Hey, Merry Christmas, y’all! I know, I know we aren’t there yet, but close enough. Hey, next Monday is the Best of 2015 list. And the two perfumes below are on my list. But make sure to check in to see what everyone is loving this year!
I’ve picked out my two perfumes I’ll be wearing over Christmas. I’m all about the warm, snuggly soft gourmands. MDCI Les Indes Galantes and Dior Feve Delicieuse. They are perfect for me this year. I decide these things by noting what I go scrounging around for in the perfume drawers almost every day. These two have been it for a while.
I’m also up to remodeling shenanigans over Christmas. Do you guys remember that post I put up maybe a month or so ago about my master bath remodel I have planned? Still waiting on a contractor to free up and designs to get done. Contractor hasn’t even had time to come to my house, despite umpteen e-mails from my designer. Oy. I understand I may get on the schedule for March or April, which I’m pretty sure means they’ll tear up my bathroom then, then give me “the Money Pit” two weeks promise to be back. I’m normally an optimist, but I know better on this.
In the meantime, I’ve amused myself by doing the low-rent remodel of the kitchen. This entails spending as little money as possible and being as crazy as possible since I intend to tear it all up in like 2-3 years when I do the big remodel that will be a complete gut, repositioning the stairs, etc. But do you remember someone in comments said something about blue cabinets and I said I would “nevah!” do that. Whelp! It looks like a smurf threw up in my kitchen.
And I love it beyond words. The above kitchen is not mine, but that’s about the shade I’m going for. I’m using Annie Sloan Chalk Paints, which are so freaking amazing – it adheres to anything, including my refrigerator, which has now turned a beautiful shade of Country Gray before I give it a more distressed look. I haven’t done anything more satisfying this year than painting the much loathed white monstrosity of a fridge. The paints dry in like 20 minutes or less, so you can complete a lot in just a day because you don’t have to wait for 24-48 hours to make sure your cabinet is completely dry.
Also not my kitchen above. Just showing the approximate color once it is dark distressed. So the kitchen is going blue-silver-gray. I have hardwoods similar to the ones in the photo. The countertops will be a white with gray in it or a gray with white, I’m trying to decide whether to do the coating myself or pay someone to do it. It’s 800 vs. $100. I’m leaning to DIY, except, well, mess. I’m going to paint my backsplash for now and then do a high gloss acrylic on top – aiming for a very silver shade. Walls will be this gorgeous, perfect Paris gray. Pulls/knobs are all silver.
I may never do anything this nuts in the kitchen, but the intent to tear it all up in 2-3 years is freeing. Because, you know, who cares? I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I am. Though I have a feeling at some point I may get tired of it. Or maybe not. Blues/grays/silvers are so calming. I’m not cooking any better in it so far.
Pictures will be coming of the before and after, for sure!
So what perfume are you wearing for the holiday season? Let’s give away two special sample sets. I’ll put in the MDCI, Feve Delicieuse, the Kilian Royal Leather and maybe a set of those new YSLs I haven’t gotten around to reviewing. Just comment on the post to be entered.
Winners of the MDCI Les Indes Galantes and Kilian Royal Leather samples are: Audrey and Millicent. Just click on Drop Us a Note at the top, send me an e-mail, remind me of what you won and get me your mailing address. I’ll send you a quick e-mail to let you know I got your e-mail and it didn’t land in a spam filter and then get it on the way to you!
I love those kitchen pics – fills me with yearning to take that big step of DIY. Heck, I can put paint on some cabinets can’t I? 🙂 It’s been dark and rainy here so I am wearing beauties like PD Black, OJ Black Gold, and a new buy of Teo Cabanel Alahine.
Oooh I really like that blue kitchen, surprised myself really, as I am such a scaredy cat when it comes to colour. Just can’t commit!
Wearing Mona di Orio Lux today and maybe tomorrow too.
Have a lovely Christmas!
thanks for the giveaway : ) i seem to be wearing en passant,wild bluebell and drole de rose the most the last couple of weeks.christmas day is going to be hot hot hot so not sure what mood will strike me..we shall see..
I am really crushing on that shade of blue and am thinking that would look great in my own kitchen. I live in a house or actually a barn that was built in the mid 1800s but renovated into a house somewhere around the 1940s. My cabinets were custom built for the kitchen and are currently painted sage green with cream/yellow walls. The cabinets are old but so charming that I’ve hesitated to replace them. Did I mention that my husband is in construction? ???? I have several unfinished projects so I understand everyone’s pain.
