Better After

5 In kiddie

The sticker is the kicker!

If you want to teach your kids a lesson about leaving their toys outside, just scare them straight by flip flopping these before and after pics. Before: a brand new toy. After: a pasty pink sad-mobile ravaged by the sun! They are sure to be effectively terrified.

However, don’t tell them that you can easily restore it to its former glory with some spray paint and a call to the company to order new stickers like Better After reader Beth did. I never knew you could such a thing. (Buy new stickers, that is. I am well aware of the power of spray paint). Great job Beth!

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

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July 26, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

8 In kitchen/dining/ tables/dressers

Spellbinding

Gretchen found this cool set of chairs at an auction, and they remind me a bit of an abacus. I don’t really know how to use an abacus. Who does? Proper use of abacuses (abaci?) really isn’t a necessary life skill these days, I guess. It sounds more like a spell from Harry Potter. Abacus calculatus! The spell that does your math for you!

Annnyway, before we wander off track any further, check out what Gretchen did with this set, and the beaten up mahogany table she picked up at the auction as well. Super cute. See more on her blog Gretchen’s Garage.

And wait! There’s more where that came from. Kind of! Because this dresser didn’t come from the auction, it actually came from the basement of Gretchen’s father-in-law, who had apparently been hiding it in shame. Gretchen worked her magic and made it shine again, and I love how the scalloped detail really stands out now. Check out her blog to get a better look at that refinished maple top, 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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July 26, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

9 In tables/dressers

Counting on it.

Sarah had had this old dresser lying around for years and years. Then one day, her dad caught a raging fit of awesomeness and offered to strip off the endless layers of old paint for her so she could finally start to finish it. That gave her the boost she needed to get going, and I am loving the results. Attractive and educational! I need this for my daughter Mia, who insists that counting goes “one … two … three … SIX.” She cannot be unconvinced.

See it up close on Sarah’s blog Cozy.Cottage.Cute.

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

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July 25, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

9 In bathroom

Handle with Care

You know what I think jazzed up this little potty nook the most? It’s not the shelves, even though they made a huge impact, obviously. In fact, I pinned something almost exactly like them on Pinterest a few months ago. I thought it would be perfect for my potty nook too, which made me realize that all three of the toilets in our home are in teeny tiny outhouse-sized rooms. My little powder room is actually the roomiest water closet of all! That just seems wrong. (I don’t actually say ‘water closet’ in real life.)

Anyway, back to what I think really jazzed up this room the most: it’s the shiny new toilet handle! Such a simple thing to upgrade. Now it’s chic to flush! (Not that it ever wasn’t). (Someone tell my kids).

From Wendy at Designed to Dwell.

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

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July 25, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

6 In kitchen/dining

Bungalow Fever

Andrea is renting a historic little bungalow that came with a nicely-sized dining room featuring wood floors, a window seat, and thick baseboards. Let’s be honest here, she could have set up a dining set made from cardboard boxes and old buckets and that room would still be awesome. But, of course, she didn’t. She redid this ’80s set she found for $50 at Salvation Army with a deep walnut stain on the tabletop and chalk paint on the base and chairs. Plus a pretty french script fabric to replace that rather hideous floral. Beaucoup mieux! See more on her blog Fiber and Fire.

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July 24, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

3 In desks/hutches/buffets

He’s a washing machine!

I bet a lot of people are hanging on to furniture they don’t love, simply because it’s a quality piece of furniture. “But it’s solid wood! And so sturdy! Who cares if its glossy, yellowy tone matches nothing else in my home? Who cares if I weep a little inside every time I look at it?” Well, I’m here to slap some sense into you. You can have it all!

Actually, Jesse at Nine Red will slap some sense into you with his color-washed armoire. I love this look so much. The distressed black bun feet are my favorite; just a cool bit of contrast. And I love that the knots aren’t so screamingly visible anymore, even though Jesse is a weirdo who actually likes those freaky wooden eyeballs of terror. (Maybe I’m the weirdo). Anyway, hop on over there to check out his complete color-wash tutorial!