Better After

The Mystery Thrift-Off: prize edition

Hey gang!

I’m back after my little camping hiatus and need to announce the winner of the Lulukuku giveaway, so congrats DOLORES! I will be contacting you ASAP. Good news for everyone else, Lulukuku is offering you a 15% discount with the code BETTER15 {{They would also loooooove to see any decal projects that you complete, and you can send those on to Lucie at Lulukukudecals@gmail.com. }}

OK! So I’m back and getting prepped for The Mystery Thrift-Off which begins on Monday! Are you excited? You betta GET EXCITED!

I will be showing all the projects throughout the week, then on the last day we will vote on three categories: Most Creative, Best Case of Using What Ya Got, and The Better After Award. (Don’t worry, I will explain them later). (I’m sure you were so worried).

The Better After Award winner will receive a $100 gift-card of their choice, the other two winners will each receive a $50 gift-card of their choice, but that’s not all!

I thought it would be fun to partner up with a few small businesses and Etsy shops for even more prize-fun-tastic-ness! Please take a minute and check out the following shops who are so kindly offering select items or gift certificates to our winners.

Custom hand-built decor from Debbie at The Reclaimed Life. Her entire shop is the CUTEST. That whale is my favorite.

Handmade table linens and party decor from April at Wildfire Events. You can check out her About Page for the crazy story that ‘sparked’ the name of her shop.

Trish Stitched offers hand-made bags and accessories in the cutest of colors and fabrics. (Don’t order that gold coin-purse, because I want it).

One-of-a-kind baby gifts from Josh & Rachel at Retrofit Baby. Their personalized items feature your baby’s name on retro labels of soapboxes, ice cream, and milk bottle caps. Birthday stats, weight, and hometown are all included to make a unique design that is sure to become a keepsake.

Maralee at MGraphic Design Market creates her popular “Pet Names,” which are original hand-painted art for your baby or child’s room. Each letter is hand-drawn, hand-painted with watercolors, and hand-inked on top quality watercolor paper and overflowing with maximum cuteness.

And who hasn’t heard of Younique by now? Kristin at FabulashKrash is offering a selection of Younique products to our winner, but that before and after picture of their famous 3D fiber mascara should be enough to convince anyone to try it.

Well, it’s almost here!

If you want to take a moment and get acquainted with the participants, here they are in no particular order. Unless alphabetical order is considered a particular order.

Brittany at Pretty Handy Girl

Denise at On the Verge of Snapping

Eileen at Johnson 3llc

Elaine at Elaine Wagg

Erin at Purdue Avenue.

Jenna at Jenna Watley.com

Kelley at Life & Art with Glamma Fabulous

Mary at Sweetwater Style

Sage & Naomi at Plaster and Disaster

Tracy at General Splendour

Also Justin & Rachael, and Janet (non-bloggers but entirely awesome nonetheless)

Plus there is also more to see by checking out #themysterythriftoff hashtag on instagram!

Huge thanks to Redesign by Goodwill for sponsoring this contest! And huge thanks to you, my reader friends, for supporting the people who support Better After. See you Monday!

June 6, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

2 In office

Office Overhaulin’

((I’m headed off to Girl’s Camp with my church this week, so please enjoy this trip through the archives in the meantime. And get excited for The Mystery Thrift Off, which will officially begin next week! Today’s post was originally published in 2013.))

There was a craft-o-calypse just waiting to happen up in here. Ronda from Batchelors Way was about to be swallowed alive by her craft room, aka the ‘Crap Room.’ How can one be creative while living in constant fear of death by paper-cuts? One cannot.

So Ronda did what came naturally. She moved. Just kidding, that’s what I’d do. SHE did a complete overhaul on everything from the furniture to the ceiling fan.

Swoonballoons! Just look at all that storage and organization.

And this old desk got a makeover too – well, the top half did. Ronda gave the desk to a friend, but couldn’t convince her to take the hutch too. So the lonely old hutch sadly sat around the house until one day Ronda realized that it could be stunning storage all on its own with just a few tweaks.

And why not add another desk into the mix? You can’t ever have too many surfaces in your workspace. Unless you are a rice farmer. Or a dolphin trainer. Or a motorcycle stuntman.
But if you like to get crafty, then hey, get yourself more than one desk. And this one turned out beautifully. You’d never ever know that it wasn’t part of the whole unit to begin with.

