Quotes + Sayings

Color My World

/ Ally Bean / 20 Comments

“All colors are the friends of their neighbors and the lovers of their opposites.”
~ Marc Chagall

Now that the evil ragweed season is upon us and the outside weather makes my eyes itch, I’ve found myself spending more time inside the house than normal.

As a way of entertaining myself, I’ve been researching color as it pertains to home decor + walls + artwork.  It’s a topic that I’m interested in knowing more about plus it makes me feel productive as I sit here muttering about that sneaky pollen out there.

So here’s what I’ve found.  Fun stuff.  Good information.  Often interactive.  Pollen-free.

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9 Designer Color Palettes.  This article is from Better Homes & Gardens.  I like how it made me rethink some of the ways in which I put color together.  Good ideas, as usual, from BHG.

Chip It! by Sherwin-Williams.  I uploaded a photo of the hollyhocks in our backyard and this is what I received back from Sherwin-Williams.  Neato, huh?

32 Paint Chip Projects.  This blog post has links to lots of ideas about how to use paint chips as art.  Admittedly I have yet to do try any of them, but if the weather continues to keep me trapped inside I’m going to give a few of the projects a whirl.  No time like the present, eh?

Design Seeds.  I don’t know when I first found this site, but I have to believe that it was one of the best days of my life.  Really.  If you adore color this is the place for you.  Design Seeds is filled with examples of color palettes created from photos of nature &/or household objects.  ‘Tis a wonderful place to visit, I tell you.

Benjamin Moore on Pinterest.  This Pinterest page is filled with a variety of boards.  Some are dedicated to specific colors while others are about decorating ideas.  There is even one board with photos from the Brimfield Antique Show.  Check it out.  It’s cool.

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What am I missing here?  Any other color websites that I need to know about?  Ragweed season goes on for a few more weeks, so I’ve got the time to look them over at my leisure.  😉

 

Reflections On A Vacation Not Taken

/ Ally Bean / 12 Comments

“I do not know everything;  still many things I understand.”  ~ Goethe

It’s unseasonably warm and slightly overcast here this morning.  I’m all for this unusually warm weather.  I don’t need the sunshine to make me feel like winter is over.  The warmth alone is enough to give my spirits a boost.

I got up later than my usual 6:00 a.m. today and decided to drink my morning coffee out on our screened-in porch.  We keep two old chairs and a make-shift table out there all winter long– just in case the weather allows us the opportunity to sit outside.

I got thinking as I sat outside this morning.  When Z-D and I sat down in early January to plan our vacation days, we had thought that we’d go somewhere together in March.  A spring escape to get away from the crushing gray of winter was what we had in mind.

At first we were going to San Diego.  Then it was Desert Springs.  Then it was Phoenix.  Then it was Tucson.  Then it was L.A.

But nothing would fit together quite right… his work schedule, our frequent flyer miles, our frequent snoozer points, our attitudes.  It just didn’t work for us.  So, we gave up the idea of vacationing in March.  There’s always April, we said.

However, now that I’ve spent a warm mellow morning out on our porch I have to admit that staying at home seems like a good idea.  Nice to hang out at home in my jammies and slippers.  Wonderful to kick back and plan my day with a mug of coffee at hand.  Very pleasant and rejuvenating.  Just like a late winter vacation in March, only much less expensive.

All of which makes me wonder if going on a vacation in April will be worth the bother.  We’ll see, of course.  Time– and hotel/airline prices– will tell.

Scattered Hither And Yon

/ Ally Bean / 14 Comments

“God is in the details.” ~ Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

I’m an organized person, but I am not a tidy person.  There is a difference.  The reality is that I know what I need to do to make things look tidy– and when my heart is in it, I can get things looking pretty darned spiffy.  If I do say so myself.

However, this past weekend when I attempted to get some of the more {how shall I say this?} egregious messes in our house under control, the Fates were not on my side.

•  For instance, I knew what I needed to make the bookshelves in the TV room look great.  But the shelves are so shallow that almost no baskets or photo file boxes or office-style charging stations now available will fit on them.  Except for one lovely wooden desktop organizer from Ballard Designs… that isn’t available for shipping until April.

*growl*

•  In the bathroom I had a very cute idea, gleaned from Pinterest, about how to make my make-up and other stuff look organized… but I need a tray of a specific size to make it happen.

So I tried Hobby Lobby, Meijer, Pottery Barn, Ikea, Crate & Barrel, Kroger, Kohl’s, Tuesday Morning & who knows how many places online. And here’s what I learned: that size of tray doesn’t seem to exist, rather like a unicorn.

*humph*

•  Meanwhile in the un-bedroom, the project stalled over the size, style and cost of the frames I need to create a gallery wall behind the chairs.  The beautiful floral drapes from Pottery Barn dictate the color scheme in that room.

But now I can’t find any images to put into the theoretical, yet-to-be purchased frames that won’t fight with the drapes, while gracing the wall behind the stylish and comfy chairs… that we bought at Crate & Barrel just last winter.

*loud sigh*

•  And then there is my perennially not-so-tidy desk in our home office… where I shuffle little pieces of paper and catalogues and pens and file cards all over the place.  Never quite sure what to do with all the notes I make.  Never quite able to file things properly in file cabinets or in computer files. Always aware that my way of organizing, such as it is, would give Leo Babauta nightmares & David Allen fits.

*oh well*

All of which brings me to the following conclusions:

  1. Decorating a home is much more difficult than I once believed– and makes me understand why so many people don’t even try;
  2. I do not enjoy the process of making a house pretty, but know, from experience, that I will love living in it after it’s all finished;  and
  3. That when this home redecorating project is over I might never, ever change another thing in this house again.  Ever.


What More Can I Say?

/ Ally Bean / 14 Comments

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Try as I will to make myself believe that Valentine’s Day is a Big Deal, I cannot do it.  I understand that it’s a holiday and that it’s based on love & friendship.  Love is good.  Friendship?  I’m all for it.  

And  I get that many people think that it’s the most romantic time of the year.  I’m happy for them.  Enjoy.  

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But to me it’s just another day in the middle of February– and a good excuse to buy a pretty bouquet of red/pink/purple flowers.  And maybe eat some expensive chocolates.  Nice things to do, but not all that compelling.  

I don’t have any specific reasons why I feel indifferent to Valentine’s Day, but I do.  So instead of pretending otherwise, I’ll just end this Valentine’s Day post with the wisdom of Eeyore.  I think that he sums up my thoughts beautifully.   

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“We can’t all, and some of us don’t. That’s all there is to it.”

~ Eeyore 

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