After posting pics a few weeks ago from Lauren’s garden, we had a feeling that readers would be interested in the hanging plants she had on display in her backyard. Turns out Lauren crocheted the clever containers herself, and she’s given us an easy to follow pattern so readers can create their own hanging gardens.

She made a bunch of the crocheted plant cozies, all of varying size and color, and let us borrow a big handful to play with. We filled them with flowers (naturally), but the possibilities are endless. Pick a little posy and hang it on a friend’s front door- they’ll get a pleasant surprise when they arrive home from work. Put a cluster on a hook in the kitchen and they’d be a pretty way to store and display fresh herbs from the farmer’s market.

These little knits would make great wintertime decorations, and possibly even stocking alternatives. Imagine a candy-colored row filled with goodies hanging from your mantle. So get out your crochet hooks and get cracking. (If you’re not so deft with your hooks, Lauren’s got some you can buy at her Etsy shop, too.)

CLICK HERE for the full post after the jump!

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today’s final before & afters are devoted to kitchens, bathrooms, home exteriors and a seriously sweet pink living room. first up is lauren from pure style home. she rescued both her kitchen and nook from serious blah-dom with wallpaper, wainscoting, a chalkboard fridge and a beautiful chandelier. well done, laura! click here for more info on her process.

[have a before & after you'd like to share on design*sponge? shoot me an email right here with your (low res please) images]

CLICK HERE for kevin’s living room makeover and j.c.’s home exterior and bathroom upgrades after the jump!

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d*s reader erin riddle sent in this lovely laundry sink makeover. when erin moved into her home she used this space as a storage space for tools and cleaning supplies, but erin wanted a space that would serve as a cute spot to work on laundry. working on a budget, erin took off the cabinet doors, sewed curtains to the front (hung on a basic rod) and painted the formica in a black melamine paint. the pegboard was swapped for hanging storage buckets and a light was painted white and brought over to gvie the corrner some warmth. the difference is really fantastic and is such a great reminder that a cuter room is only a few weekend days of handiwork away. thanks for sharing, erin!

[have a before & after you'd like to share on design*sponge? shoot me an email right here with your (low res please) images]

CLICK HERE for tanya’s designer living room makeover and allison’s diy crib upgrade after the jump!

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today’s first before & after comes from d*s reader andrea dean in the uk. she recently made over her bathroom on a tight budget and the result is a clean, bright space that would do any modern apartment justice. great work, andrea! photos courtesy of david giles photography.

[have a before & after you'd like to share on design*sponge? shoot me an email right here with your (low res please) images]

CLICK HERE for kim’s fireplace transformation after the jump!

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speaking of calm simplicity, i’m also loving this super-minimalist letterpress calendar from designer beverly hsu. beverly fell in love with letterpress printing while studying at carnegie mellon and decided to create a calendar using twelve different decorative types that she discovered in various typecases in the school’s letterpress lab. each decorative piece represents a day and each set of decorative elements represents a month. it’s definitely not for everyone, but if you’re looking for a calendar that is clean, minimalist and decorative, beverly has got you covered. click here for more information and here to shop her calendar at etsy.

when life and work are crazy sometimes it’s nice to focus on something simple. i’m loving the zen-like simplicity of these leaf photographs from artist jeff friesen in nova scotia. they’re such an interesting, peaceful contrast to yesterday’s bold sailboat prints. you can check out jeff’s collection of autumn-leaf ships right here at etsy.

ps: click here to check out jill’s guest post on gardens and rain barrels at the d*s guest blog!