Better After

4 In bathroom

Love (parts of) the one you’re with.

Rachel’s old bathroom was like Hollywood, in the fact that it seemed all glittery and magical from afar. But have you actually been to Hollywood? It’s a little scary. I have a friend who was assaulted there, in the middle of the day, with her children beside her. Yikesness. Same thing going on here. Minus the terrifying assault, of course. That fabulous starry wallpaper is actually a poorly done stenciling job, the vintage pink sink had an unstoppable leak and would have required ordering custom-made parts to fix nothankyou, and everything else was broken or on the verge of breaking.

So Rachel helped it go gray gracefully. But, she didn’t get rid of all the pink! There’s still a few bits of it here and there, and it actually looks quite nice with the gray. Check it out on her blog New At The Newmans, and see more of the before here.

So, don’t feel like you have to gut your bathroom down to the studs if it needs a change. Here’s another example of that from Sharon at Life After Empty Nest. Obviously, her bathroom needed something. Or less of somethings. Like the wallpaper, that weird lattice ‘privacy’ wall and the curtain that looked like a sloppy bedsheet at best. And that tile, right? Wrongo! She actually loved the tile, and I have to say, it looks pretty cool next to the deep colors she used in her simplified after. Ahhh. Check out her blog for more!

PS: Don’t forget to enter the HomeRight Steam Machine giveaway! Right here.

March 20, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

19 In tables/dressers/ wood

Side Effects

Three random asides:
1. I don’t like Coke and I don’t watch The Bachelor. I sometimes think this makes me half of a woman.
2. Can we please eradicate the word “noshing” from existence? NO ONE uses this word in real life. I only ever see it in magazines describing what famous people ate at other famous people’s baby showers.
3. There is a guy in my neighborhood who likes to drag race down the street my bedroom window faces at about 1:30 AM, EVERY NIGHT, just to get to the end of the street, turn around, and do it again. I’m sick of that guy.

And now, three not so random asides: side tables! HA! Ha! Ha? (I … haven’t been sleeping well). Anyway. Here they are.

Jen at Girl In The Garage recently revived this dried up little side table with a coat of blue and then a light coat of gray over that. She lightly distressed it which shows off those lovely legs nicely, plus the lip on the edge makes it perfect for a puzzle, like she has displayed here. I like the idea of having a puzzle out so guests can work on it as they please. Or flush pieces of it down the toilet, which is a more likely scenario in my house.

Don’t be fooled by her name, Melissa, aka The Friendly Stripper is neither friendly, nor a stripper. Just joking, she is one of those. I’ll let you guess which one. OK, fine, she is friendly. And the only kind of stripping she does is paint stripping, which is exactly what she did to this old side table that had experienced so many coats of paint, it looked like it was still drying. Now it’s another side table/fun station with a checkerboard top and a happy coat of deep red.

And here’s one more from Melissa, who revealed the beauty of this table’s wood surface by using different colors of stain, then a kicky green on the sides to keep it fun. It doesn’t feature a puzzle or a game board, but I suppose you could rig up a tiny version of skee-ball if you got creative, don’t you think?

Check out more from Melissa at The Friendly Stripper

March 20, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

9 In decor/ kiddie

Ikea Hacked!

Are you in the mood for a couple of Ikea hacks? Sure hope so, because that’s what you’re about to get!

I happen to have the Ikea bookcase that looks almost exactly like this one below, and I’ve never liked how clunky it looks sitting flat on the floor. Griffin solved that problem with hers by removing the base, using it as a brace on the back, and mounting it to the wall. She stained a wood panel to make the countertop and painted the rest to match her walls so it looks like it simply belongs there.

PS: if you want to get all nitty gritty about details, Griffin’s
bookcase is not actually from Ikea. She found it in a thrift
store, but you could certainly find something similar at Ikea, should
you want to recreate this look. See more on her blog Design Itch.

And Jenna at Paddington Way made over this simple Ikea children’s set with coral, cream, and chalkboard paint. Isn’t it adorable? Just like Jenna, who I’ve met/towered-over once in real life. (She’s pixie-sized; it’s the cutest thing). And her claim to fame is that Justin Timberlake once flirted with her at a pool in Las Vegas. I don’t know if she wanted me telling the whole world that, but if it happened to me, I would be telling everyone I know! Heck, I’d tell people I don’t know!

PS: Don’t forget to enter the HomeRight Steam Machine giveaway! Right here.

March 19, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

7 In kiddie/ miscellaneous/ office/ other rooms

Your Home’s Cool.

Amy at Playing Sublimely recently submitted one of her makeovers to me, and it was so great, I started poking around her blog to see what else she was capable of. Oh, turns out everything. She can do it all. Not only is she a fabulous designer/decorator and painter, she also had the roof of her house torn off so she could raise it higher to build this stunning space for homeschooling. It looks like a candy shop! Take the tour on her blog, there is so much to see in there!

You may remember her from her fantastic pantry makeover I featured last year seen here.

March 19, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

9 In tables/dressers

St. Patrick’s Dresser

How was your St. Patrick’s Day? I hope it was great. St. Patrick’s Day is a non-event for me. I didn’t even do anything fun for my kids, but I refuse to feel guilty about it. I don’t understand this holiday! I have to buy crap for Easter in two weeks anyway! I did make corned beef for dinner, which nobody ate. Not true, the dog was excited. Yay, St. Patrick’s Day.

Anyway, what I CAN do is share this fantastic two-tone dresser in shades of shamrock from Kelsey at Tattered and Inked. Head over to her blog to get a peek of the inside, it’s so cute.

And if you want to hear me ramble about St. Patrick’s Day some more and see some amazing cakes while you’re at it, check out my most recent post on Cake Wrecks!

PS: Don’t forget to enter the HomeRight Steam Machine giveaway! Right here.

March 18, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

5 In chairs/ottomans/seating

Chevron and on and on.

Despite what some people may think, the chevron ‘trend’ has actually been around for a long time. Proof can be found in the blanket department of any thrift store, where chevron crocheted afghans plentifully abound. This always makes me sad because hey, someone MADE those! With only their two little hands! But for whatever reason, they are often considered uncool or unwanted and unceremoniously dumped at the thrift store by their unknowing owners. Luckily, people like Rita recognize their awesomeness, and use them to do fun things, like reupholstering an old bench for a super unique look. Plus, she says, “It was the easiest [project] we’ve ever done!”

Check it out on her blog This Sorta Old Life.