color swatches

Time for me to share a secret. A secret talent I wish I had, so that I could have made a career out of it. This time, no, it is not having one dominant artistic talent so I could live strictly off my creativity. I am convinced after all that this may not be the life after all.

I wish I was an expert at the color palette. Admittedly, I do have better skills than many. I can tell the distinct difference between colors -- which have more browns, reds, yellows, blues, etc. Although even with this, it's not enough to cut through the color and identify what would look best.

As per the photo, we're in the midst (correction: I am in the midst, and pm has given me all decision making capabilities on color--as long as it is not red) of choosing colors for the walls. We had a couple of easy decisions.

I always wanted a green bathroom. After 30+ color swatches and evaluation, we got that project done. Since then, we've only done one other wall and it was just the accent wall. My next project entails painting an accent wall in the kitchen. The larger project tying into this is painting the hallway.

I know that I want for the colors to be rich, but not overbearing. We have a very well lit kitchen. We've already got reds, blacks, greens, purples and beige. This got me thinking in the direction of yellow. Blue and green (in my opinion) are too chill for a kitchen. Since the party almost always starts and finishes in the kitchen, it has to be a color that evokes energy. Since red is out of the picture, I am leaning toward yellow.

I took an inventory over the weekend of the paint swatches to date I have collected. It is ridiculous. How hard is it to make a decision? Well, hard. I know it's just paint and you can just repaint it again if you decide you don't like it. I am perfectionist people -- I want to do it right the first time and get it right the first time.

My master plan is to make some decisions this weekend so that more paint can go up on the walls. I have a few tricks up my sleeve to help me make decisions:

1. The paint color must have a food name. To date, we've used "Pistachio Ice Cream" and "Italian Roast" (I am personally leaning toward something with coconut :))
2. Label my favorite colors with numbers. Ask pm to select a random number.
3. Have you vote. I could post the colors, and you could vote.
4. Don't paint this weekend. Ponder more...

And, so there it is. I wish I was a colorologist. With that, I wish I could just make a decision. It's just paint, right?

stop. in. action.

The last month has been a series of green lights followed immediately by red lights, with little to no time to even see the yellow to pause. Fact is: I need some yellow lights. Time to decompress, relax and reclaim some balance.

We've been busy with getting settled--something that I did not think would be so time consuming or long-lasting. While I would say we are settled, we still have a little ways to go until our house becomes a home. More paint is needed on the walls, more furniture to fill the voids and most importantly, art to be hung on the walls. It is killing me to have all of our artwork fanned along the floor, waiting for the correct place to be identified before mounting.

Aside from settling, we've been graced by the presence of oversea visits. It has been a real treat to finally have the space to accommodate the family that lives so far away. It's also been fun to host and show off our new digs. [Perhaps the best part of entertaining is that you don't need any excuses to bake. I wish I had a photo of all the cakes/breads I have made in the last 5 weeks. I've been on a roll...]

Back to yellow. It's been a bit lately like being stuck at the intersection, wanting to cross and waiting for the changing of the lights. Will the lights now change because you there isn't enough weight to recognize you there? Did you arrive just as they changed, forcing you to have to wait until you're granted passage again? Or, what?

It so for this reason that I need to make a pledge. A pledge not to anyone but myself and my own creative endeavors and capacities. So here goes it:

1. I will make time to do something creative, even if it is only for 15 minutes every day.
2. I will commit (in addition to #1) to devote time for myself every day.
3. I will not stress out about the things that I cannot control and cannot change.
4. I will reread this list to remind myself of my pledge.

This is going to be a bit of a challenge, but I am going to do it. Wish me luck, thoughts, tips, etc.

spring time

I think (and hope!) it is safe to say that spring has arrived! I've seen the proof: daffodils blooming and robins hunting for worms. Let's not forget the nearly full week of consistent sunshine folks!

It's not that this past winter was colder or longer than most, it just felt like it. Maybe because we moved right before temperatures really started to drop. However, I think it has much more to do with the fact we walk almost everywhere now. There is no sense in driving; public transportation is faster and more adventurous.

Now that it's spring - that means in with the new, out with the old. We're hoping to do some refreshing of the apartment, daily tasks, and most importantly....our creative energy. It never ceases to amaze how much easier it is to do things when the weather is nice. Instead of bundling up to brace the cold, you can just go. Here's to a weekend and many weeks ahead of e.x.p.l.o.r.i.n.g.