I will probably wear Five O’Clock au Gingembre and PHI for the holiday. Thanks for the draw Patty.
That shade of blue makes a kitchen look very elegant! It may be too warm for Cuir Beluga on Christmas Day so I may go with something green – either Chanel No. 19 or Aftelier Bergamoss.
I love painted kitchen cabinets. My grandmother’s home had pink painted kitchen cabinets. It was so different from the wood-grain kitchen I lived with growing up. I think your blue-gray-silver combination is smashing. Happy holidays to everyone!
Blue is a very nice colour indeed, and very refreshing in the kitchens, but doesn’t it absorb a lot of light? Of course, if there’s is lots of light in your kitchen, it won’t be a problem and may come out very striking. My kitchen is oriented toward north, so I don’t get much natural light coming in, so
my walls are off white and furniture of light birch wood.
This Christmas I’ll probably wear Van Cleef and Arpel’s Bois d’Iris. There is a powdery hint of whiteness (and still some warmth mixed with the white cool powder) which should be enough to give me an illusion of a White Christmas. (there’s still no snow in this part of the world). Merry Holidays for everyone!
So far, no. I have North and East light – windows on two sides, as well as the back door on the East side of the kitchen as well. It also has tall ceilings. Blue doesn’t seem to absorb as much light as the other dark colors, like brown or gray, etc. Not sure why.
We are supposed to get snow tomorrow and SAturday, I’m excited about a white christmas this year!
Everyone who contemplates remodeling should watch The Money Pit. It’s not a comedy, it’s a documentary. (But really… the bathtub thru the floor scene… kills me every time!) Having remodeled nearly all of our house, I think we’re about done… though there is that one bathroom we’ve never touched….. heh.
Not sure yet what perfumes to wear for Xmas/Xmas Eve. AG Nuit Etoilee is in the running, as is The Vagabond Prince Enchanted Forest. Others’ comments about YSL Champagne have me going ‘hmm’ about that one; love the parfum version unreasonably. Or perhaps something incense-y, Heeley Cardinal maybe. Or… such a dilemma! 🙂
Happy Holidays, all!
The Money Pit is one of my faves ever. Agree that it is a documentary. I always wonder why I ever wanted to own my own house. Some people say it is an investment, and I say you will pour money into it every year you have it that far outstrips any “investment.” I’ve always done well with real estate, but I’m never convinced I ever made money on it when I take into account how much money I’ve put into every house I’ve ever had.
Those pictures of the blue cabinets are gorgeous…I would never have thought I’d like that, as I have cherry, but it really is striking. I am wearing Winter Delice today for our Work Christmas Luncheon. Christmas Eve will be Bottega Veneta, and Christmas , haven’t decided yet, something soft, grandchildren will be hugging me!!!! Thanks for the draw and Happy Holidays to all!
i know, it surprised me too! I have floor to ceiling cabinets, and I think the blue almost looks best if it has that spread. I’ts like a beautiful sky in the kitchen.
Happy holidays to you!!!
Love, love, love the blue cabinets! There is a restaurant in town (Bar Sajor in Seattle) that has aging white walls and then a tall, arched doorway that is trimmed in blue. It is soo beautiful! My husband and I need to do a huge renovation (including the kitchen) but really hate the hassle involved 🙁 As for perfumes, no perfume Christmas Eve or Christmas Day due to family allergies. However, this has been a week of beautiful ambers!
I used to hate blue, and I can’t for the life of me remember why. I’m eyeing my fireplace now, thinking blue could be the move there eventually. 🙂
The hassle can’t be minimized, it is hugely awful to deal with, and I’m not looking forward to it at all. Painting the cabinets has been easy and really kinda fun.
I love greyish blue for that country feel in the kitchen. I myself have glossy white doors on my cabinets and the built-in fridge/freezer, so I need colour on tea towels and other small items.
That Dior Feve Delicieuse (please excuse the minor spelling mistake, too lazy to look it up) is gorgeous (I only have a small sample). By now I am certain I would like most perfumes with a lot of tonka bean. However, I have a larger sample of Ginestet Botrytis and I think that is going to be my scent for the big Christmas dinner tomrrow evening. It is a warm and yet elegant scent.
I guess I am doing more of a country of French country in my kitchen. Huh, never though tht would happen.
Feve is one of my faves. I could wear it all the time. Ginestet is also gorgeous.
Admiring those who dare renovate. Still have vinyl tile in kitchen. For the holidays I have been wearing Winter Delice quite a bit.
I’ve decided 2016 is the year of the renovation for me – personally and house-wise. Winter Delice is so snuggly.
