So we're done painting our bedroom and we put everyone back in the room. I love it! It's hard to capture the color on camera though since the color kind of washes out and looks too similar to the original paint (i.e. bed wall color). But it's definitely different in a really good way. I'll try to get another photo in the morning. I just realized I can technically scratch Pinterest Challenge #2 off the list just in the nick of time! 1/02 Update: Added morning picture. :)
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I had planned on painting during the 3-day weekend but we were otherwise engaged. On Saturday evening we met up with a friend for dinner at her house. She cooked us a feast! On Sunday, in an effort to get out of the house, we went to Monterey and did the 17-mile drive. The weather could not have been more perfect. We ended up at Carmel By The Sea and walked around to closed storefronts (stores don't open on Christmas apparently!). On Monday we met up with family in the city and after a failed attempt to go shopping (no parking) we came home around mid-afternoon. Overall it was a full weekend but it did not feel stuffed or rushed. Perfect. :) When we got home on Monday, I decided to start by cutting in. I got this nifty little brush by Wooster last week from Home Depot and it is the perfect tool for cutting in. Really good control, comfort (soft rubber grip) and size. I skipped taping altogether and it saved a lot of time! It's also a great value in my opinion since it's the same cost as a roll of tape that I can now return. Highly recommend! Last night we rolled on the paint on two and a half walls. That's how much wall just one gallon of paint covered! I think I like Behr much better than Olympic. The paint didn't separate at all so I didn't have to constantly stir it with the stick. It also went on nice and thick. Tonight we finished painting although we may have some touching up to do tomorrow. We'll see after the paint dries. Here's a preview of the new color. Can you see how different it is from Secret Passage? I love the new gray. It is so beautiful in our lighting condition (except I don't know how to take pictures well enough to show you). It's a very soft, relaxing gray. Sophisticated but not stuffy. And calming - which is important. I absolutely love it! We're hoping to settle all the furniture back in their places after touching up! 12/29 Update: Took a morning picture!
So I was haphazardly shopping on Ikea.com when I ran into this sale. I did a double take. Are you serious? Garage shelving for 10 bucks?! David and I then ran downstairs, hopped in the car and trucked it over to Ikea. As we were entering, we see people after people carting these things out and I was afraid that they would be sold out by then time we get in. We power-walked downstairs straight to the warehouse (good thing we're masters of the Ikea floorplan by now).
And then we saw the line. Oh my. I ran to join the line while David went to grab a cart. Thankfully there were Ikea workers there making sure each person can only buy two so we got our hands on four. There were literally less than ten of them left when we left. *Sigh of relieve. Ahh. Getting a good deal feels so good! We determined to go somewhere for this long weekend. It was easier to relax in our comfortable home but sometimes you just need a change of scenery to inspire new thoughts and attitudes. So off to Monterey we went. So it's been like two weeks since we painted our bedroom Secret Passage by Olympic. And it was no secret that I wasn't happy at the end (just read the last post). In fact, I pouted for like 2 hours after we finished painting. Yes, I can be childish and immature like that. Well, I've had some time to digest the color and can be more objective about it now. Actually, first of all the color is different from the paint chip. I think there is something wrong with Lowe's machine or something so I'm wondering if I should attempt to get a refund on the paint or not. The paint chip clearly does not have this blue in it. Secondly, I think I understand a bit better what color I wanted now that we painted it once. I realized that gray can be both cool & uninviting as well as warm & inviting. What I didn't like about Secret Passage is the icy blue that is in it. It just made the room feel really cold & unapproachable. I realized what I really wanted was greige (grey + beige). Here is our room again in Secret Passage -- or what I fondly call "the blue room"). In the last post I also mentioned that I went to get a sample of Dolphin Fin by Behr. And last night I painted swatches of Behr's Dolphin Fin and Benjamin Moore's Ozark Shadows (cut 50%) on the walls. I was really generous with the swatches this