Better After

How Cool is your Refrigerator?

It’s Fridge Friday, and you know what that means!

You probably don’t know what that means, because we have never, no not once, ever celebrated Fridge Friday. But that changes today. Because today is FRIDGE FRIDAY, so GET EXCITED!

Basically Fridge Friday is me showing you some fridge makeovers. You can observe Fridge Friday yourself by giving your own fridge a makeover, or maybe just cleaning it out. Is there anything better than a freshly cleaned-out fridge? Well, yes, a lot of things. Like buckets of money and free vacations. But a clean fridge is pretty nice. And a boring fridge with a sweet makeover is pretty fun to look at too. So here we go.

First up, Medina had a vision of turning her fridge into a yellow Mason jar. Why? Why not!

It’s her fridge and she can turn it into a yellow Mason jar if she wants to. See more, like how she made the raised lettering, on her blog Grillo Designs. (spoiler alert: hot glue!)

Tracy’s fridge was old and dated but worked just fine, so she couldn’t justify buying a shiny new one. Then she found a roll of beadboard wallpaper, which got her wheels turning …

Amazing right? Obviously she didn’t just wallpaper right over the entire fridge, that would be crazy. Actually, now that I think about it, with the right wallpaper, that might be really cool. Somebody do that and send me a picture. But Tracy went further with chunky trim and a fancy handle to finish it off, and you can see her detailed process on her blog General Splendour.

Want a temporary fridge fix? Maybe you’re renting or just want to impress a visitor with your cool fridge for a weekend, or whatever it is you do. I don’t know your life.

Rachel achieved this look with gold foil tape! Inexpensive, effective, and removable. It’s so cool, I want to somehow simultaneously own and wear it.

See more at Rachel Schultz.

And finally, why go to all the trouble of writing your dinner menu or grocery list on a piece of paper, then finding a magnet, THEN attaching it to your fridge? WHEW! Who has the time?

Save yourself the extra effort and just paint your fridge with chalkboard paint and never have that hassle again! I also like the added detail of the jute-wrapped handles, clever clever. From Audra at The Kurtz Corner.

Hope you enjoyed Fridge Friday! See you next time for Washing Machine Wednesday. That’s not a thing yet, but it should be. Or Lawn Mower Monday? Ok, now you’ve gone too far.

June 10, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

4 In kitchen/dining

I’m with the Band … wagon

Are you hesitant to embrace a white kitchen because, well, everyone else is doing it? It’s true, white kitchen cabinets have never been more popular. But listen. They are popular for all the right reasons. Like the way that jeans are popular. White isn’t some flash-in-the-pan trend. They aren’t the slap-bracelets and jelly shoes of cabinetry. They are like jeans, and they are here to stay, and I said so.

So don’t be afraid to jump on the bandwagon if you really like the look, that’s all I’m saying.

When Barb went to redo her kitchen, she stayed away from white for exactly that reason. Everyone else is doing it! She decided to strip her cabinets and restain them an espresso color instead. It’s hard to tell from the before picture, but they started off green.

Then, as she labored and labored over stripping and sanding each and every piece of cabinetry, it dawned on her that painting them white might be easier. And the room was so small and dark without a window anyway …

So she changed her plans and painted them white after all. And she’s thrilled that she did! How could you not be? She says “I’m so glad we went with the white! It just blows my mind how much better everything looks, and how much brighter it is.”

Barb went even further by adding under cabinet lighting from Ikea to real light it up. I mean, wow. It’s such a huge difference. I love it so much I did an air punch the first time I saw it.

Great work Barb!

See more on her blog Turtles & Tails.

June 9, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

4 In kiddie/ tables/dressers

Coffee, Chalk

Hey you! You like kids, right? And coffee tables? And chalk? And the color yellow? Right? I thought so.

That means you are going to love this makeover from Linda, if you haven’t already fully imagined it in your head.

Ta-da! Linda resuscitated this Craigslist coffee table and created a statement piece that both she and her kid can enjoy. I figured that she simply used chalkboard paint for the surface, but no! She ordered a custom-sized piece of chalkboard vinyl, which has the advantage of being removable.

I think this is a great little project you could do in no time, and a nice way to keep your kids entertained for a while if you find yourselves sequestered indoors all summer. Not to brag, but it got up to 118 degrees in Phoenix this week. CELSIUS. (Not really, but probably).

