Karen, no problem messing it up, I already changed it to Valentine's Day, LOL Nana, I really like the branches, but I haven't figured out a way to hide the battery controls. They are just tucked in to the center of the arrangement right now, because only one set has a timer. The other set needs to turned off and on so I need to have access to the switch. Jane, I am so glad I chose that pattern of china all those years ago, because it goes with anything and has never really gone out of style. Jeanne, it has been warm enough here for me to get out and play golf, but it really cooled down this afternoon, got very cloudy and chilly out!! Brrr, I had to make a cup of cocoa at the cocoa bar, LOL Luvs, the 2 candleabras on either side of the center one were at GdWl a couple of yrs ago, brand new in the boxes and 50% off because of the color tag!! So, I got 2 for the price of one, score!!! Punk, yes, those are 3 of the DGK's a few yrs ago. The oldest DGS in that photo is now 6'3" and only 14 yrs old! He is projected to end up about 6'8" by the time he is grown!! My first DH (his Grandpa)was 6'7", and his Dad is about 6'4" so all of them will probably be tall. The placemats are silver vinyl poinsettias and the chargers are silver plastic. Yes, it was 43 yrs ago this coming July for my first wedding. That marriage lasted for 27 yrs and I am coming up on 13 yrs with DH #2! I used to think people who had been married for 50 yrs were ancient! My perspective on that has changed, LOL. Thanks everybody! Now back to watching the super bowl for the commercials since the Broncos didn't make it! :( LOL TTFN, Candy

MM... Very nice tablesetting. I like this color choice of Blue/Black & White. It's such a nice combination, especially with that fabric. That snake print is so different and sets everything off in such a striking way. I can also see it paired with reds too. I was laughing over your 'snake print attraction'...I think we all go through phases of some sort every now and then...and I guess you've discovered 'Snake'... I see it in the form of your 'Snake Plant' too, on your sideboard!! I can see why Punk asked if it was real, it sure is a healthy one and really makes a nice statement. Wow, 37 days, I guess it's the official 'countdown' now to your Big Day...you can see we're all excited for you. Enjoy each day to come...It soon will be such a 'blurr' when it's all over. Try to keep us updated whenever you can. jane

