Paint on the Brain

OK, I'm just going to come right out with it...I'm not a fan of the interior wall color in the new house. I'm just going to admit...up front...that I don't love those flesh colored walls. About 10 years ago that was one of the "it" wall colors, and I had it all over my other house. It took me 10 years to get it changed out and I don't want to go back. Please don't think I'm ungrateful...I'm super grateful for this wonderful house, but I'm still in love with all things "Greige".

(yes, I know the stairway downstairs looks like a big honkin' thing in the middle of the room. Well, it kinda is, but with furniture in the rooms, I know it will be balanced out.)

If you look closely you can see a pillow on the floor next to the front door. It's one of the pillows that came with my new linen-y Chesterfield Sofa, and honestly it looks "not so great" with this wall color. Hubbs and I had been making lists of all the things that we needed to take care of next month before we moved in and I was a little apprehensive to broach the subject. It's not like I can just say "Hey, let's paint the living room", since all the areas are open to each other. It's more like "Hey, let's paint the whole dang huge upstairs, we have nothing else to do or spend money on." I knew that if we didn't plan to do it now, it just wouldn't get done. He had a "moment", and then he said, "OK, what do you want to do?" I heaved a sigh of relief and ran for my Benjamin Moore paint color fan decks.

I just naturally head to Benjamin Moore for paint, as we've used it for most of our walls in our other houses. I've never had a problem with it, and they always have a huge selection of colors...down to the teensiest variations of Greige. I know what I'm up against since a couple of years ago when we painted the master bedroom and bath. At that point I wanted something darker and cozier. Now I want something lighter that's a combination of warm gray and beige. I gravitate toward "warmer" colors in decorating, and I find that a color that has elements of both can go a long way toward matching most anything.  

These are photos of my old master bedroom with Stone Hearth at 125%. They look pretty washed out. Sorry, these aren't professional, just my attempt to photograph a dark room.

I tried about 6 colors of paint on the wall behind the bed. Greige can be tricky because you can run into undertones...pink, blues, greens, browns, even purple. I had one paint picked out that looked wonderful during the daytime, but became purple at night...no thanks. I know you've probably read this on many blogs, but the way to be sure of the undertones is to be mindful of the darkest color on your paint swatch/card. That darkest color will be your base color and undertone. I just hadn't considered this easy method. Glad I know now, it will save a lot of time, money, and a bunch of frustration.

I know paint changes once it goes up on a wall, and there are so many reasons; size of the room, amount of light, other colors, such as rugs and furniture that may reflect off of it, time of day etc., but for now I'm looking at these colors and hoping one of them will work. Love how they're such a wonderful combination of both warm grays and tans. We have high ceilings and wide open spaces, so I think it can handle a slightly deeper hue of color. Plus I think this color will make the white woodwork and mouldings really stand out.

Revere Pewter: 

This is a good example of a Greige paired with "warm" furnishings.

and this photo shows it with lighter colored hardwoods.

Stone Hearth

(looks darker here)

I couldn't find room photos, but they are close, maybe just a little lighter.

Apparition

Shale

You can find all this info, sources, and more about Greige

 on my Pinterest Board Wall Colors.

source

Grays and Greige are the trend in wall colors now, but not one that I think will be going away soon. Any neutral that works well with all shades of woods and fabrics is definitely a mainstay in home decorating. I'm having fun making plans. Can't wait to get my hands on this place!

Joining in at these great parties:
The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life
Show and Share at Coastal Charm
WOW at Savvy Southern Style

xoxo,

P.S. I finally was able to see "Fixer Upper" on HGTV, gosh so addictive.
LOVE their style!
P.P.S. Benjamin Moore did not sponsor this post, just love their paint.

Ideas for a Cottage Look Lampshade

I'm giving you fair warning, I will probably be doing some random decor posts for awhile. My ""decor radar" is up for all kinds of new options and "finds". So I'll just be sharing with you what I'm thinking about and looking at for our new house that we'll be moving into sometime in September.

One of the things that's on my list is some new lighting for the Dining Room and Kitchen Dining Area. As I was looking through some websites for Pendant Lighting, I came across these fun drum shades just perfect for a Cottage /Bohemian look. I'm not thinking of my Kitchen or Dining Room, I sort of got off the path for a bit, but I love this look and I can see one of these patchwork drum shades in a creative space/office/craft room or girl's bedroom; really, any room that's shabby, cottage, or eclectic. Anyway, just wanted to share these, because I haven't looked at lighting for a long time and I thought they were pretty high up on the "adorable" scale.

I think the patchwork strips and the embroidered one above could be a fun DIY project. The one above makes me think of the vintage teatowels that we see at every flea market. And of course these below are made from old doilies, lace, and trim. love them...

I have several lampshade skeletons that this would work on.

Love the bright colored florals on this next one...

looks almost like a watercolor.

Using darker papers or fabrics gives this one a little more of a Living Room or Bedroom vibe.

Totally love this one with all the fabric 3D blooms.

and this last one just knocks my socks off!

