Living Room Thoughts...Out Loud.

So my husband thinks I have decorating OCD...once I have something to decorate it becomes all consuming for me, and it is all that I can think about...all day...all night. I admit, I lose sleep over it! Sadly, I have found myself awake in the middle of the night with pillows and paint on the brain. Everywhere I go, colors speak to me...from friends houses to doctors offices, my senses become heightened and I start to notice & seek inspiration from my surroundings. I really think this is my calling, which is why I am heavily considering an apprenticeship with a design firm when we make our big move. But until then, I have this giant blank canvas to work with...and I am obsessing over it. So you get to obsess with me...:P

The basic colors of the new home are so different from where I am currently living which is really making me want to completely start over. But...I am working within a budget so I am constantly reminded that my beautiful decor will occur over time. Thank god (husband will disagree here) I am going to be living a short drive away from one of the nation's largest Pottery Barn Outlets!

I am currently working on the basic color in the home, and I am leaning toward grayish beiges (Benjamin Moore Ashley Gray) vs. the pinkish beige (Behr Comforting) I have now. I had to use pinkish beige to coordinate with the white wash cabinets I have now, but this shade does NOT go with the new cabinets I will have. Decorate around what you can't change! With dark cabinets, dark appliances & dark floors I fear that a colors will make the room too overwhelming. A light color may do, but I am not much of a pastel person. I prefer deep earth tones, greens, oranges & nutmegs. So...the search continues.

Do you have a basic beige that you LOVE??? Please share if you do!!!

My kitchen is open to my dining & living area and I am focusing on that for now. We have a taupe microfiber furniture set, dark cherry tables & a beautiful huge new black entertainment center to work with in this room. I have been struggling with curtains since I have to have at least 6 matching panels, at least 96" long (preferably 108") and I shudder at the cost. Unless I can get fabric at a bargain and I can make them myself, they will have to wait. But, this is my inspiration so far, my couch is this color.

Nalgene Safety Info...

Ughhh...one of my daily necessities...my trusty Nalgene bottle is under great scrutiny. We must have a dozen of different shapes, sizes and colors of these bottles around the house. I try to help save the environment and give up bottled water and now I have to worry about WHAT?? BPA what?? Should I be worried?? Here's the scoop:

Nalgene Polycarbonate bottles are safe according to FDA regulations.

There has been a freak out about baby bottles and exposure and while the company & the FDA has determined our bottles are safe, consumer demand has led to a new line of BPA (Bisphenol-A) free products. I was unable to get the full comparison chart on here, but please check out the new line to see what you can use to replace your current bottle.

I am very proud to say that I have been using my Brita filter & Nalgene bottles for about four years and I didn't even know there was a campaign behind it! Just another bit of my hippie self coming out...I am behind this for sure! Get your fluoride & save the planet! Tap water is good! This is straight from the Nalgene FILTER FOR GOOD website:

Americans send about 38 billion water bottles a year to landfills. Considering the 1.5 million barrels of oil needed to make those bottles, the environmental impact of plastic bottle waste is truly staggering. That's why Brita and Nalgene have teamed up to create the FilterForGood pledge. It's a simple commitment to reduce your personal waste by giving up bottled water, even if it's just a few days each week. Together, filtered water and a reusable bottle are an ideal solution for going green at home and on the go. It's an easy change that can make a big difference.

My hot pink BPA containing bottle will definitely be replaced with this one!

Project New House Bedroom

So, for those of you that are avid readers, you know that I have a little bit of bedroom ADD. My master has been redone three times in the past two years, and well...its going to be redone again for our new place. The cats have annihilated the duvet, and though there is no print to get sick of (like last time) I am sick of the color. I'm going for a more muted color scheme in the new place and want the bedroom to be a place of serenity, not loud colors.

I first got my inspiration from bedding. I inadvertently ripped out the same picture (left) from magazines on three separate occasions and when I found three of the same picture in my decorating file, I thought it must have been a sign. I had a gift card from work just burning a hole in my pocket and thought-it's now or never! So, Crate & Barrel's Aubrey Bedding is somewhere on its way to my house.

This is the same Peter Kuttner art that is on the walls above, just one of the pair of prints. I couldn't believe that C&B is trying to sell the prints for $169 each!!! Granted they are framed, but I am opting to use a frame & mat I already have that will work perfect for this print, and found it for $31. Nice! This is the building block for my color scheme.

