Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Subject: A Quick Project & Party Progress

Melissa!

So, two very exciting things to tell you about. First, I have the party invitations for Suz's birthday! I thought they would take me waaaay longer to do, but now they're done and I feel so relieved to mark that off my list. I utilized Kinko's again and, once more, they further cemented their awesomeness in my life. I created the invitation in Microsoft Word and arranged the page in "landscape" format. Then I created two invitations side-by-side, so I only had to order 9 copies, even though I needed 18 invitations. The total was $11 and some change. See? Awesome! Then I used my own paper cutter to cut the pages in half. I did have to make a special trip to Office Depot for the envelopes, but that was quick and painless and I was in and out in less than five minutes. So, here is the finished product:


Do you loooove? I'm kind of obsessed. I purposely left the space at the top because I knew I wanted to do some kind of banner decoration. I cut out little triangles (using some of the same paper used to make monthly picture banners) and then used double-sided tape to affix them. The line the triangles are "hanging" on was just made using the edge of a Tupperware bowl and a thin Sharpie marker. I love the overall effect. Of course, once I had most of them done I realized I didn't love the wording. It reads: "You are cordially invited to join us for a tea party honoring Suz's 1st birthday." Honoring? I should have put "celebrating," but I would seriously be nuts to order new invitations and go through the process of drawing the lines and taping on the triangles. So, I'll let it stand, although the English major in me is finding that tough!

The second thing to tell you about is that I painted my powder room and laundry area yesterday. You remember my laundry room from here, and here is the powder room before:



It is a tiny room, with space for a door to enter and a toilet immediately on your left and a sink immediately on your right. Originally the sink was a giant vanity thing built into the wall, but in our first year of living here we ripped it out and put in the pedestal sink and I found that mirror at an antique store and painted it black. The pictures above the toilet are actually pieces of fabric with coral embroidered on linen that I framed. This room was one of the first to be totally "done" in our house and I was kind of surprised when I suddenly got the itch to paint it.

But I started thinking about my new "mature" walls in the kitchen (pictures coming soon, I promise!), and wondered if I needed an update in the bathroom too. Then, for some reason, this image from Better Homes & Gardens* popped into my head, and I suddenly had a craving for something sea glass-ish in the powder room:

So nice, right? I decided I loved the color in the big circle on the right. It's called Copper Patina by Benjamin Moore. In the description of the color it reads, "Pair with white wainscoting and touches of apricot orange in a dining room." Well, I have wainscoting on the ceiling because the previous owner painted the powder room this blood red color (it was awful and totally 1992 with the gold trim faucet), but I guess she wasn't good at painting or didn't know how to cut in because there were all these reddish-pink streaks on the ceiling. We installed this panel trim on the ceiling to cover and then trimmed it out with crown. Here is a closer look (the light fixture is casting the weird shadow so it looks like it's under water!):

I got a quart mixed up over the weekend and got to work yesterday painting. I was able to get one coat on during each nap, so by the end of the day I was re-hanging pictures and moving my detergent back into the laundry area. Here is the after:



It's not the best quality of picture, but you get the idea. It's definitely darker, but I feel like it's also more mature and dramatic too. I think it looks really crisp against the white ceiling and pedestal sink and the prints look great, too, as promised by the color description in BHG. I think I want to find something to hang on the wall opposite the towel ring - maybe some cute plates or something. I didn't take a picture of the laundry area...it's piled high with laundry and a car seat, so you'll just have to use your imagination.

The rest of this week I am going to be brainstorming some more about the birthday party. I'll check back in with you next week to let you know what else I have come up with. I can't believe it's only Wednesday, but already I'm thinking about the weekend!

Xoxo,
Kara

*You may realize this is the second time BHG has inspired a paint color choice for me. I love that section of the magazine and always rip them out and save them. I have quite a little collection of them now and love to leaf through them when I am in need of some color inspiration.

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