Sorry I’ve been quiet the past couple of days, but it’s been a whirlwind that started when I woke up Tuesday at 3:00 am to get to the airport to fly to San Francisco for a day of workshops and book signings. It ended last night when we arrived home about 11:30 and crashed in bed. I have so much to share about the workshops and the people I met and how it gets me choked up when my eye catches a huge chalkboard with my name on it and a table full of my paint and products under it. But I’ll get to all of that another day.
Today, I want to share about the hotel I stayed in. As we drove into Petaluma, CA from San Francisco, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the rolling green hills, age-old cypress trees and quaint row houses. I haven’t been to California since I lived in Monterey when I was in preschool. It was also such a stark contrast of the rugged brown ridges, plateaus, mountains and flat farmlands of Colorado that I just visited a few days ago.
As we took a brief tour through Petaluma, Gen of Gracefully Worn, my hostess, mentioned that we’d be staying in a fun little hotel. My first thought was that after being awake for 23 hours straight, I could sleep on a street curb and it would be just fine. My second, more rational thought was, I hope “fun” doesn’t mean banging pipes, a lumpy bed and a youth-hostile-style community bathroom. Let me tell you, this hotel was fun in the best possible way. It reminded me of the European style that influenced me so much from my years in Germany as a child. It was comfortable, clean and delightfully French (with a very comfy bed and a private bathroom with hex tile and a claw foot tub!)
What also struck me was how my Milk Paint colors were so dominate in the decor of the hotel. There’s Tricycle and French Enamel and Mustard Seed Yellow and Shutter Gray and Flow Blue and Lucketts Green! They were all there and looked gorgeous together. It was pretty neat to see and made me feel good about the colors I developed. It also was a reminder to me of how much I love European style. I felt inspired and grounded all at the same time.
In my next post about Petaluma, I’ll share all about the events that brought me there and show you the room we stayed in…
See you tonight for Furniture Feature Friday!


