Now for colors...I love the color I have now, Ralph Lauren's Master Room, so much so that I am going to use it in the loft living area upstairs in my new home. But, I want something different in the bedroom. Now, an admission, I am a [gasp]viewer of The Hills and am a huge fan of the decorator that chose the colors for the girls' apartment. I caught my first glimpse of Audrina's bedroom last week and was very impressed at how well the dark wood contrasted against the charcoal-ish walls. I wouldn't have never thought these two colors would look so good together. But, design is all about stealing and recreating what you like, so off I go! The walls in the display picture with the bedding are actually wallpapered and I am not a fan of light walls, so I am pretty sure that my wall color will be something like this. It does look very different depending on the light though, so it is going to be tricky to find just the right hue. The pictures below are from the same room...see how different it looks depending on the lighting!!! I have quite a challenge on my hands...

After a couple of days of studying it in daylight & night light I am liking Ralph Lauren's Spun Twilight, of the Vintage Masters Collection.

*our master is upstairs, so this will blend with the bathroom color scheme that is the third picture on the next post..nice, right???

The Fun Stuff

What a whirlwind week! Bought a house (yay!), sold a house (bigger YAY!) and made it through in one piece! Time to celebrate!

On Monday I was able to choose our upgrades & options in the new house. I am thrilled with the final decisions. It is amazing how fast money flies when you are in a builder's "design center." ...cant have that flimsy sink...must have one three inches deeper for HOW MUCH??? Might as well just go up one more level of tile so I can get what I really want...and shoot might as well do the backsplash while I can still get stuff that matches. Cant just have the half inch carpet pad, for a slim $500 more I can have thick cushiony goodness under my feet every morning when I get out of bed! Kitchen cabinets?? Might as well go the full 42" and while were at it, go ahead and add the decorative crown moulding. It was never ending! Alas, I came in right at budget and was happy to compromise on the few things we didn't end up getting. Ms. Tori gave me some of the best advice (and is now in my husband's good graces!) saying that I shouldn't try to get everything perfect all at once because then I will be bored for the next six years if I have nothing left to do! So true...:) I couldn't take any swatches with me, so I will have to wait until I get down there to choose paint colors. But here are a few of my choices:

[w/flash, this will run in the entire downstairs. Tile in foyer, powder room, dining area, kitchen & utility room/pantry. Counter tops are granite looking (cant have it ALL!) Cabinets are cherry stained maple. I got the upgraded arched top which will run on the top cabinets only. A finishing molding will run the top of the cabinets. Tile will be 17x17 on the floor. Backsplash will be 12x12, set on diagonal and trimmed out. All appliances will be stainless steel and I FINALLY get my gas stove!!!!]

[w/o flash, can see the color a bit better. carpet is a greyish beige neutral.]

[These are my upstairs choices. Tile will run in both bathrooms. We upgraded to have tile on all of the walls of the guest shower. The countertops were already upgraded to white marble so we stuck with that. The huge tub & separate shower will all be white marble as well. Carpet will run throughout & down the stairs]

Dreaming big...

Hello friends! After a long week, we have found & purchased what is our dream home for this point in our lives. My mind is working in overdrive rearranging furniture in my head and planning color schemes. I am pleasantly overwhelmed. Tomorrow I get to pick out all of my cabinets, carpets, appliances and tile so I am trying to get my color scheme nailed down. This is a very exciting time for us! I will try and share my planning and "making it work" strategies here. My current struggle: finding a way to make all my curtains work in my new 9' ceiling home! I am trying to be creative! Thinking of adding contrasting panels on the bottom of each one with a coordinating fabric/ribbon/something(?) thrown in the middle to spice them up. Ohhhh what fun this is! For now, here is my dreamy new home:

This will be my peaceful view from the kitchen, living room, master bedroom & future nursery. This was a HUGE selling point for me! You don't usually find this with new construction:

Baby Nicholas' photo shoot

I stole my neighbors baby to use as a subject for my growing photography hobby and got about five minutes in with him before he started screaming his head off! (this may have been due to me shoving a cute little beanie on his tiny head, lesson learned!) I decided not only would it be a great way to practice my photography, but also to play around with Photoshop and learn some new techniques using my new book. I also used my new Pinkletoes PT4P membership to design an announcement for them. But...Pinkletoes deserves its own blog entry, so I will save that for when I have created more stuff!!

[I am now shooting in RAW, and post processing in Photoshop. I wanted to create a warm glow, so I adjusted the temperature of the lighting. I also removed the bags under his eyes and softened his skin blemishes.]

And a couple more from our session:

[Little boy didn't want a beanie on!]

