Words on my Wall

I had a space I wanted (okay, needed) to fill up above the "pass-through" window between our kitchen and living room.  I checked out custom ordered vinyl lettering but decided it was a bit pricey.  So like any good do-it-yourselfer, I searched Pinterest and came up with what I thought might be a good solution. (here's a link to one of the tutorials I found.)

So I went to work at my computer and found just the right font and figured out the height to make the letters look right in my space.  Then I printed out what I wanted to say and cut/spliced my paper to put it all together.  This is what it looked like when I taped it up on my wall and tried it out for a few days...

Then I took it down and scribbled on the back side of the whole thing...each letter.

After that, I taped it back up in place and traced around each letter, which left a faint outline of the words.

I just now noticed that the word I focused on for the outlining picture is "love".  I think that is perfect.  It makes me smile.

I used an ink jet printer, regular printer paper, transparent tape (of course you could use about any tape), a regular #2 pencil, black acrylic paint, and a small slanted/angled artist paint brush.

I am really happy I gave it a try...now where else do I need to put words on the walls?

What's in a Name? Paint Colors...

 The time finally came to paint our main floor walls...we had survived the painful and messy process of tearing out yucky old paneling, moving a few walls, and the list goes on and on...frankly, I don't have the energy to type everything we have done...so, let's focus on the subject at hand.

When it was time to choose a color for the "lower level" (aka basement), I knew I wanted something neutral and warm...something that would serve as a sort of blank canvas to decorate and redecorate as I choose.  As we painted the basement, Pop kept questioning me (and everyone who helped paint) about the color...he thought it was too dark.  It did look dark against the stark white of the primed dry wall but everyone agreed it was a fine color.  Success!

So when it was time to choose a color for the main floor I wanted to stick with what we had in the lower level but Pop questioned me about that...so...I began to look and look and look at colors.  There are so many paint colors with so many different names that it is an overwhelming task.  As I looked, my goal was ultimately the same...something neutral and warm.  I found myself attracted to the same color family again and again.  The "coffee with cream" colors with yummy names like "Mocha";  the "beach" colors with calming names like "Mesa Sand", the "nature" colors like "Tender Twig", and of course the "food names" like "Caramelized Onion".

I shopped all these colors and after puzzling over them all, I found one called "Warm Welcome".  Perfect.  Funny though, it is the twin of the color we already had.  So I took my basement paint chip to the paint counter and asked the nice man to match the color of my basement paint and mix up 15 gallons of it.

Pop and I painted and he kept questioning me about the color because he thought it was darker than what we had in the basement.  It did look dark against the stark white of the primed dry wall.  (Are you seeing a trend here?) :-) I assured him it was the same color and now we are finished and love it.  It is indeed a "Warm Welcome" color and we hope that is what folks feel when they come to visit.

Now, onto doors, floors, trim, cabinets, appliances, etc.  Oh...and Merry Christmas in the midst of it all!