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13 In kitchen/dining/ outdoors

A Must See Makeover

In a world …. where boring houses were the norm … one house refused to blend in.

This summer … see the heartwarming makeover … that has critics raving …

Starring Yellow Accents and New Landscaping, and featuring newcomer Cement Block Fence in his breakout role …

based on a true story …

don’t miss …

GWEN’S HOUSE.

 

 

1958 Home Exterior Before copy

1958 Home Exterior

“An instant classic!” – me

“Fun for the whole family!” – me

“An exhilarating ride from start to finish!” – me

 

And next summer … from the producer’s of Gwen’s House comes the sequel …

GWEN’S KITCHEN.

1958 Home Kitchen Before1

1958 Home Kitchen Before

 

1958 Home Kitchen

“A must see!” – everyone

5 In desks/hutches/buffets

I’m not looking at the man in mirror.

Have you ever looked at a piece of furniture that was clearly beyond your DIYing capabilities and felt sad because you liked it, but there was no way you could say, rebuild a mirror frame a cut a mirror exactly to fit and so why try?

Stop it girlfriend. (Or boyfriend).  You can handle this!

coral two tone dresser bef copy

 

coral two tone dresser mak copy

 

Gilly at Colour Saturated Life forgoed (forwent? How does that word go?) the mirror altogether and simplified this little dresser, and I daresay it looks even better than it probably did its mirrored glory-days.

4 In kitchen/dining

Off-Base to On-Board

Shelley was openly weeping in her kitchen one day, bemoaning the state of her cabinets.

“White! I want white cabinets!” she wailed.

Her husband approached her warily. “I hate to be Captain Obvious here, but we, uh, actually HAVE white cabinets.”

Shelley raised her tear-stained face and narrowed her eyes into slits. “No,” she hissed. “You’re wrong. Can’t you see? We have … OFF-WHITE cabinets!!!”

And once Shelley had painted her off-white cabinets white, her husband saw the error of his foolish ways.

white_gray_kitchen_makeover_b

white_gray_kitchen_makeover

Of course, once she painted the cabinets white, the beige-y backsplash had to get a makeover too, and she also decided that she would incorporate more of the countertop color by doing gray paint on the bottom, and I made most of this story up, but I’m sure it probably happened pretty much just like that.

See more on her blog Custom Slipcovers by Shelley.

 

10 In decor/ My House

My Rules for a Gallery Wall

>>>>>>This post is in partnership with Crafted Prints.  All words and opinions are 100% my own.

My office is one of the first rooms you see when you walk into our house. It was supposed to be a formal living room, but the president only comes over to visit me like, twice a year, so I claimed it for myself. I’m sure he won’t mind.

Anyway, we’ve only been in our house for a year, and everything is still very beige and also beige. But the office is front and center, so I’m ever so slowly trying to give it a little boost of personality here and there.

You saw my gigantor bookshelf makeover already, and now I’m fiddling around with a gallery wall on the opposite side of the room.

Still a work in progress, but here’s what I’ve got so far:

gallery wall head on

Just a bunch of colorful fun stuff that I like looking at! That’s the number one rule of gallery walls: start with stuff you like to look at.

 

gallery wall vibes

I have a few homages to Arizona, with this painting I found at the thrift-store and that little cactus print in the white frame. And also some good vibes. And the moon. Why not.

The number two rule of gallery walls is to keep it cohesive. I used a lot of black, white, gold and pink to tie the randomness together.

up close gallery wall

The number three rule of gallery walls is to have something on your wall that requires an explanation. That way your wall can be a good conversation starter. I am making up these rules as I go, can you tell? But I think they are still good rules.

Anyway, people always ask me to explain that YES print. Well, here’s the story: Allegedly, when John Lennon met Yoko Ono for the first time, it was at an art gallery where she was exhibiting her art. As he went through the gallery, he noticed that everyone’s art was really angry and negative and anti-this and anti-that. Then he came to one of Yoko’s exhibits. It was a ladder with a spy glass at the top that you had to hang backwards on and look through upside down.

He climbed up the ladder and looked upside down through the spy glass, and inside it simply said YES. And he was struck by the positivity and optimism of it, and I always thought that was a cool story. So there is a big hot pink positive affirmation on my wall. Yay optimism!

 

gallery wall crafted prints decor

 

The number four rule of gallery walls is to make it personal. You don’t want to be one of those people who hangs up a bunch of frames and then never actually puts their own photos in them.  I know some of those people. Stock photography that came with the frame on their walls for YEARS! I don’t understand it.

