Becolorful

Linky Issues

I apologize to anybody that was trying to link up to the Motivated Monday Link Party #22.

The link was here and there were already twenty some submissions but then, like before, it disappeared.

I have had numerous issues with this set up since Mr. Riggs decided the time had come to grow his business and begin charging for these link parties.

I am wondering if anyone else is having these conflicts?

I know these problems will ultimately be resolved but it isn't worth it to me to be continually frustrated.

I wish him the best of luck but from my perspective this has been more than a little irritating and I feel like it reflects poorly on me and BeColorful.

So I am sorry to say I will not be hosting another Linky Tool party.

I am signed up for inLinkz and I will try that next week so please don't forget BeColorful next Sunday night when the next Motivated Monday will hopefully be up and running.

xoxo

P

 

Motivated Monday #22 A Blog Hop

What is Motivating me this week?

I want to get this wonderfully wacky mirror painted up for a client.

This is the before picture that I almost forgot to take.

I'm envisioning aquas and greens, with pops of red.

Maybe edged in black and white.

Tomorrow is pretty open and I'm feeling Motivated.

As for you, well it was another week

and another slew of incredible inspiration.

48 different creative posts.

There was something for everybody.

I love the variety.

This shutter headboard made by Girl in Air complete with a tutorial is just flipping amazing.

This is one of my favorite colors and I love how she used this color to add some real zest to a gray black and white bedroom. Such a unique space that is definitely worth a second look.

Did you see this quilt from It's Sew For You?

How pretty are these colors together?

 

This modern take on the age old quilt is so refreshing.

I have tried a simple squares quilt and had trouble lining up my corners.

I can only imagine what I would do with this.

I am so impressed.

Then there was this "fancy pants" headband from Dandoislion.

We've seen them around blog land for a while now but she took this one to a whole new level.

Besides, I love her red hair. :)

 

So what are you doing this week?

That's the great thing about link parties.

We all get to brag a little.

In fact, I will be linking up to Met Monday at BNOTP

You know the drill.

Link up the post URL.

Link back to this party within your post or in your sidebar.

Be kind a comment on some of the submissions. They have been working hard on their projects too.

Bring in on...

 

 

BeColorful Color of the Week - Dovetail Gray

 
 
via Rebecca June

 

Apartment Therapy

This week we had Mike's office painted a shade of medium gray.

We used Sherwin Williams Dovetail Gray.

( Just a sneak peek. The big guy has been traveling and I need him to help me put all the furniture back before the big reveal).

I do really like how it turned out though and thought it would be appropriate to celebrate these mid-tone grays in this week's BeColorful Color of the Week.

Nate Berkus

There are so many gorgeous  grays out there.

This steel grey with blue undertones is a definite stunner.

Elle Decor

 

Blue grays  look so sophisticated and modern

Country Living

 but I think I am drawn to the warmer grays with a hint of brown.

Decor Pad

John Jacobs Interiors via Bunny Cakes

 

Decor pad

 

Aiden-Gray

 

I have been looking at these gray chairs for my living room.

I saw them last week when we were in Chicago but I couldn't quite pull the plug on them. I have been thinking of a black and white stripe rug with off white chairs.

So what do I like more? The rug idea or these chairs?

Could they work together?

I'd have to think about that.

Ah decisions.

Crate and Barrel

 

I can also see these paired with a solid gray rug and the look would be tasteful yet versatile.
For me, that is the beauty of gray. It is such an elegant neutral and it seems to be the perfect way to showcase an accent color.

Like orange

bhg

or purples.

Decor Pad

 

The gray and yellow combination is probably my favorite

Decor Pad

but gray and pink place a close second.

Martha Stewart

I hadn't really thought of turquoise but hey, it works and is a fresh look for both of these colors.

Decor Pad

What would it look like with copper? Like in my living room ceiling?

I think it could be slamming.

Becolorful's Color of the Week - Gray.

What's your verdict?

xoxo

P

Pillow of the Week #42

 

An RSS Pillow of the week for the reader in you.

This just made the blogger and blog reader in me smile.

It sells for $19.99 and measures 12x12.

You can buy it   here.

While you are at it you might want to add this twitter version to your order. 

 

 Can't you just see this gmail pillow in a home office? 

