i need a distraction these days... and warmer weather is upon us...which has me thinking about painting the exterior of the house. the green & yellow just ain't cutting it for me anymore, it sticks out like a soar thumb on my street of all white houses. not likely to blend in, i have the colors all picked out and they are fun, very bungalowish i suppose...but they don't look the same on my computer screen as they do in my color wheel??? if you click on the house image you can see where the colors will be going (sorry it's so small on the screen)...
body: benjamin moore horizon gray 2141-50
despite it's name (or the ugly tan color it looks on my screen), it's a gray with very subtle green undertone, very neutral. once i figure out what plants/shrubs i actually have surrounding the house (and what i'd like to add) i think this will be a nice back drop for the plantings to 'pop' against. side note, my mother hates that word 'pop', as well as 'punch', 'splash', and anything relating to an accent color usually. ha!
trim & windows: benjamin moore navajo white oc-95
this looks very pinky on my screen, but i assure you it's not, it's just a softer version of a white to go with the body color. i think it'll look gorgeous on the square tapered columns with oil rubbed bronze house numbers on them, don't you?
front & rear door: benjamin moore plum royal 2070-20
originally i was thinking about a red door, but i have a client who has a deep purple door and i LOVE it. it's unexpected and fun.
that hideous metal stair rail will be painted out black and i'm going to add a new oil rubbed bronze wall mounted mail box and house numbers...accessorizing your house is as important as accessorizing your outfits, right?
all i can do is keep breathing...
over the weekend i read this recipe for shrimp scampi in coastal living magazine, so we're having it for dinner tonight... along with some texas toast...do you love texas toast like i do?..
Ingredients- 8 ounces linguine
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. cook pasta in boiling salt water according to package; drain.
2. heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. add half the shrimp, and cook 1 minute on each side or until opaque. transfer the shrimp to a plate, cover and keep warm. repeat with remaining shrimp.
3. melt butter over medium heat in smae skillet. add remaining oil, garlic, red pepper; sautee 3 minutes or until garlic starts to brown. stir in cooked shrimp, parsley, lemon zest & juice, and salt. cook 1 minute.
4. add pasta. and cook 1 minute or until hot, tossing constantly, serve immediately.
this is my basement door, kind of boring right? so i decided to take on a little weekend project of turning it into a magnetic chalkboard. it's the perfect location to write my 'to do' lists to remind me as i walk out the back door. i went to lowes and purchased these suplies...
first step: prepping the door... sanding it down with fine grit sandpaper, wipe it down with water and taping it off. i'm not a big fan of taping things off, but trust me, it's so worth taking the time to do it...
steps two & three: paint on the magnetic paint. the can says 2-3 coats, but i'm not going to lie, i did 6 coats. i let the third coat dry and then tested a magnet on it and it fell off immediately, not cool. then paint 2 coats of the chalkboard paint...
done... the finished product...
i will say this, even though it looks nice, i'm a little less than thrilled with it. the magnetic paint ain't all it's cracked up to be, it only holds my lighter weight magnets, boooo. but it does the trick, more or less, and at least the chalkboard part works well.
another thing on my ever- growing list of things i need/want/must have for the house, a console table for the front entrance. it's mainly for decoration since we use the back door for our daily ins & outs. but the front entrance is certainly missing some formality that i want. i've never had a formal entrance before and these ones are so inspiring...
via unknown
sooooo, do i go light & delicate?..
or dark & substantial (which would probably fit with the rest of the decor in my house since it is a bungalow)?...
a college friend, chris faraone, recently released this book about the occupy movement, the largest political movement of 2011. he's also a writer for the boston phoenix in case you're interested in reading more of his stuff. his book release party was last night, which sadly i did not attend, but i thought i would promote his book and his success here...definitely worth picking yourself up a copy...
my boss recently returned from a trip to louisiana, he went down with his wife to listen to good music and eat good cajun cookin'. he's pretty good about bring his office staff back some goodies from his trip, this time was no exception. he gave me this 'slap ya mama' cajun seasoning...i literally have been putting it on everything i eat over the last week...i'm addicted. it's the perfect about of salty, peppery & spicey...
body: benjamin moore horizon gray 2141-50
