Better After

Raising the Bar (carts)

I don’t have a bar cart in my life, because I don’t drink, and that makes me sad. Not the not drinking part. That doesn’t make me sad. I’m sure I would make a terrible drinker. But I am a good snacker! Maybe I could make a snack cart. Or a hot cocoa cart. A tart cart? A chore chart cart? A cart cart? In case you ever needed a cart, I’d have a cart full of carts! Oh geez Lindsey, stop yourself already. This is what happens when my car is in the shop and I haven’t left the house for like a week. See, good thing I’m not a drinker.

In things that make more sense news, here’s Breanna, who paid a mere $5 for this table and turned it into a bar cart. She had her father-in-law tile the inside and kept everything else white so her accessories could shine. Read more, including her terrifying tale of what she found inside (bugs) and how she killed them (Windex!) on her blog Brepurposed.

And Emily gave this utility cart some extra industrial flair with spray paint, and old louvre door and weathered wood. She stained the wood with a combination vinegar, steel wool and coffee grinds, and various shades of shoe polish! Brilliant.

Here’s a better look at the wood details. A step or ten above its previous life, which was probably spent carting around a wheezy overhead projector at a middle school, just a guess. See more work from Emily at Fay Grayson Home.

September 25, 2014 By Lindsey @ Better After

13 In kitchen/dining

Don’t be faint, paint!

Do you hate your kitchen cabinets and want to paint them, but you’re too scared that if you did they might turn out terribly, and then you’d hate them? Do you see the flaw in your thinking there? You’d be right back where you started, and only out a few gallons of paint! Big whoop!

BUT chances are, you won’t do a terrible job because you’re pretty brilliant, I happen to know, and they will turn out fabulously, and you will LOVE them! And throw a party just to show them off! And make more friends, because of all these parties you keep having! And probably get a new job with more money thanks to these new friends! Wow, your life just made a turn for the better, all thanks to being a little gutsy and painting your cabinets like you’ve always wanted to.

Here’s some happy inspiration from Jesse at NineRed.

September 24, 2014 By Lindsey @ Better After

10 In tables/dressers

Tik Tok, make it stop.

Observe how Ke$ha dramatically demonstrates the principle of the makeunder:

Wowza. She’s a babe, but you’d never know under all that … look. That was a lot of look. I mean, I would never wear my stud eyebrows and hair croquembouche on the same day!

Same thing with this dresser. It had too much going on and not going on at the same time. But would you believe there’s a classy stunner underneath all that too? No really. Scroll down if you don’t believe me.

So gorgeous and grown up! From Jen at Owen Family Six.

September 23, 2014 By Lindsey @ Better After

16 In bathroom

Sea Ya

Hey hey, guess what today is? The first day of fall! Go enjoy some hot cocoa and a stomp in the leaves for me. I’ll be at the pool. Sadly, we don’t really get a fall here in Phoenix. The leaves do fall off the trees, but usually not till around February. And most of them don’t even turn colors. Lame, right? I want my money back! I didn’t order three summers and no fall!

So we can’t change the weather, oh well. At least we can change things like a funky vanity in an old bathroom. For some reason (ugly, outdated, seahorses) Melissa and her husband wanted a new vanity, but didn’t want to pay the $2800 they were quoted for a custom build. So they re-imagined this one by removing the doors and drawer fronts for a flush-mount look and adding a single piece of veneer over the front. Such style! I’m shocked that it’s the same piece!

See more on Melissa’s blog S’ Wonderful.

I have to admit, I kind of liked the little seahorse tiles. Not enough to actually keep them around in the new bathroom, but maybe enough to save one and frame it or something, kind of like the bunny wallpaper in that one episode of Full House when Michelle moved into big-girl room, anyone? Anyone? I know you know what I’m talking about.

See the entire bathroom makeover right here: S’ Wonderful.

September 22, 2014 By Lindsey @ Better After

5 In kitchen/dining/ tables/dressers

Fine Tuning Fine Dining

Are you hosting Thanksgiving at your house this year? Yay! I’ll be there. I’ll bring the mashed potatoes. What else do you need help with? Do you have enough silverware? Serving dishes? Do I have to sit at the kid’s table again? But most importantly, what’s the status of your dining set?

If it’s in need of a little attention, fear not. I’ve got some ideas to get your dining room ready to party in no time! (Ok, maybe slightly more than no time. But it’ll be worth it).

Let’s go!

First up, this example from Better After reader Liz, who sent in this stenciled table makeover, explaining that she inherited it from the grandmother of a close friend who she cared for while she was in nursing school. Her instructions were to do anything she wished with it, as long as she didn’t give it away.

Free to let her creativity fly, she came up with this fearless and fun design:

How gorgeous is this set from Christy at Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer? Such humble thrift-store beginnings, but now it’s magazine worthy! It’s like a that movie where that one guy starts out living in his car and turns out becoming the CEO of a worldwide company. (That’s a movie, right? Surely that’s a movie).

If you want to add some color to your Thanksgiving-scape beyond the cranberry sauce (that’s what it’s for obviously, because no one has ever actually eaten it in the history of Thanksgiving), how about taking the chairs for a little dip? So cute. See more of this fresh look from Laurel at A Bubbly Life.

And finally, if you love that distressed farmhouse look but don’t have the time to sit around waiting for your set to become distressed, guess what? Deb has a shortcut for you. See her secret on her blog Lake Girl Paints. That is so delightful to me for some reason. “Let’s hurry up and make this thing look old already!” We humans are a funny bunch.

Beautiful job Deb!

Do you have a makeover to share? I would love to see it! Send your submissions my way at betterafter@live.com. Happy weekend friend!

September 19, 2014 By Lindsey @ Better After

6 In chairs/ottomans/seating/ desks/hutches/buffets

Life and Nails

It should be against the rules of life for your car to break down and everyone in the house to get sick, including the baby, who got sick enough to go to the ER in the space of a few days. Against the rules I say!

Don’t’ you hate when life gets all life-y?

If we are friends on Instagram you might have seen me in the hospital with my baby boy night before last. He had a raging fever flare up out of nowhere with a wicked cough that left him struggling to breathe, so we hurried him in. Turns out he has a respiratory virus thing, which was scary because of that virus affecting kids on the news, but they got him fixed up, and he’s doing much better today. In fact, he’s sitting by my feet, trying to eat a stick. I don’t know where he found a stick inside the house, but the point is, he’s doing good. And I just wanted to say thanks for the well wishes and concern! We are on the mend!

And here comes some makeover goodness your way, nailhead-style! First from Jen at Girl in the Garage, who nailed it (hA!) with this cream vanity.

And I love, love this vinyl chair transformation from Jenn at With Heart via Create/Enjoy. The pink was cute but unsalvageable, so after a little trial and error, she found the perfect white to show off those lines and nailhead details. Best part: it has a twin! Other best part: they were only $8 a piece!