 

I thought that this anonymous facebook guy pillow could be fun for that single girlfriend's bedroom or apartment.

I wish I had known about the share this pillow  when I did my Spring Green post a few weeks back.

I could go on and on.

They all just make me happy.

Hopefully  by tomorrow we will have

                               Mike's Office

put back together and I can show you the after photos.

It is really looking so much better.

xoxo,

P

An Office Tale

Ten years ago we added on to our home.

It turned out to be a major undertaking.

My husband has a home office here and he needed more space.

So this was our solution.

 

We wanted the woodwork to match the rest of the house and there had to have been miles of trim boards to paint.

A 12 12 pitch roof 40 feet up creates some challenges in itself.

Just getting the drywall in on this back side of the house was no small feat.

 

Mike and my father- in -law did the lion's share of the work.

It took almost a year a half.

Ten years later, and my father-in-law is just starting to talk to us again.

( Just kidding)

In the end, though, it was well worth it.

Thanks to a great architect it is difficult to tell what is old and what is new.

This was Mike's office space soon after he moved into his new office.

 

We call it command central.

This is where he grew his company.

There have been highs and there have been lows.

Celebrations and sleepless nights.

There is a couch in this room that we call the meltdown couch.

Over the years each of the kids and I have had our emotional breakdowns here while our rock listened, advised and ultimately had us laughing again.

His sense of humor is the glue in this family.

We have partied here, held meetings here, and tried out new skis here.

We watched the towers fall in this room.

This is where Mike was when our future son-in-law asked  to marry his only daughter.

Yes, these four walls hold a lot of memories.

Our lives have moved forward but other than new computers and the size of the monitors, little has changed in this space since then ...

until today.

We had been talking about repainting.

Mike was tired of the "parchment" color and so was I.

So last night we pushed all the furniture to the middle of the room as we anxiously waited for the painters to arrive this morning.

I was thinking of something in a lighter gray or like last week's Becolorful Color of the Week - Taupe post.

Mike wanted to go bolder. A bit darker, more dramatic.

I'm glad we went with his choice.

 
                                        Sherwin Williams Dovetail

Here is a sneak peek of where we are going.

I'm loving it.

I hope you'll check back in to see the finished product.

xoxo,

P

Linking up here:

 

 

Motivated Monday #21 A Blog Hop

It has been a busy week here and I didn't have time to personally thank each of you for submitting a post to last week's Motivated Monday but I did get to look at each of your stellar submissions and they were spectacular again.

Thank you to all of you that linked up.

It is always difficult to choose which posts to feature.

I try and mix it up - decorating posts, recipes, organizational inspiration, and creative crafts or art projects.

I look for things that are a bit unusual, have good photos, or easy to follow tutorials.

This week I thought these were some of the most noteworthy:

I was immediately smitten with these slamming colors, fabrics and trims in Peyton's Room Redo from Beyond the Screen Door.

And I so appreciated the adorability of these Rice Filled Owl Heating Pads for little ones from Just Another Hang Up. 

 

Finally, I had to marvel at this Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake from The Auld Grey Mare that you make in a slow cooker or crock pot. I never would have dreamed such a thing.

 

So, It is Motivated Monday time again.

What to link up?

Favorite books, party ideas, craft or art projects, recipes, organizational ideas.

BeColorful loves it all.

To link up be sure and link up the URL to your post and not your blog.

Be kind and comment on a couple other links while you are here.

If you are first then check back later so you can leave a comment because everyone has worked hard and would love a little comment love.

I'm trying a blog hop this time.

We'll see what happens.

Nothing ventured nothing learned.

Thanks again.

xoxo,

P

Look Out Tokyo. Here Comes James

This one is for you James.

I thought the lyrics to Better Things were perfect for this life adventure you are embarking on.

 

Better Things

by

The Kinks

Here's wishing you the bluest sky

and hoping something better comes tomorrow

Hoping all the verses rhyme 

And all the very best choruses too.

Follow all the doubt and sadness

I know that better things are on the way.

Be an optimist instead

and some how happiness will find you.

It's really fun to see you rocking out

and having fun.

 

Living like you've just begun.

Accept your life and what it brings.

I hope tomorrow you'll find better things.

I know tomorrow you'll find better things.

 

I know you've got a lot of things happening up ahead.

The past is gone it's all been said.

