Mamie Gets A New Look
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Mamie got herself a brand new look this past week. And it is really, really blue. I think we need to add more peach accents.
Kendra came over Friday just after they finished with the blue paint, and she was concerned that it’s “too blue.” If there is such a thing.
This is what she looked like before:
It’s The Bricks:
I told her it’s because the brick is painted. It was painted when she purchased the house. And once the brick is painted over, it’s hard to get it back to its original state when you’re dealing with a house this old.
If the bricks had been left in their original brick-colored state, that would have broken up some of the blue. It looks great on the siding. But on the bricks it looks pretty bold. However it is done and I’m not writing another check for a redo.
They power washed it, you may recall. But it didn’t knock off the flaking gray paint that was already there as much as it blew the mortar out from in between the bricks. Then we had to get someone to fix that before they could paint.
I told Kendra once we get landscaping against the blue bricks it will soften the look. She’s planning to stain the wood rails she had put up for me to get down the steps. Kendra thinks the look of wood will soften the look as well.
My wicker furniture is on the front porch, but you can’t really see it from where I was taking the photo.
I’ll was glad when they were done painting so I could see out the windows again. Paper was taped over them for days while they painted.
The flaking gray paint is gone, and Mamie has a new look. (Even though it’s a very, very blue look.) I like to think she’s wearing a blue dress with a peach hat.
The Neighbor & Reader Susan:
I met the lady next door. Her name is Tessa. She also likes to garden, but has arthritis in her hands like I do and said it makes it difficult. She did comment on my pretty little Japanese Maple sitting in its pot in the yard. See it over there on the right?
Susan, a reader who lives here in Tulsa, came over last week. This was the second time she’s been here.
Susan got the new green and cream fern rug down in the living room. It takes a while before it will lay flat however. We’re planning to put the blue and white rug in the back room, which I call the sitting room.
Kendra complained that I didn’t have a TV in the living room. What if the kids come over and want to watch TV, she said to me. I said I figured that they watched TV on their laptops. She said they don’t carry their laptops around with them.
Well, heaven forbid someone doesn’t have a darned TV in the living room.
So I’ll put a TV in that south facing room at the back, and whoever wants to watch TV can go back there. I’ve ordered two chairs for the room from Home Depot. I’m hoping they’re comfortable. They look comfortable anyway.
Two blue chairs for the bright blue house!
I’ve learned that sometimes it is what it is. Deal with it, add to it, and do whatever you have to do to live with it.
Kasi’s Birthday:
Yesterday Kasi and I went to lunch. She turned 46 last Thursday. My baby is all grown up! Kendra turns 50 in less than 2 weeks, so I’ll take them both to lunch on a day in between. They have busy schedules, so I just go along with whatever day they can manage to get together.
Kasi came back here and helped me open more boxes in the guest room. I’m going to ask my grandson Riley to put the bed together when he gets home from college for the Thanksgiving break. So I need to get that guest room cleared out before he gets home.
Slowly but surely. That’s what I keep saying to everyone about the house I call Mamie. It will get done. Not as fast as I once moved into a house and settled in. I was much younger and more able back then.
But it will get done and I’ll share photos of Mamie along the way.
Hi Brenda,
I’ve followed your blog for years but very rarely have I commented.
I’ve been as excited as everyone else for your move, watching as you work your magic. I have to say, I love this color. We have one home in our area that’s this very same color and it’s a beauty! Because the color is so striking, it draws your eye immediately. It seems that landscaping is the key to harmony. And if anyone can pull it off, it’s you!
Your sense of style will change everything; can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.
M
She looks gorgeous already!
Mamie looks beautiful! Yes, the blue is bold but I agree that with some landscaping in front and the railings stained, it will soften the boldness.
I really like the chairs you ordered from Home Depot. I’ve been on the hunt for two new chairs for our living room and never thought to look there, so now I will.
