It's Never Too Early...

... to begin using quality paint products for your projects!
Pictured here is a worm bin decorated by the students from Crystal's kindergarten class at Thornton Creek Elementary School in Seattle.
We love to help schools with their projects - best of all, we love seeing what they create!

Standing Out - Like an Accent Color

I have a great job.

Its (mostly) fun; we make and sell things that can actually make your home better, and we give people answers to their needs. All in all, pretty cool.

I also get to delve into a larger scale world by my involvement with C2 Paint - with the added bonus of being one of the people who actually gets to NAME those paint colors! Again, pretty cool.

Recently I had the honor of being interviewed for an article in one of the independent paint store trade journals (betcha didn't even know there was more than one of those magazines out there, did you?). The topic: the changing role of women in the paint industry.

Over the years, I have met (and worked with) women at all levels; chemists, CEOs, store managers, sales staff and receptionists . Some of us have been on a more traditional trajectory, while others of us have not. Interestingly, even though there are many, many women in our industry - apparently we are still a bit unusual. Or perhaps not so unusual anymore, but our roles have evolved and that makes us stand out, even today.

I don't mind standing out. Like I said, I have a great job.

Help! Stain On the Tile!

I just got an email from Texas, apparently she accidentally ended up getting some oil-based stain on the bathroom floor tile - wanted some advice. What would you do? Here's what I suggested:


Okay. Stain on tile. Is the tile sealed or unsealed? Does it have a glazed finish or is it more porous? The reason I ask is that we want to take the approach of doing the least amount of harm possible to try and remedy the situation, and believe it or not, but an unglazed tile might actually fare better in this situation.

I am guessing that good old soap and water did nothing. So, the next step is to try a product called Krud Kutter. This is my favorite miracle product. You might see some de-glossing of the finish - that is always the risk, but this stuff can work wonders. I use it for a myriad of cleaning tasks - and its non-toxic.

If that doesn't work, your next option is to try paint thinner. Again, we are starting from least harmful steps first. A nylon scrub pad and the paint thinner might be just the ticket.
If THAT doesn't work, you could try lacquer thinner, but you will definitely be affecting the tile itself. So I would avoid this if possible.

Finally, keep the lights low and don't look too close!

If I hear what happened, I'll let you know.

Had a Great C2 Moment Last Night

Yesterday I was on a color call and we were creating an exterior color scheme for a house built in the early 1900's. The facade has lots of fun detail to play with; stucco, lap siding and tons of trim. It's going to look great.


As I was walking down the street back to my car, I noticed a very attractive house. The color wasn't dark or moody, but light while still looking rich. It just so happened that the owners were standing outside, and I couldn't resist complementing them on it.


The first thing out of his mouth, "Have you heard of this paint company C2?"


I held up my C2 Designer Kit, still in my hands from the color call, and said "I am C2!"


"The color is C2's Outback"


"No way!" (It looks completley different outside)


They were very gracious, gave me the Grand Tour of the house (great art, fabu kitchen and great paint colors!) and were even kind enough to send me photos of their home. How cool is that?