Did you know that when you're pregnant and have a cold you cannot take Nyquil? Or Dayquil? Or Tylenol PM? Or practically anything else? Therefore you have to just be miserable? I have a cold and I'm dying because I can't go to any of my go-to remedies! I've been drinking decaf hot tea all weekend long and I'd give my kingdom for some Nyquil right about now.
However, cold or no cold, this was the weekend of the mural and I was going to do it if it killed me - which it kind of did. Observe.
It started with the chair. You remember, the best chair ever? Well, after I wrote about it I found myself looking at the pictures over and over again and having second thoughts about the color. I'd made my peace with the fact that it didn't rock but I was told that an ottoman is something that cannot be forgotten. Apparently, ottomans are a must-have for the late night feedings and such. Luckily, I'd already found one that I was full-out drooling over but the colors they offered wouldn't work with the chair, nor would it work with the wall. I consulted my team of trusted advisors (my girlfriends that care about this sort of thing) and they helped me to arrive at my decision: Get the ottoman and switch the chairs. Check it out!
Still the best chair ever, now with the best ottoman ever joining it!
I love it so much!
I'm going to find a girly lumbar pillow and throw and it'll be great!
I also offset the rugs because in the words of my trusted advisor Carolyn,
"I know I have two rugs on top of each other and I totally meant to do it and I love it... so?"
Sunday morning was mural day and I was all set! I'd had a nagging sore throat and I felt a little puny but I really really wanted to at least start the mural, so I rallied and was up by 8am. However, I was nervous and needed to do some warm-up painting first. I needed to do something easy to boost my confidence as I'd never even attempted something like this before.
Drew had been wanting a chalkboard in the kitchen since forever and when I was at Lowe's I picked up some chalkboard paint and it was the perfect warm up project.
The chalkboard will be the inner panel.
I carefully taped the panel, having a little trouble with the beveled edges but I was confident that I got a good seal. Ha.
I was soo pissed! I had to score a clean line and now will have to
scrape off the excess with a box cutter blade since we don't have anything smaller.
This should have been my clue to stop.
But I was on a roll. I'd gotten my supplies from the garage and there was no turning back! I went ahead and painted the inside panels of the cabinet in the dining room as well since sometime down the line Drew wants to turn it into a bar.
This went much faster and was much cleaner
because there's a groove between the two panels.
However, I'd recommend something other than the standard issue blue painter's tape because it really doesn't get a good seal on the edges, which is where it counts. I've heard good things about Frog Tape and I'll be using that on my next painting project.
With no more chalkboards to paint, I couldn't hold off any longer. If I was going to do this mural it was now or never.
That's one big-ass wall
Measure twice, cut once. Or measure a few times if your tape measure
isn't long enough.
That's a big-ass wall
Assemble your tools.
I got several round brushes from Michael's since I have no clue what I'm doing.
Patch the nail holes and test the brushes.
I was looking for brush thickness, not penmanship and I chose the number 2 brush.
By this time I had to stop to take Drew to the airport. I was feeling pretty run down but encouraged and I was thinking I actually might get the mural done Sunday night! Next up was more measuring - I needed to figure out how many lines would fit on the wall and then figure out some form of word spacing so it would all fit without looking cramped or too random. But that would have to wait until I came home from the airport.
Luckily, the previous owners left the paint they used and right before I walked out the door I painted over the patches and my practice words so it would be all dry by the time I came home. I dropped Drew off and drove home carefully, planning my moves - maybe after a small nap. The weather was starting to get nasty and of course I left my phone at home so when I walked in the door I went straight to the kitchen to call Drew and let him know I got home okay. I was on the phone with him as I took my coat and shoes off and changed back to my painting clothes, so he was on the line when I walked back into the nursery and went
"Oh shit."
"What? What happened?"
"Ooooooh shit."
"Babe. What happened? What's wrong?"
"The paint is the wrong color!"
I mean, it was lighter when I put it on, but I figured it would dry darker! Or something! I dipped my finger in the can and smeared some on the wall, hoping that my eyes were playing tricks on me. It was lighter!!
Shit.
This was a custom mixed color! How. in. the. HELL am I going to match a custom mixed color! I just assumed it was right! All this time! But the two cans of paint that I had matched our bedroom and the sitting room, not this room! Shit!
I was so traumatized I laid down and took a nap. This little discovery pushed me over the sickness edge and I was all of a sudden very tired. Besides, it always helps to look at a problem after you've had a good nap.
Once I woke up, I had no choice. I have to try and match this color, so I bundled back up and headed to Lowe's. I pulled every bluish-gray paint chip they had and prayed that one of them would work.
