Color Buzz

Friday Project Series: Tag sale Find Makeover

by Veronique Habermann

This is the time of the year for “tag” sales! Neighbors are getting rid of unwanted clutter and with a little paint and imagination, it is amazing how easy and affordable it is to transform someone’s “junk” into somebody else's “treasure”! With a fresh coat of paint and gentle colors, this outgrown little boy’s chest of drawers will look great in a guest room!

From the Runway to the Hallway, Persimmon Packs Punch

by Michèle Coppin

Island Orange 2010-2	Butterscotch Sundae 2008-3C

One of the hottest colors on the runway this spring is a juicy shade of Persimmon orange. Persimmon is appearing in fashion, accessories, and in interior decorating. Orange is one of  the warmest colors on the color wheel. It is uplifting, cheerful, energizing  and studies have shown that orange is an appetite stimulator -  a great choice for a kitchen.

Inspired by this gorgeous color, I recently turned a white, sterile kitchen into a cozy cheerful space. 

Friday Project Series: How to Organize Leftover Paint for Easy Touch-Up.

by Veronique Habermann

Open the windows! Spring is here! Now that the days are longer, this is the time of year for painting projects and spring cleaning. I would like to share a simple organizing tip for storing your leftover paint that will not only keep your closet clean, but will make freshening your walls a breeze.

Color Buzz Helps: A Brush With Kindness

by Michèle Coppin

I recently discovered a Minneapolis neighborhood that was being transformed. The atmosphere of renewal was so impressive that I wanted to get involved. Volunteering with a team from A Brush With Kindness (ABWK), we worked on an old home in St. Paul, Minnesota in need of some TLC--and tender loving care is exactly what it received.

Getting Color Organized

January is National Get Organized Month. We are going to roll up our sleeves and take on organizing with the help of color. 

Being organized is like having great posture. Everything seems to line up and run smoothly.  Like good posture, you have to work at it and keep adjusting, but the payoff is tremendous! A well-run home, efficient use of time, breathing room - who doesn’t want that?

As a member of the “Right Side of the Brain” club, organization doesn’t come easily to me. Every now and then I catch glimpses as to how life could be, and boy, does it look great.

Veronique did an amazing thing by putting so much of what we do at the studio on Google Calendar. She gave each task a color so we just have to glance at the screen to know what projects are coming up and who is involved. I highly recommend it to anyone with a busy schedule.
 
Color can also be a great tool for visually organizing your home. We will be rolling out some projects of our own over the next several weeks, but in the meantime, here are some sites and blogs we came across that we found inspirational:
 
From Colorlovers

Precarious Positions: Navigating Through Difficult Painting Projects

By Megan Leblond

Here at Beehive Studios, we know all about the physical efforts and hard work it takes to transform a space. Painting ceilings, floors and walls is no easy task! If you have ever put in the hard work of building or dry-walling a space, you certainly deserve a pat on the back. Here are some shots of us Beehive designers putting physical labor into projects. Check out my sanding job on a curved wall—and no those are not highlights in my hair, they're layers of spackle dust!



Here’s a picture of sweet Michele painting the ceiling in between rafters. She and I were both stiff for days!



Here’s a picture of me stripping my own stairs of layers and layers of mauve and cream colored paint. It’s a miracle I have any fingernails left!

If you are planning to tackle a difficult project, try to take some of the edge off by scheduling relaxing or fun time for yourself and helpers throughout the project. If you are working with your significant other, schedule a shoulder massage trade. With friends, celebrate a project with a sensational lunch break that includes chocolate dessert. 

Treat yourself to a manicure when your project is complete or schedule a goofy dance break. Take silly photos during the project so you can remember the transformation process.  Whatever you do, don’t let the physical aspect of the job worry you too much.

Do you have a crazy ‘Precarious Position’ photo of you completing a project? Send it to us and maybe we’ll feature you in a blog commending your survival!

Inspirational Books

By Michele Coppin
 
Children are not usually involved in home improvements. But here are a few books that will develop and celebrate children’s imagination and creativity so they can become brilliant DIY’ers when they grow up – or at least help them become expressive, happy, kind and well-balanced individuals. These books and their wonderful messages all share lovely illustrations and charming stories – great for bedtime.
 
One by Kathryn Otoshi
 
One is a beautiful book that illustrates colors, numbers and themes of acceptance and individuality.
In One, Blue is dreamy and sweet and generally happy with his color until hot-headed Red shows up. Red bullies everyone, including Green, Yellow, Purple, until one day a stranger arrives, Number 1. One is not afraid of Red and he puts an end to the bullying. He also gives Colors confidence to be all they can be. Through lovely, simple illustrations, this number/color book reminds us that it just takes “one” to make a difference and make everyone count.



