Wow Jane, I am tired just reading about what all you did! Sounds like a wonderful time and lots of work and effort on your part. What a large group to entertain! So nice that your DH helps you with the decorating. Mine does not help with the inside at all. I carry everything up from the basement including the trees, all the boxes, ladders, etc. The only thing he does outside is put a blow mold Santa on our mailbox, although this year, he did run an extension cord from the backyard for some of the lights as they kept tripping the breaker this year! Again, getting everything down out of the rafters, off of the shelves, and put up is up to me! Sorry, I just needed to vent a little. I get a bit envious when I hear of other DH's that help with decorating. Anyway, looking forward to your pix. TFS, Candy

Well, the trip to my friend's house was enlightening. She has a pale, creamy yellow from Lowe's, Churchill Hotel Hazy Yellow. I was expecting the cabinet to blend too much up against it, but it really didn't. It didn't POP like it would against a green, but it didn't look bad either...I kinda liked it. I think her cream seems a bit too light, I would prefer something a bit more gold, but I think the color in general is a possibility. I didn't think my backsplash tiles would work with the yellow either, but they looked quite nice too. The yellow made the blues and greens in the tile pop more which could be nice for using those colors as accents in window treatments, etc. Lastly, was the floor tile (Yes, my friend thinks I am nuts for lugging all my samples over to house, but she's a brutally honest person so I trust her opinion). She has natural maple wood floors and my tile is almost the same tone as her wood...kinda funny. We decided the tile looked fine. If the walls were any more yellow, the floor might look a little dingy, but I think I would be ok if I stay with a creamy, yellow/gold. Also, the same friend has a pretty olive green in her family room. So, she hunted down the paint and guess what it was...Nantucket Gray! Funny bc even she thought the Nan. Gray was much more brown in my house. I guess it's all about lighting. So, where does this leave me? I think I am going to sample a few creamy yellows in my space just to see. Just like the Nantucket Gray looked so different in our homes, so could the yellows. I have not ruled out the idea of a green bc I do think it could look awesome if I wasn't so color-challenged. You have all given me so many great colors to sample. As Amysrq said I should pick a couple sample colors that scare me and one of them just might be it. Thanks again. I promise to post once I decide and absolutely once the kitchen is done!

Hi rusty ... and everyone. Sorry that you're feeling so dragged out by that darn housework ... that never seems to end. And folks - what with the new look to take place around old rusty's home soon ... ... what say we take up a collection to get a new stainless steel bucket for her, to replace the deteriorated one that she's been harbouring for so long, huh? I got busy and dusted and swept out my bedroom the other day, herding the dust bunnies right into the composting pail, to take out to fertilize the garden. Don't tell me that in taking on that task I may be putting myself at risk of getting shingles! Oh, Lordy! That'll make it even more difficult summoning up the energy to get after the dust bunnies in the other rooms! Life do have its problems, don't it?? Good wishes to everyone as you go about your Christmas or other holiday preparations. ole joyful

Martha Stewart started the whole thing with a Martha Stewart Living magazine cover that made everyone gasp - at the time. I think it was 2005 or 2006. It was so unusual, almost unheard of then to do a gray kitchen. She also used about 6 different gray paint colors, unlike the gray monotone kitchens now. The problem is that the subsequent zillions of imitators do not have Martha’s exquisite eye for color and proportion, nor the high ceilings and windows. Almost all the literally thousands of gray kitchens marching across Houzz are dull, uninspired, and desperately copying what they think is current. Can’t wait for people to stop this. Martha’s kitchen: