Benjamin Moore's Paint Color of the Year!

Whythe Blue, HC-143!



From the Benjamin Moore web site: "We have chosen wythe blue (HC-143) as Benjamin Moore’s 2012 Color of the Year. It’s a beautiful, calming hue that has an element of heritage that offers grounding rootedness, providing comfort and stability."

It's from the "Earth & Sky" palette {which I loooove}:



These are TWO versions of the same dining room, showcasing the "Earth & Sky" palette. Notice the ceiling, trim and accent colors, too.


{dining room #1, version 1}


{dining room #2, version 1}


{dining room #1, version 2}


{dining room #2, version 2}

Here are close-ups of the other colors in the "Earth & Sky" palette:


{sharkskin}


{fresh olive}


{battenberg}


{storm cloud gray}

Explore more of the Earth & Sky Palette HERE and see the behind-the-scenes details of the above dining room transformation.

Want some beautiful Wythe Blue eye candy?? Check out a slew of amazing images on House of Turquoise HERE and HERE.

Want help taking the SCARY out of choosing colors?? Hire Me!.

Adding FALL color to your home and wardrobe

It's still over 100 degrees in the Phoenix, Arizona valley so, despite the Halloween wreath on my door and cinnamon candle I'm burning in the kitchen, it doesn't really FEEL like fall yet.

So far, all I've done to ring in fall is to spruce up my outdoor space with some new pillows. I scored these for $5 on clearance at Fry's Marketplace. They're "my colors:" turquoise, green and brown.



See the candleholder on the white table? My friend got me that for a housewarming gift and it's perfect! It won't be long before we start using my fabulous fire pit. Can't wait for hotdogs and s'mores!



I AM I am loving all the fun, new fall colors I'm seeing, though!

If you're like me, you're looking for fun ways to add some new colors into your life.

This Mary Kay flyer arrived in the mail and had me swooning for the "rich jewel tones, equestrian browns, woodsy berries and icy pastels."


{image from the 9/11 Mary Kay "the look" catalog}

If you haven't updated your makeup bag in a while, think about snagging a few new eyeshadow or lip colors to freshen your look. You might be surprised at how many compliments you get just from wearing a new shade of lipstick!

If you need a Mary Kay rep, my dear old friend and mentor, Wilma, will help you (and she ships orders all over the U.S.--FAST!). Visit her personal web site HERE.

I also noticed that the Pantone's Fall 2011 Fashion Color Trend Report reflects many of the same colors. They describe them as "Sensible & Spirited."


{image source: Pantone}

To discover more about Pantone's fall colors and to play with the above colors, visit Pantone's web site HERE.

These are some fun paint colors I pulled out that went well with the above palette. Besides painting a room or an accent wall, think about painting a piece of furniture, some thrift store picture frames or a bench for your front porch.

For the pink..."Vivacious Pink" #122 by Sherwin Williams



For the blue-gray..."Languid Blue" #33 by Shwerin Williams



For the teal..."Maxi Teal" #6769 by Sherwin Williams



And if you're into yellows and golds..."Quilt Gold" #6696 by Sherwin Williams



This entire "Color Pizazz" collection by HGTV by Sherwin Williams is chock full of amazing fall colors that are "IN" this year. They are GORGEOUS.



Not quite ready to paint?

Looking for ways to add trendy fall color to your life without a big commitment?

Perhaps you can just paint your nails??

Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not by OPI

Or how about a pillow on your couch?

{teal pillow from Target}

Maybe a new handbag? {did you know that handbags are IN this year? It's true!}


{Rosetti snakeskin tote in "Rose" from Kohl's}

Perhaps some kitchen dishtowels?

{Crate and Barrel}

This, by the way, is my favorite HOT new fall color, AUBERGINE, exemplified in this...


{Fionn Aubergine Velvet Chair} from Pier 1.

If I were up for painting an entire wall, I'd go this direction (probably in the guest bathroom). So dramatic!


