Better After

5 In tables/dressers

Purple, Pink, and a Rethink

Most girls would go ga-ga for this prominently purple desk. Literally, Gaga. I bet Lady Gaga herself would love it, with the bold colors and eclectic ‘old mixed with new’ look happening here. It would be perfect for storing her like, lobster hats and sequined ham hocks and and whathaveyou.

See how Reginia took this from ‘plain-jane’ to ‘pop-star’ for her teenage daughter on her blog The Not So Modern Family.

Jacque at The Big Plate of DIY also had a hankering to give some girlishness to this table, which was about to be fired from its job as entertainment console anyway. Poor thing was a looking a little overworked. But now it’s living the glam life as her daughter’s new vanity.

I think the most genius thing here is how she turned the mirror sideways! Usually you see that type of mirror hung vertically, but it fills the space above the table so nicely this way.

September 3, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

16 In desks/hutches/buffets

Artichoke Hold

Happy Labor Day! Or ‘Labour’ Day, if you are celebrating in a different country. Ha, I kid! There is no such thing. Ha! I kid again! There actually is, only it’s on May 1st. But let’s not quibble over facts. Let’s take a rest from our labors and enjoy this great hutch transformation from Suzy at Simply Vintageous.

I love the artichoke accessories and the “eat your veggies!” sign, which makes me want to eat artichokes, which are one of my very most favorite foods. Preferably fried. Mmmmm. Try them, you must.

September 3, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

11 In bedroom/ other rooms

Horsing Around and Around

I could hear the dull drumbeat of horse hooves overhead, faintly at first, but pounding stronger and stronger as I struggled to open my eyes. Another sound slowly entered my consciousness, adding to my escalating fears. Circus music. How strangely out of place it seemed. The tune sped up, the notes growing more and more maniacal and frenzied, the organ shrieking out its terrifying melody as I blindly fought to free myself from this spinning carousel of nightmares. Then I woke up. And realized I was just in my butt-ugly bedroom.

That, or something like that, is what inspired Julia to transform this room of terrors into the colorful and happy home studio it is today. Free from the visual torture of the horsey wallpaper and stencils along the baseboard (that’s a new one), she can now express herself in peace!

See more on her blog Chris Loves Julia.

Have a great Labor Day weekend!

I will leave you with this quote I just love from Julia’s wall:

Good advice.

August 31, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

14 In chairs/ottomans/seating/ desks/hutches/buffets

Christine Cans the Cat

Christine aka The Crafty Woman didn’t know she had hit the jackpot when she bought this marble-top buffet for $80, until she saw an identical one on Ebay for $400. That helped numb the pain of the four-hour round trip it took to go pick it up, which would have totally deterred me. In fact, just today I found a coffee table on Craigslist for five bucks. FIVE BUCKS! But then I was like … “Oh wait, it’s in Avondale? That’s like, twenty minutes away! Forget that shiz.”

But Christine wasn’t done yet. She found this old chair and loved the shape, not to mention the price: $15. However, it soon became apparent that instead of being a chair for humans, it had actually been the home of a large hairy cat. Or a family of cats. Probably a family of cats that all gave birth to more cats. Cat hair to the extreme. So she played along, and recovered the chair with a lovely ikat fabric instead. (Fun fact: ikat is actually pronounced e-cot. But it would be cooler if it rhymed with cat. At least for this story.) See more of the makeover HERE.

August 31, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

15 In outdoors

Patching up the Patio

So, I really can’t stand how stores prepare you for a season two seasons in advance. I don’t want to buy swimsuits in January, nor sweaters in June. Christmas displays long before Halloween? Back to school stuff while my kids are still in school?! It makes me cranky.

However, I will continue to enjoy the fact that patio furniture goes on clearance at the end of summer, because that’s when patio weather is finally beginning here in Phoenix. But if you only have a few weeks left of summer, don’t bother hitting the sales. Just rehab what you have! Like Laura from Top This, Top That who salvaged this sad set with snazzy outdoor fabric.

And Nicole from The Recycled Rose, who revived a set of hail-damaged chairs for a friend. (OK, it has been noted that these are not the exact same chairs.) Her friend was originally from North Carolina, so Nicole mixed a little North Carolinian flavor in to the makeover. (Hint: it’s the state flower).

Pop quiz! Can you name your state flower off the top of your head? No peeking!

August 30, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

5 In kiddie

Play it Again

Kids are pretty style-savvy these days. My daughter Mia is three and already tries to pick out my clothes for me. And she has plenty of opinions about what I wear. Although, she usually wears nothing but boots, her Ariel swimming suit and a jacket, so what does she know? But I think she would definitely prefer the sophisticated color-palette of this after playhouse versus the faded shades of sadness in the before.

See how Lorraine transformed this (and what her son thinks about the new look) on her blog South Meets Southwest.