Author: Distracted Damsel

All you have to do is look out the window, see the beautiful scenery and you can put together so many color combinations. The same view will even change with the seasons as new growth of spring turns to vivid fall. It can change from coastal blues to mountain forest greens as you move through the countryside.

Today, I left behind the Las Vegas desert for the high desert in New Mexico and Arizona. I am taking a few days to gather my thoughts, take a breathe and spend some much needed time with a good friend. Spending 9 hours, solo, on the road gives you freedom and reflection, and if you are in the right spot, some fantastic views. I highly recommend roadtrips, they are good for the soul.

Anyways, what I would like to point out here is the color pallet of the hills and desert I drove thru today. It’s hard to get the greatest pictures while driving, but here are a few shots that I took.

The red rock and red sediment from these hills can be so vibrant despite my shots. It contrasts with the sand colors, the green of the foliage, and of course the endless blue sky.These burnt colors bring in a richness and depth, almost a personality in this season of snow and cold light.

I will be creating and designing custom color pallets in the weeks to come, but for this quick trip, I did pull a few from Pinterest.

Most people think of the desert as dry and boring. But if you just give it a second look, you can see that it goes deeper. There is more life in that sand, and I hope this exposed a little bit of its treasure trove of color to your eyes.

Now, off to your own tour thru nature’s beauty!

For those of you that dont know, my background is Interior design. I have always been interested in architecture, design, art and new trends in those industries. Yesterday I worked my last day at Sherwin Wiliams, a major market supplier of residential, commercial and marine paint products. While I was there, one of my positions was a Design Product Specialist. A fancy word for a designer who goes into people’s homes and helps them choose their paint colors. My degrees and personal experiences helped me in this role.

Despite not staying in that role for more than a year, I have maintained steady referrals and have kept doing color consultations on the side. I have built great relationships with a few realtors and paint contractors. As it is something that I am good at and enjoy doing I have now officially gone into business for myself doing just that. My website is a work in progress, but it is up and active for people in the Las Vegas areas. I am going to continue to write posts about whatever inspires me but will also be posting more about new trends, new colors, design topics etc.

You can check out my new website here. I am keeping in line with my brand and the business name is Distracted Damsel Design. I am excited to send it out to my contacts, leave cards with new stores and continue to get business the best way through word of mouth.

http://www.distracteddasmsel.com

I wont go into too much detail about what I do. The goal is for you to check out the website. If you know someone in Las Vegas send them my way! 100 consults by June is my goal and I would love your help getting there!

I don’t look forward to fall for pumpkin spice lattes. I look forward to NFL football. 32 teams, 16 games a week, 4 downs, one Super Bowl! Its a fun game to watch and cheer for. But really I think the best part is bringing people together, whether its friends and family at home or strangers in a bar or in the stands.

The last couple of years I haven’t been able to go to an actual game. There are a few this season that I am considering going to. I could see my team the LA Chargers here in Vegas at Raiders Stadium but who wants to see the Raiders? They are in my division so we are natural enemies haha. I would rather drive to LA to cheer with my Charger family.

Tonight I am watching at home, not feeling to good today. But I checked to make sure my dad has got the game on. His team the Detroit Lions are going up against the Super Bowl defending champs the Kansas City Chiefs. As we speak, Lions drew first blood with the first official touchdown of the season. It’s on.

I have many fond memories of games and watch parties, chili cook offs, etc. The friends and family have changed over the years, just like the players on the field. Life goes on, and new plays are called, injuries happen, and strength is built. See where I’m going with this? I won’t go there, I know you get the metaphor. Anyway, I hope you grab your team, grab your snacks, grab your drinks, turn it up, and root for your NFL team! For me it’s Go Chargers!!

Hey guys! It’s Labor Day Weekend, what are you up to? Hope you have some fun things planned as it’s our last summer holiday. I am lucky and this time I am able to take a four day weekend.

Usually, I would plan all four days with events but lately I realize I need to take it a bit slower and just enjoy the time. I spent the first day of it napping while listening to the thunderstorms outside. Nevada is finally getting those monsoon rains. Instagram is lit up with the memes about floods in Vegas. Believe it or not, it does rain in the desert lol

Last night I was able to attend my friend Amanda’s bridal shower. I have told you about or Colorado excursions before. She is getting married in November and I can’t wait to attend. Her bridal shower was at a fancy restaurant at a hotel on the other side of town. The outdoor seating of the restaurant was surrounded by an artificial pond with a waterfall, twinkle lights and coy fish. Definitely the romantic atmosphere for the happy couple. We enjoyed friends, family, toasts, and cheers. Not to mention a buffet of delicious Italian dishes and desserts.

Today is different. Today I tried to get something done for me while still relaxing. I worked on my business things like my website and my updated contacts. Plan is to get the new website fully functional and running by end of the month. As for contacts, I definitely recommend keeping personal and professional contacts in good standing. You never know when someone can give you an opportunity. Easy to do from my laptop all while watching a movie marathon. So far it has been throwback classics. The Three Amigos, The Blues Brothers, The Goonies. “Goonies never say die!”

