Have yall heard the buzz about the Annie Sloan chalk paint…

I am a little slow to the show but apparently it is awesome… This client i posted about earlier in the week has transformed several pieces for her home.  She says it is “no fail.”  Those are words i like.  I also like phrases like “no sanding!  no priming!” Apparently the waxes and brush are really cool. AND there website says you can mix with their recipes and create even more colors (or colours as they say) or layer colors..pretty cool.

Then i visited this blog and was amazed at this kitchen table transformation…

and after

she even did her island!

See more on the Estes Family Blog (I met this blogger at the Rachel Ashwell luncheon..so nice!)

The possibilities are endless..i think my fave is the idea of red with duck egg blue..love that combo!

FYI here are some more great tips for this blog on using this paint. And you can find tutorials on youtube this one looks especially helpful!

it’s down to the wire on my house paint (actually i have already told the painter my colors but hoping if i have some epiphany i can run outside and say “i’ve changed my mind!!”

Of course i just need to get the body color right, can always obsess about front door later, i think i am over the red…seen to much blood lately.

Of course only a crazy person could see the difference between Intellectual Gray and Amazing Gray right???? dont you love my roof? and my gorgeous shutters;; i do like the idea of white shutters.

I think i like the darker front door.   I originally told the painter Amazing Gray below but think i am leaning toward Intellectual now…again with all that is going on in the world (and in my own little life) this is all so important.  thanks for bearing with me…

A blue door is vaguely possible but really feeling a dark grey..

Don’t worry I have painted samples all over my house, painted large pieces of foamcore etc..my painter joked that at this rate i would have the house painted myself!;

Read more about my paint ideas here and inspiration here!

source

Take for instance my client Analisa’s condo.  Doors doors everwhere doors.  But black seemed well too dark and BLACK (thought it looks amazing in the photo above!) so we did Chelsea Gray by Benjamin Moore, she even did a “half strength” on some doors. and everywhere it looks amazing.

Since she hasnt painted the other door yet you can really see the difference…just amazing!  We also did this in her hallway upstairs.

BEFORE

and AFTER…ahhh much better!

Good Job Analisa! You are so fun to work with! And a pretty good painter too..so impressed you took the doorknobs off!;

And on a personal note I want to thiank you for all of the prayers, comments and emails about my mom and her illness.  I really appreciate the care and support.  She is actually having the best week she has had in several, no coincidence I am sure.  And for those of you who shared with me similar struggles, please know I am praying for you and your loved ones as well.

I am not sure i like this red..i really like a true red door red (am i nuts or did SW have a exterior paint color called RED DOOR RED years ago???) I think ladybug from Martha”s new line might be what i prefer…but many love moroccan red! I think a lot of it depends on the sun and the direction your house faces and if you have a porch, if no porch and your door is very exposed and up front i think you can go less bold and still get the red door feel, is this crazy thinking.  My door is up under a porch so i like it RED, wouldn’t want anyone to miss it!  ha!

Next.

{Blue door, sandy hook on siding, creamy white trim and shutters or the Chelsea on shutters}

You could definitely go with a brighter blue her if you wanted but i just this MlLK pail color..its in her new line. I also think you could do the shutters the white color and maybe use the chelsea on the back door or as an accent…

And finally, a yellow door…my new love…will I do it? we will see. There are complex factors involved in painting an exterior…location, climate, sunlight, landscaping, street, neighbors, etc..its like naming a baby, not easy!

{yellow door, chelsea siding, white trim and shutters or no shutters}

I think the question is not whether a yellow door looks good with Chelsea Gray…it sooo does but what color yellow..a buttery or a bright?? Please give specific feedback on some yellow door colors if you have any thoughts, i have noticed there is not a lot of exterior suggestions and discussion in shelter magazines and even on blogs..

Thanks for looking, these are just a few ideas, please link to your blogs or sources if you have something to share!!!!

Not positive on the paint color but it sure looks like Martha’s sharkey gray to me….!

It sure is sunny + happy! Of course that great shingle siding and lantern don’t hurt….

I like the softer color above more i think..or a more “funky” acidy yellow but the bright yellow below is very dramatic and really works with the drab rock..what shade have you seen or do you favor??

And i love these images below from the fric and frac blog!

This is a great interior shot below! its smart to think about how the exterior looks from the inside when swung back..it’s the little things like this i love about a home.  And hello to that eagle..spirit of ’76..woohoo! and the collection of walking sticks!

I am also loving the dark charcoal color with yellow color combo right now dont you? Or is that more navy?

Did you know there is even a blog out there called THE YELLOW FRONT DOOR..yep, check out the cuteness below and read about it here.



Thoughts?

The plan is to put a beautiful blue color on the walls and all white bedding.  Since there wont be a lot of fabric in the room (usually where i start) we are staring with wall color.  We all know how difficult it can be to find the perfect blue (or any color for that matter) so the Milk & Honey girls and I are posting today about our fave shades of blue gray..Here they are!

Mine is SW’s silvermist shown here:

and another blue {Ballroom Blue from Farrow & Ball}

{Catalina Blue from SW, Atlanta Show House shown in Traditional Home}

All of these photos are lovely and give us an idea of the color the couple has in mind, but overall their goal style is less Traditional Home and more The Lettered Cottage. We’ll discuss that in future posts.

