FREE PAINT SATURDAY again at ACE!

Earlier this week, I had posted about how I went to my local Ace Hardware to get a free quart of their NEW Clark + Kensington paint. I had heard about the promo during last Friday's GMA Freebie Friday segment. When I went to the Ace FB page to share the post and my paint experience (read: Tried & Love a NEW Paint Product: Clark + Kensington Paint + Primer in One @ Ace) they had commented they would be running the promo again this Saturday, March 17th (UPDATE!! HAPPENING AGAIN MARCH 24 and MARCH 31!!). So if you missed it last weekend, you can get a FREE  quart of Clark + Kensington paint at participating Ace Hardware stores (check the Ace page to see if your location is participating). If they are, print your coupon at their website. Afterwards, head to your local Ace, select your color (can be a custom mix from Benjamin Moore - only available in a FLAT finish) and your paint is FREE! Great tip from a friend: She's getting her quarts all in same color and repainting a room for free!

It's that easy and a great way to test a fresh new color for spring like tangerine tango - or better yet: GO GREEN for St. Patty's Day! You can use your quart to paint an accent wall, create a stencil patterned wall, try stripes, or even paint furniture. And if you forget your coupon, don't fret, they have them at the store as well.

REMEMBER: FREE PAINT at ACE is EVERY SATURDAY in MARCH!!

Happy Painting!

Thanks for stopping by!



Thank you for your votes at Olioboard!!

Thank you so very much for once again coming through with your votes! Just by you taking the time, once, daily, or even a few times, you've helped another of my board entries not only make it to the top 3... But it held on to FIRST PLACE for the most recent Olioboard room board design challenge: Fashion + Decor. I know many other more popular bloggers have done this "runway to  room" concept, but this wasn't just about the runway. I utilized the challenge to challenge myself to showcase to you my experience and ability to apply what I learned working in retail: working with all different types of customers - of various ages, genders, ethnicity's. I learned and understand a lot about lifestyles. Sometimes when we were setting new shops, I'd create little stories behind the cloths, about the person who would wear them and where. A friend termed them as "Lynda-isms".

My entry from the Olioboard

Fashion + Decor Challenge



The story being the board: This board was at first inspired by the Barret Jacckson Auto show Jeff & I went to back in February. Then, I incorporated my appreciation of Ralph Lauren style. Knowing that Ralph Lauren has used automobiles as his inspiration for some of his clothing lines, I kept that inspiration in mind to design & style the room boards. Fabrics mixed are both  rich wools and flannels, paired with masculine patterns and tufted leather. The crisp edge came from pairing these flat finish textiles with the shine of polished chrome, stainless steel and  glass.





At Olioboard, I created two separate boards, but with the same inspirations in mind: a man and his car.  To create my lifestyle board, I placed both of the boards onto one and added the fashions that were the textile inspiration for the rooms. I finished the boards using the new ProPlan text tool (yay!) now offered at Olioboard. This is just another way I've combined utilizing my retail background + design experience + lifestyle understanding to present to you. And I greatly appreciate the response of your votes!

Another masculine lifestyle board, but for the more rugged - outdoor man.

Where above NYC was in mind, below was more inspired by my new local of Arizona:



A few other lifestyle boards I created, combining Fashion + Decor,

but in 3D vs. the above shown 2D are:

 If you get a chance today or over the weekend, stop by Olioboard to vote on so many other boards entered in the ZincDoor Spring Contest. I'm not in that contest, but many friends are. One of the most recent entries is a fave from a friend in Miami:



ONE TO VOTE FOR:

Ana D. Then - White Linen Interiors

Colorsplash Living room

Olioboard - ZincDoor Spring Colors Challenge

 

Follow Me At Olioboard!

Thanks again for taking the time to vote for my Fashion + Decor board....

Metropolitan Man.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy March Moodboard Madness!



Around Town: A Visit to the Phoenix Art Museum

Living in a new area lends itself to a host of new places to go explore. I don't only always thrift or shop; I also very much enjoy going to museums. One museum in particular in our new area that caught my attention is the Phoenix Art Museum. Although one level of three was closed for an installation last Friday, Jeff and I saw still so many wonderful installations on exhibit. One I've been looking forward to for quite a while was the Frank Lloyd Wright Exhibit.

 

I think Frank Lloyd Wright was a brilliant architect - brilliant beyond his time - so much so that one of his works (many UNBUILT) was an Urban Plan for what is now the City of Phoenix Arizona. Because much of the Frank Lloyd Wright work on display was donated by private owners and the FLW Foundation, I wasn't able to take many photos. But if you are in the Phoenix area - or your metropolitan museum is going to be exhibiting Frank Lloyd Wright... it's a must see!