None of that is over the top party weekend. Tomorrow I am getting out the grill, heating up the hot tub and having a few friends over. We will crack a few cold ones, splash in the pool, probably have some laughs. With no restrictions or plans just lazing around. But really that is the best when you can just enjoy the quality time. I am going to soak in the sun and the stress free day and be ready to go back to work Tuesday refreshed. This awaits me tomorrow 🙂

All I can say is try to find your relax this weekend. Maybe tomorrow is your only downtime. Don’t feel pressured like I have before to have something minute to minute. Kick back, have a drink, take a nap, play a round of volleyball with friends. But just roll with the day, no plans just chill. Have a good one!

Tonight, I am going to keep it short and say push through it! And by it, I mean that excuse that is keeping you from what you want to do or what you need to do. It is easier said than done, I 100% know it. And I won’t lie to you. Sometimes, I let the excuses get me, and the next day, I kick myself for it. Who else? Anyone?

This morning, I woke up happy as a clam, bouncing and singing and just getting thru my day. Then orders came in, phones rang, life drama came, and threw a punch. It really just knocked the wind out of my sails. I got home tired and defeated, just wanting to binge tv or read and eat something sweet.

But as I sat there, I looked at my calendar on the wall. It’s counting days til my cruise. It also keeps track of other things like days I work out and days I work on my business. And you know what I saw, I saw blank squares this week. One would be ok but not two or three. I couldn’t let today win. I had to win the day.

Took me a few mental minutes to talk and remind myself that I am working on change. Change takes discipline and mental toughness to work when you are tired or to eat an orange when you want a chocolate shake. I snapped out of it and was able to accomplish a lot in the last few hours. Cleaned my room, did some new layouts for my Etsy Shop, and worked on my website. But the toughest thing for me today was getting in that 30 minute work out! Had to literally punch my way thru it. I huffed and puffed, but getting to the stretches at the end was so worth it because I didn’t give in or give up. And here’s the proof. Just a little over an hour ago.

Somedays, if you make it home and to bed, that is all you can do. Some days are rougher than others, but are you at your max? Is there more you can give so that you get something out of the day? Is there gas in your tank you could use to go just a bit farther? Don’t let that Debbie downer or Nancy naysayer voice in your head give you excuses not to give it your all. Push through my friends, we have more to give!! We have more to accomplish!!

The classic that many know and enjoy. The wizards and rogues, goblins, and bards. All of the magical and mythical creatures on a campaign to defeat the enemy. Attacking with force, casting spells, trickery, and wit.

Where is she going with this, you might ask? Last night, to my disbelief, I teamed up with my boyfriend and his friends for a campaign to save a small village from a giant, two-headed monster with a hoard of miscreants. The only way to defeat said beast was to find and reassemble a relic, a magical staff hidden by the forefathers.

Our band of heroes broke off into two teams, each to locate one piece of the mighty tool. Ours went in search of the piece buried deep in a valley, entombed with the forefathers. Many had followed the dangerous road to its resting place only to be smashed or shot with arrows from boobie traps. We overcame assailants on the road and braved the tricks and traps to find someone had beaten us there. A goblin, though witty, did not know of the staffs power, only that he wanted to find it first to brag. Trades were made, and we headed back into the city to rondevu with our team.

Upon return, we found our other crew had also had some struggles. A member was lost to enemy fire, but the team had managed to escape with their half of the staff. Reunited forces and a reconstructed staff now magically weilded by a great grandson of the founders, and we were ready to take on our foe.

Giant and ugly, with magic ruins and spells, he greeted our small village with a large boulder right to our main gate. His evil minions and imps sprang thru the decimated gate immediately, engaging our fighters. We had one giant weapon (literally) to counter their attack. Our fighter with magical help grew to 4 times his size and was able to strike some devastating blows to one head of the monster, while the rest of us fought in one on one combat.

Attacks were made with enchanted objects, fairie fire, and stealth moves until all that remained was the two-headed, now mortally wounded giant. With a final team rally, the giant was beaten down with his own bloody decapitated head, launched with great force by huge catapult into its tired body.

Cheers erupted from the team and from the village as townsfolk came out of hiding. Victory was ours! Well fought and well executed, our team walked away as heroes having saved the village from certain death.

And that my friends is my first experience with a Dungeons & Dragons Campaign. We had two Masters guiding us through, answering our heroes questions, plotting turns and twists through our seige, watching and tracking our rolls, and playing the evil grotesque monsters. There is so much to game, so many different dice to cast spells or save lives, to move and to attack. You roll to see if your attack will hit or miss your opponent. Then you roll to see how much of hit your opponent takes, and sometimes you get backlash. All tallied by the Masters.

I did enjoy this trip into the realm of magic. I had a good time learning the rolls of the dice and the rules for the spells, the different characters, and the powers of each. We played the above scenario for 5 hours. 4 hours longer than most games I have ever played, and from what I am told, others play this game for weeks at a time. I am not that vested in it, but a campaign every now and then sounds like a new exciting adventure. If you are a D&D fan, share with me your character. Maybe I’ll get some new ideas!!! And a set of my own dice!!!

