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7 In kitchen/dining

From Bland to Grand!

Thank you so much for all your sweet comments yesterday!  I plan to show you more of the house soon, but going through my billions of pictures is proving quite time consuming.  So, in the meantime, please enjoy this amazing kitchen makeover from Nikki.
I’m lucky to know Nikki in real life, and I absolutely love her style.  I wish her talents would rub off on me the more I hang out with her, but if that was the case, I’d never leave her alone.  I’d always be popping out of her pantry or hiding in the backseat of her car, like some creepy stalker or something.  Hmmm. This is sounding creepy already.  I’ll stop now.
Get a good look at all the details on her blog Grand Design Co.


The Ugly Lamp Contest is coming soon!  Submit your ugly lamp to me at BetterAfter@live.com by August 10th!

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August 7, 2012 By
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47 In Uncategorized

Hidden Treasures ADVENTURE!

Well, I’m back home and ready to show you some of the scenes from the Hidden Treasures Adventure! (Sorry to keep you waiting, blogging from the road is incredibly difficult.  I’m convinced now that an iPhone is no longer a luxury, but a NEED! My crappy piece of crap phone could not keep up.)
Anyway, to get you up to speed, last week GMC and OnStar sent a team of six DIY bloggers on the road for an adventure through the World’s Longest Yard-Sale.  We were provided 2012 Yukon XLs to drive, and started in Michigan and ended in Alabama, collecting yard-sale treasures along the way.  When we arrived to our final destination in Alabama, we used the things we found to furnish and decorate a Habitat for Humanity home for a single mother and her two kids.
It was the most rewarding and exhausting thing I’ve ever done.
 
Like, ever.
We were given a $250 budget and drew names for which room we would work on, and I drew the little boy’s room.  I was told his name was Jaydon, he was in first grade and liked superheroes and Transformers.
After traveling and shopping the yard-sale for four days, we ended up in Birmingham, Alabama on Sunday to an entirely empty house we had never set eyes on before, with only five hours to completely transform it.
Here is what I did:

And now, the other side …
 

I was really happy with how it turned out! Especially considering that The World’s Longest Yard-Sale does not exactly cater to six-year-old boys who love Transformers and I was having a panic attack by the end of the second day when I was halfway through the trip and had only spent $20.
Here are a few detail shots:

Leen the Graphics Queen graciously donated AND overnighted our choice of wall decals to us when she heard what we were doing. Awesome.

In the blogging world, chalkboard paint is no big deal.  Who hasn’t heard of chalkboard paint? Everybody has. But I learned that in the real world, people are still amazed by it!  I got by far the most comments and questions about this little stripe of chalkboard paint than anything else.  The chalk rail is actually a strip of old closet track that I found for $3. 
The little school desk came from the Habitat ReStore in Detroit, who let us each pick one item for free from their store.

This bed was a great find, only $20.  When I bought it, I was afraid it was going to disintegrate in my hands, it was in such rough shape. It had obviously been sitting outside for years.  In fact, I still have splinters. But after an evening of sanding, spray-painting and staining in the empty field next to our hotel, it looks old and distressed on PURPOSE!
Pillows were a thrift-store find, bedding I bought new at Wal-Mart, and the curtain was a 50 cent shower curtain I cut and painted.  Here are a few more prices, the rest of my budget went to paint and supplies.  I had wanted so badly to find an awesome antique dresser with a ton of character  but it was not to be. Instead, the owner of a Dunlap thrift store gave me this brand new one, still in the box for $15.  I painted the handles yellow to match the room and called it good. 

I have so much more to share, I can’t wait to show you the room transformations from the rest of the team!  If you want to see more right now, you can check out my Facebook album with lots more photos of the yard-sale and our adventures!
It was so absolutely amazing  to watch this little family who went from sharing a single mattress the day before walk into their own fully furnished home. A home that was all THEIRS! Rooms and beds and toys to call their own.  It was the most overwhelming and gratifying feeling.  Lots of tears were shed.  
Thank you GMC for including me in this incredible event.
More transformations to come. Now, I must nap.
August 6, 2012 By
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2 In Uncategorized

Kitchen of Dreams!

Hey there!  I have the opportunity to help “spread” the word about an amazing program created by Philadelphia Cream Cheese.  Get it?  Spread?  *elbow nudge* Ha ha!  Ok, sorry.

Anyway, two years ago they created an online community for women to share recipes, get to know one another, and win some pretty awesome prizes.  It’s called Real Women of Philadelphia, and right now they are giving away a Kitchen of Dreams!  (Oh, yeah, I want to get in on that. I have some kitchen dreams, let me tell you.)

You can enter in two easy steps:

Join the Real Women of Philadelphia community, (I’m a member!  And don’t worry, you don’t have to be from Philadelphia.  Common misunderstanding.  Ok, probably not, but that’s what I thought for a second), and two, submit an original recipe and photo (featuring Philadelphia Cream Cheese, but you knew that).

Grand prize includes everything you need to make your dream kitchen a reality, including
 •   $10,000 in gift cards to Lowe’s
•    $10,000 worth of brand new KitchenAid appliances 
•    $15,000 in cash for the renovation
•    $10,000 total worth of gift cards to Crate & Barrel, Sur La Table, Williams-Sonoma, and Target (The winner has their choice of  denominations and retailers, up to the total value of $10,000!)
  •    A one-on-one design consultation with Jillian Harris, former Bachelorette and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition interior designer.