 

So here's to what the future brings

I know tomorrow you'll find better things.

 

We miss you.

We are excited for you

and we love you always.

Hurry home.

xoxo,

MDLP and A

Oh and it is now 372 days until you come home. :)

Those of you that know me or have been following for a bit know that this week we watched as our son, James, took off on a life adventure to Tokyo.

This is what we raise our kids to be...

Independent.

Still we are a bit surprised when it happens.

Has this been difficult?

Of course.

We have run the emotional gamut.

We are hopeful, excited, and most of all proud

Love you James.

Mom

 

 

 

BeColorful Color of the Week - Taupe

Decor Pad

 

Is it gray? Is it brown? Somewhere in between?

It must be taupe.

A shitake mushroom color.

For someone who usually goes gaga for the bright and bold colors, this is an unexpected favorite of mine.

I even painted our kitchen this color about four years ago.

A friend came to see our remodel and actually asked me if I meant to go with this color.

I must have looked a bit taken back so she explained herself by saying that she was just surprised since I usually went with bolder more vibrant color choices.

Sometimes I surprise even myself.

I've been sofa searching lately and I've been thinking of off white but this taupe color could work for me too.

 

Crate and Barrel

Sometimes, the world just needs a calmer space.

That is when I like taupe.

 It has that zen feel.

  

Decor Pad

 

 Decor Pad

Taupe and white are so perfect together.

Decor Pad

I also like it paired with the drama of black.

Elle Decor

It is  commonly combined with a soft blue but I think that bringing yellow into the mix gives it a fresh spring/summer feel.

This is one of those colors that you could change out your accessories with the seasons and have almost limitless options.

    eileen katherine boyd

 

I'm all over it.

What are your thoughts? 

Does taupe speak to you?

 

Room by Emma Donoghue

Room.

My latest recommended read.

There are those books that are enjoyable reads but eventually they blur into a sea of past reads that we can barely remember.

You know what I mean. Somebody mentions them and you think, "I know I read that but I really can't remember much about it"

Then there are books like Room.

This is one of those haunting, lingering books that years from now I promise you will be able to recall vividly.

I used to read more but then in the last couple of years ( about the time I started blogging) I found myself picking up a book less and less often.

Maybe it was the blizzard of 2011.

Maybe it is because our book club has decided to take a break and for the first time in a long time I am reading what I want to read and not something someone else had selected.

Whatever it is, this winter I have found myself spending fewer hours in front of the computer or television and more hours curled up with my ipad.

Reading can be addictive.

So much so that lately I find myself hurrying to get through my to do lists so I can get back to my book.

With this book I cheated a lot and would skip the list and go right for the book.

It was just that good.

In short this is a story about a young woman that has been kidnapped and held captive for seven years in an 11 x 11 foot room by a man referred to only as Old Nick. During that time she has given birth to a son. When the book begins her son, Jack, is five years old. Born into captivity, the room is the only world he has ever known.

What makes the book unique is that it is told through Jack's point of view.

Donoghue does an amazing job with this technique.

We are privy to how sheltered and protected Jack is by his young mother but we are still able to glean the nefariousness and repulsiveness of Old Nick and their situation without dwelling on the salacious details.

 It is a story of not only survival but of resilience and empowerment.

Despite the darker side to this novel, there are moments of tenderness and hope.

It is available in hardback and on ibooks and Kindle.

If you have already read it I would love to hear what you think.

xoxo,

P

    

Motivated Monday #20

Sunday night.

It's my time to regroup, get organized and plan for the week ahead.

This past week was a busy one and the next one looks even crazier.

Yes, Sunday night.

It is also when I write up a post for Motivated Monday.

Not sure I will have much time for creativity in the next seven days but it is still so motivating to see what you have been up to.

You never cease to amaze me.

This week there were some great decorating projects

like this well thought out laundry room from Classic Casual Home.

I love that gray, black and white color scheme.

Plus you have to love a woman that gets her sink from Overstock. com and her hardware from Target and pairs it with recycled granite.

Inspired. :0

Then I was enthralled with this Valentines Tree from Beyond the Screen Door

I have a smaller table top version but mine isn't nearly as cool as this one.

And how sweet is this dresser submitted by Biljana Shabby.

 

That hint of blue and shaded embellishments give this piece such a romantic look.

