Paint Progress

Using the file folders to aide in the trim-painting process in the living room worked like a charm! I ran a butter knife between the trim and the folders before removing them to ensure that the paint wasn't sticking. After that, the folders slid right out. The carpet was spared and the trim is now white, clean and bright...and looks happy to greet me. ('Sound of Music' reference...anyone catch that?)

Post-trim painting.

After the trim's facelift, it was time to paint the walls!

We used three colors of paint in the living room. The first, Valspar Khaki, is along the back wall and on the mantle (as pictured below). Second, we chose Valspar Colonial Beige for both walls at either end of the room, which is the darkest tone in the trifecta. Finally, we used Valspar Natural for the fourth and lightest-colored wall which continues down the hallway. (All color-matched to Olympic Premium No-VOC.)

This would otherwise be your run-of-the-mill, 'paint the four walls' of the room story, were it not for the incredibly-high ceiling situation in the front entryway.

Thanks to the ugly wooden shelf that used to live on this wall, we were left with unsightly scratches and holes...that left the otherwise-desirable option of leaving that really tall wall unpainted, as not really an option at all.

Getting to the top of the wall (even with the 8-foot ladder on loan from Dad, and a lengthy extender...also on loan) was not going to be possible. So, at Bobby's brilliant suggestion, we taped off a straight line (that is, as straight a line as one can eyeball from the very top of an 8-foot ladder) that was even with the third wall. 

See how high we're talking about?
That little line at the bottom is the top of the closet door frame.
Trust me. It was way up there.

The view, looking up, from the front door.

We painted below the tape and left the walls white above, which we think works well. We were definitely pleased with the result of what was most definitely a last minute, "what if we try this?" idea. (Don't you just love it when that happens?!)

So, this is where the living room stands now. I am quite happy with how it's turning out. The colors are exactly what I'd hoped for. The walls look different all throughout the day as the light shifts (which almost led me to believe that we'd made a very bad choice when we initially started painting on what was a dark, rainy afternoon), but I'm really enjoying that dynamic quality, and the changing moods that the room offers as the day goes on. 

As for the ceramic plate on the mantle.... Our guests signed that at our wedding, and the thing has been protectively concealed in bubble-wrapping at my parents' house for the past two years until we could provide a secure spot for it. It was such fun to open up the wrapping and look over the signatures of all the people who surrounded us on our big day and helped make it such a meaningful one.

And now, we get to be reminded of all those special people every day! Thanks to the Heavy-Duty Velcro pieces attached to the plate and to the brick, I think we've found the plate's permanent home. I'm about 99% confident that it'll be safe up there...but I'd be lying if I said that the above photo (and the ten others I took that look just like it) wasn't taken in the interest of preserving its' memory, should the unthinkable occur. If you ever see a post titled "Royal, NO!: A Lesson in Plate Tectonics", you'll know what happened.