Things are Crazy!

Do I have an excuse for being away from my blog for so long? You decide! I was working away on my apron pattern and new fabric designs when suddenly I just had to take off for Brooklyn. I've been thinking about moving there for way too long. A very good old friend of mine was going out of town and let me have the keys to her apartment so I could take some time to look around. When something lucky like that happens, I figure what the lucky thing is helping to happen is meant to be! I pounded the pavement for 3 straight days, exploring new neighborhoods and seeing some really really small (and sometimes very ugly) apartments. I lived in NYC for almost 10 years during the 1980s and did not go to Brooklyn all that much. It was just not a favorite  destination then. But it is now and that is reflected in the ridiculously high rents! Not sounding very encouraging is it..... well I'm not giving up yet!

Another project that was keeping me away. I did not think the repainting of my long dark hallway was blog-worthy. However, it is a design challenge! It's long, narrow, and dark so you wouldn't want to paint it a dark color. And yet, the woodwork is so dark that a light color is too much of a contrast. Not at all complimentary. All the units downstairs have their woodwork painted white, but too many people cautioned me not to do that. And, since I am moving to Brooklyn, I wouldn't want to paint what the next person might want to strip off. 

I'm having to paint the walls because I had some old wiring fixed and that destroyed the faux finish I painted years ago. That was the solution then. Not up to faux finishing the hallway, and so begins the endless search for a new color. Trying to go with something to compliment the wood a bit more. I also decided to try to paint both walls along the long stretch different colors and the ends of the hallway another color. Just to make my life more complicated and to try to make it not look like what it is: a long dark hallway. 

This was my inspiration. It is a photograph of a photograph in World of Interiors magazine. Wonderful magazine, by the way.  Now I'm realizing the old faux finish is somewhat like this magazine picture. Oh well, obviously I solved it best the first time around. Tried to come up with a new flat no-faux solution. The problem became how to make the wall color pink but not too pink. Need to bring about this earthy pinkness. So, I went with a pinkish clay color which was probably popular in the 1970s. Hoping it's making a come-back, but I have no idea. 

What goes with clay (since I was determined to use three colors)? Well, a neutral is always a safe bet. So here we have a warmish gray. Are you all still with me? Isn't this exciting? OK, well let's break here and I will try to post the results soon!

And, of course, Fankie is still the main challenge. This is a very grainy picture taken with a cell phone but I just had to show you what I like to call her devil-dog-clown-face. Now THAT is crazy!