So thank you to all of you for flaunting your creativity.

Now, it is Sunday night again so whip a little Motivated Monday love here won't you?

Recipes, painted furniture, sewing projects, decorating feats - no matter.

We love it all.

Happy Happy Valentines.

xoxo,

P

Hmmmm. McLInky Party was here and now it isn't and every form of contact seems to be blocked.

I'm smelling something stinky here in McLInky.

Sorry for the confusion.

Pam

 

BeColorful Color of the Week - Pink. It's Not Just For Little Girls Anymore

A Passion for Pink?

Pink is one of those colors that you either love or you don't.

Even if you do,  you may not have thought of of it as a go to decorating color except for  a nursery or a little girl's room.

Each week I have a lot of fun choosing what the color of the week will be.

 This week I was already leaning toward a shade of pink in honor of Valentines Day.

Then when my House Beautiful arrived promoting the power of pink that just sealed the deal and I knew that this would be my feature color.

If you don't subscribe you may want to run out and pick this one up.

This is one of those issues I will be holding onto forever.

Anyone who knows my passion for color  would know that they had me with that label that says SPRING COLOR ISSUE. :)

PINK

Here it is-

on walls,  furniture, bedding, chandeliers, appliances, even telephones.

Will it be showing up in your home?

House Beautiful

 

Bright pink stools but

soft pink walls.

A sophisticated uplifting mix.

via Absolutely Beautiful Things.

I love the black and white awnings off the kitchen windows.

 

Soft pink, marble and mirrors.

Ultra glam.

Apartment Therapy

 

Unexpected Pink Perfection

via Bella Cottage.

 

 

House Beautiful

Pink and red.

I wouldn't have thought to do it but it so works.

 

Coastal Living

Pink  takes on a modern feel when combined with black and white and chartreuse yellow.

 

Betsy Johnson

 

A pink striped laundry room.

Totally fun.

 

Decor Pad

If you still have a land line you might want one of these.

Via Geek Alerts.

Pink slip covers.

Because sometimes you feel a bit of pink and

sometimes you don't.

House Beautiful

 

A paler shade of pink painted retro stove.

 

Accents of Pink.

The drapes, throw, pillow and that fabulous hutch.

Country Living

 

How cool is this pink refrigerator?

unknown

Pink and gray is a perfect pairing.

Pottery Barn

This living room has me already rethinking my living room and I haven't even finished it yet.

House Beautiful

Pink and white horizontal stripes-

pleasantly pleasing.

I wish I had more rooms to decorate.

I would love a room with some pink razzle dazzle. 

Pink.

Are you in or are you out?

XOXO,

P

 

                                       Linking up at The Pink Party 

If you love pink you will want to stop by for sure.

 

Valentine Love and a New PIllow of the Week #41

I must just live right.

Or maybe I just know how to choose my friends. :)

Maybe both.

So how excited was I when this fun package showed up in my mailbox this week?

Very.

Did you hear my squeals of excitement from where you are?

My sweet friend made this pillow for me to celebrate my blog.

I love how she tied in my blog banner from Liz Ink and Paper.

 

Ah pillow love.

Sherri love.

Love Love Love.

It looks right at home in the chair in my office. 

Can you tell that these are my favorite colors? 

:0

 

 

You know you want one too.

If you're feeling the love you may want to give one as a gift too.

For your own pillow by Sherri click here.

Have a great weekend.

XOXO,

P

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sassy Side Table

Black and White (and Spring Green) Delight

Again, I forgot to take a  before picture.

Blogging Fail.

Last month one of my favorite clients brought me this little side table.

It reminded me of the tables that I've seen that you can put a floor length table cloth on and use for additional serving space or to set a lamp.

Let's just say it wasn't a thing of real beauty.

Ms. B had seen my earlier post on BeColorful's Color of the Week - Spring Green.

Like me, she is a huge worshiper of black and white but she really wanted a bit of that green in this piece too.

The minute I saw this piece I knew where I wanted to take it.

That doesn't always happen but this time it did.

The round top made it perfect for this oversized floral motif.

The sides I would do with the help from some painter's tape.

I alternated the direction and size of the stripes to give it a bit more design interest.

Then popped the edges with green.