WOW.

That Jillian, she’s such a cutie.

Plus, they have daily KitchenAid appliance prizes being given away, you guessed it, daily!

Join Real Women of Philadelphia to discover and share new recipes, meet new friends and have the chance to win over $100,000 in dream prizes that they are giving away this season alone.

 I am totally entering.  Even if my go-to cream cheese recipe has a whopping two ingredients and is probably already memorized by every living soul on the planet.  Here it is:
Fruit Dip!
– 8oz softened Philadelphia Cream Cheese
– 1 jar marshmallow cream
 Directions: mix and eat with fresh fruit
(If you are feeling especially dangerous, 
you can mix in a little strawberry yogurt for color and flavor!)

Hmm, I might have to get a little more creative …

Disclaimer: I have been selected by Kraft Foods to be an ambassador for the Real Women of Philadelphia, who sponsored this post.  All opinions are 100% mine, y’all.

August 3, 2012 By
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11 In other rooms

Lynne’s Library

I am hitting the road with GMC at The World’s Longest Yard-Sale this week.  You can check in for updates and make sure I haven’t melted to death on Facebook or Twitter! In the meantime, since you were so kind to stop by, here’s a little flashback from one of my favorites in the archives:


Originally posted April 16, 2010
I love this before and after so much, I literally had a dream about it last night.  In my dream, I was telling my husband that I needed this room. And he told me that I don’t have enough books to warrant this room. So I told him that’s because I get rid of books after I read them, because I don’t have enough room to keep them, unlike this room.
*deep longing sigh* 
Check out more from Lynn, whose blog is called The Flabby Brain, although that can’t hardly be true, she has a friggin library in her house.



The Ugly Lamp Contest is coming soon!  Submit your ugly lamp to me at BetterAfter@live.com by August 10th!

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August 3, 2012 By
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6 In kitchen/dining

Jayna’s Kitchen of Lust

I am hitting the road with GMC at The World’s Longest Yard-Sale this week.  You can check in for updates and make sure I haven’t melted to death on Facebook or Twitter! In the meantime, since you were so kind to stop by, here’s a little flashback from one of my favorites in the archives:


Originally posted Oct. 27, 2010
Dear Jayna, this might sound creepy, but can I move in with you? I don’t even need a room of my own, I’ll just stay in your kitchen. I hope that’s cool! Seriously though, if I ever actually used the phrase “drool-worthy” in real life, I would apply it to this kitchen. Love the white. Love the high ceiling. Love the chandelier. I even love how just adding crown moulding to the top of the awkward pantry corner made it look totally unawkward and like part of the room that existed all along and wasn’t just slapped into place when the previous owners realized they had an enormous barn-shaped kitchen on their hands.
Jayna has shared with me her decorating philosophy:
1. Identify all of the oak around the house.
2. Paint it white.
Works for me. More to see on Jayna’s blog HERE.


 



 


The Ugly Lamp Contest is coming soon!  Submit your ugly lamp to me at BetterAfter@live.com by August 10th!

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August 2, 2012 By
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10 In kitchen/dining

Accord at Vinnord

I am hitting the road with GMC at The World’s Longest Yard-Sale this week.  You can check in for updates and make sure I haven’t melted to death on Facebook or Twitter! In the meantime, since you were so kind to stop by, here’s a little flashback from one of my favorites in the archives:

Originally posted Jan 4, 2012
This sweet little Norwegian cottage transformation is sure to take your breath away, or make you gasp in wonder, or at least sigh wistfully.  You may think the before photos are from like, 1992, but no, these were the listing photos when Trine bought the place in 2008.  Clearly, this place needed some love, and fast.
But Trine from The Cottage of Vinnord was the girl for the job!  First up was the most important room in the house, the kitchen. I’m no interior decorator,
nor do I play one on TV, but even I could tell you that none of the
fabrics, textures and colors in this room should exist together at
anytime, ever.  Except in a before photo.  Trine felt the same way and bid adieu to every single thing in here except the floor-to-ceiling beadboard. Which is amaaaaazing!
 
See the dining room peeking through there?  It wasn’t always such a stunner. First Trine had to deal with miles of maroon and pine paneling and a vibe that managed to be super-dreary despite two large windows.  But doesn’t it look about a millionty times better now?  I LOVE the slightly different shades of blue on the chairs.
And finally, the cave-like mudroom got lighter and brighter, with an equestrian feel that pays homage to Trine’s love of horses.  I love how subtle and elegant this look is, instead of hitting you over the head with full-on cowboy memorabilia.  





Trine says, “I like to think I brought Vinnord back to life. I like to think is how
SHE would have wanted to look. Like a welcoming, warm and airy lady. And
it is true that this house possesses a certain soul. Every time you enter
the front door your pulse and breathing goes down. You relax, whether
you want to or not. Maybe this is why projects take longer here?”
Beautiful.  Thanks for sharing Trine!  Take the full tour over on her blog The Cottage of Vinnord.


The Ugly Lamp Contest is coming soon!  Submit your ugly lamp to me at BetterAfter@live.com by August 10th!

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August 1, 2012 By
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