…blue egg brown nest q&a’s

Hi Friends! Here are your Q&A’s. Got questions? Email me at cbensten@blueeggbrownnest.com

I really like the turquoise curtains you have in your dining room. I was wondering where you purchased the fabric for them?

Pottery Barn! Dupliani Silk.

Can you provide me the Brand name of the paint and Color you used?

Do a search on my site for “Wall Colors Revealed”. I have listed al my Ben Moore colors.

Also, I was looking through your blog and was wondering if you painted the chase and bed feature in this post

No, I purchased the chaise, but you definitely could achieve the look with Old White.

I was wondering if you could tell me your favorite neutral ASCP colors and how to choose the right colors to flow through your home from room to room?

My favorites are Old White and Country Grey. Old White will give you a bit of a cottage look as the wood beneath comes through. It is not white. It reminds me of an antique, white dress that goes a bit off-white with age. Country Grey is not grey. It’s more of a beautiful beige. Not yellow-y, but has some brown undertones. It can look warm, but is not too bright. Blends really well into any space.

I have been looking for two indoor urns for my two story foyer for some time now with little luck.  I want something different and a little taller since my foyer is two stories.  I would like to put large ball topiaries in them.  Any suggestions on where to look? 

They will be cheaper if you find them at a flea market. Not sure where you live, but right across the street from Luckett’s is a guy that sells very cheap urns and a million other iron items. If you are not local, Restoration Hardware has some beautiful ones and so does Ballard. Urns are the kind of thing that you need to buy when you see them and then work them in.

My daughter wants her furniture to look distressed (antiqued), so now that I’m done painting my plan was to sand and then use a black glaze.  After watching your You Tube videos, I’m wishing I would have bought the black wax.  My question to you is, should I go forward w/ glazing or should I wait and buy the black wax? The store where I bought the paint and glaze is only open 3 half days, so my project will have to wait until I can get over there again. The reason I bought black glaze is because I thought her furniture would hold up better. I value any advice you can give me. 

I am not sure what “black glaze” is. Is it marketed as an antiquing glaze/wax? If so, it may be similar. My advice would be to be careful using anything like dark wax. It can make your piece look really muddy. You actually do not even need to use it if you do not want to you. You could just sane the edges of your pieces in places to get an aged look. If you want to use the dark wax then just use sparingly near these sanded edges for a subtle effect.

Where did you buy the beautiful quilt with scalloped edges on the bed in your master bedroom?  

I found it about 4 years ago on One King’s Lane. I do not remember the brand, but keep an eye out on that site because I’m sure you could find something similar.

Have you ever had your plates fall off the wall from using these invisible plate hangers.  Read some reviews from people who said they had plates fall and break…may be that they didn’t choose the right size or didn’t allow to dry overnight.

I follow the instructions very precisely on these plate hangers. I wash my plates and dry COMPLETELY. Then I apply the hanger, press and let dry overnight. There should be no movement. I have never had a plate fall and some of my plates have been hanging for over 4 years.

Love your posting and eye for decor. A few months ago you redid a china cabinet and used gold colored chicken wire. Could you please share where you purchased the wire from?

The chicken wire I found was from Van Dyke’s and it was perfect. I selected a small gauge brass wire, but they have others to choose from.

Can you tell me where you got your sofas in your living room? 

They are Lee.

Also, have you ever considered sharing your children’s room? 

I could show you my children’s rooms if I did not have children! Ha! Meaning, they are messy. My bedroom as a child was always a safe haven for me where I could be myself and be creative. I moved my furniture around every week! I want my children to feel the same freedom in a space that belongs to only them. They each have painted, vintage furniture and some clever accessories, but they are also cluttered with there little projects. I’m not sure it would make a good photoshoot. I can definitely talk about what I did though.

One of my anticipated projects for the New Year is to paint my bathroom cabinets. Originally, I was going to use Chaulk paint, but when I saw the results my sister and niece achieved with Martha Stewart paint that gave a beautiful metallic finish, I decided that is the look I want. However, Home Depot, who carried the paint, no longer stocks it and I can find it no where online. In your painting experience, are you aware of any other paint that I could use to get his look? The. Ol or in going for is a pale silver metallic. 

I wish I could help you. The metallic look is not the look I gravitate towards so I have no experimented with any paints like this. I would continue to search online or ask your hardware professional.

I have in mind to paint it in French Linen or Old White but will chalk paint last over oil paint? Do you know by chance?

Yes! You will be fine.

Also, have you ever heard if chalk paint works on jinny lind wooden cribs if there is that smooth finish on it?

Chalk Paint works on all wood.

I’m going to paint a bookcase. It’s now ugly, super grainy oak. I’m thinking of ASCP colors, French linen, or country grey. What’s your instinct about the best color to use? It seems like both colors are fairly neutral.

You can’t go wrong with either of these colors.

Can I paint a PVC water pipe with chalk paint? Do I need to sand it?

Sure! Go for it! I think it should work. No need to sand.

I really like your zebra rug and want to get one for my home. I found it on Overstock per your answer to a question. My question is did you get the silver or brown color? It’s hard to tell from your photos, and internet colors can be so decieving.

Mine is brown.

I used old white on a bookshelf for my daughter and a coat tree for her dress up dresses.  I’m going to paint some shelves and a secretary (governor Winthrop) desk for an office nook.  The walls are a light gray (gray owl by BM) – and I can’t decide on a color… Should I go neutral or dark (graphite)?  I’ve been looking at Pinterest, but I can’t decide!  Any advice?!

I wouldn’t do anything too dark for a girl’s room. It can suck out all the light in a bedroom.

We are planning to build in the near future and id love to know what company your garage doors are from? Also, is there a color/style name? Did they age over time or is the finish still the same as the day you moved in?

I will look up the name of the manufacturer for you. The stain has aged, but I like it this way. They are real wood.

To curb costs I have been making my own paint which has served me well up to now. I would like to go to the next step and start using (possibly retail) existing brand paint for color consistency, quality and marketing. What I want to know, is your opinion on Chalk Paint suppliers. I see that you are a retailer for ASCP and wondered if you use this exclusively?

No, I am not a retailer for ASCP. I’m just a girl that loves her paint! In order to sell her paint you need to have a retail shop and no other stockists in your area. There are certain rules. On another note, you can totally use other brands of paint in retail shops. There are no rules in painting.

I purchased some Old White paint and redid my kitchen cabinets with it.  They look gorgeous but I’m having a bit of trouble with the blue from my kids jeans coming off on the cabinets.  We have an extended counter top with bar stools to sit at and the cabinets in this area all get a blue hue to them from our kids sitting there and their jeans rubbing up against them.  When I called the lady from the store where I purchased the paint she advised me to clean the areas with dawn dish soap.  While this did work to take the blue off, I am wondering if I did something wrong in the application of the paint and wax or if it is a normal issue with this product.  Obviously this never happened with our finished cabinets prior to me painting them.  So since, cleaning the cabinets with dish soap, is the only answer I received from the store I purchased the paint from; I was wondering if you would be able to instruct me further as to what I may have done wrong, if anything.

Interesting. I will say that paint is paint and furniture is furniture. If you brush something over it every single day it is going to react. I have 3 kids and I know they are not easy on my painted furniture. I have to wipe things down and clean. It’s just part of the deal. Does the soap take it off? If so, great! I would also ask if you used too much wax and did not let it dry properly. You really need to let it dry several days before expecting it to fully set.

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