I’ve seen some dark cabinets I really like but I wouldn’t have thought of blue—but those photos both look wonderful. I wish I were braver with the DIY thing, or that either of us in our house were a little more skilled at this stuff.
I’m thinking either Lyric or Ta’if, and Naomi Goodsir Cuir Velours over Christmas.
I’m sorta fearless about color, honestly. I figure the worst that happens? I have to paint over it. Like hair, but not on me.
Wow, do you know the exact shade of those blue cabinets? Ive been looking for that shade. Im wearing demeter Holy Smoke for some reason.
The top picture or second one? I know the second one is Benjamin Moor Mozart Blue. The first one I didn’t find a shade, but the Annie Sloan chalk Paint Napoleonic blue is pretty darn close, and you can darken it up a little with the dark wax to get it pretty spot on.
Ok thanks, Im getting inspired.
I don’t think I could do a blue kitchen, but it is nice to look at. Maybe if there was enough orange or pale yellow to balance it out. I’m one of those who needs color in the kitchen. Also, I have tons of vintage kitchenware and old colorful Mexican pottery that I like to keep on display. I do really like your inspiration pictures. They are about the most tasteful blue cabinets I have ever seen.
I’ve been wearing Azemour, Iris Cendre, Equistris, Flerus de Orangers, and Royk almost exclusively this month. It’s too darned warm for my usual holiday-time perfumes. I have NO CLUE what I’ll wear tomorrow or Christmas Day. I think I may go for Lyric and L’air de Rien for that cozy but not too heavy effect.
That’s why I’m struggling with the wall color. I love a very yellow creamy color with this shade of blue, but I don’t know how it will go with everything else I have, so I’m waiting to pick the wall color, but it will be light and aimed for balance. I ran into a lot of inspiration photos of blue cabinets that completely changed my mind – some in much lighter shades as well. Super gorgeous. Apparently navy is the new in cabinet color. I had no idea I was on the bleeding edge.
Iris Cendre is so perfect!
Wowza! Love your inspiration photos, and look forward to seeing your before and afters. Hope you also let us know the difficulty level of painting cabinets, as I’m thinking of doing that myself next year.
The trick to painting cabinets is the paint. I’ve painted cabinets twice before in my old house and used regular paint with a gloss, I think. Using the Annie Sloan Chalk paints is all the difference. With other paints, you have to wait a day or two for them to completely dry before you put on more coats, and it just drags out the process. Using this, the paint dries literally in less than 30 minutes, so you can do a section and then go right back and finish it. You do have to put the wax on top, or if you want a really glossy finish, you can pick a different top coat. I can do 2-3 cabinets a day easily, so the project keeps moving along without making a complete mess of my kitchen until it’s done because everything is dry when I walk out, and I don’t have to pull the doors and drawers out, etc. Super easy, but use that paint or something similar to keep it easy.
Love the blue cabinets beyond reason,especially with the silvery pulls! I am wearing Madame Rochas to calm my Christmas nerves. Misia on Christmas Day.
I know! I already have silver pulls, and they never really showed up until I put the blue on. I do want some of the bigger pulls for the drawers though.
The blue and dark wood is so different from my kitchen, which has cherry cabinets with pale yellow walls, but I love it! Not sure what I’ll wear for Christmas this year, maybe SL Bois et Fruits or Tauer Un Rose Chypree.
I don’t have dark wood, though, and I’m doing a light Paris gray or cream on the walls – still deciding. My kitchen isn’t huge, and it’s an old house and wont’ get opened up until the big reno, so I have to be careful to have enough light in there so it doesn’t feel way creepy dark. A bigger kitchen, I’d do lots of blue with dark wood for sure!
Love your kitchen. Would you come and do mine? Have been wearing a lot of oils from Soltice Scents. Winslow makes me feel as though I’m in the middle of a forest surrounded by Christmas trees. Travelers has a wonderful amber /frankincense feel. Estate Carnation, edp, is amazing, and white Dove is awesome. I’ve never found anyone else’s oils who have the same longevity as hers. Christmas Eve will be nothing until after carol service. But then I think I’ll put on Dia. So many choices, so little time. Thank you for the giveaway. “Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me,” is from a favorite piece of music. May it be so. Merry Christmas.
Oh, girl, no, unless you live on a beach and I can stay while I’m doing it.
Merry christmas!