time and I painted some on every wall. I finally understand why the sample bottles are so generously sized now! Why not make the most of it and make sure the color is right? Anyway, we both liked Dolphin Fin better last night (Ozark Shadows has an interesting brown/yellow undertone) but we wanted to wait until morning to make sure we like it in the morning as well. What was so nice about Dolphin Fin is it's exactly the same color as our cotton blanket we use under our comforters. I love that gray! So I was really excited as soon as I saw it on the walls. We woke up this morning and I was still loving the Dolphin Fin! We also liked Ozark Shadows in daylight, but didn't want to go with it since we didn't love it last night. Dolphin Fin is the one on the right in the following photos. I just went to Home Depot to pick up 2 gallons. :) I am giddy/excited about painting. If you don't have any weekend plans and would like to help a friend, you are welcome to come over and help us paint. :D
So after a couple more days of painting + touching up, I think we're done... Why the unexcited tone? Well, I'm not loving the color. I don't know if you can tell in the photos but the paint look bluish. Even purplish on some walls under certain lighting conditions. It does have gray in it, but it's also very clearly bluish-purple. The color also looks different on different walls. I don't really understand how this happened but I did find some consolation online. Apparently, getting the perfect shade of gray on your walls is tough. All grays have blue, purple or green undertones in them so it's tricky to get the one that's right for your room with your lighting. So lots of people just try lots and lots of samples to make sure they got the right one. So, basically what I'm saying is we're back to the drawing board. I did read some good reviews for Behr's Dolphin Fin being a pretty "true gray" -- whatever that means. So I went to get a sample from Home Depot yesterday. And I just have to give a shout-out to my husband. I really, really thank him for being okay with my crazy home decor tendencies. And for putting in several hours for 3 days to do the painting. And mostly for displaying a heroic amount of patience and not flipping out at me for wanting to repaint.
Not to say he's excited about it (I'm not either) but I really can't live with the blue-gray. I just can't. It just looks so off to me and I can't be happy in it. I know - I'm probably being a major snob about this but, well, it's our master bedroom and I really want to get it right. Even if it means another $50. So here's to us for finding the most calming, relaxing and beautiful gray!!! I know you're out there somewhere! And even though this specific color is wrong, I do see that it's more of what I envisioned our room to eventually look like. This is going to be a random post about 10 of my favorite products! I am usually not that loyal to products, but there are a few items that I buy over and over again. These are things I own and/or have used for some considerable amount of time and would recommend to others. 1. Johnson & Johnson Dentotape Yes, we have a favorite dental floss and that says something because I HATE flossing. And it isn't even because I used to work for J&J. I truly feel that this is the only floss that can leave my mouth feeling completely clean. My whole family also uses it and now it's also David's favorite. Don't be fooled by the "for wide-spaced teeth" thing on the package. It's for anyone who wants a super clean mouth. Just to show you how much we love this product, David and I drove to 3 Wal-marts in search of these when we ran out. It was a sad day. We had to use some other floss we had laying around (like ones the dentist give you as samples). Wal-mart has the best prices at $2.97 each and they are constantly out of stock in stores so when I finally found some, I shameless horded. 2. Shiseido White Lucent Emulsion I'm actually surprisingly loyal to my skincare products and the one I like the most is the Shiseido White Lucent Emulsion (basically a moisturizer). Yes, these are pricey and I did get some Duty Free on our trip back to Taiwan recently so I saved a few bucks on taxes. But I've used this exact moisturizer for...I want to say 3-4 years? It's my absolute favorite because it covers well, moisturizes well with small amount and feels so light on the skin. That's not always an easy combination to achieve. Oh, and it smells really good, too. :) And I know you're supposed to use the softener (basically toner) before the moisturizer but I never do and I don't see the need to. Also this moisturizer comes in AM & PM versions. The AM version basically has SPF 15 protection. I didn't think that was enough SPF for me so I use the Shiseido SPF 55 sunscreen in the mornings so I don't buy the AM version. A note is that I don't use the full White Lucent line. I have tried the face wash but my skin feels too oily afterwards (especially during Summers). So I still use the Pureness line face wash that I've been using since HS/college. Once in a while I do use the White Lucent face wash when the air feels really harsh & dry, and it feels nice because it doesn't leave your skin feeling stripped of moisture. 