Better After

2 In kitchen/dining

And all that pizazz!

Ashley was thrilled to find this sturdy old workhorse of a table that was a perfect fit for her growing family. All it needed was a little pizazz. And if the vibrant new fabric on her chairs doesn’t spell ‘pizazz,’ I don’t know what does. I DO know that not enough people know how to spell pizazz, though, because I belong to a dance group called “Lotta Pizazz,” and sometimes we are introduced as “Lotta Pizzas.” Sigh.

See more from Ashley at Pearl Art and Design.

This post brought to you by Project Anthologies:

Sewing, Crafting, Creating!

November 26, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

2 In Uncategorized

Silhouette Black Friday deals, lowest of the year!

Congrats to our Silhouette Portrait winner: Amy B!!! I have already emailed you, so check your inbox!

For everyone else, don’t fret if you didn’t win. Because if you were waiting for the best time to buy a Silhouette Portrait or CAMEO, or any other Silhouette accessories, today’s the day! This is lowest price of the year!

Right now, on Silhouette’s Secret Black Friday Page, using the promo code AFTER, you can get:

– 1 Silhouette CAMEO® plus 1 copy of Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition (MSRP $349.98) for $229.99!

– 1 Silhouette Portrait™ for $179.99!

– 40% off at silhouetteamerica.com

(% off offer excludes Silhouette CAMEO®, Silhouette Portrait™, downloads, download cards, subscriptions, and gift cards. Expires Nov. 30, 2012).

Remember, these deals are only accessible through Silhouette’s Secret Black Friday Page, with the promo code AFTER.

These deals typically sell out fast, so if you are thinking of buying, hop on it quick. The promo codes are valid Nov 23rd – Nov 30th (beginning at midnight on the 23rd EST)

Happy Black Friday!

November 23, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

7 In decor/ miscellaneous

Giving thanks, dollface.

Happy Thanksgiving! Thought you might get a kick out of this little Thanksgiving makeover from Better After reader Beck, who couldn’t bear to part with this set of Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls made by her grandmother. So she dressed them up as pilgrims! I think they’re super cute and sentimental.

Plus, they totally make up for that time in college when my weirdo roommate had a terrifyingly LIFE-SIZED Raggedy Ann doll and liked to leave it sitting at our desk, like it was a real person. Just stop and imagine that for a second.

Anyway, I have so many things to be thankful for today, and one of those things is YOU! Thank you so much for reading my blog, for all your uplifting emails and sweet comments, and of course, for doing all the dirty DIY work so I have something to blog about! I truly am so grateful. Where would I be without you?!

This post brought to you by Project Anthologies:

Sewing, Crafting, Creating!

November 22, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

26 In bathroom/ kitchen/dining/ living room/ other rooms

On the Prowl

I felt like I hit the before and after jackpot when I discovered Kim’s blog, 39 is the new 40. It appears that she’s been making over everything she could get her hands on for most of her entire life. Girlfriend doesn’t mess around. Let’s take a quick tour, shall we?

First, this living room, specifically that fireplace. Ooh baby, baby. Not only is it a brillion times better looking than before, she also knocked out that far wall to really brighten the space up. (Taking after pictures during the daytime helps with that too, if you don’t happen to have a sledgehammer handy.)

Onward to the master bath. I’ve never quite understood the corner tub. It’s awkward, and pretty much looks like it’s made for three people. So, really awkward. But Kim made hers a showstopper with tile, a custom surround, and a vintage-style faucet. (I luuuuvs that faucet).

This kitchen wasn’t too bad at all, it was actually really warm and homey. In Opposite World. But that’s exactly the vibe it got under Kim’s magic touch. Tons of texture and warmth and light, plus a little dash of cheetah print, do you see it?

If you look closely, you’ll find bits of cheetah print all over her home, it’s kind of her signature thing. But you don’t have to look closely to spot it in her staircase makeover:

How fabulous is that? Rowr!

This post brought to you by Project Anthologies:

Sewing, Crafting, Creating!

November 21, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

3 In Uncategorized

Sponsored Post: SheKnows Gift Picks

Having trouble finding the perfect gift for that special someone this holiday season? Don’t worry, muchacha. I’ll help you figure it out in three easy steps:

Step one: Become friends with this special person on Facebook, if you aren’t already.
(Stalker. Just kidding.)

Step two: Head on over to the SheKnows Gift Picks tool.

Step three: Click to connect with Facebook, punch in their name, and the Gift Picks tool will magically scan their profile and narrow down a personalized selection of perfectly pleasing gifts to choose from! (Don’t worry, it keeps your information private.)

It sounded too simple to be true, so I tried it out myself to see what I came up with.

For my brother, Gift Picks reported that he was a ‘Music Maniac,’ ‘Pop Culture Know-It-All,’ Fitness Guru,’ and ‘Sports Fanatic.’ How eerily accurate. Clicking on these categories pulled up a big bunch of gift ideas to choose
from, along with maps to the nearest stores, and of course, links to buy
online.

Yep, this looks about right.

For my mom, aka the ‘Home Lover,’ ‘Shopaholic,’ and ‘Bookworm,’ the gift selection was right up her alley too.

Mom, tell me you wouldn’t love either of these? Wait, don’t tell me. Look away! Pretend you never saw this! Also pretend to be surprised when you find a personalized recipe gift set with matching embosser under the tree…

Anyway, give Gift Picks a spin! It might just make your holidays a little easier, which is pretty much a gift in itself.

November 21, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

7 In chairs/ottomans/seating

Feeling Mooody

These chairs by Nicole at Mood Design Studio look so fantastically well-done, I’m pretty sure she’s a witch or something. Nobody can reupholster chairs this perfectly without a little black magic, right? I certainly can’t. Not that I’ve tried using black magic, but I have tried using hot glue, and that really doesn’t give me the same results.

Nicole is so talented, she can switch her style up from mod/funky like the chair above, to industrial/nautical like the one below, without skipping a beat. It’s sooo much better than the bruised cow look it was sporting before, don’t you think?