A Project.

March 12, 2014 By Lindsey @ Better After

6 In bedroom/ kiddie

Chartreuse with Envy

So this shocking shade of chartreuse was … fun. And by ‘fun’ I mean ‘better than nothing.’ (Woah. My spellchecker is freaking out right now and telling me that I’m spelling ‘nothing’ wrong. I’m pretty sure I’m not. Nothing. That looks right to me. Now it says I spelled ME wrong! This thing is haunted).

Anyway, let’s just say it, this paint color was the worst. And by ‘the worst,’ I mean, ‘actually not that bad in tiny doses.’ For example: a few stripes on the rug in the after room, which, by the way, is so sock-knocking-off spectacular that my inner tween boy is jealous. I don’t actually have an inner tween boy, but if I did, he’d totally want to play Minecraft in here all day.

From Jessie at Mix and Chic.

March 11, 2014 By Lindsey @ Better After

4 In tables/dressers

About a Face

I am a proud member of the White Paint Makes Everything Better club, but sometimes white paint isn’t enough, you know? Sometimes white paint needs a little help to get the job done. Something with pizazz and an extra side of zazz. Something perhaps … like a big fantastic face!

From Kim at Kim’s Kottage.