We all know that a fresh coat of paint is the number one way to bring new life to old furniture, and a set of fabulous new handles does a lot to jazz things up too. But what about different sets of handles on the same dresser? Did I just blow your mind? Maybe not, but I’ll admit I wouldn’t have thought of it. But I just love the look!
From Krystin at Everything You Do Is A Balloon.
Built in 1851, Holly’s solid stone farmhouse was made to stand the tests of time. The kitchen, however appeared to be pre-historic, or … whatever era it was that three-foot-tall people typically roamed the earth. Seriously, look at that low-flying chandelier and those tiny door frames! It’s like a fun house, minus the fun.
That was before Holly moved in and pulled the kitchen into the present day. She’s added every modern convenience you could dream of and lost none of the charm. She even reused the beams for the islands supports. I’m totally planning to move to rural New Jersey and restore an ancient farmhouse now, who’s with me?!
Check out more on her blog Old Stone Walls.
Oooh!
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You would never know it, but behind this innocuous bathroom wall were stone walls over 150-years-old! Or whatever 2013 minus 1851 equals. It’s way too early to be mathy. Close enough.
See, Holly at Old Stone Walls is in the process of restoring her home – built in 1851 – back to its original farmhouse charm, which means many long hours spent chipping out old mortar from between each of these decades old stones to get it in the rustic/modern shape it’s in today.
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So, what are your big DIY plans for 2013? I wasn’t sure what my highest DIY priority was for our home this year, but then a few weeks before Christmas, my dad just happened to pop over and build our loft into a fourth bedroom over the course of a weekend. He’s handy (and surprising) like that.
I’d been begging him to come and close in our loft for years. We have plenty of living spaces here, but only three bedrooms. The loft was nothing more than a catchall for furniture that had no place else to go and piles of laundry waiting (and waiting) to be folded. Plus, I was always afraid that a crazed child might pole-vault themselves over the pony-wall and land in a mangled heap below someday.
If you follow me on Instagram (@betterafterlnz), then you may have seen this photo:
This is the point when dear ol’ dad hung up his toolbelt and headed back home. As you can see, he left a few things unfinished. I mean, there is only so much bedroom building you can pack into two days, right? That guy is the best. Thanks Dad, love you! So anyway, this is where we will be starting with our DIY goals for 2013.
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To enter to win the RYOBI ONE+ Lithium-ion Combo Kit, simply submit a photo of one of your 2013 DIY plans to the RYOBI Nation.
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Head over there to share your pic, don’t forget to come back here and leave a comment to let me know that you did, and bam! You’re entered.
The deadline for the current contest is Jan 31st, so I’ll be announcing a winner at the end of January. Can’t wait to see your 2013 DIY plans!
More info can be found at: Ryobi Nation // Ryobi Tools at The Home Depot // The Home Depot on Facebook // The Home Depot on Twitter
Disclosure: The Home Depot partnered with bloggers such as me to help promote their Lithium Ion power tool collection. As part of this promotion, I received compensation for my time. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products. The Home Depot believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. The Home Depot’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.
Hey Jacque! So, I tried to email you back about how much I loved the dresser makeover you sent me, but I kept getting the MAILER-DAEMON error thing. Sometimes I get excited when I see the MAILER-DAEMON thing, because the hottest guy ever at my high school was named Damon, and the 15-year-old girl in me squeals with delight that he is like, totally emailing me. That’s not actually true, as I haven’t thought about that Damon guy in decades, but he was pretty good looking.
You know what else is good looking? Your dresser. Thanks for sending it my way! I hope you see it posted here. And I hope everyone goes to check out more on your blog The Big Plate of DIY.
Here comes another kitchen makeover that makes me want to throw a tantrum in the middle of my kitchen, screaming “Wrong! Wrong! It’s all SO WRONG!!!!” And that’s how I feel about my kitchen on a good day. I’ve probably told you this before, but the previous owners of our home chose for the kitchen a red/orange tile, red/orange countertops and red/orange cabinets, coupled with mustard and burgundy paint colors. The paint, we’ve since remedied, but everything else has felt kind of all-or-nothing to me. Where do you even start, unless you do everything at once? However, I think this year is the year to get my butt in gear, and I’ve figured that I might as well start with flooring, so we’ll see. Maybe I’ll have my own Better After kitchen to show you soon! What a notion.
But for now, do enjoy Jessica’s Brilliant White kitchen, which is so heavenly, I think I hear angels singing. See more on her blog A Few of My Favorite Things.