I agree a TV in the living room isn’t needed. I don’t think kids are big TV watchers these days anyway – they’re more likely to be on their phones. My mom has never had a TV in her house (she obviously never watches TV and doesn’t like it) and my boys and my nieces somehow survived when visiting her house. And that was the days before kids had phones! They learn how to interact with each other and talk with adults, too.
Have a good week!
Mamie looks beautiful in her blue dress and peach hat! Can’t wait to see what you do with her. I’m very happy for you!
I like the blue … Mamie wears it well. When you add the wood railings and flowers in front it will look delightful. Every time I paint something I have second thoughts because my brain is used to seeing it one way and that’s what it expects. However, after a bit of time it becomes normal and I begin to remember how much I liked the color when I chose it. It’s so much fun (for me) to see how you’re putting Mamie together. Have fun!
I love the color of the house, very cheerful.
Another suggestion would be to spray paint your wicker furniture white that will lighten it up a little bit. Also wants you start planting your flowers the yard will be so pretty and I can see you on sitting on your porch with some iced tea and a good book. I’m so glad you moved and that your former neighbors are visiting. Carol
I’m no expert, but I think several small changes would work out well. If that’s a black mailbox to the right of the door, a larger old fashioned one would even out the off- center door a little. A Craftsman style door with upper windows would look original and very cute. A medium size somewhat narrow potted evergreen like cedar (faux if there’s not a lot of natural light) would also help center the door. I think the body of the house is a great color & I’m sure Mamie would agree. It’s a big change & may just take some time to get used to. Take your time judging the paint color of the door, it’ll tell you. The chairs look like a good choice, very comfortable.
The house is perfect. Maybe if u spray painted the wicker on the porch a shade darker than the door it wld tone down some. And don’t forget about all the plants and flowers that will be out there soon🌷🪻🌺🌸🌼🌻
We are all getting so much vicarious pleasure out of watching you settle into Mamie! We are happy for you and we thank you for sharing your adventure and your joy with us! I guess that Ivy girl was made to live in a house. She has adjusted so well and it sounds like she loves all the space and the windows. Take good care of yourself. Hopefully happiness is a good antidote to pain.
Brenda I think your house looks ADORABLE!!!!! The peach door is a little pale but it is still pretty!!! You can put a pretty CHRISTMAS WREATH up which would not be costly! In the spring your bushes and flowers will just look beautiful!!! I think it makes quite a statement and livens up your neighborhood!!!! Keep up all of your good work and send us more photos when things settle down!!!! GOOD LUCK! Sandee from Fairfax Va.
Mamie looks lovely! Not a fan of the door, but all that matters is if you like it. I hope the handrails are secure. They look flimsy to me.
Yes, that Peach door, lol…It does scream at you don’t it! I guess they will figure it out.
Actually I love the color and it doesn’t look too bright at all. I also think the peach door is wonderful! I suppose the door “could be” brighter, but I like it as is! I’ve seen the color combo before and it looks really nice. I think you’re just used to the blah blue, so this seemed really bright. Happy birthday to your girls. And it’s your house – you put that tv where you want it! 🙂
I think it will indeed take time to get used to the house looking “bright” instead of “drab.”
I think that Mamie is looking mighty fine.
She’s sure looking better! Mamie looked so sad with that gray flaking paint.
I really like the color of the house but I am not as sure about the front door. The color tones seem odd. The blue is such a cool color and the peach is warmer. I would go back to the original plan of a green door.
Thinking about that. The original color Kendra came up with was periwinkle with an apple green door.
That sounds pretty
When I look at the pictures you posted of Mamie, I can see your wicker furniture and I think the dark color grounds the blue and peach. I think after you have all the plants and furniture on the porch and the railing is stained, it will all blend seamlessly. Is there a back patio or porch?
A small back deck. I don’t know that there’s room to put much of anything on it. Right now it has plastic tubs of seasonal stuff that will eventually go to the shed when there’s more of a floor put down.