[Practicing the "sparkle eyes" technique. Lighting was right, his point of focus wasn't. ]

Love that Alexis Stewart

Sooo...if you ever have a Martha-ish question and you want to know the official answer, I have found a direct line to THE expert.

The background: a friend & I, who love spending afternoons browsing the Martha Baking Handbook, were looking for new recipes to try. Maggie wanted to try Martha's particularly difficult recipe for Canneles [this is not the recipe, but close]. The trouble she ran into was the expense of the molds, which run about $15-20 each. We don't have a lot of selection here in the Midwest, so online resources are crucial. Not knowing where to look, I thought I would take a shot in the dark and email Alexis using her talk radio email address. [whateverradio@gmail.com]

Here's the amazing thing: Within an hour, Alexis had personally emailed me back! She included a couple of extremely helpful links, including one for molds for $5 each. So...that being said, I am an even greater fan of hers!!!

These are the links she recommended (in case, of course, you ever have the urge to spend two days making canneles!):

How to w/ pictures & bakers comments

Cannele molds from france

Etsy

I took a photography class last weekend where it was drilled into me that camera straps are necessary. Being of the "I don't need one since I wont ever drop my fancy camera" mentality, what really stuck was the instructor's point that you never drop your camera on purpose. So, okay, I get it, but don't think for a second I am going to be caught dead in that strap that is branded with the Canon logo up and down. Noooooo thank you. I want something unique.

So on the hunt for a cute camera strap, Google pointed me toward a site I hadn't heard of called Etsy. How did I not know it existed?!? This is basically an online craft fair, being vendors from around the world together in the spirit of cherishing the handmade item. Wikipedia calls it a mix between Amazon, Ebay and your grandmother's basement. =) Cute, I know, but this is a profitable business, based in Brooklyn, NY.

I found dozens of online vendors selling their personalized version of a camera strap. No two alike, I figured this was the right place for me. After searching all the options, I settled on one vendor and chose my new strap that screams me. Below are some samplings of her work:

[so with my penchant for polka dots, I, of course, favor the last option]

I also liked this designer's stuff, but ultimately settled on the designer whose pictures I show because her straps feature quick release squeeze buckles to remove the strap for around the house.

I am still contemplating purchasing fabric from 1154 LILL Studio, since I adore their designs. I am waiting to hear if their Scandinavian Floral fabric (above) is still available by the yard. It would be my first choice!! Then I can truly have a custom strap made! So far I can only find it as a headband...

Quirky Little Pig Dish

My girlfriends & I spent a lovely weekend afternoon browsing the aisles of Sur La Table, getting inspired for our upcoming baking extravaganza. We usually tackle a Martha recipe which often requires a couple of unique tools that can only be found at Sur La Table.

While perusing the clearance shelves I found a cute little frog (the one on the left of the three critters) that I knew needed a home. I couldn't part with him and when I asked what he was actually meant to do as I was checking out, the lady helping me directed me to one of my most exciting finds in a while! These little critters were sold with terra cotta baking dishes.

Apparently they are meant to be baked in the middle of the dish to evenly distribute heat to the middle of the casserole. They went with the quirkiest baking dishes, that would make such a unique table centerpiece when serving casseroles.

I didn't own any terra cotta dishes up to this point, so I thought one would be a nice addition to my kitchen. After doing some research, I learned a couple of things you might want to know if a terra cotta baking dish is in your future:

• Terra cotta is suitable for food storage, serving and is oven safe.


• Terra cotta is made of earth. While metal conducts heat, earth will absorb and radiate heat.
  
• Be sure to put the dish into the cold oven. Terra cotta needs to heat and cool slowly and evenly or else it will crack. Do not heat above 400 degrees F


• If baking in your piece (brownies, lasagna, potatoes au gratin, bread, etc), lower the baking temperature of the recipe by 25 degrees. Bake for the same amount of time


• Do not bang serving utensils on the side of the dish to clean. Wonder how that lovely pottery piece has a slight glaze chip? Probably from banging utensils on the edge.


• On cleaning: Do not put Terra Cotta pieces in the dishwasher. Hand washing and thorough drying is best. No need for harsh cleaners or lots of elbow grease. Usually just a few minutes in warm soapy dishwater will do the trick. If the dish was left out overnight, and is a bit crusty, simply fill it with warm soapy water, or soak in the sink until the food softens and wipe clean with a soft sponge. Leave on the counter to dry. Don't wash, dry and put away all in 5 minutes.

