Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree...

 I have 4 Christmas trees in my home and this has to be my favorite. All the blue and silver ornaments glittering off the white lights makes it cozy, modern, and cute.

I love my tree, but there is one major problem with it. My two dogs seem to think it is their personal dog-toy tree.  I have 'lost' over a dozen ornaments and bulbs this year alone, only to find them shattered in pieces around the house or stuck halfway under the couch.

Evidence Below.

Mom, I'm not looking you in the eye because I know I'm naughty. I have to admit I feel a little guilty about it...

...But I just can't help myself!

Linking up to...

The DIY Showoff

Power of (spray) paint

My husband loves auction sales... a little too much sometimes.  I'm not going to lie though, I love the goodies he brings home for me :)

  He got this vase awhile back for ONLY $1!

  LOVE the shape but the color doesn't really go with anything in my home.  Nothing a good can of glossy spray paint can't handle.

BEFORE

AFTER

TIPS:

*When you looking for decor such as vases, photo frames, or bookends to fit into your home, look for the shape of the item, not only the color.  Color can always be changed.

*The finish of your paint (flat, gloss, etc.) really has an impact on the item.

*If spray painting, use multiple light coats instead of one heavy one to speed up drying time and prevent dripping.

*Don't underestimate the power of spray paint! Almost anything can be painted with the right prep and product.

You might find me linking up to:

The DIY Showoff

Savvy Southern Style

DIY by Design

No Minimalist Here

Tales of a Bloggeritaville

The Shabby Chic Cottage

At the Picket Fence

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Yesterday on Tuesday

French Country Cottage

Creative Kristi

2805

Clean vs. Dirty Colors- My OWN Experience

I can admit, before I went to the wonderful Maria Killam's True Colour Expert workshop, I didn't know much about color.  I liked color, I used color (not always right), and I noticed color... but I didn't have confidence in why it worked to use one versus another.

At the workshop, one (major) concept we learned about was the difference in clean and dirty colors.  I remember reading Maria's blog posts at Colour Me Happy over and over, trying to understand it.
I didn't.
To solve that problem, I took a little jaunt over to Vancouver and attended the workshop.

While I sat in class and filled my brain full of information, I kept thinking about how wrong a few colors in my home were... and how my husband would wish that I never attended after I told him we needed to repaint almost, well,  everything. 

One of the colors that I knew was wrong was an accent wall in my living room.  (If you read my earlier post about accent walls, don't be fooled, I am not completely against them!) 
The living room is very nuetral with pops of bright blue, green, and turquoise. 

To tie in the bright blue accents, I painted an accent wall a wonderful blue from a piece of art in the room.   Bad idea. It wasn't wonderful on the wall.
 So I repainted it with a different shade.  Better, but still not great.

There was just something about it I didn't like. Too bright? Too blue? I didn't know and wasn't willing to keep repainting it.  

BEFORE: 



Before.
It really wasn't this bright in real life.
Camera flashes + horrible photographers = SUCKY photos.





Before. No flash.


  During the True Colour Expert Workshop, I sat in that classroom and realized why I didn't the color I had blindly chosen. It was way too CLEAN for the room. It screamed 'kids room' and made everything else look dirty. All I did was find a DIRTY blue that was already used in the room and repainted.

  

AFTER:

After. The dirtied version of blue.



Better, don't you think?



Before 



 After

The best part? My husband didn't even notice.

And if I didn't tell him I repainted, he still wouldn't notice.  

Now... all I have to do is replace my coffee table, paint the other walls, install baseboards, replace all the lighting, find a new lam.. (K, I'll stop now)

 

Linking up to...

Savvy Southern Style

DIY by Design

No Minimalist Here

Tales of a Bloggeritaville

The Shabby Chic Cottage

At the Picket Fence

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

The DIY Showoff

If you need assistance with your own clean and dirty (home interior) issues, email me at coleyhueske@hotmail.com




Why it's Best to be Blue

My favorite color is blue.

Maybe my fondness for this color is because it has the power to evoke so many different feelings and can change hats in various contexts. It can be energizing, calm, fun, cool, earthy, elegant, or just plain pretty.

Maybe it's because this color sings when paired with yellows, greens, or pinks.

Or maybe it's because of it's versatility- it works as a strong accent color or as a soft neutral.

Enough of me talking it up, let these photos convince you themselves...

All photos courtesy of House of Turquoise

What is your favorite color and why?