Tuesday, August 26, 2008

When Nesting Goes Wrong

I think I'm done nesting for a while, unless you count laying around on the couch as nesting.

I have been going bonkers on a two page long cross-indexed "To Do" list. I can't believe all I have accomplished. I still have a page and a half left to go. And, I haven't even started the actual house cleaning yet.

Our whole house is painted in one color paint. (Stone House by Benjamin Moore) And I LOVE that about our house (paint touch ups will never be easier!) I love the seamless transition between rooms. I love the continuity. So, I dug out the paint cans left behind by the previous owner and did some surreptitious spot checking. I found the exact can with the exact color (a miracle!) I tested it in two different rooms and it dried perfectly seamlessly.

Do you know where this is going?

I went into some kind of VOC-inhaled frenzy and whipped that paintbrush over every blemish on every wall all over the whole house. Oh, you should have seen me, paint-stained black T-shirt stretched dangerously thin over my belly as I frolicked around the house with a paintbrush.

And now my house is polka-dotted.

It doesn't match everywhere.

Plus, now I have cankles.

So, I'm done. I quit. I'll be over here on the couch if you need me.

15 comments:

MaryB said...

Oh no!!!! You need the hubs to come and correct the polka dots. You need to be taking it easy...restiong up for the big day and the days beyond.

Shaker beige and stone house are pretty similar colors...that just might be the problem. You can check out the pictures of my new kitchen to see if it resembles anything in your house.

Also, you woudl hate my house....not so seemless. Vivid colors in each room....Sometimes I have second thoughts about it. I lov rich color. (In fact we think our new kitchen is too light) Southern Living assures me that so long as you keep the style and the trim color constant throughout the house, colors are okay, but sometimes I think you have the right idea with the "seamless" look.

Katie said...

MaryB--I wouldn't hate your house! I love vivid colors too. We have a dark ruby wall in the dining room, and the bedrooms are all different colors! I just like that the transitional spaces are all the same--the hallways, etc. It really does make it seem bigger (our houses up here are cramped...unlike Texas! *Sniff!*)

Erin said...

OH. No. That is awful to work that hard at something, especially after you CHECKED HOW IT DRIED. And then all that hard work didn't pay off. Sorry honey.

Katie said...

Oh. Also? Hubs doesn't do "Arts and Crafts" as he says. In other words, I've never seen a paintbrush in the boy's hands!

The Quinn Report said...

Oh No, what are you going to do? I just did the same thing last week before Salem's party, and I basically had the same results. Mine don't look spotted, but more dirty and in need of a serious wall wash.

I wonder if it's due to the fact of the paint being old and stored in the garage, humidity, etc. Do you think a new can of paint would do the trick?

Angie said...

When a can of paint sits for awhile, it has to be remixed. I know that you can do that by hand, but it usually doesn't get mixed as well. You can take the paint back to the store to get it remixed (as in just shook up, not new color added.) I had the same problem when we were trying to sell our house in Alaska. I KNOW that it was the right can of paint, because I was the one who had painted it. I could still tell a slight difference. I just left it though, because it wasn't too bad.

I have a hard time figuring out what to do with open floor plans on painting. How do you change the color from room to room when they share a wall? That was why we had so much yellow in our Alaska house! It also drove me crazy that the stairway had such an obvious line. If I'd had a tall ladder and someone else to paint, I would have painted that too. I love open floor plans, but like many different colors, too.

Anonymous said...

Just get back on the couch and rest! Paint fumes aren't good for you anyhow! Hey - it makes for a good story in case anyone asks. Maybe you have inadvertently stared a new trend.

Unknown said...

I'm jealous reading everyone's comments! I know nothing about painting. My husband puts his foot down and won't let me do it each time we move and when we do own a house, I'll need hire someone or call in a couple of my childhood friends (Laura and Amie, I'm speaking to you!) to desert their families and fly in to help me! I also will need help with decorating. I'm so challenged in those two areas!

Anonymous said...

Danger, Will Robinson!

You'll be painting one wall bright red soon.

Tracy said...

I think bevo is right. Maybe you will start a new trend, or at least it can be a conversation starter. Also, use your cankles and a few tears to get John to do it. Tell him it needs to be done before company starts coming with the baby and your belly is getting in the way and ruining the few maternity shirts you have. (make sure you are teary eyed too!_

Joel and Angela said...

I like the seemless now. Especailly after trying to paint my kitchen every color in the rainbow. A wall here and there and bedrooms different colors...yes!
Sorry about the polka dots. If it makes you feel better...you made me laugh.

Anonymous said...

Last night, I dreamt that I came over to your house and we repainted everything red. We were, of course, in college and wearing plaid.

Anonymous said...

If you can get a "chip" somehow off the walls that didn't match up, you can have the chip matched at places like Lowe's or Home Depot. Then John can paint over your polka-dots.

I'm still recommending you stay on the couch, though, in a well ventilated room.

Jen said...

Oh no! That is so similar to what happened to me last week that I can totally feel for you!

Sit down and relax a bit - that baby will be here soon enough!

Jen said...

Also, what is it about those pilots? Tim doesn't do arts and crafts, either. Plb.