spring break was really nice. the first half of the week was filled with good stuff. lots of relaxing with little house + yard projects mixed in. we gardened, we picnicked, and even enjoyed an amazing nap outside under the sun. we put a fresh coat of paint in henry's room. we lounged around and snuggled our kitties and read some more chapters in mrs. piggle wiggle.
by wednesday though, the lovely 80 degree temps had dropped to 50, and by saturday, it was in the 30s. i woke up that morning to find an inch of snow on the ground. huh? yeah, i felt like i had those funny slinky-eyed glasses on... you know the ones that the eyeballs come bouncing down? that was me early saturday morning when i found myself looking out to that snow covered landscape. what happened to all that green, and all that color?!?!? and what about my tulips!?!
thankfully, by mid-day, all the snow had melted. and by sunday, it was in the 50s again, and nice enough for us to enjoy a little easter lunch-egg hunt.
i also managed to finish a project that had been on the back burner for a while. it's a big wall in the kitchen that i had painted apple green right after we moved in last fall. i liked the green ok, but it never really "wowed" me. now, some of you might not be color-on-the-walls kind of people but those of you who are, might know just how difficult it is to actually go in a choose a shade. you make your way to the paint store all confident and ready to grab that color swatch and march on up to the counter to have it mixed. because in your mind, you know exactly what color you want. well, try matching that color in your mind to a paint swatch underneath that awful florescent light they've got going on in there. talk about stressssssss-ville-central!
after i had it mixed, i went home and cautiously rolled on the first few rows. and, hooooo boy. it was wrong. and it wasn't just wrong cause i was looking at it next to the apple green. it was just WRONG. so what to do? i took it back & asked if they wouldn't mind tweaking it- because, after all, i didn't go in there looking for electric salmon, but i sure did walk out with it. and they were happy to acommodate. i had it tweaked. and tweaked. and tweaked a final time. the paint mixing duo behind the counter was surely looking at me like i was a certified nutball color FREAK. were we going for red-orange or orangey-red? was it tomato-orange? mandarin orange? 60s orange? eh, i was ready to cry. in the end though, i got just what i wanted. and it was worth all that hullabalooo that i went through to get there.
so now the wall is finished and it's proudly displaying some of my favorite vintage advertisements from my collection of 1950s + 60s magazines. and i am happy every time i look at it. the bonus with this little kitchen gallery is that i can easily change-up the artwork whenever i want. i will certainly change it to feature some of henry's best art works down the road, and maybe even do all family photos. the frames were only $5 a piece from the craft store, so it's a great, inexpensive way to add some fun color and freshness to your world.
anyhow. happy tuesday, all. i'm happy to report that i am feeling much better than i was last week. less stress, more spunk. refreshed and ready to take on that next shop update. cross your fingers for an official warm-up this week. it is still chilly here in central virginia, only warming up to the low 50s today. come on, weather! it sure would be nice to take some photos outside, you know?!
Fantastic color!!!
Posted by: Jenny Rebecca | April 10, 2007 at 01:45 PM
Sometime when I pick a wall color, after I've ruminated on it for 6 months, it's like I close my eyes real tight and hold my breath until I get it all up on the wall in anticipation of whether or not it was the color I had in mind. I have a much easier time picking colors for everyone else! Love the pumpkin orange.
Posted by: Erinn | April 10, 2007 at 02:32 PM
I really like the pics you put up. I did the same thing with some vintage patterns it came out looking great. Love your site!
Posted by: Kathleen | April 11, 2007 at 10:12 AM
Glad you are feeling better.
I love the orange. I just change my orange kitchen to ready for this..khaki. What a bland change that I was ready for.
ps-the cold weather isn't my think either. Actually I loathe it.
Posted by: Amber | April 11, 2007 at 11:12 AM
The framed vintage prints look awesome. What a great idea!!!
Kari
Posted by: ArtsyMama | April 11, 2007 at 02:56 PM
I love the new color! & the cupcakes. Cupcakes are probably my favorite thing to bake and decorate!
Posted by: val | April 11, 2007 at 05:52 PM
Glad to hear you got your spunk back! Oh, and tell Henry to watch the mail soon (he, he, he)!
Posted by: kara west | April 11, 2007 at 09:21 PM
I can't believe no one has asked about the shoes?! They're great... where did you get them?
Posted by: Susanne | April 12, 2007 at 01:03 PM
hey susanne!
the shoes are made by "me too" and are from urban outfitters, maybe 2 years ago? you might be able to find 'em on zappos? or on ebay... it seemed to be a really popular style, i saw them on quite a few pairs of feet! :)
Posted by: jenny | April 15, 2007 at 10:51 AM