Hi Brenda- I love the blue house and I don’t think it is too dark. Not so sure about the peach door, it seems too light compared to the house. I might have thought about yellow. My daughter in San Francisco painted her house a similar blue and painted the door red with white trim. They get a lot of compliments on it. I think any new color especially one darker takes some getting used too. I look forward to seeing lots of pictures of progress when you get all the boxes unpacked. I especially look forward to seeing plants and flowers next summer. But of course more pictures of Ivy would be greatly appreciated.
Linda in chilly and snow tomorrow, Keno, Oregon
I played fetch with Ivy before breakfast and she is off hiding somewhere taking a nap I imagine. But I will capture more photos of her.
Jamie looks very stylish! I love the blue plus the door welcomes you home! I enjoy your blog so much. Thank you for all that you do!!
Its Mamie! Google thinks it knows how to spell! lol
I know. Google fools me all the time.
The blue is fine, don’t like the peach door. White to match the trim would stand out better on the door.
I know. Just letting the dust settle before any other decisions are made. I have enough to do inside.
I love the blue and the peach door is the perfect accent.
I’m going to live with it for awhile.
I love the blue, but the peach isn’t intense enough to hold its own against the blue. Something leaning more toward a rusty yellowish orange might be pretty. It would be a quick project to change it. No painter needed, even I could do it. I’ve painted my outer doors and they look pretty good if I do say so myself. Love the chair too!
Originally Kendra thought apple green for the door. I don’t know.
I think the apple green would look nice.
Its pretty, but if its too bold for you, maybe the brick could be painted white. Thanks for sharing your pictures. I look forward to more.
I thought about that once the paint was on. Not paying for it right now though!
Love the blue Brenda. You can also go a little darker of a peach on the door. Once you do some landscaping the blue will soften up.
I hope so.
Oh man… my comment just disappeared! 😡
Let’s try this again…
Happy birthday to your sweet daughters . I like the blue. Maybe you could consider a bright color for the door, like a vibrant red or yellow. Red is supposed to mean welcome, and it’s your favorite color! It’s nice that you’re meeting your new neighbors and that you have things in common with them. And it was very nice of Susan to come help you with the rug. Can we see a picture of how it looks in the room? I like the idea of the tv in another room. If you add in a few board game and a deck of cards, it’d be a fun room for the grandkids to hang out in when they visit you. It’s nice that your grandson can put the bed frame together for you. It’s even nicer that you’ll get to see them!
I’m just waiting for the rug to lay flat before I photograph it. Good idea about the board games and cards.
Love the colors!!!
I think the house is so cute. It has its own personality!
Mamie sure says to the surrounding houses: Hey, look at me! I’m brighter and stand out more than all of you!
Mamie looks beautiful in her blue!
It almost sounds like the beginning of a song: Look at Mamie in her blue dress…
I love that periwinkle blue! I am so tired of black houses. Mamie is a breath of fresh air! I’m sure that whatever plants you put in will soften the blue, but I love its vibrancy!
It doesn’t lack for vibrancy!
Mamie looks beautiful !
Blue is her color !
Thank you! Maybe she has to grow in to her new duds.
I left a comment and I got kicked out! Glad that you and Ivy are so happy there!
I’m sorry! If a comment disappears, immediately click CTRL and Z at the same time and it should reappear if you don’t click anything in between it disappearing. Why you got kicked out I don’t know.
That happened to me too. That trick will work, if you’re tripping from a desktop or laptop, but not from the cell phone, which is how I read and respond.
“Typing”
Autocorrect… 🤦🏻♀️
I meant typing! Autocorrect… 🤦🏻♀️
My eyes went immediately to the beautiful peach door!
Time will tell about the colors I think.
I just subscribed, so I am a little late to the party. Wanted to say that the blue is perfect. A lighter blue would have looked old and dated. This bright color is fresh and current.
