Better After

379 In Uncategorized

HomeRight Steam Machine Giveaway!

When the good folks at HomeRight gave me the opportunity to review a HomeRight Steam Machine, I was eager to put it to the test. You see, I already had a steam machine. Mine was small and basic, and came with a lot of attachments, although they were pretty useless. My (least) favorite was this one shaped like a giant wedge of cheese. What on earth am I supposed to clean with that?

So, I was excited to try something new, and boy howdy, I wasn’t disappointed. I could immediately tell a difference. My old steamer was a humble store-bought little thing, but the Steam Machine is seriously heavy-duty, like something professionals would use for commercial cleaning jobs.

The steam is so much more powerful, the power cord and hose are extra long, the
attachments are top-notch in quality, and the water holding tank is
huge, which means I don’t run out of steam. Ha! Literally.

The Steam Machine comes with all the attachments you see here. My most-used so far are the floor cleaning attachment and the wire-brush, which worked wonders on my tile. Here’s a little before and after for you:

I didn’t even know my grout was that color to begin with, wow. Also, ew.

There is even a wallpaper removal attachment, which I thought I’d never use, but just the other day a friend asked for suggestions on how to best remove old wallpaper adhesive. So I told her to give my Steam Machine a try and she reports it worked like a charm.

And now, HomeRight wants to give one lucky Better After reader their very own Steam Machine! Hooray!

Entering is easy! Just use the rafflecopter widget, bonus entry if you are a Better After fan on Facebook!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway will end one week from today, on Friday March 22. Good luck, I hope you win!

Have a great weekend friend.

March 15, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

13 In kiddie

Kid n’ Play

I’ll tell you one thing. I’m a magazine lover. But I’m not a magazine hoarder. That was two things. Anyway, when I’m done with a magazine, I’m done. It bums me out to keep them around for too long. Like yesterday I was at the dentist’s office, and I was reading a People magazine from December 2012, and there was a story about Taylor Swift and her ‘new’ romance with Harry Styles, and I just wanted to warn her right then and there that nothing good would come of it! Stop Taylor! Stay away!

Oh my gosh, I have issues.

Hahaha, issues?! Get it!?

Ok wow. I think I need a vacation. But let me tell you one more thing about magazines. Have you heard of the Zinio app? It’s my absolute favorite. If your local library has an agreement with them like mine does, you can download so many magazines. For free! You should check it out. I’m not getting paid to say that. I just love magazines.

So here’s the point: I have no need for a clunky magazine rack taking up all kinds of space, like this one that Hannah at Bonne Nouvelle found. She certainly wasn’t planning on storing magazines either, so what did she do with it instead? Made a baby doll crib for her daughter! She even sewed the tiny baby bedding herself too. It’s perfect.

And here is another kiddie makeover from Amy: just the cutest little pair of kid-kitchen/nightstands you’ve ever seen. It’s so happy and sweet, and fully-stocked with fun details. See them all on her blog A Little Something Lovely.

Kid kitchen made from old nightstands | Betterafter.net

March 15, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

5 In decor/ miscellaneous

Clocking In

What time is it? Well, if your clock looks anything like this circa 1992 version, it might be time to get a new one. But don’t be silly. Why get a new one when you can make it over instead? Stephanie took her outdated clock and popped out the old clock face, then printed a new one of her own design on brown cardstock. Easy! Then she razored off the hearts and vines and painted the whole shadoodle, and now she has a clock that will keep on ticking for years to come.

Check it out on her blog The Hardscrabble Home.

And Better After reader Angela thought her little clock could use more color, so she went ahead and added some. Now it looks perfect for a kid’s room, or even a classroom, especially if you were teaching kids how to tell time. It’s hard enough to learn how to do that when you can actually see the numbers. Not like I’m scarred from that incident in fourth grade when Mr. Curry cruelly mocked me and my inability to tell time in front of the whole class and I wanted to die, and it turned out I needed glasses, but how was I supposed to know that, and that guy was a jerk, or anything. Yeah.

Anyway, cute clock Angela!

Please take a moment to visit my newest sponsor:

Folio Creations: Art prints, posters, greeting cards and graphic design.

March 14, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

4 In tables/dressers

Stamp of Approval

Yay for you if you are enjoying a spring break at the beach, or visiting Disneyland, or headed to some other fabulous destination right now. Yay. For. You. We, on the other hand, are having a staycation, which is just like a vacation, except you don’t go anywhere. And day-to-day life is basically the same. So it’s not like a vacation at all. But hey, at least we won’t have to unpack any luggage … so … there’s that …

Sigh.

Even today’s dresser makeovers have traveled farther and wider than I have recently. This dresser from Deb has been down the Platte River a few times, and now bears a stamp to prove it. Check out the whole story on Deb’s blog Lake Girl Paints.

Here it is in action as a new TV stand!

And by the looks of things, this little dresser has been to Paris and back quite a few times. Paris in the spring? Barf. I’d way rather be folding my laundry in Phoenix. (Lie). Sarah found a French script fabric that she loved and mod podged it to the drawer fronts, then sealed it with a poly. Be warned, this takes a TON of mod podge. See more, including a matching nightstand, on her blog Funcycled.

Please take a moment to visit my newest sponsor:

Folio Creations: Art prints, posters, greeting cards and graphic design.

March 14, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

9 In desks/hutches/buffets

Particle Accelerator

Particle Man, Particle Man. Doing the things a particle can. What’s he like? It’s not important. Particle Man.

Particle-board desk, particle-board desk. Not that attractive, but not grotesque. Can Jenny help it? I think she can. Particle-board desk.

Wow, I’m on a really random song kick today. That tune was “Particle Man” by They Might Be Giants, and I highly recommend looking it up. I also recommend fixing up any and all particle-board trappings in your home, because they can actually look quite nice. Don’t be scared, Jenny at DIY Newlyweds makes it seem easy!

March 13, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

11 In kitchen/dining

I don’t got the blues.

Health tip of the day: If you want to lose weight, simply paint your kitchen a terrible color. You’ll never want to set foot in there again! Actually, I don’t think this before kitchen’s color was all that bad. It’s quite pretty. But does it work in that space? Nooo. It’s kind of a big fat bummer. And poor Alauna was sick of being assaulted with aqua every time she tried to pour a bowl of cereal or fry and egg.

So light, bright and white it became, with a touch of yellow here and there for fun. Plus I love all the beadboard, beadboard, beadboard, beadboard rockin’ evruh-wherruh. (You have to sing that line like Bubba Sparxxx for it to make any sense). (If you don’t know who Bubba Sparxxx is … I envy you).

Check out Alauna’s blog The House of The South to see how she did all this on a teeny budget!