Voila - Sassy side table!

xoxo

P

Linking up here:

Pillow of the Week # 40 Valentine Flair

Valentine Love PIllow Cases

A little Valentine Love for the bedroom. Vintage style lettering in bright pink on white from Allie Millie Designs.

A fun way to decorate for Valentines or anytime. The BeColorful Pillow of the week. You can buy them here.

Motivated Monday # 18

It was a busy weekend for us.

Our middle is moving -

all the way to Tokyo.

We are so excited for him but it also a bit bittersweet.

I expected him to eventually move out.

I wasn't prepared for him to live half a world away.

Thank Heavens for Skype.

I'm hoping it will make the distance  tolerable.

As we were watching the Super Bowl tonight this commercial had us rolling.

This is a dead ringer for our James.

 

 

 

This really took us back.

It seems like just a few Halloweens ago that he was dressed up just like this.

I love how this commercial drives ( no pun intended) home the point that it sometimes takes a big guy to "get" the little guys in our lives. :)

Oh gasp.

I am really going to miss him.

Love you James.

You always make me laugh.

 

I don't have a good segue so I'll just move abruptly onto Motivated Monday.

I reviewed last week's post and I was flabbergasted by some of the submissions. From Snowman and Princess Parties to altered sweatshirts there were so many motivating projects.

So many great posts but I just can't feature all of them. I did think that these dining chairs from Wise Designs and Inspirations, 

 

this subway art frame from Paisley Passions,

and this great dresser redo from Lucy Designs were especially epic.

Amazing aren't they?

So what are you working on these days?

What projects are you hoping to take on?

Did you see an image that is motivating you.

Do share.

I will try and get a feature button done this week.

So please keep checking back.

In the meantime, bring on the creativity.

xoxo,

P

Not sure why my linky list is not appearing.

They just started charging for this and I subscribed earlier this week.

I am looking into this.

Argh!

Okay, that was annoying but it looks like we are back on board.

Not Your Grandma's Tea Cart

I've been feeling pretty productive around here lately.

I've been working on a number of commissioned pieces and I have several that are close to being completed.

The first one in my line up in this tea cart.

When it showed up in my studio last month it looked like this.

I have love love loved working with this client because she adores color as much as I do.

Pink, Orange, Aqua, Green, Yellow she loves all the happy colors so that is the direction I went with.

You can only imagine how much fun this was to create.

She showed me pictures of pieces she already owned and of things she liked.

She is not afraid to give feedback.

Because she is out of town she hasn't seen this  piece yet either.

So if there is something you don't like Ms. S then now is the time to let me know before I clear coat it.

Drum roll please...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Definitely not your Grandmother's Tea Cart.

XOXO,

P

Linking here:

 

 

 

 

 

BeColorful Color of the Week - Sunny Yellow

Nothing says spring like yellow.

I thought that with all the snow and ice that has been blanketing us lately that maybe an infusion of sunshine would be welcomed.

So for this week's BeColorful Color of the week I went with yellow.

This yellow is from Benjamin Moore and it is actually the color I used to paint my front door.

I have been a fan of yellow for a long time.

Back in the 90's I painted our family room a bright yellow.

( I was apparently into a lot of "stuff" and layers back then)

I loved it with all of that sunshine coming in but I'm not so sure that it didn't turn off a lot of potential buyers when we went to sell that house.

I have read, though, that yellow houses in general sell quicker.

Hmmmmm.

I  still have a passion for yellow but I tend to use it more as an accent color now.

Here is a bit of eye candy.

You decide.

Is Sunny Yellow speaking to you?

 

 

 

 

 Yellow and kitchens just seem so fresh and cheerful.

 

 

 

I never would have thought to pair yellow with this strong black and white but I think it really works.

 

 

Yellows with creamy whites and grays are a natural.

 

I've been thinking a yellow sofa could be a fun change up in our green family room.

 

Yellow is a happy addition to any room whether you are going for a soft and casual look or for more modern drama.

 

 

 

 

Yellow drapes. Now that is unexpected.

 

I'm drawn to the fun pop of a yellow piece of furniture.

 

 

 

 or a rug

 

or lampshade like this one from Lamps Plus from their Design Your Own lamp collection. 

I am convinced I need one of these. Maybe two.

 

 

 

Not sure you are ready to take the leap into yellow?