Tons more details to see from Ronda on her blog Batchelors Way!

June 5, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

3 In decor

Better With Burlap

(The post below is what I originally wrote in 2009. I was super lame back then. I am hopefully less lame now. That’s my basic goal in life: “Just Trying To Be Better Than Lame.” Someone put that on a t-shirt. Anyway. The makeover is great, the post … ehhhhh.)

Here’s another fabulous makeover by Michelle over at Four Men and A Lady. What once was a tacky gold mirror is now an eye-catching bulletin board. I love the burlap fabric, it really makes it look fresh.

(Hahahahaha, wow.)

June 4, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

4 In outdoors

Zip-a-dee-ooh-ahh!

When someone is sad, we say they have ‘the blues.’ But I think we should change that phrase, because take a long hard look at the paint job Better After reader Chelsey did on her home and try to tell me that this blue is anywhere approaching sadness. My-oh-my, it most certainly is not! It’s a big bluebird of happiness sitting on the shoulder (of the street).

What we should really say when someone is sad is that they have ‘the browns.’ Actually, you know what, nevermind on that.

June 3, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

3 In chairs/ottomans/seating

Can I get a what what? Again?

This chair submission arrived in my inbox with nary an explanation. There was simply a before and an after, signed by “J.” Mysterious!

I’m not sure but I’m pretty sure that “J” is probably a very well-known celebrity. I bet “J” wants to keep his or her thrift-loving identity secret, so the whole world doesn’t find out that “J” would rather recover a moldy old chair than buy a new one for half a million dollars at Barney’s, or wherever ridiculously rich people buy furniture. I wouldn’t know.

Possible possibilities include: Jack Johnson, James Franco, Janet Reno, Jay-Z, Jerry Seinfeld, Joey Lawrence or Joan Cusack. Hmmmm.

Oh I’m on to you, Jay Z.

June 1, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

178 In tables/dressers

Coocoo for Lulukuku

Today’s makeovers come with a FUN SURPRISE!

I’ll tell you about it in two seconds, but first, check out this IKEA Rast transformation:

Ikea Rast hack with Lulukuku custom decals

Um, pretty darn awesome, right? It looks nothing like the humble box o’ pine it started out as. And how are those flowers so perfectly perfect? What’s the secret?

The secret is that they are actually custom decals from a company called Lulukuku.

And the surprise is that I get to give away $125 worth of Lulukuku products to a lucky Better After reader today!

Yay for fun surprises!

Lulukuku offers an adorable selection of furniture makeover decals, but they aren’t limited to IKEA pieces only.

Check out this hand-me-down china cabinet that Lucie transformed from it’s-lovely-but-I-don’t-want-it-in-my-house to I-simply-must-have-that.

Chinoiserie china cabinet makeover with Lulukuku custom decals

chinoiserie toile

Not only is Lucie a fan of Lulukuku, she’s also the owner! She and her husband run the business from their studio in Massachusetts, where they put their artistic talents to work dreaming up cute and colorful decals for the home.

The world map is a best-seller, and like all their decals, comes custom cut-to-order and available in 35 colors.

Not sure about a color? No worries man. They will send you color swatch samples for free!

Their decals are made with highest quality vinyl, capable of lasting for years, but can easily be removed without causing any damage to walls or surfaces.

Want a certain design bigger? Smaller? They are happy to make it happen, and offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Is there an easier way of adding style and personality to your walls and furniture? I think not. I mean, you *could* measure and tape off 48 little triangles on your dresser drawers, and painstakingly paint them in a pattern of varying colors while softly weeping, or you could spend a fraction of that time applying decals that give you the exact same look, only better, and carry on with living your life.

And you just might be doing it for FREE! One lucky winner will receive $125 to spend at Lulukuku (plus free shipping)!

Entering is easy!

Simply leave a comment here!

For an extra entry, pin an image from this post, and leave another comment with your Pinterest handle. (Ex: mine is @betterafter) (I need some new accounts to follow on Pinterest, so I will follow you back if you do! 🙂

Good luck, I hope you win!

May 29, 2015 By Lindsey @ Better After

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