Better After

326 In Uncategorized

Shabby Apple giveaway!

Sure, it still might still be 20 frigid degrees out, but spring is just around the corner! Let’s celebrate with a $50 gift card giveaway to Shabby Apple! That should help warm you up.

I’m a great big fan of Shabby Apple, and they’ve got so many cute new looks for spring. Here are some of my favorites:

Riptide Lemon Drop Skirt Pier Patrol

Ugh, that Ferris Wheel collection is too adorable for words. I just want it all, with a side of cotton candy. Good news alert: Right now, if you order from the Ferris Wheel line, you can receive 50% off another dress!

Ballerina Santa Monica Guinea A Minute

Shabby Apple was kind enough to send me the Ballerina dress to review,
and I am happy to report that it’s dreamy. It’s made from a soft but
substantial jersey, which makes it hug nicely without feeling too
flimsy. In fact, the skirt is actually double-layered, which is super nice. FIY alert: Shabby Apple sizes are generous. REALLY generous. I
typically wear a medium, so I ordered a small, but could have definitely
ordered an extra-small. So don’t forget to remember that.

And don’t forget what comes after spring … swimsuit season! Ack. But you can dare to bare in these suits, which live up the the Shabby Apple creed to “flatter a women’s figure and maintain her mystery.” Love that.

Catalina Half-Pike Deckwork

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED

March 1, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

27 In kitchen/dining

A Small and Swoony Kitchen

Does a kitchen need to be big to be beautiful? Did you know that Ryan Gosling is only 5’6″? (That’s not true, but I googled ‘short Hollywood hunks’ to make my point, and all it gave me was Danny Devito, Jack Black, and Mel Gibson. Short, yes. Hunks … that’s debatable. Ryan Gosling is a respectable 6’1″, in case you were wondering.)

But back to the point. Big doesn’t always mean beautiful. Small can be just as hunky, if not more. Case at hand: what Better After reader Lynn did in the galley kitchen of her 1100 sf condo. It’s gorgeous! Great idea to lose those mini-cabinets over the sink in place of full glass-front cabinets. And that backsplash! It’s a one-way ticket to Swoontown!

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March 1, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

5 In laundry rooms

Laundry Room Rookie

There’s just something wrong about a grimy laundry room. That’s where you go to make stuff clean! It should be clean too! It’s like when my daughter went on a preschool field trip to the grocery store, and came home and told me she saw a pet gerbil there. Why management keeps a pet gerbil at the grocery store is information I’d like to have. Doesn’t that seem … wrong? Maybe she made that up. Who knows.

Anyway, Dee Dee had herself one gerbil of a laundry room when she first moved into this home. Just about every single surface got a makeover in here, and look how much space they gained by stacking the washer and dryer. Enough to add a little countertop with plenty of storage underneath. Great job from someone who calls herself a “DIY rookie!”

Lot’s more to see on her blog Clover House.

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February 28, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

9 In chairs/ottomans/seating/ kiddie/ tables/dressers

Springy Things!

Dreaming of spring? Meeee too. Here’s a few cheerful yellow makeovers to get you in the spirit!

Dacia at Lemon Drop Life needed two things: a changing table for her impending baby, and a dose of color in an otherwise neutral nursery. One trip to a creepy guy’s house who was selling this on Craigslist, one heavy application of Lysol, and a few light coats of Macaw by Valspar, and mission accomplished!

Elaine also envisioned something sunny and storagey with this freebie dresser. She used Sun-Kissed Yellow by Benjamin Moore and stuck it smack dab in the bathroom, which makes total sense when you realize that this bathroom was meant have a bathtub there. But, being the fourth bathroom, a tub wasn’t necessary, and being close to the entryway, shoe storage was. Win! See more on her blog Visual Meringue.

And lastly, Alina at My Yellow Umbrella rescued this terribly sad chair with a happy chevron fabric. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sadder chair. Who on earth was sitting (or standing, or jumping, or storing bowling balls) in that thing? Look how much closer the seat cushion is to the back cushion in the after! Ahh. All is right with the world again.

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February 28, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

20 In bathroom

Bygone Berlin Bath

I’m excited to share Better After reader Imke’s bathroom makeover with you today, because I’ve never seen anything quite like it! Imke lives in Berlin, and bought an apartment to rent out in a building dating back to 1903. Back then, no one had the luxury of a private bath; each floor shared a bathroom that was located in the stairway between floors. YIKES. I can’t even imagine. I can, but I don’t want to.

So, Imke had only the tiniest of tiny spaces to work with in what she calls her ‘tube’ bathroom. It was a only 35 inches (INCHES!!) wide, and split into separate rooms. The shower was entered directly from the kitchen, and the restroom from the hallway.

Imke tore everything out and made one (still tiny) room, with the shower in the back. The electricity had to be redone, as it was formerly just nailed right on the wall. She beautified it with mosaic tile on the walls and a fabulous Italian black tile on the floor. I think she did a stellar job. Thanks for sharing Imke!

Here’s the shower, directly off the kitchen.

I’ll just let my soup simmer while I take a bath, don’t mind me.

And now, stunning!

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February 27, 2013 By Lindsey @ Better After

10 In desks/hutches/buffets/ kitchen/dining/ tables/dressers/ wood

Stark and Warm

If you have an old piece of furniture that’s been sitting around waiting to get a makeover, but you just feel stumped, well, I am happy to unstump you. Perhaps you’ve considered painting the whole thing black, but that just seems too heavy. Maybe you’d like to refinish just the wood, but also crave more pizazz. Well, why not combine the two? Black and wood! It’s crisp, it’s classy, it only lacks a name. Black and wood! That’s all I got.

This poor buffet had been relegated to the garage after its owners ruined the top with a hot pan, then decided to just get rid of it. Sad! Luckily Margo and Chris swooped in and restored the walnut top, stripped, restained, and lacquered the doors and drawer, then painted the frame – you guessed it – black.

See more from Margo and Chris on Facebook at Second Chance Furniture Iowa.

Michelle had purchased a dream of a mid-century-modern teak table at a vintage shop, but could only dream of the $400 chairs (each!) she desired to go with it. Unwilling to settle, she just used this old office chair and a little stool instead. Handy for dining, but only if you happen to be feeding your accountant and a child.

Then one day, her mom showed her a similar table in a magazine that had black glossy chairs, and surprise! Michelle loved the look of the stark black against the warm wood. She scored a sweet little set of chairs at Salvation Army, fixed them right up, and now she has a perfectly stylish and functional dining room. See more on her blog Sweet Suite 10.