So of course, I had to see what Martha had to say about baking in terra cotta. When I searched it on her site, I found this adorable spring recipe where you actually bake mini cakes in your average, untreated terra cotta flower pot. (right) Who knew you could do such a thing! I thought the idea was adorable and will probably make this someday when I need to gift during spring. The "plant" is a sprig of mint and beneath it are candy rocks. How cute is that?!?

Find the full recipe here: Flowerpot Cakes

Miss Elizabeth is getting married!

Part of the joy in giving a gift is creating something thoughtful that creates a smile. I LOVE gifting and though a wedding registry is one of the most practical creations ever, it is fairly impersonal. So, with the batchelorette party of a friend of mine on the horizon, I had an excuse to wander the local Pottery Barn with all my left brain talent in tow. I must have spent an hour trying to find the right ensemble! Below is the gift I created, which consists of her pitcher, place mats and napkin rings. All it takes in a little creativity to make the ordinary, extraordinary! My goal was to give her a beautiful "bouquet!"

[After I took this, I wrapped it in cellophane & tied at the top with a Pottery Barn branded ribbon. Too cute!]

Did you find me??

Please leave me a quick comment so I know my directions work. Thanks!

Easter Bunnies!

We spent our last Omaha Easter with family in town. I always bring something sweet and try to make my creation very kid friendly for the three year old twins. This year, I decided to do my take on the Easter bunny cupcake. I made everything from scratch. They looked cute, but tasted terrible! So, I will share pictures and also the links to recipes that I would stay away from!

[my supplies, clockwise: sweethearts pink only, kissables brown only, dentyne gum cut in half (couldn't find chiclets!), chocolate twizzlers sliced]

[Finished product. For the ears, I sliced marshmallows in half, then sliced five wedges from each half. I then coated the sticky side with pink sugar crystals, put toothpicks in one end and stuck it in the cupcake]

[I found the gum horribly affected the taste of the cupcake, so I opted NOT to add them on most, mostly for the sake of keeping the kids from eating it. I thought they were actually cuter without the teeth!]

And here are the recipes I would recommend staying away from: Four Egg Yellow Cake & Buttercream Frosting. I consider myself a pretty good baker and yet, I clearly did something wrong. Let me know if you have any great cake or frosting recipes! I am always searching for yummy 'from-scratch' recipes!

[And this is why I do it!]

A Maven?

I was once described by a friend as a maven. She had just finished reading The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell which used the term to describe people who are "intense gatherers of information and impressions, and so are often the first to pick up on new or nascent trends. Gladwell also suggests that mavens may act most effectively when in collaboration with connectors- i.e., those people who have wide network of casual acquaintances by whom they are trusted, often a network that crosses many social boundaries and groups. Connectors can thus easily and widely distribute the advice or insights of a maven."

So, in discovering what I am really passionate about in life, I have decided that it is being a maven. I love to share with others, the research I do on products and projects and anything that I find interesting! (so you are thinking about how lucky you are to be my friend right about now, right?!? Hahaa ...kidding)

Anyhoo, this came to mind today when I found a new use for a product I have been using for years and wanted to share! I was introduced to the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser by my friend KT, who used it to clean her littermaid litter box, and then just threw the sponge away. Since this is probably the most disgusting household chore that exists, I experimented with the product and came to rely on it for much more than the litter box duties. It cleans up white door frames, refrigerators, coffee stained counter tops and today...it did its best job yet! I was caught in a slushy freezing rain storm the last time I wore my white puma sneakers and they ended up nearly brown by the time I made it in & out of the grocery store. I was pondering how to get them clean today and thought I would give the Magic Eraser a shot. Wise decision! They clean white leather up to the brightest perfect shade of white! So next time you contemplate how to clean those gray/brown kicks that used to be white, grab a magic eraser & get to work!

L O V E

SO... I really am not going to begin many creative projects since I fear making a horrible mess in our super-clean-ready-to-show-at-any-second home. So I am going to spend the next couple of months diving into my new photography hobby. I want to learn as much as I can before my European extravaganza so I figure most of what will be to come on here has to do with what I see through a lens. I am really into artsy photography [see previous post] but some moments are just those you have to catch without being artsy. This was one of those occasions! I try to foster a home full o' love. Apparently it is working!

[Oh, my babies all love each other. I'm feeling like an accomplished furbaby mama!]

[and NO, he is NOT supposed to be on the bed!!!!!]

Rusty update...

