Robin Flies South...

A blog about decorating and tablescaping with an emphasis on creativity and smart shopping over cash!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Little Paint and Little Pumpkins

Before I get started on my Metamorphosis Monday entry I want to apologize to all the nice people in Blogland who don't use Blogger.  For some reason, I am unable to comment on any of your posts.  I am working on finding a solution.  In the mean time, I am viewing your posts and enjoying them, I just can't comment.

I want to say "Hello" to my best friend's mother, Mary, who I hear is enjoying my blog, back in NJ.  Hope you are feeling better and I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks!

I think it was Susan, our host for Metamorphosis Monday, from Between Naps on the Porch, who did a post on painting a porch ceiling blue.  Ever since, I've been wanting a blue ceiling here in Florida.  I'm being greedy because the sky here is almost always a beautiful blue!  Luckily, our painter owed us a favor and I asked him to paint the ceiling of our lanai (my Florida version of a screened porch) and use the same color for one of our bathrooms.  He came by yesterday and it took him no time at all.  As I pointed out in a previous post, these textured walls can be tricky so we leave the painting to the professionals.  He's so good, he never uses painter's tape! 

This has to win the prize for the most boring before and after pictures ever so I'm throwing in a little peak at my lanai to keep you awake!  Here is our ceiling before.


Oops!  That ceiling fan looks a little dusty!  And here is the After!



The color is called Aqua Mist and he used Martha Stewart exterior paint.  I was looking more towards matching the color of the water in the pool than the sky.

Here is some information  about painting a porch ceiling blue from C. Jeanne Heida-Yahoo Contributor Network

Sky blue ceilings were a popular color scheme for the Victorians who preferred the colors of nature when painting their homes. Mustard yellow, ochres, browns, olives, terra cotta and the color blue were commonly used in exterior paint schemes. The warm earth tones reminded the Victorians of the outdoors around them, with the blue reserved for the porch ceiling to remind them of the blue sky even when the days were overcast and gray.

In the South, ceilings were painted blue for a different reason. Southerners, especially in the area of South Carolina have a name for the ceiling paint used on porches. This soft blue color is referred to as "Haint Blue." Haints are a spirit or ghost and in Charleston, many people paint their porch ceilings "Haint blue" to drive off those evil spirits.





We have almost a whole gallon of paint left after this and the bathroom, so of course I had to do something with it! .  Everyone seemed to be painting pumpkins blue last week.  I had painted this other pumpkin and gourd ivory a few weeks ago.  I'm such a copy cat that I painted a little pumpkin blue to add  some Fall to the lanai.



I used my large white tray (Villeroy and Boch Outlet, I have 2 of these) and 3 aqua starfish (Beall's Outlet).  Last weekend I bought this outdoor pillow (Kohl's).  It's amazing how well the outdoor fabric holds up here.  This area is covered but it still gets wet sometimes. 



We use this outdoor room everyday.  It's always in the shade and the pool is always in the sun.  Perfect! We read here, entertain here and eat out here.  We have a flat screen TV mounted on the opposite wall and watch baseball  here all spring and summer.  The couch is just perfect for a nap, too! (not that I would know!)



The furniture is from an estate sale and I will tell you about it in a future post.  I know the ceiling is a subtle change but it's those details that make a house become "your home".  And it never hurts to ward off evil spirits!





Sorry, I couldn't resist!  I know most of you are probably enjoying your cooler weather and changing leaves but this weather is just fine with me!



Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.  Have you painted anything blue lately?  I would love to hear from you!  You don't have to be a blogger to leave a comment.  Just follow the instructions.  And be sure to stop by my sister Elaine's blog at Creating Wonderful Spaces for a great paint technique!

I am also linking to Debbiedoo's Newbie Party, stop by there and take a look!

10 comments:

Elaine said...

It turned out great! Your lanai looks wonderful and I'm anxious to see what you do with the bathroom. We have talked about painting the inside of our skylight blue!

Wendy said...

Yes, I have a blue ceiling too. But I wish I had thought to paint a pumpkin. I like your blue fall.

Debbiedoos said...

Hi Robin! Welcome to my newbie party.This is a great post. In the past I did a post on the Southern porches and the ceiling painted blue. So cool. Have a great day.

Sanghamitra Bhattacherjee(Mukherjee) said...

Fantastic fall post! Love your porch and gorgeous blue! Thanks for sharing.
Hope to see you on my blog:)

Chris said...

Hi Robin, what a beautiful lanai. I'll trade you some of your weather for some of ours. For the last four days we have had gale force winds and rain and I haven't been able to walk to my usual haunts. I'm getting antsy, LOL Anyway, I found/following you through Debbie's Newbie Party and hope to visit more often. Please come and visit me also sometime. Would love to have you. Hugs, Chris

Sandy said...

Hi Robin.. I wanted to stop by and say thanks for your visit today... Welcome to Florida,, I feel like a local after being here for the past 6 years.. I love no snow and the weather!
Looking at your photos your pool area is one thing I don't have but I do have water out back if that counts.. it's called Alligator Creek (comes in from the Tampa Bay) and yes, I have gators...
I'm now your new follower and will enjoy visiting each week...
thanks again
Sandy

Maggie @ SweetwaterBaby said...

Your blue ceiling is just gorgeous! {love your blue pumpkin too :) }

Maggie at Sweetwater Baby

Poppy @ With a Dash of Color said...

Wow! what a beautiful post! I love the exterior earthy tone and the ceiling color looks so wonderful with the brown.Beautiful accents with the starfish pillows and the pretty white tray with the aqua starfish and blue and white pumpkins, they are looking sooo adorable... such a lovely vignette!Wonderful space to hang out and enjoy the Florida sun. Thanks for letting us take a peek and for your loving thoughts on my autumn tea. Have a great week!~Poppy

http://withadashofcolor.blogspot.com/

Bill said...

I love that shade of blue! It looks great with your various brown tones. I really like your blue pumpkin idea -- autumn with a twist! Your lanai furniture is perfect -- aren't estate sales wonderful? ;)

Anonymous said...

We have always painted our porch ceilings a light shade of blue......reason being, supposedly the wasp think it's the sky and won't build a nest in the corners. So far it works!