Better After

Egg Dying

Hello there! I hope you had the happiest Easter weekend ever! Mine was pretty good, despite waking up yesterday at 6 am to the sounds of my two boys fighting to the death over a single plastic egg filled with jelly beans. There were tears, and punching, and much screaming, and a dramatic “This is NOT what Easter is ALL ABOUT!” from me. Somehow they failed to notice the three dozen OTHER plastic eggs surrounding them and were in an all-out brawl over this particular egg. The only explanation I have is maybe because the egg happened to be orange. Everything is better in orange, am I right?

Dionne’s chair makeover here is no exception, especially up against that turquoise wall. The whole scene is dreamy! See more on her blog The Turquoise Iris.

PS: For more Easter goodness, check out my Sunday Sweets post on Cake Wrecks!

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April 9, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

241 In Uncategorized

Lisa Leonard Giveaway! (GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED)

(This giveaway is now closed. Congrats to our winners, ** Mumzy and janannanderson)

Meet Lisa Leonard! (If you haven’t already!) She rocks my socks! Today she has awesomely offered TWO Better After readers a chance to win a $50 gift card to her shop, Lisa Leonard Designs!

Lisa has set the world afire with her fabulous custom and artisan jewelry. Her work is top-quality and handcrafted with care; every piece is hand cut, hammered, polished, drilled and lovingly assembled.

I am a HUGE fan of her work and am lucky enough to own several Lisa Leonard pieces. They are easily my most “go-to” items of jewelry and I get complimented and asked about them without fail whenever I wear them.

The “Tiny Twig” necklace from her artisan line is my newest favorite; I don’t think I’ve taken it off since it came in the mail! It’s hand-cast from an actual twig and silver-plated. It’s so unique, total strangers have stopped me in my tracks to comment on it. I love it so much!

Lisa offers a great selection of customizable necklaces:

Bracelets and cuffs:

And tons more!

If you have been stressing out about a Mother’s Day gift, stress no more. Because your mom and your mom’s mom and her mom and my mom would all love some Lisa Leonard. Hop on over to her shop and check out all the goods.

But first! Enter here to win one of these:

Entering is easy!

Mandatory entry: Sign up to receive the Lisa Leonard newsletter! (plus you get 15% off her shop when you do!)

Extra entry: ‘like’ Lisa Leonard Designs on Facebook and tell her Better After sent you!

Come back and let me know you did so in separate comments here!

That’s it!

Good luck, I hope you win! Giveaway will end Monday, April 9th, winner chosen randomly. Don’t forget to leave a way for me to contact you when you win, please, please, oh pretty please.

Blog! {lisaleonardonline.com/blog}

Shop! {lisaleonardonline.com}

Facebook! {facebook.com/lisaleonarddesigns}

April 6, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

14 In kitchen/dining

White Out!

I’ve featured a lot of kitchens here on Better After, and I would guesstimate that 90% of them have been white. What can I say, I just like them! I think you do too, because 90% of the kitchen submissions I get are white! I figure that even if you have seen 1,000 white kitchen makeovers, something about this one will inspire you. Maybe you love the backsplash all the way up to the ceiling. (YES.) Or the walnut-stained butcher block (droooooool.) Or the open shelving, crown moulding, undermount sink, or a combination of everything, including but not limited to: all that white!

It just looks better; and to quote the wisest sage of all, Wil.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas: I just can’t get enough. See more of Rita’s fabulous DIY kitchen makeover on her blog Suburbs Mama.

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April 6, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

12 In chairs/ottomans/seating

Elephant Affront

Not one to ever shy away from anything bright and bold, Shannon went as bold as it gets when she recovered this antique sofa with purple velvet! I suppose it would have been a bold choice to keep it as it was … but only in the sense that your friends would come over and say “Oh my! You have a faded and saggy elephant-print sofa! That is so … um … bold.”

See more from Shannon on her blog Compartment Life.

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April 5, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

6 In decor/ tables/dressers

Keen on Green

Better After reader Jackie is in the process of reclaiming some space left behind by “children who have had the audacity to grow up and leave the nest.” In her quest to refresh, she has started a love affair with apple green! (shh, don’t tell the kids). Here are a couple of pieces she’s brightened up; note the broken decorative moulding on the dresser? She fixed it by making the missing part herself out of Sculpey clay!

And if you can’t get enough green, here’s a project from Tee at The Cottage at Vinnord, who made a pair of old lanterns look even older, (but, like, cooler and older) by adding layer after layer of leftover green stain and aqua paint for a verdigris effect. That is some pretty patina, huh pardner?

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April 5, 2012 By Lindsey @ Better After

7 In tables/dressers

Simply meant to be.

Fate was all up in Rachael’s business lately, because Fate knew that Rachael’s family was quickly outgrowing their four-seater table. And with an impending arrival due any day, the need to find an affordable table was even more urgent. So Fate led Rachael to a dumpster where she found this super-scratched but otherwise sturdy six-seater table for free! (It better be free if you find it by the dumpster.) Fate didn’t care that it was so scratched up, because she knew Rachael’s husband could make it shine. (Fate will help you out, but doesn’t really like to get her hands dirty).

Check out more on Rachael’s blog Slurfeefrenchie.