Re Viewed Room

Dec 9, 2009

I love seeing a room transformed through staging, because it's not a huge, expensive renovation. (not that I don't love those) It's amazing that just looking at a room through new eyes and rearranging items you probably already have, you can create an entirely new look. This room was done by JoAnne of Rave Re:view. (clever name for a staging business, huh?)Check out her blog for more!

Take a Seat or Two

Dec 8, 2009

Couple of chair redos comin atcha! First up, another great redo by Cassity at Remodelaholic. She got this chair for free after it had been crushed in shipping. She made its boo boos all better and un-blandified it with black spray paint and pretty new fabric.

Next up, this cane chair made by Stephie. Check it out on her blog, Made by Stephie. She received this chair from her grandma, and wasn't really feeling the grungy orange and battered wood look for some crazy reason. So she freshened it up with glossy white and some new fabric. Thanks ladies!

Damask Breadbox

Dec 7, 2009

Have you been looking for a way to make your friends jealous of your breadbox? Well, just in case you were, here's one way to spice it up from Katherine at Classic Campell. Looks a bit time consuming, but it the effort pays off with a dramatic effect!

Wisor Manor

Dec 4, 2009

Rebecca at Older & Wisor has done the impossible. The seemingly impossible, at least for me. She has redone her entire house, top to bottom, inside and out. Within a year.

Check out her post here to see ALL the pictures, but here are a few of my favorites.

It looks like custom wainscoting, but I think they simply painted over the paneling that was already there.

Once upon a time, this dark, depressing, coffin-like surrounding yourself in wood paneling thing was all the rage. Why, I don't know. Probably someone tried it out once on accident and everyone else copied it and next thing you knew it was panel-palooza everywhere you looked.

But oh, with the white! It's a whole new room! I love the mantel over the original bricks, so homey! What I love is her ability to create a cohesiveness in the entire house. That trait seems to elude me. Can someone teach a class or something?

And the Grand Finale!

(Let me just tell you, these exterior before and afters are my FAVORITES! If you have one, what are you waiting for? Send it to me!)

Wonderful stuff Rebecca, I don't know how you do it!

Brand Spankin New

Cassity from Remodelaholic recently sent me several of her great projects and here is one I liked a lot.

I don't know about you, but I would feel a bit iffy about putting a baby in that cradle in its "before" condition. But how about that after? I love the colors, mixing the bright green and black and white fabric with traditional blue. See more here! Thanks Cassity!

How Does She Shutter Stuff

I like Christmas cards. Who doesn't? (I secretly keep all the cards I receive, year after year.) (Well, not such a secret anymore). They are so cute! I think it would be fun to find little frames for a few of the especially nice ones and make a gallery of tiny Christmas card art.

Anyway, if you're looking for a fun way to display your cards, (past or present) look no further than Alison at How Does She... for this shutter/message board. I love the glossy red. Thanks Alison!

Lisa's Desk

Dec 3, 2009

Lisa from Recaptured Charm always has a good redo up her sleeve. This desk was given a simple distressed white paint job, but with a fun pop of color lining the drawers and displayed under the glass top. Thanks Lisa, great job!

Crackle Door

Did this before door have any sort of charm whatsoever? Not that I can see. Cindy gave it a crackle-paint job, which I think looks right at home in a place named Applestone Cottage.

Tasha's Nightstand

Dec 2, 2009

Better After reader Tasha wanted a Pottery Barn nightstand for her son's room, but honestly, who wants to pay $2o0 for a nightstand? Not me, and not Tasha, so she found this one for $6.99 at a thrift store. With a little paint and effort, she now has a solid-wood nightstand and $193 extra!

Shotgun Shelf

"A gun rack? What am I supposed to do with a gun rack? I don't even own A gun!" Quick, name that movie.

I'm pretty sure this is not a gun rack, but it sort of looks like one. It look like it would be right at home hanging on a country cabin wall with some duck decoys perched on top, surrounded by deer heads.

But just look at the after! So cute! It looks perfect for Christmas, don't you think? Thanks to Better After reader Jeanette for this great redo!

Rockin Clock

Oh ugly old clock, if only someone had enough vision to spend $4.99 on you, paint you white and give you a face lift. (ha ha, get it? face lift? like clock face? I'll shut up.) Then, and only then would you be worthy of my love...

