Our Home Paint Colours

Hey everyone!

So, remember I promised you that the Mason Jar Series would begin today?

Well, I was all ready to write my first entry and for some reason, I can’t get my photos off my camera. It’s very strange. I spent a couple hours last night trying all different ways to download them with no luck. I’ve never had this problem before…I can see the photos on the camera screen but for some reason they aren’t downloading onto my computer! Ugh. Any suggestions my friends? I think I may need to take my camera into the camera doctor to get those photos out and share a yum recipe with you. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, I’ve had lots of questions from you asking what the paint colours are in our home? Today, let’s talk main floor. All the colours are Benjamin Moore and Farrow & Ball. Here ya go J

(left to right)

1. Benjamin Moore - Stonington Grey (Living Room, Dining Room, Hallway)
2. Benjamin Moore - Coventry Grey (the grey in our entry way stripes)
3. Benjamin Moore - Cloud White (all the trim, doors and anything painted white in our house is this colour)
4. Benjamin Moore - Sea Haze (this is the back accent of the built-ins in the breakfast room)
5. Benjamin Moore - Kendall Charcoal (Playroom)
6. Farrow & Ball - Pale Powder (Kitchen & Breakfast Room)
7. Farrow & Ball - Skylight (stairway)

It’s hard to see the true colours of paint online, however here are a few photos to give you an idea of some of the paint on the walls.

Full story here

Full story of the playroom here

Picking paint is tough. Here are a few tips:

• Look for inspiration! Pick out a colour from your favourite rug, fabric or your favourite painting.  Of course, definitely check out Pinterest. It’s an abyss of inspiration.
• Don’t be afraid! If you want to go bold then do it. Try an accent wall or paint a table in the room a fabulous bright colour.
• Please, please, please avoid beige. Beige is like mom jeans….safe, boring and really don’t flatter your walls. I recognize that beige has many shades but think outside the box, there are other colours that will give your walls impact but create neutrality. Don’t just default to beige because you aren't sure what to pick.

• Pick up magazines. Head to the store and pick up a few magazines. Tear out pages and looks that you like. This is a great starting point.

• Hire a decorator. Picking colours is hard and you want to do it right the first time. For what you may spend on painting and repainting, you can hire an expert to help guide you in the right direction.

I hope you have a wonderful day. We can chat paint colours on our second and third floors next and I promise to start the Mason Jar Series as soon as my camera gives up the goods! Get well camera.

Keep it Beautiful.

A New Playroom for the Minis!

 

Hey guys!

 

With all the "back-to-school fever" hanging around our house, Mr. Fix-It and I started to make a list of all the things we want to do in the house this year. You all know that I've been wanting to re-paint the playroom for months now. The playroom was a yellowish-beige colour that we did when we first moved into the house and I never loved it. I always felt like it looked dirty. Blah. Yellows can be tricky for this very reason. Since the initial paint job, we've painted over most of it, except the playroom. 

 

So....when Benjamin Moore reached out to me, I reached back with open arms. They have something fabulous that you will love. It's called ben & ME. Honestly, it's just like buying a Bed in a Bag. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING you need to paint a room is in the ben & ME bag. One happy package!



 

In the bag you get all of this!



So great right? Here's what's in the ben & ME kit...

• 2 gallons of premium paint and 1 quart of trim paint
• sleeve roller, paint brush, paint tray, drop cloth, paint can opener & green painters tape
• How-to guide and even a playlist to get you on a roll! Ha! What a funny girl!

Next up was choosing a colour. Just because it's a playroom, doesn't mean it has to be painted every primary color under the sun. Remember, your home should flow from one room to another. Here were my thoughts...



And the winner is: Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal for the walls and Cloud White for the trim

 

I felt like it would flow well with the Benjamin Moore Stonington Grey in the living room and dining room. Plus, the dark colour would be a great anchor to the back of the house.

 

Here we go! This is what I was working with:

PLAYROOM BEFORE

The colour felt flat and dull. This project would also be a great excuse to organize all that stuff!







I turned up the tunes, put on my painting clothes and it was just ben & ME


Tape Trick. Here is a master taping secret: heat-seal the tape's edge (with friction!) by running a smooth tool like your finger, a spoon, or a paint stick along the edge. Heating up the sticky stuff helps it form a stronger seal against paint seepage. You don't want seepage!