I cant believe it has been this long!!! Our home went on the market this week so we have been feverishly working to make it sparkling and perfect. Mission accomplished! Please send us some real estate luck so we can get this place sold!

[I snapped this after we had a good cry together. I was so worried about him and he knew it. Can't you just see it in his eyes?]

I wanted to give those of you, who are kind enough to care, an update on Rusty. We hooked him up to a holter monitor, which is a 24 hour monitoring of his heart (basically a 24 hour EKG). We were looking for PVC (premature ventricular contractions) that were the evidence of an arrhythmia. As a breed, normal boxers usually have about 50 per day. Those with severe boxer cardiomyopathy have PVCs in the thousands and tens of thousands per day. Thankfully, Rusty only threw 32 during the time he was monitored, putting him in the normal range. [for those of you with medical minds who read this...all were singlets and in rhythm, which is super encouraging] When you have more than one of these extra contractions in a row is where you really run into trouble. So...for now our directive is to treat our little boy as normal. There are a few studies that have been conducted using fish oil and with some pretty decent results that show the number of PVCs are reduced with high enough supplementation in the daily diet. So Rusty drools for his two capsules each night and chews them like candy. He is back to doggie daycare and has no idea anything was ever wrong!

[Rusty wired like a suicide bomber. Poor little guy!!! This was off his daddy's cell phone camera, so excuse the quality! He tolerated the vest without the cone, thank goodness!]

No End in Sight.

Let me preface this post with this: my blog is not about politics. It is about creativity and education. The subject matter is creative education about politics.

As a lover of documentary film, I find myself searching for works of art that are informative, unbiased and can hold my attention. I usually tend to shy away from political pieces as it is hard to find anything that comes out of Hollywood representing anything but the far left. About a month ago, we received the film No End in Sight from Netflix and have had it just sitting in our house not really enthusiastic about watching it. We finally got around to it this weekend and it is by far, the best documentary I have seen. If you think you have an opinion about this war, watch this film and see what more you can gather. The film includes very little narration and is composed of first hand accounts from extremely credible sources: insiders in the pentagon, white house and battle field. I am more passionate about this, given the state of our country's future, than anything I have ever written on this blog. [correction: learn doggy CPR, then watch this film]

As a political moderate who usually leans left, I thought I knew who I was voting for. After this film I have a new candidate; and its not who I thought it would be.

"THE MOST IMPORTANT MOVIE YOU ARE LIKELY TO SEE THIS YEAR"

2007 Academy Award Best Documentary Feature Nominee

Help please...topic: RUGS!

I am in need of a new rug to spruce up the entryway for when we put our home on the market next week. I have exhausted the options within driving distance and am looking for some online help. Please let me know if you have any suggestions...

I am just kicking myself for not learning how to tile & tackling this floor. We have lived with this awful linoleum and I have some words of wisdom...if you have a rubber backed rug, don't let the sun beat in on it or it will discolor the linoleum underneath. Our floor is ruined...which is why we need another 30"x50" rug. I could just buy another one like this (cats have annihilated this one) but I am looking for something plain & basic that is different...


I am always asked about this piece of furniture in the hallway so I thought I would share with you one of my home organization workhorses. I HATE having mail all over the place. Well, I hate any clutter really. So this is my little mail sorter. There are six basket drawers; four small, two large. The small baskets house 1) my mail 2) hubby's mail 3) financial mail 4) coupons. The large baskets hold 1) my large mail/magazines 2) hubby's large mail/magazines. Tadaaa- no clutter! Everything gets sorted the minute the mail gets walked in the door and if it doesn't have a place to go then its new home is the trash can. :) The empty plantar on the top is our outbox. [& the bell hanging from the door is not some quirky decor; it is how Rusty tells us he needs to go potty]

Hair mania...

How is it that our self-esteem is totally wrapped up in our hair? You know, after you leave the salon with the perfect new cut and color you suddenly feel great...until that evening when you freak out about restyling it and wondering if it even looks close to the way it did at the salon. We go with clippings from magazines...I want a little of this and a little of that but not too much of this... Our poor stylists. What we do to them!

I am guilty of having a hair file, full of shades of red and auburn and blonde. I used to be a blonde, but will likely never go back. I feel more myself as a redhead. Think about that. I absolutely identify with my hair. Is that crazy?? Apparently not, since after a few days of conversation on the topic, I am really not alone.

I was able to do an interesting social experiment when I made the shocking switch in hair color. I found that going from long & blonde, to shoulder length auburn I was both taken more seriously at work (and produced far greater sales results) and was looked at more often by men. The kind of men you would want looking at you.

