So often we play with colour freely. In our choice of clothing, plants in the garden, colours of our vehicles or in some cases even our hair, we feel free to be reckless or daring. But, have you ever considered applying this same `caution to the wind` attitude to the colour in your house? If not, you will want to read on and find out what happened when someone dared to be different and sought the expert advice and services of Lady Colour, Paddy Beyers from Victoria, B.C.

Paddy Beyers was born and educated in South Africa. She attended Michael's Art School at the University of Cape Town and then soon after immigrated to Canada. Many changing circumstances in Paddy`s life restricted her from using her art skills and knowledge, and so for 12 years Paddy had to put away her creative energy and concentrate on making a living and raising her three sons. With many years of hard work and dedication to her family behind her Paddy has finally been able to begin carving out her career in the world of fine art and design. Although Paddy is working in a few different areas including textiles and flower arranging, our focus is on her amazing talents with colour.

Our story begins with Wendy, Paddy`s friend. She was getting really tired of the white walls and really wanted something more vibrant and exciting. Her husband on the other hand, suffered from SADS and insisted that the walls be white to keep things bright and cheerful. Enter Lady Colour!

Wendy and her family left for a three-week vacation and as they drove out of town, Paddy and her 19-year-old son were secretly entering town to take over Wendy's house. For five days Paddy and her son worked from dawn until they dropped. Wendy had given Paddy free reign to liven things up. Note that Wendy's husband knew nothing of this. Although this may sound exciting Paddy says it was actually quite unnerving to be painting someone's entire house without having decided on the exact colours to be used. The challenge for Paddy was to satisfy the needs of Wendy and her penchant for vibrant colours, while respecting her husband's need to have a home whose atmosphere was uplifting to his spirit.

After five days of exhausting work, Paddy and her son were finally satisfied with their efforts. The house was definitely colourful. Two weeks later, Wendy and her family arrived home. Wendy said it was at the point when they drove in the driveway that she realized the huge risk she had taken. Too afraid to enter her house at the same time as her husband, she offered to unload the luggage from the van. John headed for the front door with their daughter. Upon opening the door, their daughter entered the house and squealed, " What happened to our house?" Wendy was really nervous now. After several minutes, Wendy's husband emerged and to her relief announced, "I love it!"