Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! I've never really been a big celebrator of Halloween, but the littles are so excited about dressing up - it really does make Halloween so much fun! Are you (or your little ones) dressing up this year?!

Weekend & Pantone Paint Winner

We traveled to Memphis this past weekend for my cousin's wedding. It was a beautiful event, and we had a wonderful time visiting family. It was David's first trip to Memphis, and the longest road trip we've taken with the littles. We are sleep-deprived, but we made it back uneventfully. The trip there was rough - we made it in at 3:30 AM, thinking that it would be easier to travel while the children slept. Instead, we had to try to entertain very exhausted children who would not go to sleep. And I must admit, we resorted to the DVD player on the trip back. It was so, so, so nice. It makes me less afraid of taking longer trips in the future.

David & I at the rehearsal dinner

I find that since having children, photos of just the two of us are so rare. And photos of just me are non-existent. I want to change that.

Today, I'll be unpacking and catching up on my post-travel to-do list that grew while I was gone.

And I'll be back later in the week with some homemade Christmas magic. (This cold & wind are making me that much more excited about the holidays!)

The winner of the paint give-away via Random Number generation is Amy from All in the Family. Send me a note Amy and your paint will be on it's way!

Right Now...

Right now, I am::


:: savoring a nibble of the last cookie, shared with my littles.
:: feeling proud that I fought my boredom, all day. With a dance party, outside time, and Christmas gift making.
:: browsing vanilla beans for vanilla extract making.
:: in love with the Waldorf doll I am crafting - sneak peak to come soon.
:: a little lonely.
:: enjoying the perfect weather.
:: melting over the little words I overheard today: "Damon, you are my best friend, ever!"
:: looking forward to my cousin's wedding this next weekend and getting to see family!
:: befuddled by my 3-year-old's obsession with the story of Rapunzel- what a strange story it is.
:: eagerly waiting for my fall garden to grow, more.
:: going to choose a winner of the paint give-away very soon!. If you haven't yet, leave a comment to enter!
:: laughing at Dmitri's critiques of my "hairography" during our spontaneous fighting-the-witching-hour dance party this afternoon. "No, you should do it like this....."
:: remembering why it has taken us 10 months to paint our picket fence. Still working on the second coat, slowly but surely!
 :: debating: halloween costumes - to make, or not to make.
:: wishing my first niece, Amelia, a very happy 2nd birthday!

Just Because It's Fall Photo Shoot

The weather this morning is perfect, and the littles were amenable. And so what better time to pull out the camera and take a few photos...

I know I'm a little biased, but I can't help but think I have the sweetest boys. So much love.

Weekend.

We took a very impromptu trip to the mountains this past weekend - and it was really wonderful to get away from some of the stress that has been building here lately. David has been very busy with graduate school applications, the GRE, and his usual workaholic busy schedule. The kids and I miss him, and we are still trying to find our rhythm after being shut-ins for nearly two months.

We ate, and lounged, and felt like we watched the leaves changing before our very eyes. It was peaceful, and relaxing, and fun.

 
At the local Farmer's Market - such a neat place.

 Looking at pumpkins

 My little Damon-boo riding a tractor - I think this one was from 1938.

 Dmitri on the tractor

Damon was scared of a man that walked up. It was pretty hilarious.

leaves.

 This kid loves BBQ.

 He love cones.

and coffee. There's always coffee.

Back to real, messy, life. I wonder how I can make every day feel more like this weekend....

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

 

Grey Scale Ombre Wall: MyColor™ inspired by Pantone® Painting Party

I am very excited to be participating in the MyColor™ inspired by Pantone^® Painting Party that begins today at noon EST.

 About the Paint Party:

A group of DIY bloggers, including myself, have completed projects using MyColor™ inspired by Pantone^® paint. Now we are revealing our work and giving you the opportunity to win some paint for your own DIY projects! I painted a grey-scale ombre wall, which was a little crazy and challenging, but a lot of fun. You can check out more details below. Be sure to jump to the other blogs in the party for even more inspiration - there are some really talented people taking part!

Win Some Paint:

If you’d like a chance to win a sample of MyColor™ inspired by Pantone^® for your own project, simply comment on my post and share how you’d use MyColor™ inspired by Pantone^® in your next project. Feel free to comment on the other blogs in the party too – they’ll all be giving away samples! For a second chance to win, tweet your project ideas to @MyColorPaints using hashtag #PassItOn. You can also like the MyColor™ inspired by Pantone® Facebook page to get access to the schedule for today’s parties as well as more paint parties going on this month! For another entry, share your project ideas on the Facebook page!

Participants that You Won't Want to Miss:

·  Kristen @ Kristen F. Davis Designs *Go Back to the Beginning!*

·  Caroline @ The Feminist Housewife *You Are Here!*

·  Julie @ Belle Maison *Continue to this Blog Next!*

·  Denise @ Pink Postcard

·  Suzan @ Simply Vintageous

·  Shannon @ Shannon Berrey Design Blog

Without further ado, my ombre wall!

While I love grey, our playroom is a large room, and the grey on such a large scale was a little underwhelming. I wanted to add a focal point to add definition and interest to the room. Here is a before shot of the wall that I painted, after I had cleared away the furniture:

And the after:

And the process:

1. I taped off the trim, fireplace, and the corners of the wall with painters tape.
2. I measured the wall and marked with a pencil where I wanted what colors to go.
3. Cut in! I ended up painting the entire wall with a brush. I started at the top with my lightest color.
4. Paint color number 2 below color number 1.
5. Blend, blend, blend. I used a mixture of a dry paint brush, and a dry rag to blend the two colors together. I went section by section, painting the second color, then blending, before moving on to the next section.
6. Repeat. And again. And again.
7. Touch up any spots that are uneven. You can always paint back over it with lighter or darker!

-I used the paint colors Lunar Rock, Cloudburst, and Phantom by MyColor inspired by Pantone. I also blended Cloudburst and Phantom for the second darkest shade of grey.

Total Time Spent: ~ 6-7 hours

I was really nervous about how this would turn out. I really went out on a limb, and there were moments when I had my doubts. But it looks really awesome, and I'm very happy with how it turned out. It's dramatic, but that is what I was going for.

I really liked the MyColor paint. It was very low odor, and I got amazing coverage. I couldn't believe that I could paint part of the wall black with only one coat! Not to mention, I was painting on plaster.
MyColor™ inspired by Pantone^® reached out to me to participate in the MyColor™ inspired by Pantone^® Painting Party. My post represents my honest experience with MyColor™ inspired by Pantone^® paint. I am not being paid for my answers, but I did receive MyColor™ inspired by Pantone^® paint to use for this project.

 And this is what I look like painting on a 10 foot ladder at 1 AM....

Don't forget to enter the giveaway and visit the other participants!