See more from Linda at Burlap & Blue.

June 8, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

4 In living room

Light it Up

I’m back from my vacation, all tanned and relaxed and ready to partaay!

That is false. I actually don’t get tan. Ever, at all. I did attempt to fake a summer glow by getting a spray tan before I left, but it vanished within two days. However, mysteriously, my armpits remain very tan. It’s been over a week now, and they are still super much tan and show no signs of letting go. It’s … not attractive.

Let that be a lesson to you. A lesson about the dangers of spray tanning. You thought fake tans were safe, HA! They’re not. You run the risk of spending your entire vacation with your arms clamped tightly to your sides, lest you expose your oddly over-tanned armpits to the world. Please remind me about these dangers because I will probably forget and do it again next time.

However, unlike me in a swimsuit, somethings are better lighter and brighter. Stephanie’s living room was a bit on the dark side, with a dreary paint color that did nothing to accentuate all the great things happening in this room.

After a few fresh coats of paint, it looks completely new! The overmantle was built out ever so slightly, making it more craftsman-like, and now it stands on its own since the paint color separates it from the wall. Before, that space blended into one long expanse. If you weren’t sure before who the star of this room was, now you KNOW.

I love how Stephanie incorporated just the right amount of color with her accessories to keep it from becoming too neutral as well. High fives Stephanie!

See more on her blog The Divine Living Space.

June 7, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

2 In desks/hutches/buffets

Cute Cute Curio

STOP! You there! No, not you, YOU. You with the outdated curio cabinet that you’re dragging to the dump. Don’t do it! Unhand it at once! At once, I say!

Whew. That was close. You almost tossed what could potentially be the cutest item of furniture in your whole house. Sure, it may look like a cherry-stained relic from another time. And you probably have no intention to collect Precious Moments figurines and keep them safely behind glass. I get it.

But do you like …

… THIS??? Of course you do! How could you not? Aren’t you so glad I stopped you? You can thank me later, with candy or money or both.

Brooke decided to knock out the glass on her thrift-store curio and replace it with beadboard. She painted it with a velvety blue chalk paint called Tranquility and distressed it slightly with wax. I really, really love how this turned out.

Take a look at her blog Start at Home for a closer look. You can see how narrow it is, probably less than a foot deep. Perfect for squeezing in some extra storage almost anywhere! I’m thinking it would be great in a small bathroom with no closet.

But don’t fret if you’ve got a large armoire on your hands instead of a petite curio. You may have retired it long ago, no longer needing a bulky entertainment center, but you can always rehire it as handy storage space! Because who needs less storage? Nobody.

Change up the stain, switch out the knobs, and put it in the bedroom as a wardrobe. Add a set of tassels if you’re feeling kicky, and you’re really back in business.

From Jennifer at Dimples and Tangles.

May 27, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

3 In outdoors

Picture Perfect Porch

School is officially out, and I’m officially trying to have a good attitude about it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a monster, I love my kids and everything, but summer break in Phoenix is brutal with a capital B. It’s brutal with a capital everything. BRUTAL. It’s brutal with a dramatic syllable added. BAH-RU-TAL.

I think you get the point.

It would make so much more sense for our schools to take a nice long winter break, when the weather is gorgeous and we can venture outside for more than 30 minutes without suffering certain death. But no, here I’ll sit trying to keep four kids entertained without basically ever leaving the house for the next two and a half months. I need a summertime equivalent of the word “humbug.”

But I really am trying to have a good attitude, I swear!! I’ll stop whining.

I hope you have an awesome summer filled with pool parties and BBQs and that your eyeballs don’t melt out of their sockets. But before you go having all kinds of fun, you’d better check out your outdoor spaces and make sure they’re ready for entertaining.

Not only was Megan’s porch not up for guests, it probably wouldn’t have passed a safety inspection.

But after a weekend of work, it’s the most welcoming porch on the block! The biggest project here was removing the wrought iron railing and boxing in the columns. Don’t worry, Megan checked her local codes and found that no railing was necessary since her porch is less than two feet high. It makes a huge difference in making it look and feel more open.

I love the full-size rug she used too. Great way to bring in color and really capitalize on the floor space. Consider ditching your standard-sized welcome mat and giving this a try if you’ve got the room!

See more from Megan at Balancing Home.

May 26, 2016 By Lindsey @ Better After

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