Thanks to Jaycee from My Trashy Treasures! I have a crush on your clock!

Beth's Projects

Isn't this dresser redo by Beth from The Stories of A to Z adorable? Well, I don't think so.

That's because it's not a dresser at all, it's a jewelry box! (And yes, it is muy adorable).

Did I fool ya?

And here is her laundry room redo. Why the heck shouldn't your laundry room be cute? It might as well be, if you spend as much time in there as I do. Mine is not at all cute, but hers is. Inspiring! She even made a cover for the faucet hook ups!

The Saga of the Pink Chair

Dec 1, 2009

Chapter One:

Beckie from Infarrantly Creative got herself this old chair from Salvation Army. She sanded it down and painted it Heirloom White. She tore apart the cushions and used the fabric pieces to make a pattern, restuffed and recovered it with some snazzy fabric from JoAnn's.

Chapter Two:

It looks great!

The End.

Epilogue:

But wait! That was not the end. Beckie was unsatisfied with the creamy Heirloom White next to the bright white colors already in the bedroom and the off-white color of the new fabric. Her only options were to go bold or go home.

So she went bold.

It was a controversial choice, but I personally LOVE IT. That's right, I said it in all caps, and I'll say it again: I LOVE IT! See more here.

THE END...

or is it???

Bench for Two

Nov 30, 2009

Jen needed a spot for both of her little boys to sit, as they like to crowd around the computer together. So she remade this little side table into a padded bench with white paint and blue-green taffeta.

When she went to remove the top, only the middle came out, so it ended up with a cool framed-in look. Check out the link here to see how it looks with our friend, the computer desk!

Chipped Chair & Distressed Desk

Here's some more yummy goodness coming from Jen at A Thousand Words. A totally mismatched mess of a country-fied desk and junky chair come together in perfect chippy harmony with a little paint and distressing and a dark stain on the top.

Both pieces now look made for each other, I'd say. And I also love the sleek new knobbies. Thanks Jen!

A Thousand Projects. Or just one.

Things are moving s l o w l y around here! Still shaking off that turkey hang-over, bear with me!

Today I present to you several projects from Jen over at A Thousand Words. She has a beautiful blog and her pictures are gorgeous.

Here is an old tray redo she did, check out the link above for a closer look at all the pretty little details. And I'll be back later with a few more of her before and afters!

E v e n t u a l l y. . .

Fall Centerpiece

Nov 26, 2009

What are you doing reading blogs on Thanksgiving Day? Go eat some more turkey and take a nap for crying out loud! That's what I'm doing! At least that's what I'm predicting I'll be doing, since I'm actually writing this on Saturday... (don't tell.)

Here's a pretty little Thanksgiving inspired centerpiece for you. It might have been wise to share this BEFORE Thanksgiving, should you want to recreate one for yourself, but oh well. It's still fall, for like, one more minute.

Happy Thanksgiving!

And thanks to Kara at Creations by Kara, great job!

White to Tan and Back Again

Nov 25, 2009

So, try and keep this straight. This first before and after project by Rita at Curbside Creations features WHITE bricks painted brown!

The next one by Kristen at k.f.d. Designs features BROWN tile (and cabinets) painted white!

What do you think? Do you prefer one over the other?

**************

I think they both look great! Because I see where they each were going with their ideas.

Rita wanted to liven up her bland wall, and I think she did a great job making it warmer and richer. Looks like it must have taken a lot of time to get the color variations in the bricks just right.

I also really like Kristen's kitchen, it looks so fresh and so clean, clean. I would never have though of painting tile, but I really like it and I think it helps the room retain a cottage-like feel.

Cottage as in cute vintage-type home, not cheese.

Ashley's Table

Ashely from Ashley's Rowhome is on a mission to brighten up her basement. I love her fearless choice of colors and design! Funkalicious!

First Place Fireplace

Nov 24, 2009

Hellooooo Gorgeous! This one was obviously done by a professional, although, that's not to say that you shouldn't give this a try in your home.

HA HA! Totally Kidding! Do NOT give this one a try, unless you yourself are a professional stone layer. Leave it to the pros! Looks like it was definitely worth it. What a difference. Thanks to Kim from The TomKat Studio for sharing!