Especially when it couldn’t be easier to order your own photos. I ordered all my square prints from Crafted Prints, and I love them so much! Probably the best online printing company I’ve tried, and I’ve tried a LOT.

gallery wall crafted prints

Super high quality, the colors are so vivid, and it’s easier than easy. The site can pull all the photos from your Instagram and Facebook accounts, then you just check your favorites and next thing you know, they are delivered to your door in a brown paper package tied up with string. No joke. That’s really how they arrive:

 

crafted prints packaging

So cute.

gallery wall prints

If you could reach through your screen and feel these prints, you would immediately notice the quality. Crafted Prints uses a matte lamination process that protects the photo’s surface while still giving it a soft matte finish.  They make my humble Instagram snaps look and feel professional!

crafted prints pocket books

They also offer vintage Polaroid-style prints and these adorable 50-page ‘pocketbooks’ above.

And one more thing … magnets! Crafted Prints doesn’t skimp on the quality here either – they are thick and glossy and backed with metal which makes them extra sturdy.  Nice, because my kids can’t seem to keep their hands off of mine.

gallery wall magnets

So check out Crafted Prints and get your beloved pictures off your devices and into your life! It couldn’t be easier, and I know you’ll be so pleased with this product.

Plus, you can save 10% right now with the code CRAFTED-QSTOV.

magnet wall

The fifth rule of the gallery wall is to have a secret! My wall has a secret. Can you see what it is??? If you look hard enough at the picture above and paid attention to this post, you’ll probably figure it out.  If not, I’ll tell you soon enough!!

 

Happy weekend friends!

7 In bedroom

Shelf Sufficient

Have you seen the movie Inside Out yet? It’s the new Pixar movie where the main characters are the emotions of an 11-year-old girl: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger.

It’s really cute, but man. Those Pixar movies are tearjerkers. I was prepared for that, (thanks Up!)  but what I was NOT prepared for was when my six-year-old daughter came home from the movie that night and LOST HER MIND. I don’t know if watching a movie all about emotions made her extra emotional or what, but she spent a good two hours that night throwing a completely unfounded tantrum. It was baffling. So uh, be aware of that, I guess?

I don’t really even know why I’m bringing that up, other than the fact that today’s makeover was done by someone named Joy, and I guess that reminded me?? That movie seriously needs to come with a warning label.

But anyway, back to Joy! Joy at Beautiful Protest fixed up this little attic bedroom into a highly attractive little attic bedroom.

Attic Bedroom Wood Wall Before


Attic Bedroom Wood Wall Makeover | betterafter.net

Would it have ever occurred to me to remove that lowest shelf so the bed could fit there? Or would I have just been like, “Cool! Bookshelves!”  Let’s pretend it’s the first one.

9 In lighting

All of the lights

I went to the gym for the first time in weeks a few days ago, and I am so incredibly, unbelievably sore today. I can’t even explain how sore I am. But I’ll try, so you can feel maximum amounts of sorry for me. I am so sore, I literally can’t walk down the stairs. I have to cling to the banister and ease one unsure foot down at a time. I can’t stand up or sit down without aggressively howling in pain. If I drop something on the floor, it’s dead to me. I have never been more sore in my entire life. Ever. Obviously working out is bad for you and don’t do it. That’s the moral of this story.

I’m so sore, my fingers can barely type, but I’ll push through for you.  #brave

Today we’re talking about lights, and how fun they are to makeover. Here is an especially fun one from Ronda at Batchelors Way.

Rustic Bedroom Lighting Before 1

 

Rustic Bedroom Lighting

A fabric-filled frame as a ceiling medallion?! So clever! She stripped the mini-shades and recovered them in chicken-wire for some rustic-chicness, then antiqued the fixture for even more rustic-chicness-goodness.

 

Beck figured she could find something to do with this light fixture when she spied it on sale for a mere $3. Three bucks? That’s crazy! The last thing I bought for three bucks was a burrito.

White Lighting Makeover Before

White Lighting Makeover | betterafter.net

She disassembled it, painted the brassy parts silver, painted the wooden parts white, and hung it in her kitchen. I tried that with my burrito, results were disastrous.

See it at work on her blog Beckwith’s Treasures.

 

And finally, here we have one of those outdated light fixtures that are prolific at the thrift-stores. Kelley liked the brass and scalloped shape, but not so much the etched flowers on the glass. She came up with a quick, colorful solution …

Aqua Mod-Podged Light Fixture Before

 

Aqua Mod-Podged Light Fixture Makeover | betterafter.net

fshe modddsFabric and mod-podge! She secured the fabric to the underside of the glass for easy cleaning, and the grand total was right around $15. Some people were worried about her using fabric so close to a light bulb, but aren’t most lampshades made of fabric anyway? She has had it hanging up for a year now and reports there have been no problems.

Soo many possibilities with this technique! See more from Kelley on her blog  E3ONE.

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