Tag Archives | color
15
Sep

In My Office

Seemingly everything this year has been in reverse for me. First it was what I termed “Reverse Seasonal Effective Disorder” what with the horrendous heat and subsequent stuck-inside-all-day-and-we-are-going-bonkers hysteria that followed it. And now it seems that I have Fall Cleaning — instead of spring cleaning.  It must be the insanely crisp, delightful weather, but I am on an all-out spree to clean up this house and get it shipshape for fall.  So far, I’ve cleaned out three trash-bags full of clothes out of my closet alone.  I’ve also cleaned up & organized my pantry cabinet as well as the laundry room. However,  lest you think my house is spotless and perfect (ha), it still manages to look like Hiroshima every day.

I’ve also been working to get my office in order as it frequently becomes the dumping ground for whatever I don’t want to put away/throw away/file away. As I shot the photos in here, I realized that maybe part of the reason I don’t want to spend any time in here, as well as the anxiety this room seems to induce, might be due in part to the electric coral color I painted it. And I realized instantly that I am over it. I loved it when I first painted it, but wow – so so over it.  And these photos only make it look MORE electric than it is in real life. Gahhh.
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I think I need something more soothing, huh?  I do love my pretty painting from Pippin+Pearl in here, though.

Also, I’m amazed at the way that all colors seem to be sucked into this coral color unless it’s a strongly contrasting white or black.
But despite the electric coral (that MUST GO), I’m feeling much more organized. My supplies are at hand and are easily accessible. I also delight in my collection of fabulous glitter. :)
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I am obsessed with my melamine trays. I love how they seem to instantly organize anything. I use them in the office, the kitchen, and I’m getting my lucite ones in the next couple of weeks. Cannot wait to show you guys!
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Over the past few months, I’ve been buying up these white square cubes from Michael’s when they go on 50% off (such a deal). You can mix & match them to any combination that you need. I use mine for envelopes, ribbons, magazines, shipping supplies, and more.  Oh, and notice how I’ve had those bamboo chairs forever and I still have not found The Fabric to reupholster the seat cushions.  ::sigh::

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So now I think I have another project in mind once things slow down a little over here – Operation Repaint the Office. Maybe something like a pale grey? Or Restoration Hardware’s Silver Sage?
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What do you think? What color would you paint this room?

 

Let's Chit-Chat { 10 }
30
Aug

Art School for Toddlers

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This past weekend we attended Uptown Kids‘ first anniversary birthday bash, where they teamed up with Prevent Blindness Oklahoma. In addition to a crazy awesome carnival (complete with petting zoo!),  the kids also got to paint a canvas which will then be auctioned off in a couple of weeks to raise money for Prevent Blindness.  How cool is that?

Jude was in hog heaven getting to paint his little canvas, which got me to thinking, “Why don’t we ever do stuff like this at home?”

Oh yeah. My anal-retentiveness about having to clean up one.more.mess.  That’s why. :-

But c’mon – I was an art major, for pete’s sake! Can I not deal with a little mess to give my child a whole lotta joy?

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So it was off to Hobby Lobby we went, to pick up the couple of supplies we didn’t already have. I have a ridiculous amount of art supplies left over from my OU School of Art days.  All we were lacking were canvases, really, and a couple of tubes of paint that I was out of.  If you want to do this at home, remember that places like Hobby Lobby frequently run major promotions on art supplies.  All canvases, for example, were 30% off this week. Another idea is to go to a thrift store and buy up ugly paintings and let your kiddos just paint like crazy over them.

Hobby Lobby also sells giant packs of cheapo brushes that you don’t have to feel bad about ruining.

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Keep in mind that if you choose to use acrylics (like I do), either strip your kid down to his skivvies or put them in clothes you don’t mind ruining. You will not be able to get the acrylic paint out of clothes. Ever. Trust me on this one.

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I covered the kitchen table with an oil cloth splat mat that I had and taped it securely to the table so we wouldn’t have one of those “OMG” moments when one of us inadvertently pulls the tablecloth & all its painterly contents onto the floor.  A few dixie cups were filled with water & placed within sturdy plastic cups (again, to minimize spillage).  Then I let him have at it – and I did too!

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I forgot how awesomely cathartic painting is.  And for Jude, he was so stinkin’ proud of himself as he swirled the paint around his 2 canvases.  The first one he used the brushes on. But the second one, he  studiously applied the paint w/ a palette knife (my personal favorite method).

