This weekend was weird. It was the kind of weekend where I got to the gym for my second day back at running post-surgery, realized I didn’t have my Body-Glide (otherwise my fat sweaty thighs rub together and it HURTS), and I about had a Hulk moment right there in the locker room.
It was the kind of weekend where everything seemed to take me forever- I’ve been doing the same two loads of laundry since Friday night, I swear I spent 30 minutes unloading the dishwasher, and I didn’t remember to brush my teeth until like 2pm on Friday.
As I saw my weekend-end fast approaching, I just got more discouraged. (You know when you know you’re being a baby for no reason, and then that fact makes you even more sad and pathetic, so you’re even more of a baby?) It seemed like every item on my to-do list required two people, or one person + an electrician, or one person + a Stan + an electrician… and being the disorganized person I am, I hadn’t figured out a time when Stan the Man and his dad could come over to finish those projects, so I was at a stalemate.
But then I remembered that there was a project that needed doing, but was low on the list, but was the only one I could think of to start on all by myself! And was not weather dependent! Painting the second bedroom- aka the music/sewing/craft/bike/cat/dog room.
I knew that the color in the second bedroom was kind of a challenge, because it has only one tree-shaded north-facing window. That = dark. I knew that Maria Killam and other experts recommended not trying to fight a room’s natural lighting by going with too light a color, but I just hadn’t landed on which “dark” color to pick yet.
I’m nothing if not a shameless copycat, so I totally copycatted some of my favorite dark blue colors. Of all those linked, I chose Plumage by Martha Stewart, but only because I neglected to write down the formula for Reflecting Pool that Sara so awesomeley provided, and Home Depot doesn’t have Ralph Lauren colors. Yes, that really is how decisions are made around here.
On to the fun part. I moved all the crapola to the middle of the room…
And then I cut in around the edges instead of taping which took for-ev-er. However, by the end of it I was getting the hang of it and I think I may never tape again. Maybe.
Oh! And by the way I decided to give the Behr paint+primer a go, since it’s such a dark color and I’m lazy. It worked awesome! Really good coverage. I put on two full coats, but if I’d been more diligent with the first coat, I probably could have gotten away with just spot fill-ins the second time around. TWO COATS! For a color that dark! I’m sold.
Unfortunately, you guys don’t get to see an “after” yet, because I finished at 12:15am and the lighting just doesn’t do it justice at that hour, ya know?
In other news, I finally put the last coat of poly on that TV table I built forever ago.
I guess I should explain the title of the post- after so much laying around, and a vacation to Moab (which was awesome) I was feeling seriously behind and stagnant and grumpy. I needed a big project like this that I could tackle on my own while Stan was skiing. Since I managed to finish it in a day, I’d say I got a fair amount of self-esteem out of that can of paint!
PS- Does anyone have any suggestions for a cheap but cool light fixture? The boob has got to go.
February 28, 2011 at 9:13 am
Ruby interrupted my first comment with a bang of her sweet chubby fists on the keyboard so I don’t know if it got posted or not. As I was saying… I am so excited to see the finished room! My sister has been trying to talk her husband into letting her paint their bedroom this same color! Also, I am always impressed with people who seem to find the greatest things at DI or some other thrift store and make them “theirs” by painting them or changing a few things. Like this one http://showandtell-sausha.blogspot.com/search/label/light
She hates the boob lights too.
February 28, 2011 at 10:06 am
That light is so cute! I actually kind of like the “udders”. But I bet it’s not as cute as Ruby’s chubby little hands.
February 28, 2011 at 9:30 am
Lol – thought I was the only one who referred to those type of cheap-o lights as boob lights. Way to be, ma’am.
February 28, 2011 at 9:38 am
I think referring to them as boobs must be universal. We have four in our house. They desperately need to go. Sorry I don’t have any helpful recommendations for them.
February 28, 2011 at 10:05 am
Alexson and Jamie Lee- I seriously don’t know how anyone could NOT refer to them as that! (Or at least think it.)
February 28, 2011 at 10:00 am
well come on you could purchase some of those oil rubbed bronze, slightly updated and bigger, flatter boob lights that or less pointy and more representative of the boobs of this day and age. I know that because I listen to npr.
people for sing together drawings of town waiting but y 8 games
that’s totally not what I said at all. I said people sure seem to get their jollies off canned lighting but what a pain. And an expense! Um, have you tried Lowes & home depot? What about one of those fluorescent tuber lights? They might have some ok looking ones at the store. Plenty of light that way.
did you use a foam brush to cut in the whole room?
February 28, 2011 at 10:01 am
I just love it when I tell my phone to write a comma & it writes come on.
February 28, 2011 at 10:05 am
You seriously need to quit using voice-to-text.
Can lights are awesome, but they are a real PITA and kind of expensive.
No I did not use a foam brush! I used a high-quality purdy brush. Although I think I should have bought a cut-in specific brush. The crappy strokes you see on the wall was just me trying to remove the excess paint so it didn’t dribble all over my nice carpet.
I looked at lights a little bit at HD, but nothing JUMPED out at me. Maybe I’ll try the DI.
February 28, 2011 at 10:36 am
If its an angled sash brush then it is a cut-in specific brush as far as I know.
February 28, 2011 at 7:24 pm
Oh yeah, you don’t need to tape anymore – it’s so much easier to not do it. I am incredibly excited to see your room all painted, Plumage is almost an exact match to Reflecting Pool, so I am going to love this room! Awesome! Oh, and thanks for the shout out
March 2, 2011 at 3:33 pm
LOVE the color…and strangely enough have been thinking about painting something in my house a similar color…headboard/end tables, etc because we rent and we can’t paint the walls…boo. Also, totally relate to the self-esteem in a can…I’m right there with you sister!!
March 3, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Please ignore my comment about YHL using a similar paint on your other post! I hadn’t seen this one yet.
Anyway, I can relate on the unproductive blahs. Good for you for conquering them!