Hey Patty, that blue kitchen is the bomb! I wonder if you will be able to let it go when the big reno happens in a few years… Our weather is warm, rainy & foggy, so I am not really feeling the Christmas vibe as much as I would like. However, I have been enjoying the hell out of a bunch of gorgeous DSH decants: Cafe Noir, Gingembre, Mahjoun & Cimabue. Solance mentioned YSL Champagne, which I also own (the original) and love. Maybe that one for New Year’s Eve!
Maybe not! I may put blue right back in, even during the reno, if I wind up loving it forever. Or I might change the color of it five times now that it got so easy with that paint.
Oh, some of my faves from DSH!
Patty, you’re quite the handy ma’am! Bet it looks great and custom, too. My cabinets are a medium gray, and the floor is white porcelain with grey veining. There’s a lot of cypress paneling in my house, so I needed something different in the kitchen. Scentwise, winter hasn’t made much of an appearance yet. Wearing Eau Premiere frequently, and Alahine when the temps dip. Want to try the ones you mention, though–they sound appealing. Merry Christmas, all!
I’m really not that handy. I’m mostly fearless, which makes up for a lack of skill. 🙂
Since we are talking kitchens, have to mention that last evening we had this huge rain, possibly the strongest I ever experienced. The yard became a one feet deep pool, and a lot of water made its way into our kitchen so it became a pool, too. The joys of tropical summer. This year I rediscovered YSL Champagne, the original in the cute bottle, in the back of my closet. I didn’t love it back then, so it was left untouched, but man, I really, really love it now. So that will be it. Want to show it to my mom, who gave it to me, so I’ll be wearing it as we cook, too. Thank you for the draw, Patty. Happy holidays, everyone!
Oh, no!!! I had some kind of backup in the basement laundry room on Sunday, and I didn’t look around, but found a little standing water in the basement bathroom. Not sure how these two things are connected, but it looks like they are somehow.
champagne is so gorgeous, I’m glad you found it again! Happy holidays to you, too!
I love the way the dark blue cabinets create so much drama and contrast (beautiful with the dark wood), especially since it is such an all encompassing backdrop. Gorgeous. I would never have imagined liking blue, either, but, wow. I have a black lacquer bookcase which I love for the same reason. Everything on or in it looks more elegant. I’ve been wearing Beloved, Frau Tonis Veilchen (violet) that also smells of powdery Iris, and the Luscious Rose de France, which packs a punch, but is also really fresh and piquant. I spent my perfume budget trying so many new perfumes (in small quantities) this year, and it’s completely turned my head around what I like and don’t like. I love all the inspirations found here.
Happy Holidays
Yeah, it’s shocking how much I love my smurf kitchen as it develops. The prospect of being temporary is freeing to find something you really love. That’s got some larger zen life meaning in it.
Black lacquer is so gorgeous.
Oh, Beloved, I should throw that in too and maybe Interlude. I sometimes forget about old loves.
I would have agreed with you about ‘nevah’, and I agree with you as to caving! Beautiful. I am taking a selection of Ambers with me to Mexico, including Kuumba Made Amber Paste, Laura Mercier Ambre Passion, and Profumum Roma Fiori D’AMBRA. Plus others because I hate being limited!
Blue is so restful, and I really love that it can be dark, but doesn’t feel that dark because, well, blue. Plus doing a light grey or cream on the walls brings the light back up and balances it. Who knew?
I really love that blue! The first picture gave me absolute kitchen-envy. I have a tiny all white kitchen. Oh, rentals!
I’ve been wearing the heck out of Ambre Sultan which I’d gone off of for a year or so, but back in love. Also Shangri La which I love summer and winter, any day, any time (except the office) Mohur and Une Rose de Kandahar are getting lots of skin time too.
Happy holidays, everyone!
Yeah, I poo-poohed that blue cabinet thing until i saw the right color. I’m using the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Napoleonic blue, then it is dark waxed to distress it a little, but it’s a pretty close match to the first picture, but veers a little like the second one in terms of distressing instead of a flat shiny finish.
Happy Holidays to you, love your perfume picks!
Right now, my parents are remodeling two bathrooms and a kitchen. Ever since we fired one group and hired another, one bathroom is done and the other one is gutted. The master bath is recently gutted and the construction people are just waiting on the shower stuff to arrive and when it arrives, they can really get going on finishing up the master bath. Then it will be the kitchen and we will be cooking on a hot plate for a while. From now until Christmas Eve, I will be wearing Chanel no 19 to get me through the rest of my work week. I have no idea on what I will be wearing on Christmas Day. Maybe I should get going on wearing Frapin 1270.
Ugh, construction is the worst! Once you get a good one and get it done and done right, then it is worth everything, but yikes the process sucks so much.