Better After

5 In tables/dressers

From Howdy to Bonjour!

Hello there! I hope you had a great weekend. There’s still time to enter the Mixed Bag Designs giveaway before I choose FIVE random winners later today! Click HERE.

Also, check out my most recent Sunday Sweets post over on Cake Wrecks! (Still pinching myself that they actually allow me to write over there). Check that out right HERE.

And now, down to before and after business:

So, have you ever heard someone say “I love EVERY type of music! Well, except country and rap.” I’m almost inclined to agree, but I actually like quite a bit of rap. Country … is … not really my thing. Sorry. Same with design styles. I love EVERYTHING! Modern, shabby-chic, beachy, industrial, minimalist, you name it. Except country and rap. (If you don’t think “rap” is a design style, you haven’t watched a lot of MTV Cribs. Usually involves at least one giant poster of Scarface.)

So I would probably have avoided this very hunter-green, country-fied sofa table, but once again, white paint saves the day. It looks so elegant and very French-country, which is worlds away from regular ol’ country. I can’t speak for French-country music though.

From the fantastic Alicia at Thrifty and Chic.

This post brought to you by:

PhotoJewelryMaking.com!

September 26, 2011 By Lindsey @ Better After

586 In Uncategorized

Mixed Bag Designs GIVEAWAY! (GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED)

(NOW CLOSED)

Hey there! I’ve got a great giveaway lined up for today! I’m so excited about it because first of all, I really love this product and I think you will too, and secondly, there will be FIVE WINNERS!

Yes sir, five lucky readers will each win a $50 gift certificate to Mixed Bag Designs!

When DJ from Mixed Bag Designs offered to let me try a few of their products, I was more than happy to oblige. These bags are fantastic! They are made from a woven polypropylene, which makes them incredibly strong (most are able to hold 50 lbs) and ridiculously easy to clean (wipe with a damp cloth).

Mixed Bag Designs has tons of cute patterns to choose from. I found myself veering back and forth between the black and white damask and the pink and silver zebra stripe. So hard to choose!

But what impressed me most was how many styles and types of bags they offer.

From little tiny cosmetic bags …

To bags big enough to hold a toddler …

And everything in between!

(Note: Mixed Bag Designs does not recommend using thier bags to hold toddlers)

Here’s a quick rundown:

coolers

tote bags

lunch totes

fashion bags

holiday bags

make-up bags

laundry baskets

sandwich baggies

insulated grocery bags

iphone/ipad cases

shopping bags

storage boxes

garment bags

laptop cases

duffle bags

stationary

and more!

yes, more!

These are a couple of items I especially loved:

The large ‘fold n hold!’ I will definitely be getting a few more of these. I filled mine completely full of scrapbook paper and other paraphernalia, and it was so heavy I worried the straps were going to pop right off. Nope! Not even close. It held up like a champ and is way cuter than my former scrapbook paper storage solution: a dying plastic grocery sack.

Speaking of grocery sacks, I also loved the insulated bag. It is so generously sized, I could easily fit about three to four regular grocery sacks inside one. Do they work? Well, I used mine to bring home two cartons of ice cream from the store yesterday in 105 degree weather (and also kind of forgot about it on the kitchen counter for a while when I got home) and not even a dribble of ice cream had melted!

AND did you know? Mixed Bag Designs has a fundraising program for schools and organizations! Love that! I’d way rather buy cute bags than overpriced cookie dough. More info HERE.

ENTER NOW TO WIN

ONE OF FIVE $50 GIFT CERTIFICATES

TO MIXED BAG DESIGNS!

To enter once:
Simply leave a comment here! (please leave a way for me to contact you!)

To enter twice:
Leave a comment here PLUS visit the Mixed Bag Designs online store, and come back and let me know in a separate comment how you might like to spend your $50!

If just can’t wait to start shopping, get FREE SHIPPING with the code “better” through Oct. 5th!

Winners randomly selected Monday!

Good luck, I hope you win!

September 24, 2011 By Lindsey @ Better After

11 In living room

Wall of Woah!

When Lisa decided to jazzify this wall around her fireplace, she knew there was only one choice: stacked stone. So she laboriously cut and placed each and every stone, stacking them one by one, chiseling the edges to perfection, mortar in her hair, a wheelbarrow full of rocks in her living room. Ha ha, I’m kidding! It’s wallpaper!

I know, it fooled me too. What a great way to add interest and texture to a small wall! Thanks Lisa!

September 23, 2011 By Lindsey @ Better After

5 In chairs/ottomans/seating/ outdoors

A Cute Angle

If you are into yoga (I am!), you’ve heard of the side angle pose. If you are into trigonometry (I’m not!) you’ve heard of the side angle theorem. But have you heard of the side angle bench? It’s what you get when you take a pair of beaten up foot-boards and treat them to a little hacking and sawing and painting and reassembling. I just love this makeover! Even more fun than yoga and about fifty gazillionty times better than trig!

From Jessica at Running with Scissors.

September 23, 2011 By Lindsey @ Better After

3 In desks/hutches/buffets

How We Roll

I noticed that all of today’s posts have unintentionally featured blue and white makeovers, so why stop the party now? Check out this great roll-top desk redo from Jaimelyn at I Heart Naptime. Yeah, yeah, the desk is actually gray and light gray, but doesn’t it look smart against that blue and white stenciled wall? I see on her “Weekend Projects” she is supposed to “finish stencil” but it looks all done to me. Unless she has strategically placed the chalkboard and desk to cover any unfinished spots, which in that case, I’d call it good enough!

See more of the wall makeover HERE.

September 23, 2011 By Lindsey @ Better After

10 In kitchen/dining

Uptight about white?

Some people aren’t fond of white kitchens. They think it feels “too sterile.” Well, A. who want’s a non-sterile kitchen? I’m no fan of salmonella poisoning, thank you very much. And B. that simply isn’t true! A white kitchen leaves lots of room for playful wall color and accessories to liven up the joint.

Jennifer painted her kitchen cabinets in white, and it looks anything but bland. Plus, she reports that they are waaay cleaner now that the old color isn’t there to disguise the usual grime. If that’s what “too sterile” is, call me a fan.

Lots more pics to see on her blog Two Butterflies.