Better After

9 In kitchen/dining

Wear it Down

If you can tell by the left side of this before picture here, Jenny’s table was some kind of funky, rusty, fake wood color. The right side is where she had already started sanding, I assume. I wouldn’t know because I always skip that step. Sanding? Psh! PRIMING? Hah! That’s why my projects never turn out all that amazing. Laziness: a quiet curse. (Jenny’s got my back though, because she actually started that sanding job … um … three years ago. Then she got busy and stuff. So they just used the table like that for three years. I totally understand.)

Anyway, after sanding and stripping and many coats of poly, she got down deep into the grain for a heavily weathered look, making her old table look even older. But older in a much cooler way!

See the how to on her blog Days of Chalk and Chocolate . (Warning: you are in for a surprise. A very hairy, cummerbund-ed, awesome surprise.)

December 16, 2011 By Lindsey @ Better After

11 In living room/ outdoors

Just Grand, It Is!

So … you are probably already familiar with Erin from Just Grand, since I’ve featured her about 350 times since discovering her blog. But I can’t help it! She’s got so many incredible transformations that I get so excited to share! Like her dilapidated little lake cottage that went from looking like a meth lab to absolutely postcard perfect! This is her family’s little home away from home on the shores of Lake Michigan, and truth be told, it took at least 4 years of consistent remodeling to get it to this point. Want to take a little peek inside?

Yikes! Some extensive remodeling was needed in here too! I mean, who doesn’t want a Darth Vader fireplace glaring menacingly at them every night, besides everybody? (Actually, I’m sure someone out there does).

“You have
controlled your fear. Now, release your anger. Only your hatred can
destroy me.”

Hard to believe this used to be the Darth Hearth, huh? Beautiful! See more HERE.

December 15, 2011 By Lindsey @ Better After

5 In bedroom

Boarded Up

Are you bored with your headboard? Also, do you happen to have a few ridiculously awesome antique doors lying around? I think you see where we’re going with this. But just in case you don’t, I’ll be more specific: Gail from My Repurposed Life made a new headboard with old armoire doors! They only cost her $5 each! Shoot, with those prices why stop at a headboard? She could make a footboard too! Or a chalkboard! Or a surfboard! Or a billboard! Or a boardroom! Or a boardwalk! I’ll stop now.

December 15, 2011 By Lindsey @ Better After

13 In bedroom/ miscellaneous

A Pirate’s Life

If you were planning on running for “World’s Coolest Mom” this year, I need to warn you now – you’ve got some stiff competition from Ronda at Batchelors Way.

Ronda is transforming her boy’s bedroom into a pirate lair, and is sparing absolutely no detail. Like these doors. Most kids probably have regular ol’ closet doors. But NO! This is not special enough for Ronda! Ronda made PIRATE doors out of these doors by painting them brown, glazing them, applying a faux bois technique to mimic real wood grain (which looks awesome) and then a coat of poly on top.

BUT NO! That was still not special enough! She then took 64 wood buttons, belt sanded their surface to look like hammered iron, hand-painted each and every one of them and drilled them into the doors. Oh yeah, her husband Les did a lot of the work too. World’s Coolest Parents award is in the bag!

December 14, 2011 By Lindsey @ Better After

8 In desks/hutches/buffets

Go for the gold!

Sammy from Renew Redo has blown my mind with this buffet makeover using nothing but tape and European Gold Rub ‘n Buff! The whole thing took her about five minutes, handles and all!

I never considered using Rub ‘n Buff on wood before. Actually, Rub ‘n Buff and I aren’t speaking right now due to a recent incident wherein I tried to use Ebony Rub ‘n Buff to fix up the weird brown light fixtures in my kitchen. Things went badly. There were tears. This possibly could be my fault because that tube was pretty dried out, and I probably should have just bought a new tube instead of trying to solve the problem by mixing in a few drops of olive oil because what could go wrong there, and it took me an entire month to get the stains off my hands and now I have one crappy black light fixture and one weird brown one and a disillusioned soul. Anyway.

Props to you Sammy, your project is amazing!

this post sponsored by:

Cliq Studios: Quality kitchen cabinets at discount prices!

December 14, 2011 By Lindsey @ Better After

7 In decor

Spray Paint for Elephants

I am so utterly charmed by this makeover from Kelley at Hello Boudreau! Here’s the recipe:

Purchase two plastic animals from Target for $1 each. Spray paint them gold. Prop them up against your books. Bam. Instant classy bookends that cost you $4. Kelly says, “for all you know they could be 10 lbs of solid brass!” Ha! She plans to fasten them to L-shaped wood stands for even more heft. Oh man, these really make me smile. I think I’m going to do this today!