{"Fablous Grape" #6293 by Sherwin Williams} Swoooooon.

So far all I've done is paint my toenails an almost-black green color and purchased a new black top. I need to take my own advice and step out of the box!!

How are YOU embracing the hip colors of fall?

Choosing color doesn't have to be SCARY anymore if you... Hire Me!

What Color Collection inspires you?

My job is to help people pick colors that are right for them so I love it when companies make that task simple, FUN & easy!

Did you know that Sherwin Williams and HGTV teamed up to create eight "HGTV HOME by Sherwin Williams Color Collections???"



They are a collection of TWENTY paint colors that ALL go together! This is what the inside of the "brochure" looks like that you can get from your local Sherwin Williams store. EVERY color on the page goes with ALL the other colors!


{the Livable Luxe Color Collection}

As the brochure says... "Every color in this palette works beautifully together. Just pick the ones that move you most - as many or as few as you like! Use them as a guide when shopping for home decor as well."

I love the idea of helping a client pick 2-3 wall colors from the collection, then using the rest of the colors to select furniture, accent pieces, artwork and accessories to complete the room, CONFIDENT that everything will coordinate. It's perfect to take along on shopping trips, too.

WONDERING WHICH COLLECTION IS RIGHT FOR YOU? The best way to find out is, of course, to Hire Me!

Beyond that, I encourage you to explore the eight collection and decide which one speaks to you or which one best represents the "vibe" you want to create in your space.

Have fun exploring!

{MAKE SURE TO SCROLL THROUGH ALL THREE SAMPLE ROOMS PICTURED}

COASTAL COOL:: peaceful : inviting : fresh

COLOR PIZAZZ:: creative : dramatic : eclectic

GLOBAL SPICE:: bold : wordly : unique

LIVABLE LUXE:: modern : elegant : timeless

NEUTRAL NUANCE:: beautiful : understated : authentic

RUSTIC REFINED:: romantic : timeless : natural

TRADITIONAL TWIST:: timeless : confident : bold

URBAN ORGANIC:: grounded : comfortable : fresh

For example....{from the GLOBAL SPICE collection}...

if your walls are "Resort Tan"...



...with perhaps a "Framboise" accent wall...


...then you know that a couch, for example, in "Loggia" will be lovely!


Then you can look for accessories, rugs and artwork that tie in colors like "Honeycomb" ...



...and "Peppery."


All of the above pictured colors are from The Global Spice collection which, by the way, most closely resembles the colors I used in my previous home.


{our Avondale home, staged for sale}

The color palette for our CURRENT home, however, is quite different! It's closest to the "COASTAL COOL." In fact, our wall color, "Sea Salt," is one of the colors in the collection!


{the colors in our Chandler home}

Looking at the "Coastal Cool" colors together, it's easy for me to see that IF we had wanted a true gray on the walls, we would have needed to use "Comfort Gray." Looking at this palette, I can see that I can easily accent my soothing blues and greens with turquoise (which was in my original plan) plus POPS of emerald green, cobalt blue and even purple. How fun is that!?!?

SO WHICH COLLECTION IS THE MOST "YOU?" I highly recommend perusing the Color Collections HERE.

Still too scared of choosing colors?? Hire Me!

DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated with (nor being compensated by) Sherwin Williams or HGTV in any way. I just love them! :)

My Studio/Craft Room, phase one REVEAL!

Do I even have to mention that it's a work in progress???

I still have some projects to work on and fun goodies to arrange on the walls but I couldn't resist showing you the results so far!!


Your first peek as you come from down the hall. It delights me every time!


What you see when you walk in the double doors. Yep, the dresser drawers are still wonky. It's on the honey-do list.


The dresser hutch is the focal point of this room for sure. I know I'll always be rearranging things and that's part of the fun! I'm thinking about painting the back of the hutch pink. Whaddaya think??


