Martha Stewart Paint FYI

Did you guys know that Martha's paint is being discontinued at Home Depot?  I stopped in there a few weeks ago and discovered that.  I quickly picked up another paint swatch since they said that they will still have the codes to make the colors.  This week, I stopped in quickly and found that the pre-made samples of paint that was in the display case for just 50 cents each.  These samples have a built in paint brush and are great colors which will be great crafting paint.  Hurry on over and see what you can get too! 

Painting a dresser....

I've been searching on and off for the past few months for a bigger dresser for my daughter's room.  She's been growing way too fast and her tall, skinny dresser just wasn't big enough for her skinny jeans obsession.  Happily, I scored this sa-weet vintage dresser for just $30!  It even covered all my requirements.  Solid wood, dove tail joints, clean lines and vintage style.  I can't tell you how many ugly, flimsy dressers that I looked at for nearly triple the price of this little gem.

Then, it sat in our car port for nearly a month waiting for me to paint it. The rainy weather would not co-operate,  Finally, I drug that heavy dresser in myself and went to work on it in her room.  It was a pretty color wood before, just in less then pristine condition.

imagine it with drawers :)

Now satin black prettiness. I was originally going to change out the hardware, but the worn brass was just right for this room.

I love the little brass detail on the legs.

Of course, one project leads to another and as you can see, I immediately went to work painting her walls lavender like she had requested.  (I've had the paint ready to go for um, something like 2 months?) I like the purple walls. She likes the purple walls. Win-win!

Oh, and just to prove that I'm not in charge at all when it comes to decorating, here is her dresser just minutes after I styled it.

And that's just fine by me.

More Paint

I bumped into a flute friendy, Becky, that was out with her decorator shopping.  She asked me what I was up to and of course, out flooded my dilemma of little Missy's desire for purple paint.  (Seriously over thinking this.)  Becky said that  she painted her bathroom Feather Gray by Behr.  Of course, I had to check it out because if the decorator approves, well, 'nuff said. 

Guess what, it's pretty. 

Feather Gray



 So is the next color on the card, Vintage Taupe:

vintage tuape

  Both comparable with Restoration's Hardware Lilac. 

(What the heck?  The color swatch is now gone?)

 

Guess who is going to get more samples tomorrow?  At this rate, I'm going to be able to paint her walls in a patchwork of purples.

Purple paint

I've been tinkering around in my daughters room the last few weeks.  I finally found a furniture arrangement that works with the furniture that we have.  I've scratched the daybed look all together even though I think that it would work.  I even found the right sized shelves (for a great price!) and everything to make the fuax built-in look that I wanted.

After causally searching for several months, I found the cutest quilt that we both love.  Pretty flowers with the colors of raspberry, aqua and yellow on a preppy green background.  It's so fun to have a girly girl to play with. 

Now that we have the new quilt and the furniture arranged, it's time to paint.  The little missy has loved pink since the day she was born.  She still loves pink but wants purple for her walls.  Good thing is that purple goes with green.  The bad thing (for me), I don't like purple walls.  Dear oh dear!  Off to my trusty paint chips to find a pretty color that would be purple for her but livable for me.  Blah, blah, blah...let's have a looksie mmm-kay.

First, I immediately thought of Restoration Hardware's Lilac.  It's a very pretty, grayed down, sophisticated purple.  Purple without screaming purple.  It is, however, discontinued.  I don't know about you, but RS paint colors just don't seem to color match just right.

Next, we really like Cotton Candy by Martha Stewart.  It's a pinkier-purple, still soft but not nursery pastel.  (At least I hope it's not.)  It's much more purple then the Restoration Hardware color.  Happier, younger maybe?  Sidenote:  I wonder why Ms. Martha doesn't offer a better paint.  It took four coats to put a sample up over the existing pink walls.  It's quite a runny paint.

And finally, another Martha Stewart option just above the Cotton Candy, Martha Stewart's Phlox.  It's a little grayer and cooler then Cotton Candy but still reads as a pretty purple. 

