Exclusive Candice Olsen Paint Colors from Benjamin Moore

I'm not going to deny it; when I'm looking for paint colors I usually head to Sherwin Williams first. Their paints are high quality, they have great colors and a good Green Story. But when I heard Benjamin Moore had teamed up with Candice Olsen to create an exclusive fan deck; I had to check it out.

You know Candice Olsen right? The awesome Interior Designer from HGTV shows such as "Divine Design" and "Candice Tells All". Love her!

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Her designs are classic, fresh, timeless and modern all at the same time. Her rooms are ones that can stand the test of time without becoming dated or boring. 

The same can be said for her new paint collection.

Candice choose her favorite go to colors from the Benjamin Moore line and combined it into one fan deck that they say resulted "in a sophisticated, nature-inspired collection of timeless, unique color combinations for any room in your home".

The collection features 60 different colors, arranged by family, ranging from neutral to bold 

accent hues. 

You can view the entire collection online. There are a lot of good ones! 


What do you think?

HGTV Design Star

Have you been watching this season's HGTV Design Star? I have, I've always liked it because the crazy challenge schedule and design critiques remind me of my college design school years. I've had to get used to the new Monday time slot and have missed a few episodes along the way.

I must admit that I miss Clive as the host. He had witty comments and thought he did well in the role. I do like the addition of David. I like his show Color Splash and think it's nice to have someone who's been through the whole Design Star process helping the contestants out.

What do you think about the contestants? There's no one really jumping out at me as a favorite. Maybe it's because in most of the challenges they have been paired up and we haven't really seen anyone's true design style yet. Or maybe it's because they're all getting along pretty well. 

In the past it seemed like you could spot the few who would be in the final 3 or 4. Maybe because they had a strong opinion about each design, or that they created something awesome each time around.

So far my favorites have been Kellie. She's a mom like me, she from Oklahoma my new state, and she has a nice style.

I like Mark too, I keep waiting for him to do something cool and hip.

Cathy seems to be the one butting heads with the most people so far. In the past 2 challenges she seemed to make her partners upset. And I don't know what the deal was with all the food she put in the kitchen last night.

 Kevin always seems to have big ideas that sound good, but it seems like he has trouble executing them. He's been at the bottom a few times so I'm getting worried for him.

Meg seems to be coming into her own and getting into the swing of things. The last two challenges have been good for her. She had me worried with the White Room Challenge, yikes.

I try to understand where the contestants are coming from. It must be hard to come up with totally unique and fabulous ideas in such a short time frame. I often wonder if I would be able to do it myself.

What about you? Do you have a favorite contestant yet? Do you dream about being on Design Star?

Who Inspires You? & Giveaway Winner

I want to announce the winner of the Purse Giveaway! The winner is #32- Charmaine of LicklePickle Blog. Congratualtions!
Send me an email Charmaine and I'll send the purse your way.

I was thinking the other day about how I became the way I am. Meaning that person who sees a piece of forgotten furniture on the side of the road and immediately start thinking about how I can give it a new life, always thinking about how I can improve my home on the lowest budget possible, always trying to figure out how I can make that piece of furniture I see in the store myself instead of buying it.

So I thought I would give a run down of a few of my top influences:

1. Martha Stewart

Ok, what can't this woman do?! I mean, she wakes up in the morning picks eggs for breakfast, feeds her cows and horses, goes antiquing before lunch, whips up some amazing craft in the afternoon, then throws an amazing dinner party she cooked over her woodburning stove using wood she chopped the day before.

Wow, if only I could have half as much talent in my whole body as she does in her little finger! I try to be diverse in my projects like her but will never be on her level. Of course she does have a daughter with a TV show where she makes fun of Martha's old shows, so its a give and take.

2. Decorating Cents

Oh my gosh, do you guys remember this show? I loved it! Making over your house with only $500! Amazing! My favorite part though was the Trash To Treasure segment. I couldn't wait to the end of each episode to see what they came up with this time. Decorating with old shoes, using an old crib as a shelf, it went on and on. And it gave me hope that I wasn't the only one out there that enjoyed turning junk into something special. I was sad to see this show leave HGTV.

3. Design On A Dime

Loved this show too! They had so many great ideas to make over your home on a budget. A lot of their projects required knowledge and skill with tools. This motivated me to learn how to use a jig saw, buy my own drill, ect. (Sometimes this got me into trouble though.) I'm sorry this show isn't on anymore either. I like all the House Hunter shows, but I like design ideas too!

4. Trading Spaces

Ok, not only did this show have great inexpensive design ideas, but they had some serious eye candy as well. (It doesn't hurt is all I'm saying.) I loved Genevieve's Mod style, and Vern's clean, slick architectual vision. There were so many ideas I could implement in my own home. Another thing I loved about this show is that they went all over the country. My friend and I applied but the show was cancled not long after we sent in our application. Sadness!

5. And last but not least- My Mom! Not to be cheesy or anything but she was really understanding of my obsession with roadkill rescue furniture (during high school I think I had up to 8 chairs in my room at one point), or rearranging my room every few months. And she was always willing to take me to my favorite junk stores before I could drive. Thanks mom!

So, who inspires you?