"The soul should stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience."
~Emily Dickinson~
The last couple of days have been crazy busy here at the Quill with not a spare moment to post. I have been painting up a storm. We had an unseasonable warm snap in the weather and Handy Hubby insisted that we get the exterior doors painted before cooler weather returned. I had procrastinated about getting this done because I could not decide on a specific shade of the color I chose.
We headed off to the paint store and miracle of miracles, we both liked the same shade! Our shopping excursions together are never this easy. Feeling quite confident, we headed home to prime the new front and back doors as well as those of the writing cottage and storage shed.
We decided to experiment on the storage shed door before actually applying the paint to the doors on the house, just in case. While I happily slapped paint on the door resting on saw horses, Handy Hubby painted the shed the same color as the new siding on the house, trimming it out in white. I kept ooohing and ahhhing over the color saying how much I really liked it.After the door was dry, it was ready to hang. New hinges and hardware stood at the ready. The door was hoisted into place. Anxious to see the results, we skipped putting the handle on to close it and stand back to admire the new bold color.
By the time we were finished, it was late afternoon and the sun was beginning to set and shining on the newly painted shed. We both gasp in horror at the garish color, it did not look like Crushed Red Chili Pepper but more like Burnt Orange! Orange doors! The doors looked orange! Orange!
I nervously dialed Darling Daughter and asked her could she come over and take a look. The Young Man Who Comes To Call On Her came too. They pronounced the doors orange too. I am not sure if it was the afternoon sun beaming directly on them or the shock of seeing such a bright color after having had dark green doors for so many years but I was ready to have a stroke.
Bright and early the next morning I rushed to the paint store and snatched up another paint chip nervously sliding it across the counter to the clerk. This one was red, Oriental Red, at least I hoped it was red. As soon as I got home I painted a spot on the door and let it dry. I painted over the spot and let it dry. Yes, it was red, but sitting next to the bright, cheerful, and vibrant rusty orange it was totally drab and not fab.I spent the day anxiously peering out the window at the contrast between the two colors. Both looked equally great with the siding and trim colors but one was a more jolly color while the other felt bold and aggressive. One exuded happiness and joy, it was inviting, stimulating, and spoke of a spark of creativity. Mmm, I think the tide was turning in favor of one over the other.
After Handy Hubby came home and we stood side by side studying the colors. It was definitely decided that we were indeed Crushed Red Chili Pepper people after all. The initial shock of the vibrant color had worn off and it had grown on us, plus, the indirect light of day makes it look like a totally different color. Never mind what anyone else thinks, we wanted happy welcoming doors. After all, its just paint! Our souls stood ajar for a moment, ready, and welcoming the ecstatic experience of spicy color to flavor our lives. It was and is a delicious experience, testing something new and embracing it so freely.I will finish the touch ups today and this evening new hardware will be fitted into place. I am free to pursue other things, like altering this tiny vintage tobacco tin.
I am popping over to the Artist Class to do Beth's tutorial today.
New projects and downloads are being added daily, Lesley Venable's Christmas Altered Book Cover is just adorable! 
You can visit Lesley's blog Flatwoods Folk Art HERE.
Did you know that it is not too late to sign up even though classes have begun? The classes will be open through February so there is plenty of time to work on the projects at your own pace. If you are interested, you can use my discount code, quillcottage, to save $10.00 off the class tuition price.Mmm, this is deifintely feeling like a Crushed Red Chili Pepper kind of day, vibrant and inspiring! I hope you have a little spice and a spark of color in your day as well.
Blessings,
Miss Sandy
P.S. I am sorry that I have had to turn on the comment verification on my blog. Up to this point I have had no problems until the past few days. I have received some vile links as well as some comments made to look like other bloggers leaving them but they are business links that I do not wish to have my blog linked to. I know this makes commenting a pain. I have reported the offenders and hopefully this issue will be resolved. Thanks for understanding.