Golden Fan

I want to start a new category called "Wait, I can paint that?!" It would feature things like this fan: from Gold Overload to Brown Beauty. Whoulda thunk? Jen from The Thrifty Home reports that it was actually a lot easier than she thought it would be, and she wishes she had done it sooner.

So what are you waiting for? Is there something in your home that drives you nuts? Do you stare at it everyday thinking, "That thing bugs me!" Can it be remedied with just a little fix or a quick and easy coat of spray paint? Use your imagination! And don't forget to take pictures and send them to me!

Michelle's Master

I don't feel too bad showing projects that have already been featured many times throughout blogland. I figure I probably have at least one reader who doesn't subscribe to a bunch of blogs, and just checks in here instead. (Hi Mom!)

So, as it's my duty to report the latest and greatest, here is are a few projects from Michelle at Three Men and a Lady.

First up, her master bedroom redo! If I was annoying and obnoxious (please say I'm not), I'd screech my head off like Mary Murphy and put this bedroom on The Hot Tamale Train!

WOW! Now check out this sad little corner over here:

And add this guy here...

And you get this!

(She made that joshua tree picture herself. I know. I hate her too.)

(Not really, I think she's great!)

And here is one more. She made over this generic Wal-Mart piece into the perfect foyer table.

Go check these out here, here and here if you haven't already!

Christine's Chair

Nov 23, 2009

I really love the look of this chair. It's kinda classic and whimsical at the same time. Is there a word for that? Classical? Yeah, I think that one already exists. I'll work on it. Thanks to Christine, see more on her blog here!

Repurposed Headboards

More from Jenn at Livin the Simple Life. Here she repurposes two headboards into french art inspired wall plaques and a super cool coat rack. Thanks Jenn! I covet your imagination and great eye!

She does it again! I love it and I want it!

Wine Rack Buffet

Jenn from Livin the Simple Life had no room for a buffet, so she improvised! This lovely table was made with a wine rack topped with a piece of plywood. Yes, I said PLYWOOD. Amazing what a little stain and trim can do!

Eddie's Chair

Nov 19, 2009

Here's one from an honest-to-goodness decor pro to the stars: Eddie Ross. He got this chair at an antique store and envisioned it with thick horizontal stripes, slightly askew. After looking high and low for the perfect fabric and finding nothing that suited his style, he simply recovered it in white, taped it off, and sprayed it lightly with silver spray paint! So chic!

Fridge Handles

Sometimes the tiniest change can be the most fun. Amanda over at Imperfectly Beautiful had some grungy yellowing fridge handles. What to do? No amount of scrubbing can change that. But do you know what can? Spray paint made specifically for plastic! It's like a brand new fridge!

Do you have anything that could use a little freshening up? I'm wondering if that would be possible on my shower floor. I don't have a tile shower, it's just made out of fiberglass, or whatever that stuff is, and the grunge is here to stay. But, maybe not!

Katie's Staircase

This staircase was a little bland, especially when compared to that fabulous millwork going on in the room up front. So Katie, AKA Yoga Gal, and her husband dressed it up with some trim and paint, and now it looks great! I love that look, so very classic and custom. Thanks Katie!

Green Hutch

Nov 18, 2009

Needing to fill a large blank wall, Melissa from Invited In found what she was looking for when she got this old hutch for $100 on Craigslist. She spruced it up with a bold green, although it wasn't as easy as that.

She says, "I was overly optimistic about this piece. It is ginormous!! I did not realize all the work it would take to remove all eight doors, 20 hinges, 14 knobs, not to mention all the taping it took for covering the glass before spraying."

Well, all that hard work certainly paid off! Thanks Melissa!

Jill's Armoire

From yellow pine to fine wine! (Is it even pine? I can't tell, but I like to rhyme.) I love the deep red on this armoire with the black antiquing peeking through. Check out Jill's blog Off Woodland Lane for even more great furniture redos.

Amy's Kitchen

The Ugly Honey-Colored Cabinets strike again! Amy from Pretty Frugal Pretties was not having it, so she tackled the project armed with only $100! It looks amazing! I love the contrasting island. Thanks Amy for showing us you don't have to live with ugly cabinets!

Shabby Desk

I love the details on this old desk. The drawers remind me of seashells. It was picked up from a yardsale in pretty nasty shape, but now it looks like a treasured family heirloom! Check out Every Day is a Gift for more!