Layla used the PB matine toile bedding and lots of white yet it still feels like a cottagey blue room.  Very much what the wife wants in her army house.  She can’t do plank walls like Layla but good for us, Layla also had a full discussion on her blog about choosing blues..check it all out here..I love she painted and photographed them side by side.

{photos from The Lettered Cottage}

I think Layla finally went with an old Martha color from Sherwin Willliams, they will still mix those colors if you ask..maybe she will pop in here and tell us!

But i was so glad she tried Wedgewood gray from BM because it is one of my favorite blues..see it here.

A lot of people will paint the bedroom Wedgewood and the adjoining bath BM Woodlawn Blue or vice versa..just a thought.

This room below from decorpad is in BNM’s Woodlawn Blue

So my recommendations for this room are BM WEDGEGOOD GRAY and OR SW SILVERMIST

{Wedgewood Gray by BM}

{SW’s Silvermist}

Of course I suggest the client always get a sample and test in the room at different times of day.

Click over here to see what Milk & Honey thinks about the paint..they love darker colors which seems really cozy and nice too! And stay tuned for more on this project.

And please, if you have the opportunity to do something for a family with someone serving in the military, do it! It’s a good thing!

{thanks to Emily at Jones Design Company for making our chevron graphic for this project, you know how us bloggers like our badges;;}

Oh and Happy Valentine’s Day!

I won’t go through the story again in detail but basically our dining room was red and unused and then it became Drew’s room for a little over a year and recently we have moved the boys together and the dining room is back to its original use.  Except now it actually gets used because we opened it into the kitchen more. . . so this is now what i see when standing at my stove or sink..instead of a wall with tiny breakfast table..its so open and more user friendly. 

Our Christmas tree is still up but my white tulips (and new lens I am renting for a project) prompted me to take down Christmas in the dining room and do some more photos of the space.  It is not 100% finished…we want to do something about the floors..add wood to match other areas of the house, not sure but it will be a while. And i have the original blueprints of our house to frame and hang but all in all, here it is! Again from the kitchen, we built this little desk/butler pantry area to connect the two rooms..more on that project later.

The light is from Pottery Barn, it had a copper top and i painted it…love this light.

The hutch is pine, I painted it Martha’s flagstone from Home Depot. The walls are Behr’s all in one “Graceful Gray.”  The wall color in the kitchen and desk area is Sharkey Gray by Martha.

You like my fancy centerpiece??  crayons!

You may notice I can’t decide where to put the red chair, I am contemplating slipping it in white for options.  The paint on the little sideboard chest (ok it was once upon a time a desk and then the boys’ changing table) is SLATE by Martha and i love this color!

I waffled over which fabric to use on the windows and settled on the colorful Waggaman from Braemore…purchased at www.housefabric.com.. i did the drapes on the french door end full length, and on the other end (with the short window) i did the shorter..i can see this window from the kitchen sink and it seems more kitcheny and sassy for them to be shorter on that end.. the room really feels casual and an extension of the kitchen so i don’t want it to be too formal and i am loving that it works..the rooms are flowing!

Thanks for looking.

It feels so good to have this sorted out and nearly finished… too have my old table back in its space…it has been a long time coming and i am thankful.

{Don’t laugh at my chicken prints ca. 2001, they were leopard print and one was zebra!  That’s class i know! But hey i was like 25 and they were cute!}

Back to the point..that wall is gone as of this week…well at least a part of it..okay 5 ft..i am a bit dramatic and get excited but at least its OPEN and i can now SEE from my kitchen to dining room!

i love how tearing into a wall can be an archeology project of sorts…

{OK that is interesting, now please cover it up! ha}

Obviously the ikea light has done its job and is going..as is the yellow paint..the floor must all stay for now.which will be an exercise in patience..but it will be character building!;; I am going to focus on the fact that i will now be able to enjoy my french doors and all of the wonderful light this simple little opening in the wall has brought into my kitchen and life!  I know dramatic but I think this is going to be HUGE for us!

You can see the gray paint (Behr’s Graceful Gray)  in this photo! well sort of. It’s moody and hard to photograph, especially with the weird light situation and my camera skillz. You can also see a peek below at my new lantern light (my husband said ”hey the university called, they want their light back!”  ha ha) and the OTHER gray below (Martha’s flagstone) that is going on the hutch. The grays have gotten confusing, more on that later. But i do like the green shutters with it all. Martha’s Sharkey GRAY paint below in the kitchen looks khaki, its not..its a light putty/greige..i love it! 

So its just been paint paint paint… the top of the lantern got a little paint too..more on that later.  But it may be a while before I have much more progress to show y’all, good thing we are only having one guest for Thanksgiving;;  I have to take off from HOUSEWORK the next day or two to work on pilgrim boats..more on that later in the week. {notice I say “later” a lot, must be from having children!}

Thanks for looking!

No pictures yet but we love the new opening in our kitchen wall..its like a new house and I can already see it is going to function so much better for our family.  And our family is growing….we are getting new kitties!

Y’all meet SCOUT and PETAL…we’ve already had visitation with them and hope to welcome them home once all of this toxic paint mess is gone!

And y’all please PRAY for Scout and Petal that God will keep them safe from these two fellas….that they will be fast friends and have lots of fun but that kitties will know when to run for their lives!

{Photo by my friend Allison Parker of Feather Nest Photography}