When a door closes, a paint can opens!

Let me just tell you about my love hate relationship with the round, chubby guy we call the paint can.  I always tell people, if you want a quick INEXPENSIVE do-it-yourself update, grab yourself a brush or two {or six if you're like me...} and your favorite paint color.  Now, this is where my hate part of the relationship comes into play.

Choosing a paint color is a lot like choosing an item off the Dollar Menu at McDonalds.  It's cheap, it looks good, but once you start devouring it, you begin to question your decision making.  

If I had to estimate, I would say I purchased approximately 362 paint cans since moving out of my parent's house in 2004.  Ok, maybe not that many, but at least HALF that number. Paint to me is harder to pick out than furniture.  With furniture, it's cut and dry.  Paint on the other hand is a little trickier.    Have you ever painted a 3 inch swatch on your wall and thought, "WHAT? Did they even mix the color I asked for?!" Or "Oh my gosh-- I LOVE this color!"  and then upon painting an entire room you realized it's just about the most hideous color you've ever seen? {Which, by the way, has NEVER happened in my house...(cue Pinocchio nose)}

It wasn't until I ran into a local painter at Sherwin Williams who shared this very important fact with me: "A paint color will look drastically different after you have painted the ENTIRE room AND placed your furniture, textiles, and wall decor into it ALONG WITH letting it settle for 7+ days.  Now why don't they put THAT on the chubby little guy?!

Leave it to my brilliant mother to find one possible solution to this problem....POSTER BOARD! When my mom was choosing paint colors for her house, it resembled what I imagine Picassio's studio to look like. Color, upon color ,upon color all over the walls.  She would purchase inexpensive paint samples, paint large pieces of poster board, and display them on the walls all around the room.  She was able to see what the paint color would look like at all hours of the day, as well as what it would look like behind furniture, art, etc. Mothers- what CAN'T they do?!

Image courtesy of Budget Friendly Decorating :)

Which leads into today's topic--painting interior doors.  While on a field trip to Lowes last weekend, I picked up the newest issue of Southern Living. Oh.my.word. I am so in love with this special edition! It focuses on southern charm and gives fantastic decorating tips, examples, and resources!  Not being a natural born southern belle, I need some help turning on the "Southern Charm."  Enter this magazine.

The only thing I'll be reading for the next few weeks

While flipping through the issue, my heart literally skipped a beat when I reached page 89. The most beautiful sight I have ever seen.  Something so magnificent, I felt a bit cheated having lived without it the past 27 years.  After drooling over the picture for about 18 minutes, I revealed the photo to my husband, who didn't have as quite a drastic reaction as I did, but that's typically the case on most things {the Perchinsky's tend to be a little over the top when it comes to the reaction of day to day events-there's a lot of facial expressions, hand gestures, and "OH MY GOSH"es which last for several minutes}. Anyway... it was a  BLUE interior door! BLUE! BLUE! Why have I never thought of this?! BLUUUUUUUUUE?! 

My iPhone image does not do this beauty queen justice-you MUST get the issue to see it for yourself!

There has been something missing from my entryway for quite some time now.  I saw some beautiful pictures online of black interior painted doors and thought maybe that's why my entry was yearning for {this entry sparked my interests months ago!} 

My front interior door.  Also known as, "Plain Jane."

While, I LOVE the black interior doors, something was keeping me from taking the plunge. I couldn't put my finger on it until I saw The Blue Beauty on page 89. This was exactly what I was looking for! A pop of color in a subtle southern way-I'm starting to love this whole painting thing.

Enter hate.

After examining the page a little more, I noticed the paint color was not listed as they typically are in home decor magazines. Where is the name of this paint color?! Why isn't it printed in the caption or editor's note? What is the name of this PAINT COLOR! Southern Living, don't do this to me! Don't you dare deprived me from my lust after this color! Why wouldn't you want to share this beautiful color with the world?!

After internally panicking for several milliseconds, I knew there had to be an answer.  There HAD to be. End.of.story.

Leave it to google image to alleviate my stress level.  After dissecting what seemed like 200 images, I came upon this and BINGO-problem solved (seriously, what did we do before the internet?  Had white interior doors I suppose...). Thank you, Valorie for keeping me from writing a very nasty letter to the editor.

                                           

However, I am wondering if she has some secret unpublished issue I don't know about--did I get  the discounted version or what? Note the paint color label in Valorie's issue {right} as compared to mine {left}. What's up with that?!

Printed or not printed, I NOW have the paint color {name} in my possession-Reinstate LOVE!

"In the Twilight" by Benjamin Moore (1434).   

I plan on running driving insanely fast to my nearest Ben Moore retailer first thing tomorrow morning after my husband leaves for work {I like to be alone in my house while completing projects. I think it goes along with my love for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and wanting to experience the BIG reveal to anyone who walks through the front door upon completion.  My Nissan Rogue doesn't have quite the same effect as the giant charter bus, but it pleases me to say the least}.

I'm not sure if you can tell, but I have extremely high hopes for this paint color and the dramatic difference it will inflict upon my entryway.  I'm hoping to nip the "H" word from my relationship with paint once and for all.   If this doesn't turn out, you can find me at McDonalds drive thru making some more substandard choices. "Yes, I'd like to super size that please..."