I love your interests and enjoy reading your blog. I feel like we are neighbors.
There’s a light blue house farther in the cul de sac. We were trying to be different than the other houses. Kind of like not wanting a fancy dress for the prom that is like someone else’s. And hi neighbor!
Brenda, Mamie’s new blue dress looks fine. The peach just needs to be stronger to stand up to the blue. Right now it’s a little too pale and looks a bit lost.
I kind of think so too.
I like the blue! My Son is a painter and he always paints the vents the accent color. Just an idea
How fun to decorate a new place, and fun to take your time. Something new everyday to see and do.
And a new neighbor, , yay
That’s an idea. There are containers of paint in the hallway that they brought inside.
Mamie’s new colors are lovely! I like that the blue makes a bold statement. As other readers have said, plants and landscaping will soften and round out the overall aesthetic. I can envision your porch with greenery and blooming plants next growing season! Maybe some outdoor pillows with coral and peach on your wicker furniture to tie into the pretty door? It’s becoming so lovely and home like. Your Cozy Little House🏡.
I really and truly finally have my “cozy little house.”
Mamie’s blue is gorgeous! Maybe a more vibrant front door? Get settled, I can’t wait to see what your lovely style will reveal!
I think Mamie will tell us what she wants outside before long.
Brenda, the house is a real gem! Especially with the. new paint job. You are going to be so happy here! I can’t wait to see what you do to make it yours! Just imagine having the freedom to plant and garden in whatever way you choose without having to consider any rules but your own. Well, and maybe Kendra’s! But I doubt hers will conflict with yours much at all. I am really happy for you!
Kendra says she can’t wait for spring so I can plant what I want and truly make this place my own.
The blue looks great! Not bad at all. cottagey for sure. a little more peach maybe on your furniture?? But I really like it! Landscaping will help to cut it some too.
I think Mamie is coming along beautifully.
Takes me much longer to do things these days too. Just had a knee replacement so doing a lot of PT and nothing else. I can’t wait to do things again.
You’ll get it all put together before long and just be able to relax.
It takes me so much longer to get things done! But better late than never, they always say.
I love the blue! Can you imagine decorating for the 4th???
Haven’t thought that far ahead yet!
one more thought, you could paint the bottoms of the front columns white and that would break it up a little more
Thanks for your suggestion! I’ll tell her.
the blue leans periwinkle, which I think is fun. Whenever you paint outside, sunlight always brightens the color from the swatch. Especially in a sunny state like OK. I think what isn’t working is that the saturation of the blue doesn’t match the less saturated peach. I would either change the door color, or lean into the peach with lots of peach color plant pots, especially a tall one next to the door.And a third color could tone the blue as well. Even a touch of black or charcoal somewhere might work. not much! I think it’s fun.
I think we definitely could have gone darker with the door.
I like the blue! I suppose it might eventually start to fade in the sunlight and be a bit toned down? But I know that surrounding Mamie with lush flowers and bushes will mellow her out. She will make a pretty picture in the end and you won’t regret it. Here’s an example from my own life: I had our kitchen remodeled. I chose cherry cabinets, pesto green countertops and black appliances. I cried when those were delivered. Everything looked so stark and so COLD. But then came the ivory wallpaper with green skinny stripes and red berries…and more and more red, including a wonderful braided rug. And ivory floor tiles. And cute cat prints on the walls. I’ve loved it ever since! The black just fades into the background and makes a nice contrast with everything else.
That’s going to happen with Mamie’s blue dress. Trust me!
It needs more landscaping. More greenery around the house and porch to soften the angles.
I think the blue is fine, it’s not gaudy like some blues can be, or too dark either. I think the peach door is the perfect accent color. If you want to add a third color to the house to balance out the blue, I wouldn’t use the peach, IMO that would detract from the pretty door which you always want to highlight as the main entrance. I know there is a paint manufacturer who has one of those features where you can download a photo and then try out different colors on it to see what looks good, which is an easier way to try and find a color than painting swatches on wood trim outside. My thought is a mixture of a brown and a beige so it’s a sort of light brown but wood-ish color, not too much of either. I would paint it only on the trim around the windows, on the hand rails on the front stairs and on the six corbels across the front of the house, leaving all the rest of the trim white. The blue chairs you bought look VERY comfy!
