Better After

3 In bedroom

Swankin on up!

Isn’t it nice to know that our tastes can evolve over time? I cringe when I look back at pictures of my first apartment and my ‘decorating’ choices, like, a dollar store poster tacked to the wall is super chic, right? But it also helps me appreciate how far I’ve come. And hopefully how much farther I have to go! No one wants to be the blue-eyeshadow, pleated jeans lady of the decor world.

That’s why I loved this guestroom makeover from Jae at Design OCD. Check out how it has progressed over the years. From so-so, to simple, to sophisticatedly swanky!

This post brought to you by Project Anthologies:

Sewing, Crafting, Creating!

November 20, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

564 In Uncategorized

Silhouette Portrait Giveaway! (GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED)

** GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED **

Here’s a little something to start your week off right, a Silhouette giveaway! But not just any old Silhouette, no way. It’s their brand spanking new never-before-seen top-of-the-line model:

The Silhouette Portrait!

The Silhouette Portrait does almost everything the Silhouette CAMEO can do, only at a mere 3.5 lbs, it’s super petite and portable. You can totally fit it in your purse and whip it out at parties and amaze your friends. (I have actually done this.)

I’ve been a huge fan of the Silhouette products for years now, and I’m STILL finding new ways to use them. They really can do so darn much, from paper projects, to printed projects, vinyl, fabric, glass etching, you name it. Remember my Halloween books? I Silhouetted the crap out of those.

That’s why I’m so excited to announce that the good folks at Silhouette are giving away a free Silhouette Portrait to one Better After reader this week! Hooo-boy!

Enter below for your chance to win! Winner will be announced Friday, along with some super sweet Black Friday discounts on the Silhouette Portrait and all kinds of Silhouette merchandise. So stay tuned for that.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click the button to follow Silhouette on Pinterest!

Open to US residents only. Giveaway ends and winner will be announced on Friday, Nov. 23.

November 19, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

14 In other rooms

Bonjour. Bonjour! Bonjour, bonjour, bonjour!

Have you ever wanted to swing dramatically around on one of those rolling library ladders while acting out the opening song from Beauty and the Beast, but can’t because you don’t have a library and they frown on that at the public library? Anyone? Well, now you can reenact all the nerdy-girl fantasies you want in the privacy of your own pantry! Just install a rolling ladder there, like Amy did from While Wearing Heels.

“There must be more than this provincial liiiife, and who moved the sugaaar?”

This post brought to you by Project Anthologies:

Sewing, Crafting, Creating!

November 19, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

12 In tables/dressers

The true greening of Christmas.

It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas! That’s because I just bought a new Christmasy air-freshener and plugged it in right next to my computer, and it’s really strong. I feel like I’m being choked to death by an evergreen. But, in a festive way!

So speaking of green, please enjoy today’s selection of makeovers, starting with Helen at Picked and Painted and her little green nightstand. I love how she got the glaze deep into the crevices of this table. I would really like a private tutor for glazing. Every time I try, my stuff just ends up looking dirty. What’s the secret, Helen?!

And here is another lovely green dresser from Helen, which can be seen HERE. I love the substantial size of the new knobs. Don’t be scared to go big! Go big or go home. To get bigger knobs. That’s what I always say. It looks great.

And here are a couple from Sarah at Funcycled, who un-drabbed this dresser with a bright kelly green and then deepened it down with a dark wax. Bonus, the wax not only gave it that glazed look, but sealed it too for that glossy shine in one less step!

You’ve probably already noticed this one isn’t green. It’s red. Antique Red by Behr, to be exact. Sarah fixed it up for a couple who had left it sitting in their basement for years. Just before they were about to trash it, they discovered her blog and realized it could be beautiful again with a little love and a LOT of effort. So they hired her to do the dirty work, and boy, did she deliver.

November 16, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

7 In miscellaneous

A New Floor Plan

Have you been looking for a quick and easy way to remake a linoleum floor? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Almost. Because I can’t tell you exactly how to do that, but Lindsay from Lindsay and Drew can. Check out her blog to learn how to prime, paint and seal an ugly linoleum floor just like this! She reports that the paint is holding up perfectly, and with the high gloss sealer it’s also super easy to clean. I’m sold.

November 15, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

10 In bathroom

Claim to Frame

So, the last time I wrote about bathroom vanities, someone pointed out that I spelled the word “vanities” wrong in the title of my post, and it’s given me some kind of spelling complex, because now it takes me like 13 tries to spell it right. It looks wrong right now. Hang on. I just Googled it to be sure. It still looks wrong. Anyway. I’ll just call it something else. Here are some great sink-and-mirror-areas-located-in-the-bathroom.

This one comes from Lindsay at A Walk In The Closet. Simple changes: paint, light, and a frame around the mirror, and it looks so much better. Framing the mirror is the best way to add sha-jazz to any bathroom, in my expert opinion of having opinions.

Danielle at My EnRoute Life framed her mirror too, but the biggest change was a new countertop. Just kidding! It’s not new, she just faux-granitized it with paint. The fixtures aren’t new either, they just got a little updating with oil-rubbed bronze spray paint. (That’s the best kind of spray paint, you know. If you ever get invited to one of those ‘Favorite Things’ parties, that’s what you should bring).