Also, don't wait to pull your tape. Remove it, preferably while the paint is still wet, downward and at a 45-degree angle. Otherwise you risk puling some paint off with the tape, making your hard work for naught. If that does start to happen, run a sharp blade lightly across the painted edge of the tape before pulling. Phew!

Another tip: Wrap it Up! If you don't finish the paint job all in one go, don't let your brush or tray dry out. Wrap them super tightly in plastic or foil (I usually use Ziploc baggies) and seal all edges to keep the air away from them, then store them in your fridge. Don't eat them.

Okay, I've got one more tip to share: Defeat the Drips! When you dip your brush straight into the can and wipe it against the sides, you get messy drips on the can and, eventually, the floor. Ugh. Take a rubber band and wrap it around the can, forming a band across the top of the can. Now you can wipe away excess paint without a drop in sight. 

Ready for the new and improved?

VOILA!

 

I LOVE IT! You? It's fresh.fabulous.sophisticated. Clean and crisp. We added a few new hooks to the walls for the kids growing pile of dress-up clothes...

and...whipped out the old spray paint for the frames

Thanks to Ben & Me, our kiddies' playroom has gone from drab to fab. Honestly, this kit is amazing! If you're thinking of painting a room but don't want the hassle of picking up all the materials or unsure what rollers/brushes to buy then you need to march into your nearest Benjamin Moore Signature store and get this kit. Oh and did I mention it's only *$109 (value of $169). AMAZING! Go get it fast, this cool promo is only on until October 5th!

Oh and for all you Twitter party lovers, sheblogs Canada is hosting a ben & ME Twitter party on September 18th from 7-8pm EST. You can win some fabulouso prizes! I will definitely be there. Follow @sheblogsmedia and use the #DIYWithBen. Don't forget to RSVP here

Like it?

PLAYROOM AFTER
Here it is. Our new playroom!



 

Keep it Beautiful.

 



 

 

 

Although this post has been generously sponsored by Benjamin Moore, the opinions and language are all my own, and in no way do they reflect Benjamin Moore.

* With a qualifying purchase of two cans of 3.79 l ben® interior flat K625, eggshell K626 or semi-gloss K627 and one can of 946 ml ben® interior semi-gloss K627 for $109.00 suggested retail price, receive a FREE ben® & Me tote and painting kit at participating dealers. Limit one (1) per customer. While supplies last. No substitutions. Qualifying purchases must be made in single transaction. Actual price will be determined by dealer at checkout. Offer cannot be combined with other offers, discounts or promotions, or applied toward prior purchases. Offer valid August 25, 2014 – October 5, 2014. See your local participating dealer for details. Void where prohibited.

 

 

 



Let's Paint!

Hey everyone!

Long time no chat! We're back from our vacation to Mexico and it was oh-so-fabulous! We played, we swam, we drank, we ate, we were together! It was such a nice way to break up this crazy winter we've been having.

Now that we're back I have a few projects up my sleeve that I want to tackle. One of them is painting the playroom. You've seen our playroom before. I'm always on a mission trying to figure out how to re-organize it to make it more functional and less cluttered! Our playroom is at the back of the house. It is a tiny room that opens from the dining room and a good spot to keep the kids toys and play.
When we first painted the house, we painted the front hall, living room and playroom the same colour, Farrow & Ball Ringwold Ground. I've told you before that it just didn't work in the house. I felt like it looked dirty and didn't give the space any depth. You can see it here where it used to be in the front hall. It's the yellowy beige colour.

So...the only Ringwold Ground left in the house is in the playroom and it's time for it to go. Here is what the contrast looks like between the dining room and play room.

Here's my thought on paint colours. I'm thinking dark. The entire room is filled with windows so light isn't an issue and I love the dark navy colour in the boys room. Just because it's a playroom doesn't mean that it has to be covered in primary colours and decals. The living and dining room are Benjamin Moore - Stonington Grey:

so let's anchor the back of the house with something darker and stronger. Choosing the perfect grey can be tough. Greys can have blue, green, brown and purple undertones. If you're thinking about painting with grey make sure you try the colour in different lights. I find that the Stonington Grey looks much more blue in the house at night and more grey during the day.

Here are some options for the playroom (these are all Benjamin Moore colours):

Whatcha think? What's your pick? Have a fav? Have a definite "no way"? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Keep it Beautiful.