Before and After

I have a few projects to share. I love the saying, "one person's trash is another person's treasure." Seriously, junk from others, made pretty by me makes me smile. Here are a few small before and afters we have done this year.

Atticus needed a desk for schooling. Otherwise he leans himself and his book on you and tries to do his work. I found this beautiful little number on Craigslist, cleaned her up, and gave her a new coat of paint. I am a firm believer that a new coat of paint makes everything look fabulous and new, even if it's vintage or shabby.

Before:
After:

I picked up this little gem at Goodwill on half-off day. $3! It was too adorable to pass up, and it serves a great purpose. Hat, glove, and scarf holder. A little fabric, fabric glue, spray paint, some pre-made binding, a staple gun, and topped off with a knob from Anthropologie. Fun, don't you think?

Before:
After:

This one is a during and after, and they are sideways (because I can't figure out how to flip them). This was another Goodwill find. Just a rustic, filthy, brown coop-like structure. I had a vision, and Andrew made it happen. He painted it rustic purple and sprayed the hinges orange, and we topped it off with mismatched knobs from Anthropologie, of course.

During:
After:
I also took an old red frame, sprayed it aqua, and shabbied it a bit. Inside is a piece of an old tapestry we bought together pre-marriage, and a little feather concoction an old mutual friend of ours made when we were expecting Atticus. It is supposed to bring good luck, a peaceful new beginning, and a beautiful child. It did!

And last but not least, the kitchen. This was my big project of 09. Since I couldn't get new cupboards, I decided to paint them. I think the pictures speak loud enough here.

Before:

After (okay, this is still during...but nearly done...still searching for the after pics I took):
The island needed some tile because Atticus slid into the wood and put a hole in it. This is before the grout work was finished.
And here is a shot of the eating area decorated for Creeley's birthday party. The color in the first picture is more true.
I will try to get new, more proper pictures if I can ever get my counters cleaned off again. :) I'm so proud of my work on this. It literally took me months because I can really only paint at night. The only thing I didn't do was the counter tops.