Maybe at some point we’ll do that. But I just wrote, I hope, what is my last big check for awhile!
oh I love the blue! I don’t think it will look as bright once you get everything done. Once Spring is here and your pots and grass step up with more color, it really won’t look as bright to you.
The peach door is very pretty. It just needs the spring to bring it out. Or the winter flowers in pots if you plan to do that this year. Once you add a chair or two, wow!
Please let us know how the chairs work once you’ve tried them. I’ve been looking at those as well.
I’m so excited for you and Mamie!
There are actually 3 chairs on the porch and a loveseat. You just can’t see them! I didn’t realize they would look so “small” on that porch.
How about putting a set of bright white shutters surrounding each of the front windows? That will help break up some of the blue..Maybe plant some limelight hydrangeas and flowers which will draw the eye away from the all the blue.
I wanted shutters. But the windows are only big enough for shutters on the inside of the wall. There isn’t room on the outer side of those windows. So one shutter on each window would look odd, I think. Unless I see something that looks like it would work.
I think Mamie is beautiful! It will probably take a few days to get used to the color . As the days go by hopefully it will just feel right . And I also think once you get your things in place and get flowers it will look like home . ❤️
I think so too. She’s definitely brighter than the other houses on the cul de sac! I doubt people will have a tough time finding the house.
Hi Brenda,
I’ve been following you for about 6 months now and always look forward to seeing what you’ve been up to. You write so well and your posts are always homey and “like I’m getting a big old hug!”
I have a suggestion…..if after a few days you and your daughters think the house is still “too blue” – I would consider painting the front door a dark navy. My personal opinion is the peach color is what makes the blue stand out so much more. I can understand that you don’t want to pay for anymore painting, and this is just a suggestion. Thanks for letting me voice my opinion! I’m just loving the house and how you’re making it yours!
I’ll mention this to her. Thanks for the suggestion!
I was going to say something very similar. The blue is lovely and although the pastel peach door is pretty, a dark color on the door would ground the space and tone down the impact of the brighter blue. A dark navy came to mind (select a navy w gray undertones like Behr Midnight Blue or SW Charcoal Blue) or a soft black with dark blue undertones like SW Inkwell (a soft black might be my preference). Then add some foundation shrubs along the front & stain the railing! The door would be a simple change that maybe could be a DIY project as well (since it has just been professionally painted you have a good base to paint over). Overall, it looks lovely Brenda.
Pretty! Makes me think of sunshine & bright blue skies. A great color for contrast with green plants & flowers in red & yellow, etc. Add a wreath to the front door & voila! I think it will grow on you! In spring, you could get someone to spray paint some of the outdoor furniture into a contrasting color maybe. I like the yellow table. Lots of possibilities! Enjoy 🙂
That’s my old $10 garage sale table from long ago.
I love it! I think it’s exciting to read about your plans for Mamie. Your kitty looks like she could be my kitty’s twin. My kitty Miss Tiki is lots of company. Thanks for allowing us to follow along on your moving journey.
I so enjoy taking you along! It’s fun to share the progress.
The blue is gorgeous and I love the peach door! I think it will definitely soften the look once the staining is done and you have more of your plants out. Maybe a wreath on the door?
Mamie is looking good!!! So happy for you and Ivy.
Well poor Mamie isn’t flaking paint all over the porch anymore.
I like the blue.
I do too.
The blue is very pretty, they additions you mentioned in the post will tone it down a bit and soften.
I think so too. One step at a time. Actually I thought the paint job came cheap. About four guys here for three/four days and it cost $2900.