 

Frank Lloyd Wright's model of a MILE HIGH BUILDING, Chicago 1956

(A bit of time before the Twin Towers were conceived) and also very uncharacteristic of his work. I was a little surprised to have seen this at the exhibit entrance because he had a problem with the skyscraper. He once called it an, ''Incongruous mantrap of monstrous dimensions!'' Many of his structures worked with the landscape, "land-hugging" and mostly designed with the division of horizontal planes in mind. FLW was so detailed, that even the vertical mortar was painted the color of the bricks of a home he designed in Chicago.

Another level of the museum had several contemporary works on display. One amazing display of color with only the use of paper was an installation created from 1.4 million pieces of paper. Cool colors on one side, and warm color on the other...

Some other art on exhibit...

A nice surprise: we were just in time to also explore a relatively NEW exhibit installation in the Fashion Gallery. Inspired by the Sea, this exhibit showcased pieces from a chronological display of Vogue + Bazaar covers, to a Chanel bathing suit, to a vintage Prada dress to even beautiful accessories created from shells... All were set in a space painted in a vibrant turquoise blue - reminiscent of the sea... I was in heaven!

 

 

Loved and looking forward to checking out future events like first Fridays! 

Speaking of Fridays... since we had gone on a Friday, we first stopped for lunch in Downtown Phoenix at Food Truck Friday. Yum!

Thanks for stopping by!

Video Tutorial: How to Create a 3D Room Design on Olioboard

Whether you're a homeowner looking to create your own 3D room-board concept, or you're a designer new to use Olioboard, Sheilah, the CEO + co-founder of Olioboard.com, created a fantastic tutorial to teach you how. Even if you've been using Olioboard to create room designs, her tips and explanation of the tools are a huge help. After watching the video, pop over to Olioboard to see the completed board at Sheilah (aka smacsporran) created. It's a great example of using pops of bright colors in a space...

 

WATCH the video Tutorial here.

Visit Olioboard to view board & leave Sheilah a comment here.

While you're at Olioboard, sign-up to tryout the Pro-Tools. They are a great add to your roomboards, and you can utilize the tools from month o month for only $8.99 a month.

 

View Olioboard PRO-Plan here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tried & Love a NEW Paint Product: Clark + Kensington Paint + Primer in One @ Ace

What a great promo! Last Friday morning, while watching Good Morning America, they did a segment called Freebie Friday. On it, GMA featured a free quart give-a-way (for Saturday March 10th only) of a new paint product called Clark + Kensington Paint + Primer in One, available at Ace Hardware. Although I'm a lover of Ralph Lauren paints, it's not as readily available since being dropped at Home Depot a few years ago. Since the C+K paint would be free, I decided to give it a try - which was exactly the purpose of the promo.

Because of this promotion for Clark + Kensington paint + primer in one, I tried a NEW product and LOVE it! Saturday afternoon, I picked up my free quart, but with the intention of selecting a color to repaint the buffet (the one I painted red last fall). While we were at our local Ace Hardware (in Gilbert, AZ), I learned that they could color match Benjamin Moore colors to the Clark + Kensington line (which saves a little $$$) so I also went ahead and got a gallon of the Clark + Kensington paint + primer to paint one room downstairs.

Although the C+K can says "Low VOC", it was pretty strong... BUT the paint + primer gave EXCELLENT coverage, applied well, minimal drips and dried quick. Ace Hardware manufactures this paint in its facilities in northern Illinois. Jeff painted the walls, while I cut in at ceilings, corners, and around trim. I was concerned the existing two-toned paint would effect the application oh the C+K paint, and at first, it looked like it might not cover - but the C+K paint dried flawless (and with minimal ghosts!) 

 

The color I chose from my Benjamin Moore color deck was called Copper Patina (#619)

 

The room BEFORE: I don't get the color blocked wall treatment.

it was in two finishes: The blue was almost semi-gloss, while the off-white was a flat 

builder grade paint.

 

Jeff being silly, but also worked to test the paint...

 

Cause for concern, but problem solved.

Clark + Kensington Paint + Primer in one really works!

 

Paint past the pet test. Sephora approved :)

It actually took longer and two coats to cover the white trim with Behr paint than it did do paint the room (only 1 and a 1/2 hours + EZ clean up.) Not only could I see the difference in coverage while applying the paint, but I could feel the difference too (so did Jeff!). Also a HUGE difference using this Ace Hardware Clark + Kensington paint vs. using Home Depot's Glidden (we had used to paint our rental.) All walls with Glidden took TWO coats to cover, which also equaled more time to accomplish.

More great product info in the video...

Thanks Ace for a great promotion and thanks also for creating the new Clark + Kensington  AWESOME paint product!! (NOTE: No, ACE did not pay me to write this. This was written on my own because I just liked the product that much!)

I'll be doing another post today for March Moodboard Madness... But I really wanted to let you know about the great new paint product!

Thank you for stopping by...