The Many Colors of the 2010 Olympic Games

As we all sit eyes glued to the television watching these amazing athletes compete at an event of a lifetime, you may not realize how the strategic placement of color helps aid in your visual excitement of these 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

It's not mistake that from curling to biathlon, skiing and everything in between the colors above have been prominent. The colors that have been chosen are an interesting twist off the Olympic ring colors, and have been placed in a way to make even the most mundane sports visually stimulating.

As you can see of the athletes above, notice all the vibrant greens and blues in the banners, ice rings, etc., mixed in with the added vibrant uniforms of the countries. With all this combined it creates an energetic backdrop and focal point to make even you at home, visually stimulated and excited. This was by no means a mistake.

So next time your watching the Olympics, remember that some marketing geniuses spent hours on the color selections and placement of color to help aid in the you excitement of watching the games. Happy viewing!

Quilts, Patterns & Fabric, OH MY!

Stumbling upon a find like this, really NEVER happens, and when it does, you have to jump upon it.

Growing up in a small town in Massachusetts, around a seamstress and many quilters in the family, I started sewing and quilting before I really can remember. My grandmother decided that she HAD to teach me how to use the sewing machine, since I started to teach myself, and you know what could potentially happen there... fingers getting stuck! Yikes! That had to be around when I was 5. I can even remember the first quilt I made, it was the Ohio Star.

Needless to say I have a great appreciation for the time and passion that goes into each end every quilt. Every quilt carries a story with it, every quilt have a 'mistake from God' (there always ends up being a 'mistake' and it's acceptable, well that's what's been passed down through generations, that the mistake was a gift from God.). I can only imagine the stories that were told during the making of the quilts. I know for myself, summers were spent quilting and sewing around my Mom, Grandmother, Aunts and Cousins, laughing and sharing.

For me handmade quilts are so much more than 'just' an item, they carry a story, and with that being said, I came across this collection of quilts, and fell in love.

Imagine the stories behind them, the bond that women(or men) could have shared during and after the creation of these quilts.

Take a look!

Resturant Update | Adding a SPLASH of Color!

Today is the clam before the storm... energy's brewing, and things are moving. Tomorrow marks the day for the start of a restaurant re-do.

This once tiered, outdated restaurant is getting torn apart and thrown back together, with a vibrant splashes of color with touches of faux finishes and murals added in.

Here's a sneak peak of how the restaurant looks now, and some general color/design concepts that's going to take place.

Don't forget to follow us on twitter: @tremblaydesign for up to date progress!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We took painting skills from decorative painting on walls, and transferred it to cookie making... that's right. It was heaven. 2 little hands helping make valentine cookie perfection. What could be better?

Happy Valentine's Day... put down the paint brush today and make something sweet...

Stairwell Painting | Adding Color to Large Walls

Here's the perfect solution for adding a splash of color to a large stairwell. So many houses have an open floor plan that includes wide open spaces, that adding color and selecting the right painting can be a challenge.

One of the best ways to find the right size, is using a hollow door that you can purchase from Home Depot or Lowes.

Splash some color the the unfinished door after it's primed, attach hooks and WA LA! An instant splash of color on a large intimidating space.

Adding a Special Touch to an Open Floor Plan

Most homes now are faced with the challenge of planning colors for an open floor plan. The most common question then is "How do you add personality into different areas while having an open floor plan"? For this home, that has no clear division lines, to split up the straight painting, we turned to the ceiling to add personality.

To create personality for this dining room, we added a hand painted vine, in very faint neutral colors. It's important when adding decorative painting to an open floor plan, to keep in mind that the wall colors should appear in the decorative painting to keep the colors harmonized.

Now this dining room has it's own personality through a custom, hand painting vine.

Cabinets Re-Finishing | Easy Update

There are easy ways that you can cut corners when you are remodeling your home. One of the best ways is to salvage you old cabinets and give them a new updated look, with half the cost.

Here's the cabinets before they were painted. Still in good condition, solid wood, but the style of the counter top and fixtures really dated this bathroom.

My client loves hand painted furniture so I took clues from what she had around her home already, as inspiration for the bathroom vanity.

After a few coats of paint, some decorative painting, these once dated cabinets got a much needed update with a price tag that can't compete with re-finishing a vanity.

Stay tuned to more posts/tutorials on the very popular idea of using the cabinets that you already have.

SNOW Day FUN!

The one thing that's been tough living in the Mid-Atlantic region has been the lack of snow, which means a lack of playing in the snow, AND playing in the snow is the best thing in the world... so this decorative painter got her fill on playing in the snow.

Here's today's castle in the snow... now for a quick nap before another round of shoveling and playing in the snow.

22 FOOT Hand Painted Ceiling

Overcoming fears of heights, has to be done when you're attempting to paint a center piece in foyer... here's the ceiling...

Christmas Time = Present Time

I know, I know. Christmas is right around the corner... but I have to share one of the projects that I did for the $40.00 Christmas challenge... Painted wine glasses! Friends & family, cover your eyes ;)! How perfect! Bicycle wine glasses! Happy Holidays!

