Of all the hundreds of posts I’ve published in the last 9 years, the posts that have consistently received the most hits are the two on Jack Arnold homes, including my own home, HERE, and later HERE.

Of all the hundreds of emails I’ve received over the last 9 years, the most asked question BY FAR is, “Do you mind sharing the color of your shutters?” I imagine it is because of pics of my house on Pinterest, and people click their way to my blog, find the email icon, and inquire. People want to know my shutter color, as well as the coordinating tan paint color, and now I understand why.

I thought it would be fun to try a different shutter color. In fact, when I would respond to email inquiries, I would always tell them the green paint color is Benjamin Moore Essex Green, but informed them that I would be changing the color next time I painted and to stay tuned.

After buying several “sample” paint colors, I realized the nightmare that is picking a new exterior paint color. We stuck with the same old Essex Green!

We used a semi transparent stain (CABOT Semi Solid Deck and Siding Stain in Driftwood Grey) on the cedar beams to make it look weathered. This was desperately needed after 19 years of exposure to dramatic weather conditions! Apparently real weathered is not what I’m looking for. It’s the pretend weathered look which is more uniform.

The tan color was upgraded to a color with slightly less yellow in it.. more of a taupe. Unfortunately it was custom, so I’m trying to figure out how to share that color. . . Standby for an update. . .

UPDATE

This was a custom color, so if you are interested in this exact color, take these numbers into Sherwin Williams, and they will be able to mix it up for you!

I couldn’t decide whether to use the green or the tan for the garage doors. The terra-cotta brick color makes it somewhat difficult to work with paint colors. I have found multiple images on Pinterest of gorgeous green and blue shutters, but none of them are shown on a red brick house. They are on neutral stucco or white houses, so it’s not a fair comparison.

We went with the tan on the garage doors, and I think it looks great.

Last summer, we replaced our gutters and got a new shake roof. The gutters are finished with a special coating, and we were given a brochure with several colors to choose from. It was a relief to have fewer colors to consider, and I picked a sort of brown that I thought would blend in and disappear. They used to be painted tan to match the tan painted windows, but they stood out like a sore thumb! Now they aren’t really noticeable.

Last time we had our windows painted, the window washer told us that while he was cleaning the dining room window below, he counted at least 50 bats fly out from behind the shutters. (insert wide-eyed emoji) No sign of them this time around!

New roof, new gutters, fresh paint, washed windows! It’s a process, isn’t it?

I’ve never been particularly happy with our front door. When we were building our house, we went to an antique remnant warehouse to select a special door, but it was so overwhelming. I just picked one that worked, not one that I was in love with. Then, because of it’s unique shape, the house was practically built around it, so it’s hard to replace. I wish I would have spent more quality time on this detail. This was before the days of Pinterest, and front door inspiration was not as easy to come by. Someday, I will do a custom front door and it will be prettier than this one. But for now, it does the trick.

In other news, I just received a second shipment of green aptware. Anytime I get a shipment of aptware, it flies out the door within days, and I never get a chance to upload pieces to my online shop. I’ve sold hundreds of plates in the past couple years. Mostly blue and green. Anyway, this last shipment was huge, and I still have some dinner plates, salad plates, and bowls in this gorgeous light green in stock! If interested, please email me with questions. They would be beautiful for the upcoming holidays!

I am going to be carrying a few holiday items this year as well! Check in on the holiday category in the shop as I’ll be adding things in the coming weeks. HERE

These cavalier dog ornaments are already in stock and ready to ship. HERE

And these hand painted porcelain sets are adorable. I especially love the plates!

I thought these charcuterie boards were darling for a holiday gathering, or a hostess gift! HERE

Ok that’s all for now.. Um, it’s almost November.