3. Pantene Restoratives Shampoo & Conditioner This is not the regular Pantene shampoo. It used to be called Pantene Restoratives so I'm still stuck in that term, but apparently it's now called "Restore Beautiful Lengths". Target sells them for around $5 each. Actually it used to be $4.84 a month ago and the price has since gone up to $5. My hair feels silky soft and smells incredible afterwards. I've actually had people ask me what shampoo I use because it smells so good. And I've noticed that whenever I throw an "empty" bottle away in the toilet room, the room smells great. So I'm thinking maybe I can somehow make air fresheners from this? Oh well, a project to think about for another day. 4. Thomas O'Brien Towels Getting towels used to be hit and miss. Some towels feel nice and soft but they turn out to be super non-absorbent. (I hate wiping hands on a non-absorbent towel. It feels like you are just pushing the water around.) Or they turn out stiff/rough after you wash them. I hate it when that happens, too, because you can't return them after you use it. Well, last year I gave these towels a try and got 2 beige ones for our bathroom. Since then I've gotten 2 more bath towels and 1 hand towel. I'm thinking about replacing the guest towels with these eventually. You can get these at Target and they come in neutral colors. I would admit they don't come in a huge array of colors. But if you are looking for a nice white, gray or beige towel, I would highly recommend these. Always fluffy out of the drier. Super plush and absorbent. Oh and I also got a bathmat and it's great, too! 5. Crest Pro Health Toothpaste Don't remember why David and I decided to give Crest Pro Health a try but we're glad we did! We're kind of picky about dental hygiene stuff. I'm picky because I hate spending time on it and when I do, it better be good. He's picky because he's probably the most dental hygiene conscious person I know. I don't think all toothpastes are created equal but I'm not sure what it is about Pro Health that just leaves your mouth feeling super clean and not like it's stripped. But it does, so we didn't think twice about grabbing the pack of 4 XL tubes at Costco. 6. The North Face Waterproof Jacket It's the only thing I have from The North Face so I'm not sure about the rest of their products, but I got this waterproof jacket just before I went backpacking in Europe back in 2006. And since then, no matter where I travel it's always in my luggage. What I love about it is it's so lightweight, compact (folds up to the size of 2 mugs), waterproof, windproof (which means it'll keep you warm) and low maintenance (just run it under some soap & water if you are on the go). There are also side zippers that you can unzip if it gets too sweaty inside. Oh and it comes with a hood that actually covers your eyes, which is nice when it rains. And another really nice thing is it zips up to your chin so it keeps your neck warm as well! This jacket is definitely designed thoughtfully. I liked mine so much that I got one for David, too. It's around $100 and worth the price. 7. L'econome Paring Knife When Ruedi(sp?) came over for Pacifica's Cooking Fellowship, he gave each one of us this paring knife. I absolutely love it! It slices through things like no other knife I've used before. Also the weight of the knife feels great for slicing. And I am not the type of person to talk about stuff like "weight of knives". I think I finally buy into the "a good knife makes all the difference" thing. Anyway, I'm really enamored by this knife and I don't use another knife at all unless I have to (like when this one is not long enough). And when searching for an image I saw that they sell it at Sur La Table and it's on sale! I may just get another one. :) 8. Gino Instant Coffee This is the best instant coffee I've ever had. Seriously. Nothing else comes close to the aroma and the flavor. I've special ordered through Dad when he's in Taiwan because they are so hard to get! But if you have a Marina Supermarket nearby, give that a try. Gino has since branched out to also milk teas and stuff but I only love their instant coffee in the green packaging below. Actually, their instant milk teas are pretty bland. So don't get them. 9. Lysol Wipes I owe my gleaming kitchen countertops to Lysol wipes. And yes, the orange one is my favorite scent. This is the most versatile cleaner I've used. I rarely use other products except for special cases (like bleach in the toilet). I Lysol wipe everything: toilets, countertops, baseboards, tabletops -- anything with a surface. I think they're better at picking up dirt than those static cling things. Although I have heard they're not great for the environment so lately I'm experimenting with vinegar, baking soda, borox and alcohol. But none of those can beat the convenience of whipping out a wipe and having a go with a dirty surface so it's going to be painful for me to switch. 