The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
 
For everyone who has been afraid to express themselves, from children in art class to adults whose fear has shut down the imagination, The Dot reminds us to “make your mark” and see where it takes you.
With whim and humor, this simple but inspiring story recognizes the creativity in everyone and proves that imagination lies within us all.



And my all time favorite :
 
The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
 
Le Petit Prince was first published in France in 1943 by aviator and author Antoine De Saint-Exupéry. It has become his most famous novella, translated into more than 180 languages and having sold more than 80 million copies, making it one of the bestselling books ever.

This book is a true work of art, a masterpiece of its genre. It tells the story of an unlikely friendship between an aviator whose plane has crashed and a little prince who has fallen to earth from his tiny planet, in the middle of the Saharan desert. Populated with odd characters and unexpected teachers, The Little Prince is a story about love, friendship, tolerance, acceptance, beauty and imagination.



Happy Reading!

Speaking of home improvement, are you giving a friend or loved one any home improvement gifts this holiday season? If so, send us your gift ideas! We’d love to learn from your creative DIY skills.

A Brush with Kindness

By Michele Coppin

While in Minneapolis, I discovered a charming neighborhood that is experiencing a true revival. Many homes have been recently renovated; several are currently being fixed up. Still, many are in need of repair. The community exudes a sense of pride, many touting signs encouraging neighbors to maintain tidy front yards.

I discovered that these inspiring transformations are due to a wonderful program called "A Brush With Kindness." Its founder and manager Pat Lund explained that A Brush with Kindness is a special program of the Twin Cities’ Habitat for Humanity organization. It is a volunteer program that transforms neighborhoods by assisting qualifying low income home owners in their efforts to live independently and secularly in their homes. It works in cooperation with churches, business and neighborhood associations. Volunteer crews adopt specific homes where they do exterior and interior painting as well as minor repairs. Homeowners work along side the volunteer crews. This program works year round serving about 100 families with 2,000 volunteers.

Valspar, the national paint partner for Habitat conceived the "Brush With Kindness" program, which started in 1998. Valspar donates large amounts of cash and paint to the organization.

Pat Lund said, "Valspar has been a terrific partner. They donate paint, financially support us and come up with volunteers to help us. They understand the importance of having a home and keeping a home."

Many Valspar employees volunteer on these projects. Mike Dougherty, vice president of communication for Valspar, said employees come back to volunteer year after year.

This program clearly makes a huge difference in people’s lives and makes me proud to be associated with Valspar.

New England Summer Cottages

The beautiful coast of New England is dotted with charming beach cottages. Unlike the whimsically colorful Floridian cottages, the summer homes in New England display a sober beauty that speaks of sun, wind and rain. The lovely clapboard sidings, weathered by climactic extremes turn to a variety soft grays - with hints of blue, pewter or pearl while others become bleached with sandy shades of earthy whites and pale straw. These color variations also depend on the age of the wood.

Wood connects us to our natural world, creating a rustic simple elegance. The beauty of natural wood is unique in its color, grain and patterns which stains enhance, but paint masks.

Indeed, stains allow the aesthetic properties of wood to remain while protecting from the elements.
Cabot Stains has an array of different stains, clear and tinted that help protect, maintain and sustain wooden sidings, fences, porches and docks...

Design Dilemma – Designing Around Harvest Gold Fixtures

Dear Beehive Designers,

We have a somewhat small bathroom that has a harvest gold tub, shower and vanity top.

I have painted the vanity console "Country White" and the walls are a taupe/gray. I want to paint the walls a new color that will compliment the gold fixtures or make them blend in, rather than stand out.

There are no windows so I'm leery about using a dark color since the space is so small. Should I go with a pale yellow or maybe a shade of green? I need help!!!

Thanks,
Cheryl

………………………….

Dear Cheryl,

Don't give up hope! The harvest gold is actually not so bad. There's a reason so many of our homes were cove red in it in the mid-70s—it’s trying to "fix" what is already there that causes the problems. 

Your floor looks really cool. The red has a powerful punch. To compliment this, I would put a warm white on the walls like Whitewashed Oak. Try to find a white that will work with the grout, then have fun with accessories. 

 

I found this shower curtain at Target:

 

You could add something bold in a monochromatic tone will pack a punch. You want to keep the eye at play but not to over work it, especially in a bathroom. I recommend a navy and white print. The navy is a nice compliment to the harvest gold.  It stands up on its own and the complete palette offers a fun spin on all three primary colors.

If any of you readers out there have ever worked with Harvest Gold, jump in.  We'd love to hear your stories and ideas.

Good luck!

Ann McGuire