You can find the sources for all these shades on my Pinterest Board

Lighten Up

Yes, these two will be going bye-bye in favor of something more "French".

More on these spaces later...

OK, that's what I'm up to today...

just looking at lighting and playing with some fun ideas...

Tomorrow we go for the inspection, and I have some measuring to do.

Maybe I can get some decent pics then.

On a blogging note, I finally have gotten my act together and fixed the No-Reply Blogger issue. I thought I took care of it a long time ago, but I hadn't figured it out so now I think it's fixed. Sorry, my brain has not been up to speed this last year.

Hope you're having a good week, I'm wearing out my computer and Pinterest, trying to put ideas together. Changing homes can cost and arm and a leg, and I'm going to try to be frugal (at least in some areas) I have lots of ideas for the Living Room and Kitchen that will need some tweaking.

I'm getting my creative/decorating mojo out of the mothballs...

it's going to be fun. 

Joining in on these parties:

Wow Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

xoxo,

Whoops...we bought a house!

I know that the "whoops" part sounds silly,

 but that's exactly how I feel.

Last weekend we cleared the rest of the stuff out of the garage of the old house, and even though we haven't closed yet, I felt like we turned a page...started a new chapter...like a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders. I've been waiting to start looking at houses, because we just didn't feel like it was the right time. The last thing I wanted to do was find a house and our other one not be sold. We've been busy and I've not felt 100% (shoot, I didn't even feel 50%) And we were "unsettled" in our hearts and minds about what we should do.

I started looking on the internet this week, and had a huge bucket of ice water thrown on me concerning house prices. We haven't looked at houses for 12 years and let's just say we had a rude awakening as to what's out there and the price you have to pay for it. yowsers. Our area has always been affordable, but this summer, houses are selling like proverbial hotcakes, and not having looked for over a decade, I was a little out of touch with the local housing market.

(I have no idea what that is on the mantle...?)

Matter of fact, it was down right depressing, of all the houses out there that needed tons of work in our price range. We could get a lot of space that came with lots of updates, or less space and newer with fewer updates, but then we have the issue of what we had left in our storage units...multiple storage units...as in many. We sold and gave away literally tons of stuff. But when we boil it all down, we just need to have a certain amount of space we feel comfortable in, and without it we both get whiny. He has his stuff, I have my stuff, and we don't like to trip over each other.

(This is the Dining Room and the stairway to the basement)

We spent an afternoon with our realtor making the rounds in the area we want to be in, (close to hubby's office) and were seeing house after house that just wasn't right. On a whim, we decided to go inside this one that we had seen as a drive by the night before. Hubby had grabbed a house info sheet and said he probably wasn't interested. The "distressed" shutters and front door effect just wasn't working for it. But the next day when we went inside we were more than pleasantly surprised.

The cabinets are pickled, but in need of a little more "pickle", so that's on my list of things to do. That's black granite on the countertops, which is really pretty, and a brand new stainless French Door fridge. So far I'm wondering where my white cabinets are and my dark hardwood floors I've been pinning on my Pinterest Boards... That glowy thing in the back is the microwave with a serious reflection from the windows. It has 11 ft. ceilings that make me feel like a munchkin, and a finished walkout basement. It really is a wonderful house.

OK, I have to tell you, light woods are not my first pick, but I wanted newer and white woodwork, and the funny thing was that when we walked in the front door my husband evidently heard angels singing and saw the clouds part. He was for sure that this was it. what...? He just doesn't get excited over houses...never...ever. I was ready to pace ourselves, keep looking, and stay current with new listings. But not Hubbs, he was fired up and ready to start negotiating. So negotiate he did and by the end of the day yesterday we signed up for another mortgage and the whole nine yards. go figure. 

We won't close until the end of next month, but I have to say I'm relieved that this house looking process was about as painless as it could be. We have a few repairs to do, some yard clean up, and painting the shutters and front door. I may need some ideas from you all on that.

God has blessed us for sure...

I took tons of photos today, but we were in a hurry and I didn't bring my tripod so they weren't the best. These are just a peek, so you can get a little idea of what it's like. I'm making steady progress with the new medication and have another appointment in a couple of weeks. So maybe by next month I'll be doing even better. I'm more than ready to be "settled". I'm super excited and my head is swimming with ideas. 

Gotta tell you, I'm looking forward to having some pumpkins on those steps, people. Hurry up Fall, 

linking up with:

Sundays at Home with Thoughts from Alice

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings

Show and Share at Coastal Charm

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Wow Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

xoxo,

A Summer Baker's Rack

Do you ever get this urge for something

 and you just don't give up until you find it?

of course you do...

I'm going to believe that's a good trait to have

and not some kind of borderline personality disorder... te he

Well, I had a bee in my bonnet for a bee skep...

I just had to have one for my summer Baker's Rack in the sitting room.

Actually, I wanted one to use in my French Garden Frame,

but the more I thought about it the more I wanted one 

just to display for the Summer Version on my baker's rack.

I haven't changed much up lately,

but having a bee skep always reminds me of a French Country Garden.