I came home and taped every one of them to the wall.
Even though I only found one even remotely close, it's not an exact match. I've never tried to color-match before and I don't even know how to begin with a custom mixed color. I'm trying to tell myself that this is only a snag, a minor setback if you will. It's not the universe telling me to quit kidding myself, that there's no way I'll be able to undertake such a big project and I should just put a tree wall sticker up there and call it good..
I'm going to Sherwin Williams on my lunch break. The previous owner worked for them and I know that much about the paint. I'm crossing my fingers that maybe it's not a custom color. Maybe they have it right on their wall and I'll be able to solve my little roadblock by tomorrow.
Cross your fingers for me!
Oh, no! If you end up having to repaint that wall a new color, Home Depot is discontinuing their FreshAire line of paint (it's no VOC) and it's $10 a gallon.
ReplyDeleteThe HDs in Euless, Irving and Josey/635 have no Eggshell finish left....they're all at my house. :) We just bought a new house and once we realized that we could get no VOC paint at such a great price, we snapped up enough to have our entire house painted with it.
I'm pregnant, live in the Mid-Cities, due at the same time as you (mid-April). Can't wait to see how your nursery turns out.
My husband used to work for Sherwin Williams, he now works for Porter Paints. If there is any way that you can get a tiny chip of that paint to match off of your wall and give it to them, they can custom match it...or I think my husband has this really neat matching tool that looks like a little gun and they point it to the wall to find coordinating colors with what is on your wall...maybe Sherwin has something like that and can pick the color up from your wall with it?? I will have to ask him later when he comes home.
ReplyDeleteArgh, how annoying that the paint wasn't the right color! Color matching is easy, but you need a good-sized sample to bring in with you (maybe 2x2"). With paint only on the wall, I don't know how you'd be able to do that. My suggestion is to go with a color you like and have that wall be a different color. If it's close enough in tone, you probably won't even notice as long as you have a nice straight line in the corners. Or you can go with a totally different color on that wall for a more bold statement.
ReplyDelete@Maryn - How cool we're due around the same time! Hopefully the HD near my house will have some paint left. They're the next stop on my list!
ReplyDelete@Cathy - SW is right around the corner from my work and I'm definitely going to ask about the gun-paint-matcher thing! I pulled their paint chips too so I'm crossing my fingers!
@Rixa - I was going to paint that wall a different color but of course I went ahead and took down all the other pictures, patched the holes and painted what I thought was the right color over them! So I have to match the color or paint the whole room! Boo hiss!
First - LOVE That chair and ottoman combo. Man we have good taste.
ReplyDeleteSecond - I can't BELIEVE that the paint was the wrong color. Ughhhhhhhhhhhh.
Third - I love the rugs all offset like that. I also love my quote. :)
I concur with the blue tape thing. Not that it helps you now...but I have had many similar frustrations lately. Next time, I'm also going to use Frog Tape, despite the cost. The other thing that works well is to run a line of painter's caulk along your edge after you've taped. I find that helps the blue paint seal down a whole lot better and that step has saved me some heartache.
ReplyDeleteUgh - how frustrating is that?!? Like the above post said, you could always paint the one wall either a shade darker or lighter instead of repainting the entire room?! Hoping you come up with an easy & inexpensive solution! Also hoping you are feeling better! Sending you big "get better" hugs my friend :)
ReplyDeleteOH & the chair/ottoman combo looks fab :) Good choice!
the orange and brown looks good!! a light background pillow with those colors included will be the perfect touch!
ReplyDeleteYou know, you could carve out a small section of the wall (mostly paint layer, perhaps a bit of drywall/plaster) and bring that in to be matched. You'd have a really small repair to make, but at least you could get a good color match. Thing is, you'd still have to repaint all of the walls (except maybe for close to the edges) because you'd see a very slightly different sheen unless it was exactly the same brand & type of paint.
ReplyDeleteps--I have a list of medications you can and cannot take during pregnancy from my midwife and Tylenol PM is okay (it's just tylenol plus benadryl, both of which are pretty safe for use during pregnancy).
pps--this is Rixa, but I might be signed in under a different account...
Oh, no! If you end up having to repaint that wall a new color, Home Depot is discontinuing their FreshAire line of paint (it's no VOC) and it's $10 a gallon.
ReplyDeleteThe HDs in Euless, Irving and Josey/635 have no Eggshell finish left....they're all at my house. :) We just bought a new house and once we realized that we could get no VOC paint at such a great price, we snapped up enough to have our entire house painted with it.
I'm pregnant, live in the Mid-Cities, due at the same time as you (mid-April). Can't wait to see how your nursery turns out.