10. Dyson Cordless Hand Vac I think this may be the best gift we received for our wedding! I never knew a cordless hand vac would be that useful but it really is. We use it regularly to quickly pick up random stuff that inevitable ends up on the kitchen floor. So much more convenient than busting out the full-blown vacuum. I also use it a lot to vacuum the hair & dust that gather around the corners of the foyer. I've never really had another hand vac, but this one has great suction power in my opinion. It sort of sweeps up everything around its mouth so you don't necessarily have to point at every little thing you want to pick up. But we also take really good care of it by washing out the filters & all removable pieces regularly. Well, that's it! Hope some of this information would be useful to you! And I would love to hear your favorite products especially for these categories because I'm still on the hunt!
1. Body Wash - Need one that moisturizes well, feels clean afterwards and smells nice. I do love Health Basic's Honey & Jojoba body wash but they're only available in NZ the last I checked. I should really check again because it's such a great product! 2. Lip Balm - Need one that stays on the lips but aren't too pasty, doesn't taste/smell like Vaseline and doesn't dry out too quickly. 3. Body Moisturizer - I've used every single Aveeno one (b/c I used to work for J&J) and while they're okay I'm hoping for something better. Something that goes on light and moisturizes for a long time. I'm basically hoping for something like my face moisturizer but for the body. :) I was laying in bed when this thought came to my mind. And I felt so inspired that I created this in an effort to remember it longer. The Bible teaches us to refine our faith and to remove the impurities from it. Which is to say we should be working to concentrate it and not let it become diluted.
How often have we allowed our faith to be diluted? Think about our marriages, our children, our relationships, things we own, our pursuits and our jobs? Do they concentrate our faith or do they dilute it? If something is diluting our faith, then perhaps the blessing from God has become a curse to us instead of a blessing. Last week we got our gray paint for the master bedroom. We ended up sticking with Olympic's Secret Passage instead of going with a deeper gray. And yesterday we painted 2 out of the 3 walls. Only 3 walls because we're not painting the bed wall. I had other plans for it! We still have one more wall to go but I was too tired to paint tonight. Work was so busy that when I got home I just wanted to lie in the bed and do nothing. Oh, by the way, we're sleeping in the guest room right now while the paint dries. Even though Olympic paints are no VOC, it still has a slight paint smell to it. And of course since we're painting the bedroom we moved a bunch of stuff to the hall and the guest room. So basically our house is A MESS. And just because I found all the mess to be so amusing (humor is the only way to cope in times like these) I took pictures so you can share in my amusement. Nothing says "comfy" in the bedroom like having a ladder inside. And since we're not sleeping on the bed it makes a nice spot for drying socks. And yes, we still have to paint the wall with the windows. But before that we have to take down the curtains + rods. Understand why we're doing this one last now...? *sigh
Today a lady came by and bought the silk curtains from us. Just when I handed her the curtains, I felt a little bit sad to part with it. It was one of the first purchases David & I made together for our home and it feels so strange to let it go. It's strange how our emotions can be tied to physical objects like that. Well, they're gone and I'm adjusting to their absence. And if you are super observant, you'll notice I painted a 3rd color swatch (very top one). It's a much deeper gray than the others and I'm actually liking it lot. So I may change my mind about Secret Passage.
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