How Many Shades of Gray?

After staring at the paint cards I had taped to the brick fireplace for a few weeks, I knew it was definitely going to end up painted.  The biggest problem was choosing a color. I kept gathering paint chips.

Eventually, I thought I liked a color called Zinc by Martha Stewart. (Top left in the picture above.)

So I trudged up to Lowes and had a sample jar color matched.

Once things settled down a bit, I tested it out.  I used the whole jar only to decide I didn't really like it.  It looked  too blue. 

I let it dry and watched it in different lighting.  Then I decided to go get a quart of a color called Seal by Martha Stewart.

Honestly, I was scared looking at the sample on the paint can.  But I came home and started on the other side of the fireplace. (Bottom right in the picture at the top of this post.)

It was love at first sight.

 (Seal on the left, Zinc on the right)

I used the entire quart during naptime and ran out of paint.  Brick really sucks up the paint.

Oops.

So after naptime I headed back to Lowes (my third home, only behind Target) and had a gallon made of Seal.

I painted as high as I could and then Brandon took over and did the top for me.  Once it was done we just stared at it.  It was beautiful!

Before:

After: 

 (Sorry for the funny cropping, the wall to the right is another post.)

~Stephanie