This is exactly what it sounds like. What better way is there to spend one of the remaining long summer Friday nights? I mean, we only get a few of them before we are back to school or work or the short days of winter. Not that I’m complaining that football is back on TV, but you know what I mean.

Tonight is the night. It’s still blazing hot here in Las Vegas, but once that sun goes down, the temperature is almost nice. I am going to go over to my good friends’ apartment complex pool, complete with hot tub, and we are just going to chill. But when we do, we do it in style. The party comes with us, music, entertainment, drinks and refreshments. We have it all.

I’m not just talking about drinks, which, of course, we will have because happy hour, obviously. We roll out a good spread. Those kid beach wagons make perfect meals on wheels or food set up. They come with cup holders for drinks, a divider not used in this case to keep kids apart, and are easy to tote thru the pool gate. Everything you need easily transported.

But what do we bring with us, you ask? Well, that is an easy question. Our unique brand of fun and crazy, a waterproof speaker, our travel wago, and oh yea, anything and everything you could have on a charcuterie board or a snack buffet and a mini-bar 🍸 😉

It’s hot, so we take a few thermoses filled with ice and our other tumblers with our pregame drinks. We grab a bottle of sprite, a thing of OJ or juice, a bottle of wine, and / or a bottle of vodka. We’ve added a cooler before, but pouring as needed with the ice is a lot easier than lugging a big cooler of ice.

All out for the snacks, too. Veggies and hummus, cheese and meats, chips, and salsa. We cooked up some Korean spare ribs and made a few quesadillas. Could have made up some bruschetta, but we got a little overboard. And last but not least, we had fresh fruit and m&ms as our sweet snacks. We think we take enough for us, but I kid you not, we probably can feed at least six people.

We are just out there trying to relax and enjoy the night. Good company, good drinks, good snacks. All the essentials 👌 I hope that you have a chance to enjoy a few more nights yourself. So cheers to you!!

I may or may not have told you my background or what I do for fun. I have degrees in Interior Design, and I work for a commercial paint company. Right now, I mainly work with designers to get samples made for projects in town. I see the same colors going up on the same walls, not very exciting. But I can and have been using my knowledge and skills on the side to help friends and other clients.

This time, I get to help a friend with her home in Colorado. She just moved into a new rental, and the landlord has agreed to do a few maintenance things, a little sprucing up if you will. She has a similar background as me, but I have access to the colors and do consultations all the time.

Exterior painting projects are different from interior projects because neighborhood rules and surrounding houses have to be considered. My friend doesn’t have an HOA committee with preselected color schemes and a board to sign off on. The other part to consider is the mood of the houses on the street. You don’t want to come into a neutral pallet and paint the house bright pink. Or come into a modern gray industrial neighborhood and go for Tuscan colors in browns and tans.

When you think Colorado, you think of trees and skies, mountians, and green hills. That naturalistic color pallet follows into the houses. In this area, houses blend in with the environment. My friend sent me pictures of her house and her two neighbors. The two with deep gray blue siding and dark gray roofing blend much better than the current light yellow/ tan color on their house. The roofing on theirs is a wood/brown color that I think is much better and will allow for a richer trim as opposed to white. Giving the house an updated unique look

She had an idea for a light grey color that could be the base color for the siding. One that she found online that was popular in that area. I used that gray to find a charcoal for the window trim and roof trim as well as an accent color for the door. Always taking into mind and starting with what the client wants. Then I went above and beyond.

Sometimes, a friend or client won’t know what they want to like until they see it. But everyone wants options. It is easy for me to come up with options because I have seen so many color pallets and color schemes for many different house types and locations. We both agreed that the house should remain on a light color. The neighbors both have white trim, which on the gray and slate is an accent color, but white on the light color would not stand out. So, instead, our trim and our accents are going to be richer, with dark browns, grays, or greens.

I pulled from the surrounding colors to get away from the blue and gray. I found a mellow green, a rich town brown and a light brownish red. Each with a roof trim, window trim, and an accent door/ shade color. It was fun for me to lay the color cards out and adjust when the trim color wasn’t quite right or the body should have been a hint more brown, less red. Overall, I am sending her 6 schemes. As I would for any of my clients, I never recommend doing paint samples. Painting a swatch on the wall will only play tricks on your eyes, distorting the true color as more of what you see is the entire wall color.

So, I am writing up a full set of notes for each scheme. Then I ordered 8×11 sheets of each. I recommend attaching them to a whiteboard or white poster board so they are easily movable to different areas of the house. Anyone repainting should see the colors in the sun and shadows, day vs. night, so they can really judge if they like the color. On the poster board, you don’t have the house painted like a cheetah in the process. Lol

I can’t show you my schemes here, but doing color is legitimately a favorite thing of mine. I am working to expand that part of my skills and will hopefully have something up and going here soon. But time will tell. If you have any color questions, interior or exterior, feel free to drop them here. I’m always willing to give input and can help if your gray is too green or that purple is too grapey. What questions do you have?