Maybe these cute bird hooks from Real Simple would be enough sunny yellow for your room. 

  

Have a sun filled weekend.

XOXO,

P

Images are from these respective sites.

Decor Pad

Benjamin Moore

Kitchen Aid

Kitchen Design

Interior House

About.com Home Renovations

Attic Mag

Bhouse Design

unknown

Crate and Barrel

Patricia Gray Inc.

Martha Stewart

Tile Shop Design

Decor Pad

Martha Stewart

Grant Corett

David JImenezl

Apartment Therapy

Pottery Barn

 

The Hunger Games

 

 

Like so many of you we have been surviving the historic Blizzard of '11.

Unlike a lot of you, I kind of relish a good storm.

As long as everybody I care about is safely off the roads, I look forward to hunkering down, and tucking in for a no- excuses- needed change- of -pace kind of time at home.

I did quite a bit of painting these past couple of days so I feel like I was at least productive.

I should be finished up with a number of my projects today and I will share them with you later this week.

I also did a lot of reading during the last couple of days.

My daughter first mentioned the book The Hunger Games to me around Christmas time.

Like me, she isn't a fan of Sci-fi but she insisted she couldn't put it down.

Well I decided that for the sake of attempting to be hip and informed I would give the book a whirl.

 

Before we went on a trip last fall I decided to break down and buy an iPad.

I had been looking at e-readers for awhile but I wasn't sure they were for me but in a moment of weakness I decided to take the plunge.

So glad I did.

I can't figure out why this series that has been such a blockbuster isn't available through itunes but I found that it was only $5.00 from Kindle so I purchased it there.

  I love that you can read Nook and Kindle books on the iPad too.

 

Liz warned me that the story line to this book would sound bizarre but if I could stick it out past the first couple of chapters that I would be hooked.

Smart girl. She was right. I couldn't put it down.

It is actually young adult literature but definitely meaty enough for the rest of us too.

It is easy an read and I read it in about a day and a half.

 The book is part of a trilogy and as soon as I turned the last page I wanted to know "Well now what? That can't be all." So yes, I bought the second book.

That is the beauty of an e-reader. You can instantly download without having to phsysically get in the car and drive somewhere.

The second book, Catching Fire, was in my hands a mere 30 seconds later.

 

 

 I doubt I will buy another hands on paper book of fiction.

I am running out of shelf space.

When it comes to magazines, coffee table books or art books, though, I still want the real thing.

So not to worry  Barnes and Noble, I will continue to peruse your aisles.

E-books are amazing but there isn't anything quite like wandering through a bricks and mortar bookstore.

I love taking in the smell of the books and the coffee the minute I come through the door and I could spend hours just meandering through the walls of books, thumbing through some of the featured titles laid out on the tables and making notes of my next reads.

With all that snow blowing around outside, though, it was  pretty sweet to experience the instant gratification of staying warm and dry and yet owning Catching Fire with just a few clicks.

 

This second book was a bit more. $7 something but it was also money well spent.

I knew I was much too engrossed in this book when during the blizzard our lights flickered.

My first fear was of losing heat but the very next thought to jump into my head was that I needed to be sure my iPad was fully charged so even if we lost power I could at least finish my book. : )

Then, as I was finishing the second book, my low battery message kept flashing at me about every five minutes.

I didn't want to stop reading so I kept hitting the dismiss button.

Now because we never did lose power, I could have plugged in the iPad and resumed reading but I didn't even want to stop long enough to do that.

I just resolved to read faster.

It was that enthralling.

So if you are looking for something that is definitely thought provoking and a bit out of the ordinary to entertain you  or your teenage readers during your hunkered down winter evenings you might want to consider these two books.

As for the third book in the series, The Mockingjay, I haven't started it yet.

I haven't even downloaded it.

The reviews are not nearly as good so I started reading something else instead.

Plus the first two left me a bit exhausted.

I felt like I had been right in the fight with the protagonist.

Still, I keep wondering about that third book and I'm thinking I should just give in to temptation and  find out how the whole story ends.

Have any of you read the books in this series?

What about Mockingjay?

I'd love to hear what you thought.

I've read that this trilogy is being made into a movie that will be out next spring.

This is one of those rare stories that could be every bit as fantastic on the big screen.

Happy reading.

xoxo,

P