Ok, let me expand on tr65 said First let me preface it with the fact that I own and operate a store that sells BM Aura and has a web presence, I know many of my customers on line have found us through this web site. So while my post here will certainly favor BM Aura, I will try to give a unbiased explanation of everything. First of all, The Affinity Colors are special in 2 small ways. 1 They are designed(or selected) to harmonize with one another. You can pick any 3 colors and they blend together, its kind of like a "color selection for dummies system". Secondly, none of them require the use of the Aura Foundation Coat. The Foundation coat is a specialty product for use primarily with certain reds and yellows mainly from the Color Preview Collection. If you choose a color that requires it, use it! Otherwise you will not get two coat coverage. The foundation coat acts as a first coat, with the actual Aura providing the second coat, giving you the two coat coverage(You shouldn't need a coat of the foundation coat then 2 coats of finish paint). Secondly, Aura can be mixed in ANY Benjamin Moore color, and almost any competitive color. One thing you will hear, that was even mentioned in another post is that some colors do not match well. Depending on how you look at things this can be seen as true. Aura gives you a greater depth of color. It is not a full spectrum paint like EK, but it does behave more like one that traditionally mixed paints. This is why some colors do not seem to match particularly well. When you move into the world of full spectrum paints, and paints that behave more like them(such as aura) you have an issue with color metamorism, colors changing in different lighting conditions. Since I ship Aura, I always check the mixes against a color swatch just to be sure. I have had one particular instance where a color did not seem to match particularly well(and I am pretty anal about this). I wasnt going to ship the gallon. I then took it under another light source, and it was a dead on match to the chip. So did it match or not? In one light I thought it was an "ok" match, it could have been a little better, but then under another light source it was perfect. I think this is why major paint companies have stayed out of the full spectrum ring, it is very difficult to depict these lively colors on a color chip which gets produced by a printing process. Next...the colorants. If you get a gallon of Aura (or any other of Benjamin Moores new Waterborne Products, such as WB Eco-Spec, WB Ceiling Paint, or the forthcoming Natura) it will be mixed with the Aura Colorants(these are reffered to as the Genex Colorants). It doesn't matter if the color is an Affinity Color, another BM color, or a competitive color. Aura gets the "aura" colorants, not the universal(glycol) based ones. Also on this note, there was another post about people getting the Aura Colorants put into Regal Paint. I do not recommend this for a few reasons. First of all, there are no formulas to mix Regal Paints with 'Aura' colorants, so you would have to guess. While the colorants do tint in similar ways to each other, they do not tint exactly the same, so replacing the universal colorants with the aura ones is bound to cause some matching problems. Also, the universal colorant system is a 12 colorant system, aura is 13(though one of the yellows is only for the exterior line), not to mention there is no brown colorant in the aura system, where there is one in the universal system. Also note that Aura is really a 2 part deal. Both the paint and the colorants are special. If you use the Aura colorants in the Regal Paint, you don't get the benefits of what BM Calls Color Lock(that's part of Aura, not the colorants). In my opinion, Aura has a lot of good marketing points(better leveling, better coverage, very low VOC, etc) but the ColorLock is the most important and impressive. The color just does not rub off! Now, as for Afinity colors in Regal Paint. BM provides formulas for some of the Afinity colors to be mixed in Regal but not all. My experience in doing this has not been good. I tried to mix Wenge in Regal. First I scanned the chip with our color computer and mixed the formula it gave me. It came out AWEFUL; not even close. I then called BM and had them scan it for me and mixed that formula(paint companies have better equipment than you will find in any retail store for computerized color matching). It was equally bad. I also tried to mix Dinner Party in Moorglo exterior. I had the same results. After about 10 attempts to try to get that can right (including having to scoop some paint out of the can to make room for more tint), I got it close. Retailers who do not have Aura will tell you its ok, out of both lack of experience, and not wanting to miss a sale. If you do decide to try this, please.....try a quart first!!!! Personally I wont do it without explaining to the customer the results I am expecting, and saying outright, that if i do it, the can of paint is theirs, I am not promising accuracy. And frankly, it has nothing to do with preferring they buy Aura, or making a few extra dollars on a sale. We are a family owned business operating under one family for 55 years, "upselling" someone on a gallon or two of paint isn't a good long term idea for customer relations. As for a 125 year old house...One thing that I will recommend is BM's new Waterborne ceiling paint. It is in the 25-30 dollar per gallon range. I recommend it because it is a DEAD FLAT, and because of this, it hides surface imperfections like nothing else. I just used it myself and was very impressed, and its cheaper than Regal Flat (and it uses the Aura colorants, so its a Low VOC paint that stays Low VOC, even when tinted). Hope I didn't put you to sleep and gave you some good information for making your decision.

shhhh..I'm telling you, that midsummer night will work, and you will beyond love it. It will carry the chocolate brown/sea-like Yarmouth Blue combo into the bathroom. It is not a color to use on large wall area, but it IS THE Color to use on small wall areas. It has an effect of making windows and the views like paintings, gives a bathroom a rich warmth, luxurious surround in which to, say, bathe with candlesâ¦. My broker asked me to take a look at her kitchen as they wanted to paint the end third of it. She had in mind a neutral taupe or beige. I went over to take a look, and immediately saw a chocolate brown. Two thirds of their kitchen is entirely made up of - yes - medium brown cabinetry and the appliances virtually NO wall area But the back third is made up of large windows and a French door to the patior, overlooking a golf course, and then winds around to a rear door and entryway. They have a dining table in the window at the end of the kitchen, with a wrought iron chandelier. Well, they went for it (she and I, on our own and purely by coincidence, both picked the Midsummer Night. We couldn't believe it!). It is absolutely, positively stunning. They love it. It totally enriches everything - their paintings, the chandelier, the view, the window trimâ¦and it contemporized the look of their cabinetry., which they were very happy about. I had their friends calling me to ask if I'd come to their houses after they saw the chocolate brown in their kitchen. I don't mean to sound so pushy. It's just that I know it looks like a bold color, i.e.: risky color, but my point is, it isn't. I strongly suggest getting a sample and painting one wall, i.e.: around the window, to get a feel for it. And again, crisp white towels and a splash of color with a nice fake orchid or something similarâ¦you will love it.