If At First You Don't Succeed...

How many colors of paint does it take to paint a fireplace? How about this many:

It didn't start out that way. Previously, the fireplace was a pinky rose and sort of green/gold, a pitiful failure of the infamous Dyer gene to produce a lasting and pleasing color scheme. It got old really soon.

Earlier this week I took a pillow from my bed and swatches of valance and dust ruffle fabrics to the paint store and chose two excellent neutral green/gold colors with which to replace the too-pink pink in the bedroom. I was so enthralled with these colors, so certain that these two particular colors were the salvation of the universe, that I proceeded immediately to paint the fireplace downstairs in their hues.

Well. After hours of painting, what we had looked vaguely reminiscent of a camouflaged Army tank bursting through the wall to invade our quiet family room, complete with tongues of flame pouring forth from a large black mouth. Not wanting to feel like I should flee screaming into the forest to evade said tank whenever I wished to warm myself before the fire, I realized right away that this must change.

The next day I tried using a very light blue to tame the tank, but it was too light. Cackling like a mad scientist, I tried mixing in some black, but it was too gray. I found some blue-green but it was too green. I added light blue, but it was too light and too green. I added some darker, brighter blue several times and finally got something I thought would do. But it wasn't purple enough. So I added some red and was finaly pleased. All this time Zach, the color-blind son, questioned our sanity when we pointed out that one little spot of test-paint was slightly more purple than the other one, or that this one was slightly duller than the last.

Later, when I was curious as to why the red was so thin compared to the other paints, erstwhile Kit (who had come over to knit and advise, thankfully), slowly read the label on the can through all the former drippings of redness. "D-e-c-k A-n-d S-i-d-i-n-g S-t-a-i-n....?" I heard her say through the fumes. Where in tarnation did we get red deck stain? I found some real red paint, and we finally had our color. Perhaps we should call it "Tank Killer" Blue. She convinced me to keep the pillars in the bronzy colors, and 'twixt us both, we were well pleased.

I painted all the afternoon, all through Pulp Fiction and more and still have a few hours of painting left. Feel sorry for me, for I am tired of painting.

Meanwhile, the smocking of the bedroom valance is stalled until I can get out and buy more embroidery floss (DMC #437, to be exact), but I think it looks pretty cool.

And lastly, I must prove to you that Sherlock is being a good trooper with all this mayhem and change going on. I am certain that *he* feels sorry for me!

Posted by Sheila at January 13, 2006 10:13 AM Posted to | TrackBack