I was so happy to be able to use this green "tower" to store and display my small amount of fabric that I use for making flowers. I like to SEE my pretty stuff! Plus my friends can pick through it to make a project of their own. I like everything to be user-friendly!


My tea station. I'd love to add a Keurig or French press eventually. I know some people prefer coffee, some prefer tea! I'm happy to cater to either. If you're an "I'll just have some water" type, bring your own. Hehe. I thought I was clever, putting fabric in the toast holder!


My seating area so I can have coffee or tea with a client or friend. {Or my mom!} I'd love for people to come sit and peruse my color and decorating books, too! I'm on the hunt for a bigger table (side table or nightstand, possibly with a drawer and a crystal knob) to paint pink for between the chairs that will fit two cups and saucers comfortably. Function over form, baby! See the pillow cover on the right?? I'd love to find a similar fabric and have a seat cushion made for the wicker chair {I scored for $7 at a neighbor's yard sale}.


My work space/craft table/desk and screen. I scored the screen for $19 from Goodwill WITH the $70 Hobby Lobby tag still on it!

Here's what on my table at the moment. The fabric samples I ordered to help me decide on what to use for our family room curtains. The turquoise and gray colors are what we already have in the house {this room was painted 'TAME TEAL' (the second one down) FROM SHERWIN WILLIAMS}, the yellow will be a POP color. Our final decision on fabric will be coming in a future post! :)



Wondering what is hiding behind that screen?? {I'd would be! I'm the curious sort who has to resist the urge to peek inside your bathtub or medicine cabinet when I use the guest bathroom!}


THIS mess!! My boys will be watching TV and playing X-box in the back of my room so we're working on getting their area better organized. For now, the screen hides it perfectly!

PHASE TWO will include my craft supply storage, bookcase and wall art!

What is in YOUR dream studio??

And if you're wondering where I got anything you see here, I'm happy to tell you (if I can remember). Just e-mail me or leave a comment!

If you want me to help you bravely choose the colors you love, Hire Me!.

Tablescape Fun

We've been in this house for two weeks and when I invited a potential future friend over for breakfast today, I looked around and decided that I better get rid of all the empty boxes and actually do some styling!

First up, my front hall table. I'm not hanging anything on the walls until everything is unpacked and we have a good master plan but for now, it's fun to play with artwork and accessories. I was inspired by a blog post about creating tablescapes using four elements: 1) candles 2) books 3) artwork and 4) flowers so I grabbed some of each and here's what I came up with.

I also tried to keep in mind the rule about using odd numbers when decorating and I felt like the five elements were a nice balance.



1) candles. The best I came up with was this candelabra and yes, its missing its taper candles! I have some turquoise ones but they're still packed up.

2) books. I used my Nancy Drew collection my parents just cleared out of my dad's office. It's important for the books' colors to tie in with the rest of the vignette and I love how the yellow ties in with the painting!

3) artwork. My painting from Southern Living At HOME/Willow House I scored on clearance years ago. I love the colors!

4) flowers are a faux bouquet I've had since decorating for my wedding 9 years ago and I still love the color and how realistic they are. I also happen to adore the turquoise SLAH/Willow House pitcher they're in.

I eventually added a lamp, too. I'll be on the hunt for a matching pair of similar lamps for this table.



Here it is as you come in from the garage.



Moving on to my dining area, which I had set up this morning for a new friend's get-to-know-you breakfast. I love the sunlit look....



and the pink bromeliad against the turquoise.

I need place mats!!




And here's a Chinese antique cabinet/sideboard in our family room. Again, I created two groups of odd-numbered objects (three) although the shell does make it four! Here's what I did:



Then my husband came along and made one small change and I do like it better (I think it's because I like the separation between the bold orange and turquoise pieces)! I swear, he has a better eye for design than I do. Bless him.



Do you "style" your tabletops? Do you typically use the four above-mentioned elements (candles, books, artwork, flowers)? Do you leave them alone or find yourself tweaking them all the time? SHARE! :)