This little skep isn't very big, 

but I can just imagine it in a lavender filled garden...

maybe soon.

I always enjoy my little French Garden Girl lamp here,

I light her up every evening for a sweet warm glow.

I'm really missing my sunflower displays this year.

but I have my "sheeps" that always hang out here...

Also want to share this little bit of history...

I had to brush up on my historical knowledge of Shakespeare on this little celluloid print. It's a rendering of Anne Hathaway's cottage (Shakespeare's wife) in Stratford-Upon-Avon. It looks like it might have been a souvenir of a trip in the 20's or 30's.

We're finishing up the house business...

and will be closing on it soon.

Everything's out and clean.

Now I just want to start looking for a new home,

but we've decided to take our time and not be rushed.

oooh, that's so hard,

I'm itching to get settled!

Hope you're having a wonderful week,

joining in at these parties:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

xoxo,

Go-to Summer Looks

Every once in a while I like to dip my toes into the fashion blogging pond. I haven't done that in a long time, but this last Spring I had to do a major purge of my closet(s) because of the move, and that has made me think a lot about my clothing choices.

I've realized that I have "go-to" items and looks. I don't "dress up" often, my dressiest time in ages would be when we head out to our favorite Italian place for dinner on a Saturday evening, or when we're in St. Louis with our kids for a night out. Even the churches here have a "dress down" code, so as not to make people feel awkward or self conscious about their clothing. We live in a very casual little city. We dress up our blue jeans for all occasions. I mean come on, we're the home town of Bass Pro and Branson is just down the road.

I totally love this little lacy tee!

I tend to stick with neutrals in most of my clothing choices, white and gray being my two best colors for warmer weather. In the Fall and Winter it would be gray and black. I like to have basic pieces that I can mix and match and change around for a different look; "Garanimals" for the over 50 crowd. The older I've gotten, the more I've leaned toward keeping things simple and "quiet", both in my surroundings, and in my clothing.

LOVE this lacy cardigan.

Don't have it, but would love to find it.

Love these next two totally classic looks...

And...I don't like heels...on me. I'm short and I look really goofy teetering around on them, but I DO like a little "platform" and something fun and stylish. I don't necessarily need to spend a lot of money on a pair of shoes, but I tried on my first pair of Jimmy Choo's last year and instantly fell in love; didn't buy them but so so comfortable. And belts...all they do is cut me in half and being short, they just don't work for me.

such a great sense of style...

love her shoes...

and bag

but I just can't get into ripped jeans...

Love my skinny jeans (I'm NOT skinny) and stretchy leggings with a long t-shirt or linen shirt and a jacket, khaki or wheat "boyfriend" chino's with a denim chambray shirt, and if it's not a 110 outside I'll have a scarf...or a chunky necklace. I'm the age when I want to cover up as much of my neck as possible...and I'm a total sucker for anything Leopard Print. Summer or Winter it's my favorite "pattern".

 I don't have a source for this Polyvore collection, but it's just my style.

I don't have a count for all my leopard print items, but let's just say they have their own section of my closet. My fave is a leopard print sweater zip up hoodie from last Fall, kind of like this.

I really love having a few pieces of fun jewelry to spice up a look. A casual outfit can be elevated to something fun and funky with a piece or two of eye catching baubles. And speaking of statement jewelry, I bought this wonderful turquoise piece from my sweet friend Rebecca, HERE. Goes perfect with a white shirt or tee and jean jacket.

 love me some accessories...

I've realized that if I haven't worn something for a few years, then it's time to let someone else enjoy it. I'm trying not to give into "impulse" buying, but keeping a plan in my head. I've been guilty of buying something on a whim and then never wearing it because it just didn't work for me, or I wasn't comfortable in it. That's another subject...if it's not easy to wear and comfortable then it's pushed to the back of my closet. I don't like fussy or restricting or "too tight". When we were packing to move, I took all my clothing pieces that I wore over and over out and then scrutinized everything else. I DID keep a variety of black pants from dressy to casual. A black pant or skirt can take you a million places.

I think I gave away about 3/4's of my closet. My mom attends a small church in an older part of town with many people needing financial help, so I send my things to them. So far I haven't missed anything I've given away, fingers crossed for this winter. I tend to live in jeans, sweaters, and boots in cold weather, so I'll probably be OK. 

Where do I shop? I'm a petite, so I have to shop where they are available. J. Jill, Chico's, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, and Coldwater Creek...they had the best fitting jeans and pants for me. Hope they reorganize soon, I used them for "the basics". I buy accessories anywhere. My trips to STL have resulted in some great shopping, both my daughter's have great fashion sense so they help me put outfits together.

I think it's fun to see fashion pics and choices of individuals. It helps to "get to know them better", and gives us an opportunity to make some buying and giving away strategies for ourselves. Obviously none of these photos are me. And if you'd like to see more fashion fun, then check out my Pinterest boards Here and Here.

now go clean out that closet,

(but have fun doing it)

joining in at The Scoop

xoxo,