And just to clarify, yes, I'm making anyone and everyone vote on the color that they like.  Yes, I can't stop talking about.  Yes, my friends are tired of me.  Buuuuut - purple is unknown territory for me.  And, I'm mixing it with green, aqua, raspberry and yellow.  Eek!  I worry that I might end up with something like this if I'm not careful.  (Sorry if this is your house and/or taste.)   

Yikes! 

Tonight, I showed my oldest son the paint samples tonight and asked him his opinion.  I loved it!  He really does have a good eye and loves to feel important.  He narrowed down the paint that he liked and gave me reasons why.  Example:  the RS paint was too boring for her.  I love that kid!  So far, we've got unanimous vote for one of the paint colors.  I'd love to hear what you think!

Neon Pickle?

I'm pleased as punch to have finally finished the painting in the kitchen!  It's only been three years of procrastinating for only a few hours of work.  Mental note, next time, just get 'er done! Front room accent wall is done too, just a little more painting in the hallway and I'm done!  Pat, pat, pat...pat myself on the back. 

Feeling victorious, I decided to take on the bookcase that I've been wanting to paint since the day I brought it home from the thrift store "last night".  "Last night" as in the way my three year old explains time.  Example:  "That Valentine's party we had last night was fun."  Apparently, I need years to complete simple painting tasks.  'Nuff said. 

Smartly, I used child labor encouraged my childrens' creative side and they primed the bookshelf while I primed the kitchen walls.   And they did a good job!  My little guy there had the whole side done in no time at all.  Maybe I should employ their help more often?

I thought and I thought and I thunk some more and finally, thanks to my friends fun color choice, found a color for the bookcase.  What does one call it?  Chartreuse?  Yellow-green?  Grellow?  At first, I wasn't so sure of it since at night it was kindly referred to as neon-pickle colored. 

oooo! neon pickle!

Stay tuned to find out what I did do with this neon pickle shelf.  Dun, dun, duuuunnnn.

All I Want For Christmas...

Dear Husband,

If it's not too late, I would love a kitchen like this for my Christmas gift. 

With lots of loves,

Your honey

photo from Caitlyn Creer

The darling Caitlin is at it again.  I love all the transformations that they have done in their new home, but the kitchen is the icing on the cake.  I ripped out a page from an old Martha Stewart magazine years and years ago that looks just like this.  White cabinets.  White subway tile.  Marble counters.  So pretty, fresh and clean.  These pictures prove to me that modest little homes can be super stylish and functional. 


picture from Caitlin Creer

Beautiful work!  Find all the details about it here.

 

Break out the paint!

via apartment therapy

I swear I have project ADD because when I start to near the finish line, I feel like I am walking through molasses and get distracted easily because I can't stop thinking about all the other projects that I want to do.  Like when I wake up in the night and obsess over what the heck I'm going to do about the kitchen floor.  Yep, I'm the kind of person that says "heck" and lays awake thinking about stupid projects.  Is anyone else in that boat??  (phew- that was a tangent)

Annnnnywhoooo...where was I?  I've got a crazy little tug-o-war going on in my brain over weither or not to paint some furniture or not.  Paint!  Leave! Paint! Leave! Paint! What color? Leave it alone....argh.


via apartment therapy



So while perusing Apartment Therapy last night, I found this tasty tidbit about colorful painted furniture.  I'm sold and back on the PAINT! train. 

via apartment therapy

Seriously just need to do it so I can stop the crazies.  It's just scary to paint unpainted wood.  Also, one of the furniture projects needs to be painted with oil based paint.  Never done that before.  Yikes!

Painting...

Good bye tavern taupe(kwal)....

hello light french gray(behr).

It's amazing how much lighter and brighter the room is!  However, light french gray seems to be very deceptive.  It may be code word for powder blue because sometimes it looks gray more often veeeeerrry blue. 

 Hmmm.