One of my college friends commented on my post about paint earlier this week.  Megan said:

“Do you have any suggestions on how to go about picking a wall color?
I always seem to love the tiny sample and not the overall wall.”

While I am far from perfect when it comes to picking paint colors, I do have a few reliable tricks.  And so far, none of them include taping paint swatches on the wall or buying small samples to paint in test squares.

Nope.  I cheat completely.  I copy the hard work of others.

But at least I admit it!

My first resource is inspiration pictures.  So many people have taken to showcasing their homes online (either on blogs or just Flickr) and sharing their design choices, so it is easy to spot and identify a color that you like.  I recommend doing Google searches or reading home improvement blogs to hunt down a room with a color you like, then snag the details on the paint color.  If the color isn’t listed, you can likely leave a comment or send an email to ask what the color is.  Trust me,  we bloggers are usually more than happy to share and talk about ourselves!

Take the nursery paint color for example.  When I saw this nursery, I immediately fell in love with the wall color.

via Ohdeedoh.com

I also took note of the room and realized we also have two windows that get a lot of sunlight and that I would be using a lot of white and bright accents, so the color would likely look similar in our room.  Luckily the talented mom who designed this room listed the color as Benjamin Moore’s Gray Horse.  So, I trudged down and had Lowe’s match the color using Olympic’s zero VOC paint.

Does the paint look identical in our room as it does in the picture?  No, not quite depending on the lighting, but it is pretty darn close and we love it.

Another great place to look is the Pottery Barn catalog.  Even if the big PB isn’t quite your taste or within your budget, the catalog does the huge favor of listing paint colors that are used in the display rooms.

Again, the color won’t look identical in your home, but you can get a sense for what it would look like against your furniture, etc.  And remember, most stores can match colors from any brand of paint, so don’t worry about seeking out Benjamin Moore paint just because you want that color.

When I’m not immediately finding a color that I love in inspiration photos, I work backwards.  I pick out some swatches that I like in the store, bring them home and then Google Images and I become best friends.  I just type in the paint brand and color and usually I get a slew of photos that show the paint color used in the homes of others.

For example, here is a photo that shows up in Google Images for Olympic’s Guacamole paint (with day light)…

And here’s how it ended up looking on my dining area accent wall (in candle light)…

And, if nothing shows up in my Google Images search then I assume the paint color isn’t cool enough for me to use.

Not really.  Well maybe.

Let’s just say that I am much more likely to try a color if I can find others who have.

Finally, I do have one go-to resource that I usually check out before going too crazy: the Young House Love Foolproof Paint and Color Scheme post.  This post by John & Sherry is chock full of suggestions for any hue you might be considering.  This is where I first saw Behr’s Pensive Sky listed, which I ultimately chose for our first floor bathroom makeover.

And that, my friends, is how I copy others and take very few risks when picking paint colors.  Aren’t you impressed?

I hope this is helpful, Megan!

Does anyone else have any friendly paint advice to offer?  I hope someone has a more calculated approach than I do…

top photo source

We were first introduced to this recipe when my brother-in-law made them on a camping trip a few years ago.  Since then, they’ve become a favorite in our kitchen and a number of our friends and family have enjoyed them when visiting.  This meal is a great alternative to the standard BBQ fare, so you might want to bookmark it for your upcoming Labor Day weekend festivities!

First you start out with some ground pork and thousand island dressing.  We found that by mixing the dressing into the meat before cooking, the burger doesn’t dry out as ground pork often does.  So, slowly mix in the dressing until you find the right balance.  We keep adding dressing until we are afraid that the burgers won’t stay together if we add any more…we tend to overdo things a bit.

Form your burgers and then have your grillmaster grill them up.  In the meantime, prep your sandwich production line by covering the buns in some dijon mustard and setting out some cheese (the original recipe calls for Swiss cheese, but go with what you like), pickles and ham. Also, heat up your sandwich pressing mechanism (we use an old mini George Forman Grill).

Once the burgers are done, create your stack-o-meat-and-cheese…

Then press away and flatten the burgers out so that you can actually get your mouth around them.  Serve up with some sides of your choice, and voila!

Are you hungry yet?

And because we’ll be installing crown molding, we didn’t need to cut in at the ceiling, either.  Nope, we just rolled up within an inch or two of the ceiling.

Painting has never been easier and it goes so fast.  Most of us rarely have the opportunity to paint a room in this state, so I want to savor it and brag about it while I can…

Don’t worry, we’re using zero VOC primer and paint, so it is safe for me and my expanding stomach to help.  The one who isn’t allowed to help is Frankie.  He is relegated to the construction line in the hallway so that we can avoid the inevitable little black hairs in the white paint.