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Et voila!  Fabulous art for the upstairs! And he’s so proud of his work, he couldn’t wait to show Simon when he walked in the door last night.

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How about you? Do you indulge your kiddos in high-mess-potential projects? I feel inspired to try new ones now!

 

Let's Chit-Chat { 10 }
29
Aug

Primary School

Artwork

Primary colors aren’t just for preschoolers anymore! I’m eating up these bold hues for fall.

(1) Kate Spade Cut to the Chase necklace // (2) J.Crew townhouse trench coat // (3) Tibi wool dress // (4) Hunter wellies // (5) QUOTE bucket bag // (6) ModPop iPhone 4 case by Pencil Shavings Paper // (7) Chance stripe tank // (8)Madewell plaid boyfriend shirt // (9) Field Notes pocket book

Let's Chit-Chat { 0 }
22
Jul

Big Reveal: Jude’s Room

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Jude is very excited to show off his “new” room to you.  I’ve been slaving away all week long in every spare minute I had, taping and painting, and then taping and painting all over again. I’m such a perfectionist with stripes like that – I can definitely spot all the places where it’s not perfect. But you know, it’s pretty darn close and that’s good enough for me.

I started by penciling off the stripes every 7 inches from the ceiling to the floor, all the way around the room.  Afterwards, I taped off my blue stripes and painted those.  After letting it dry overnight, I went back and taped off the cream colored stripes.  The paint is Martha Stewart for Home Depot’s Muscari blue and Heavy Cream, although I had them mix it up in the Behr Premium paint as the MS paint, in my opinion, is really crappy quality.

Today when I had lunch with Sara Kate, she asked me about what kind of tape I used.  Several bloggers have raved about Frog Tape, and she was curious if I had tried it. It’s more expensive than my old standby, the true blue Scotch painters’ tape, but when I was buying my supplies, I grabbed a roll of it, and two rolls of my regular ol’ blue tape. In my opinion, save your money and stick with the Scotch painters’ tape. The only thing that’s different about the Frog Tape is that it’s more expensive and it comes in a fancy little plastic container.  You’re only paying more for the packaging.

Speaking of tape, here’s the ginormous tumbleweed of tape. It took 3 regular rolls of tape and then some.

Oh, I probably ought to show a few pictures of before. Actually, this is a long time ago when he was still in a crib.
New Rug in Jude's Nursery

In the Nursery

Kinda blah.

When I did the big reveal to Jude when he got home from Mother’s Day Out, he squealed “MOM! I love it! It’s so SO COOL!”  And I was pleased as punch to get that kind of reaction.  I think that’s my approach to interiors — they should elicit a reaction. Preferably happy, don’t you think?

 

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Someday I want to find a nice drum shade to stick on the lamp in the corner.  I love a ginger jar-esque lamp, but I prefer to modernize them with a  different shade.

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And while I had good intentions of painting the campaign side tables, I got too tired and thought “What the heck. They can stay as they are.”

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I also moved his dresser into the adjoining playroom and got all the toys cleaned up and semi-organized.  Keeping all those toys organized makes me absolutely crazy!

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I love the way the red pops against the pale blue and white. It’s the perfect balance.

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And of course, the inspiration for the entire room since he was born – the Matterhorn bobsled poster that Simon bought me as a present when we were dating.

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Let's Chit-Chat { 29 }
19
May

Summer Beauty

Ready for summer? Check out these fun beauty finds to get you in the spirit.

  1. Korres Lip Butter — the yummiest, thickest, nourishing lip balm I’ve tried in awhile
  2. Neutrogena UltraSheer Sunblock. This is the sunblock for people who don’t want to wear sunblock because they hate the way it smells/feels (this is me). I am in love with this stuff. I don’t even feel it on my face, which is my #1 gripe about sunscreen. Seriously – get it. Your face will thank you in 30 years.
  3. Goody Spin Pins.  I’m in an awkward grow-out phase of my hair, and I love using these pins to create the perfect messy topknot. Available at Target, Walmart, etc.
  4. Mane Message hair ties.
  5. Kate Spade High Tide Carryall. Keep your beauty goodies close at hand.
  6. Chanel‘s gorgeous array of pretty nail polishes.
Let's Chit-Chat { 14 }