Sea Fantasy!

There must be something about the Mid-Autumn festival that stirs our desire to update and change things. This time last year we painted our bold, happy yellow living room wall, and this year we decided we couldn’t stand our drab poopy brown bedroom another second longer! So, we began with a trip to IKEA, where we are having new crisp, white curtains made. Next we ventured to B&Q (China’s answer to Home Depot) to pick out some paint for the long wall in our bedroom. We decided to continue with our Shanghai paint color tradition and go BOLD. Go bold or go home, baby!

We have a beautiful painting we bought in Istanbul a few years ago, and it served as the source of inspiration for our paint color…

We found a wonderful, vibrant turquoise called “Sea Fantasy” and immediately knew it was just the punch of color we needed. So, we grabbed a gallon and headed for home.

 

BEFORE…ick

So far, so good!

Isaac edged, while I rolled…

Big Bang Theory in the background kept us entertained and made for quick and enjoyable painting… man, that show is hilarious!

Finishing touches!

Yay! Love it already! WHY did we wait a whole year to do this??? I have decided that I need to stop being so afraid of painting… it really isn’t that hard of a task, and it makes everything look SO MUCH BETTER!!! Living an international life can make it hard to feel “settled.” Most obviously because you are moving fairly regularly, but also because housing is usually assigned to you. That can be tough, especially when you appreciate beautiful homes and want to have one yourself.  Once you’re plopped into your apartment you think, “Eh, I’ll just be in this place a year or two, so why put in all the work and expense if I just know I’m going to move?” But, after 6 years overseas I can confidently say that the financial and time investments are well worth it! Making the effort to put your stamp on a place and create an environment you love is critical to your overall happiness. It helps you feel secure and comfortable in a place where you might not necessarily feel that way otherwise (ahem, China).

Next step will be printing some of our photos for the wall. The plan is to print this line-up on black edged foam core…

Can’t wait to see how they turn out!!!

 

Our new curtains will be finished in about a week- can’t wait to get them hung. This morning we are enjoying a brilliant blue sky and lots of warm sunshine (two things we don’t often experience in Shanghai), so we’re feeling particularly thankful!