So while we’re painting, Frankie is waiting…

You might wonder why we are rushing through the painting at night.  Well, as it turns out, Chris becomes a speed demon when it comes to managing a construction project.  He wants this whole project done yesterday.  As a result, he scheduled carpet installation for September 7, which doesn’t sound too bad except for the fact that we have plans for the two weekends preceding that date!  So night time painting it is for us.

And now that the priming is done, we’ll be spending our Friday night with some color and more 80s music blasting.  I know you’re jealous.

What projects are you working on this weekend?

I decided to use the original version of the recipe from CookingLight and adjusted a few things, like adding cinnamon and reducing the amount of egg (because I was running low).  The result was so good that I actually made a second cake right away and brought it to Vermont for my mom’s birthday.  She approved!

The recipe linked above gives you all the ingredients and directions, but here are some of my play-by-plays.

Your first step in this recipe is to prep the fruit by melting the butter in an ovenproof skillet (you can use cast iron, but you’ll see I used a standard stainless steel skillet) and then sprinkling in the brown sugar.

Next, slice your peach thinly (I found using a firm, barely ripe peach works best because it is easy to peel and cut).

Now you show your artistic side and arrange the peaches and berries in the skillet…and voila!

Then prep your batter.  For nearly the first time ever, I actually used buttermilk when the recipe called for it.  I still need to research why buttermilk matters, but that’s for another day.  I also saw on the recipe reviews that some people’s cakes turned out dry.  For that reason, I decided to weigh my flour instead of relying on my measuring cups (the recipe says 6 ounces or 1 and 1/3 cup).  My cake definitely didn’t turn out dry, so I think it worked!  I also added in a teaspoon of cinnamon because I just felt like it belonged there, and it did.

After you’ve prepped your batter, spoon it carefully over the berries.

Then smooth out the batter and pop it in the oven!

The recipe said to wait for the cake to cool completely before flipping it out of the pan, but who has patience for that?  I threw caution to the wind and flipped it after about 10 minutes.  My trick was to pull the edges away from the pan slightly using my fingers, then sliding a knife around carefully.  Then I just securely put a plate over it, applied a lot of pressure and then quickly flipped.

And there we had it…

Despite looking like a lot of steps, this recipe is actually very quick and easy.  When I wasn’t snapping pictures during my second cake, it took only about 15 minutes of prep and then 35 minutes of baking.  I used all blackberries, but this would be delicious with blueberries, raspberries, or a mix.

So, what do you think?  Does it look like something you would try??  Have you had any bad cake flipping experiences?  You know I’d love to hear all about it.

I was looking for a long dresser with 6 – 8 drawers that would serve as storage and a changing table.  I was also looking for something that I could easily refinish.  After a few days of checking (I found that you really need to look every day because new listings are added quickly) I found just what I was looking for, and it was in relatively-nearby Bangor, Maine…

Although Chris claims that it looked like it could have been in our parents’ bedroom in the 70s, I happen to think that the clean lines will give it that retro-modern look once it is all fixed up.  Chris also thought I should have only paid $10 for it (it was actually $50!), but I argued that a solid wood dresser is actually rather hard to come by, especially one with drawers that work smoothly. Here’s hoping my vision proves him wrong.

Let’s get back to my Craigslist experience for a moment.  I was lucky that I was dealing with a guy who communicated quickly by email and was nice, honest and reasonable.  I sent an initial email to him asking if the dresser was still available. Once he responded that it was, I immediately Googled his name to see who this guy was.  His MySpace page came up with a profile that said he was married and a proud father.  I figured he was OK.  He was moving, so he wanted to get rid of this thing pronto.

I told Chris that he had to come along to look at the dresser, not for his opinion, of course, but for safety purposes.  But then I ended up with some time to spare when I was in Bangor one afternoon and decided to call and check on the dresser myself.  I did a few drivebys and the house looked okay and it was in a busy neighborhood, so I stopped.  I quickly left Chris a voicemail with the name of the guy, the address, and the time that I arrived (just in case, you know?!)  As it turns out, the guy couldn’t have been nicer, his daughter was adorable and his parents (who were there to help him move) were very kind.  I explained that I couldn’t do any heavy lifting, so the guy and his dad loaded it into our SUV.  They might have dropped it once, but who’s counting?

The dresser is now living in our guest bedroom until I can spend some time refinishing it.  There will be a few challenges (namely this corner, which I think happened when they dropped it, but I can’t be sure)…

Nothing some sturdy wood filler/putty can’t handle, right?

We picked out a paint color for the dresser this week, so soon it will be Dandelion Wish from Valspar.  Please ignore how orange it looks on the screen.  It really is yellow and it matches the fabric we picked out perfectly!And soon this big piece will be in the nursery and storing adorable baby boy clothes.  (Yes, this is my excuse to give you a shot of the newborn Red Sox baseball cap, which was our first little boy purchase!)

Can’t wait to show you our finished project.  Have you had luck with Craigslist or do you find it frustrating?  Tell it all!