$40.00 Christmas Present Challenge

Who's up for the challenge? What is it you ask? For all you do-it-yourselvers, crafters and creatives alike why don't we use "stuff" we have to make Christmas Presents!

Rules: You have $40.00 to spend on all the materials, wrappings etc. The $40.00 is for ALL gifts. No matter if your making 1 or 100 gifts, that's the amount you can spend.

I'll post the gifts I've made after I've given them out, since most of my friends get notification of what I'm doing.

Keep us posted on what gifts you have been making for friends and family.

I'm off to screen print my Christmas cards on paper I already own!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful day filled with friends, family and happiness... and maybe even on this Thanksgiving Day, there will be painting fun!

Wishing everyone the best!

Coffee Talk & The Perfect Color

Many of us have this problem, and it's not a bad one, of LOVING coffee! As I'm drinking my cup this morning, it hit me that the color of coffee, I drink mine with way more milk & sugar than coffee, is the perfect color for walls especially in the living room, family room or study!

My color pick is Diverse Beige from Sherwin Williams, as the best color match for the perfect cup of coffee. I've used it in many applications and it's worked like a charm every time. The neutral color suggests a casual elegance that's sophisticated and warm.

If you're a lover of off-white, white and gray paint, than give Diverse Beige from Sherwin Williams a try. It will be a neutral backdrop for your furnature, and it'll be visually interesting.

Good Morning, and happy coffee drinking!

Wallpaper vs. Painted Surfaces

It's a hot topic right now in the design world. Why would you use a decorative painter, when I can use wallpaper? The answer is really simple... you can't achieve the layers, effects, colors and custom design with wallpaper like you can't with paint.

Right now the trend with wallpaper is bringing back the mixed patterns and colors of the 70s. This trend has made the decorative painters shift their portfolio to add unique textures and patterns that can't be found with wallpapers.

I'm fairly certain given a cape and gallon of paint, I could save the world!

Article in PWC

I wanted to share this with everyone... Kami Tremblay Design was mentioned in the September/October issue of The Painting and Wall covering Contractor. The article's called "looking Up" written by Eileen Smith Dallabrida, what a wonderful job she did.

To Prime or not to Prime?

This is a question I've been asked a lot this week from clients. "Do I really need to prime the walls? It's an extra step, I want it done now!"

It may take some extra time and money, but to get results like the pros, PRIME!

Here's why:
Primer seals the walls. It creates a layer that allows your next layer of paint to lay on thicker, richer and allows your final coats to look smoth and uniform. You'll block stains and odors, prevent peeling, and have an easier time top coating.


Getting a Professional look:
Spot Prime: If your walls only have a few imperfections, than you can spot prime. This means hitting the few areas on the wall that needs sealing. I.E crayon stains, bare Sheetrock, patched walls.

Sand Glossy Surfaces: You'll need to hit any surface that had semi-gloss, or gloss on it. By scuffing it, you'll give the surface some tooth for the paint to adhere to. You may even want to hit it with primer to add even more adhesion.

Dramatic Color Changes: To get the color you see on the chart, the correct primer is needed to achieve that. When trying to achieve a rich, dark, vibrant color, have the paint store tint the primer around the same color that you're painting. This will cut down the number of coats that you'll need and will give you an amazing final look! It's similar when going dark to light. You'll want to prime the walls with the correct primer, usually just white to achive the correct color.

There's no way around it. PRIME! Here's 2 of my favorite primers that have always given me the best results.

Harmony® Wall Primer from Sherwin Williams:

"Need an environmentally preferred primer for walls and trim?Harmony is made with an exclusive zero-VOC, low-odor and formulated without silica."

Multi-Purpose Latex Primer from Sherwin Williams:

A general-utility primer ideal for both interior and exterior applications. Its wide versatility and strong adhesion properties make it a universal favorite – plus it works without the solvent odors and high VOCs common with most stain-blocking primers.

Just in time for a weekend painting project... prime, paint and ENJOY! Happy Painting!

Sophisticated Wall: Greet your guests with Style

What does your wall say to your guests when they walk into your home? This home greets their guests with a splash of energy and sophistication. The min guests walk into the house, they know there welcomed.

One may ask what faux finish product was used for this wall. The answer is simple. Pure paint, and good old simple products that you can't find on the shelf of sophisticated faux finishers. I'm an artist, who pushes products to get results that aren't right out of the can... and that's the way I like it...

Embossed Painted Stairs: Adding a Special touch to a dull area

Sometimes hallways can't always shine the way the rest of your homes decor shines due to the lack of wall space and floor space. These home owners, wanted to add something extra to their hallway, and add some pizazz.
This was an interesting challenge. Since it's an older home in the Homeland area in Baltimore, I didn't want whatever we decided to do, jump out and clash with the style of the home. The final result was to do an embossed painted look, that picked up the banister colors. When you look closer there is a hint of gold to add some light in this somewhat dark hallway.

It was a happy ending for this hallway and an interesting way to surprise any guest when they arrive.