This is all surfacing because I inadvertently got a haircut far shorter than I ever intended. I let my stylist have at it with the scissors and didn't realize what he was doing until off went 6 inches of hair! I have received several comments that I look like a "working woman" though I feel like I belong on the six o'clock news. That or driving a minivan with kids screaming in the back seat. I don't think this cut will last for long, but I did find it interesting how much a few less inches of hair can totally mess with my psyche!

The new do...

Choosing a Paint Finish

There seems to be a LOT of confusion on this topic, and the wrong choice of finish can lead to poor outcomes. (V!?!) I want to give you a basic where-to-use-what guide to help. They guys at the paint counter, while experts in paint, are not experts on interior decor and can often lead you in the WRONG direction. I found a pretty good explanation that speaks to the finishes. I have edited the original below. The full text article can be found here. My comments are in parentheses.

• There are many different types of interior paint finishes, all of which essentially refer to the final paint finishes reaction to light. Different manufacturers of paint sell paint in any combination of finishes, though generally not all of them. The following descriptions of interior paint finishes refer to interior latex paints.


• Flat and matte paint finishes have no real sheen when the paint has dried. Rather than reflect light, flat and matte paint finishes absorb it. Both paint finishes are good for hiding small surface imperfections and imperfections in application, such as brush or roller marks. Flat and matte finishes are good choices for interior walls in rooms that receive little traffic or for painting ceilings. Both paint finishes are generally poor choices for kitchens, baths, and kids' rooms because they do not wash as well as other paint finishes. (**I have never purchased flat paint)


• An eggshell paint finish is similar to a matte finish but has a tiny amount of sheen to it when dried. It is a good choice for interior walls and washes slightly better than flat wall paint. Eggshell paint finishes are sometimes interchangeable with matte paint finishes in certain brands of paint. (**I prefer this finish for most interior walls, color looks rich & opaque)


• A satin paint finish is often the glossiest paint finish a decorator will recommend for any room save the kitchen and bath. It is not a high-gloss finish, but does have a smooth, velvety shine to it when dried. Satin paint finishes do not hide imperfections in surfaces or application as well as the aforementioned finishes, but they are forgiving enough for novice painters to use. A satin paint finish will reflect more light than eggshell and is a great choice for kids' rooms and trim as it stands up well to washing. (**I prefer this for the kitchen & bathrooms)


• Semi-gloss and high-gloss paint finishes are at the other end of the spectrum and reflect the most light of any paint finish when dried. Semi-gloss is a great choice for kitchens and baths as the finish can stand up to water and frequent cleaning better than other finishes. Many people also choose to paint trim with semi-gloss paint for the same reasons. High-gloss paints are not generally popular choices for walls, but many people choose gloss paint for painting furniture especially for a modern look or durable paint finish. (**while the guy at the paint counter will tell you to use semi gloss in a bathroom, I highly advise not. Satin will hold up just as well and make for a prettier color finish. I tend to use semi-gloss for trim only. I have used high gloss on furniture and it has held up beautifully)


• Choosing the right interior paint finish is mostly a matter of personal preference; just remember that the higher the sheen, the more durable the paint is (**but carries less color wow) in the face of frequent traffic and washing. Keeping in mind the use of the room you are painting will help you to select the right interior paint finish. It's choosing the right color that's the hard part!

Paint, Paint, Paint!!!

Paint is one of my personal obsessions. Being an art minor, I have always loved mixing, experimenting and artfully combining colors. From canvas to walls to furniture, I am obsessed with finding the perfect color.

My sister-in-law is in the middle of a huge home renovation and has repainted most walls in her home. She introduced me to a website that is the most amazing color site I have seen. If you have a bit of time to kill and are thinking about repainting...you have to check out MyPerfectColor.com!! She now swears by the Benjamin Moore brand of paint. I cannot yet personally attest to this, but she says the quality and hue is far better quality than the Behr paint she used before.

Some of the great features you will find on MyPerfectColor include:

• Expert designed multi-color palettes for throughout your home


• Converting a color from one brand, to the same color in a different brand
  
• 16 oz mini samples to test a few colors before you dive into one color


• Aura, a collection of colors, that ALL go together so you dont have to worry if all of your house flows!


• A BLOG!!! There is a GREAT informational blog about paint & painting that I highly recommend!

Have fun!!! Always feel free to email me if you want to talk about color--I love it and have helped a lot of people choose the right ones. :)