P.S. The fabulous Emily A. Clark is posting today about how to find the best deals on Craigslist.  You should head on over to check it out!

Perhaps it’s that every model has mixed reviews.  Or that I’m afraid it won’t work up to my expectations.  Maybe I just can’t make a decision.  Either way, I really want one for the little touch ups like for the stairs, the dog hair that collects daily in the corners and the dust that sits along our trim and baseboard heaters.  I’ve convinced myself that I would actually use something if it was quick, convenient and it worked.

So, I need your help.  Do you use a cordless vac?  Do you have a model you love?  Tell it all.  Here are some of the models I’ve been considering (for more than a year, no lie):

Black & Decker Pivot

Black & Decker Flex Vac

Dirt Devil Kone

Shark Handheld

I would really feel better if I could just get this purchase done and over with, so please send your advice my way!  And, if you’re struggling with a low-ticket purchase like me, please share…

You might be bored by these pictures, but I am showing you anyway because I am just so darn excited!

First up is the new hallway…the door is gone and you can now see down to where the hall will end…

And the soon-to-be nursery is looking good…

This is where you people who have closet-lacking houses can start to get jealous because the nursery boasts this closet:

And then there’s not one, but two, hallway closets!

Crazy, right?  And of course there is the other bedroom, which also has a decent closet.

The guys have been here this week putting joint compound (mud) on all of the screws and seams.  The whole mudding process definitely takes time (lots of sanding, reapplying and drying), but we are hopeful that we will be painting soon!

If you have actually made it through all of the pictures and want to look back on the progress we’ve made, check out the first post about this little construction project.  Enjoy!

This piece of Hummingbird Cake had to come home with me.  It instantaneously reminded me of Martha’s version of this recipe, which my sister made a couple of years ago.  It was so good that I immediately copied her and made this cake for a family gathering with my in-laws.

Made with bananas, pineapple, coconut and lots of spices, the cake itself is delicious.  And when it is topped with cream cheese frosting and dried pineapple flowers…well, it’s gorgeous, too.

via MarthaStewart.com

The hardest part of making this cake was definitely making the dried pineapple flowers.  However, the taste was worth the time and it looked beautiful.  This is something that truly does look like the picture when you are done!

This recipe from Martha has all the directions for the cake, frosting and flowers.  Next time you want to really impress someone (and eat something delicious), give it a try.

So, without further ado, I introduce you to our sunshiney-gray-baby-boy nursery design plan:

Feel free to put your feet up and make yourself at home while I give you the run down:

• Starting with the top, I’m loving the CB2 Eden Pendant Lamp.  This would be the room’s main light fixture and would sit close to the ceiling since the nursery boasts only the standard 8-foot height.
• Next up are the members of our general color palette. We are going with a mix of white, black, gray and yellow.  The walls will be painted Benjamin Moore Gray Horse and the trim and ceiling will be bright white.  The room will be finished off with crown molding (yay!).
• Working our way down, we have a few decorative pieces that are also functional.  First up is the retro stainless steel fan, which will look nice and help in SIDS prevention (in case that theory is true).  Then we have the adorable PetitCollage elephant mirror, which will help reflect light and allow me to see how fantastic I look during late night feedings.
• Next up is a bright yellow dresser.  This particular dresser (altered by me with numbered drawer pulls) is wayyyy out of our league at $1,595, but luckily I’ve landed the perfect substitute on Craigslist for a mere $50.  I’ll re-finish the dresser and slap on some of these Pottery Barn Kids numbered drawer pulls (on clearance!), which will be updated with a slick coat of black spray paint.
• To the right we have some of my fabric swatches.  Clockwise: Waverly Cross Section Charoal; Premier Prints Chipper Slub Texture Corn Yellow;  Premier Prints Ele Slub Texture Corn Yellow; Amy Butler Midwest Modern Martini Mustard.  These fabrics (and probably more) will help me create some DIY projects like a quilt, crib skirt, ottoman, window treatments and book slings.  I can hardly stand the excitement.
• BBF (Baby Boy F.) will have some cozy dreams in this DaVinci Emily 4-in-1 convertible crib in Ebony.  Oddly enough, I fell in love with this crib on looks alone before I found out that it is actually one of the top recommendations from Consumer Reports and is half-off with free shipping.  Yes, please!
• And then we have our reading nook with this comfy looking TULLSTA chair from Ikea.  I am Swedish, after all.  Paired with this adjustable reading lamp, I’m sure that we’ll have many sleepless cozy nights in this corner.

And there you have it…the perfect baby boy nursery (in my mind).  What I love about this design is that the colors are perfect for BBF as he grows into toddler/boy stages.  And, if we are ever blessed with a future baby girl, we could easily swap out yellow accents with a bright pink and all would be well.  Gotta love versatility.

So, what do you think?  Any suggestions?  I can’t wait to get started…working on this will definitely help the last 20 weeks fly by!