COLOR! What would our lives be without it?
Honestly, I would be severely depressed if I didn’t have a world full of color! It would be dark, drab, and dreary. Probably in gray to black tones…but those are colors too, right? strange…
God must have had SO much fun creating each and every color, and then deciding which creature, such as a bird, or a butterfly, would be adorned with which color or colors! I just love thinking about it sometimes. It fills me with happy, complete, comforting thoughts as well as putting a smile on my face, just as it’s doing RIGHT NOW, while I am talking with you!
The rich, jewel tones in this picture to the left bring happiness, joy, and excitement to otherwise, dull or drab surroundings. Just look at all the colors in this picture…it would be hard to count them all.
Color enhances every part of our lives. As ladies, we shop for make-up to add a little color to our faces. We shop for clothes looking for colors that look good on us. The furniture in our homes is upholstered in fabrics which accent each room, bringing it to life. The paint on our walls is chosen very carefully, pulling together all the other colors in a pleasing fashion.
Colors affect your mood.
Everyone has their own personal feelings about color. Some of these feelings go back in your lives to something you experienced as a child, or maybe it was an influence of your culture.
Color effects our bodies and our minds in amazing ways! Color reflects our personality. Research has looked at “color psychology” because of the way we react to our surroundings.
Did you know that colors you choose in your rooms actually reflect your personality? These colors can influence your mood as well as your thoughts. You should be very careful in choosing colors that you use in your surroundings — colors that you see every day of your life.
The colors in the swatches below are mostly pastels. Many of you like these soft, pretty colors…
So, I’m sure you’re wondering by now… why are you discussing color?
If you make wreaths, floral designs, or other types of crafts, color is a big part of your life. In your profession, or hobby, you’re choosing colors everyday as you make your selections of flowers, materials, and paint.I choose colors on a regular basis when purchasing supplies, designing a wreath, putting different ribbons together, even decorating or painting a room.
I am always walking around my studio with my left arm loaded with blossoms as I decide which flower or color accentuates the other. I am looking for that “Wow” factor you achieve when adding those last one or two blossoms which suddenly make the others “Pop” where they didn’t before.
Did You Know? There is a “Color of the Year”?
Yes, that’s right! Each year, a group of designers and brands meet in New York City. Pantone polls these representatives to aid in its decision to pick the hue which will be “in style” for the coming year.
For 2013, the company has bestowed the distinction of Color of the Year on the shade its database identifies as Emerald Green.
Have you seen it in stores yet in your hometown? I have to admit that I am now seeing more of last year’s color all over our stores. You can glance throughout any clothing store in South Carolina and see that color everywhere… it was Tangerine.
How Can a Color Chart Help Floral Designers?
Have you ever looked at a color chart? I did a lot when I was taking classes in college, wondering why I would ever need this.I have now gone back to looking at these colors again. Colors on this chart can help you in putting colors together for your wreaths, arrangements, and whatever else you may be doing.
Did you know that colors exactly opposite each other on this chart actually enhance each other? In other words, they can be used together, and they will look beautiful together if you are careful about which other accent colors you use with them.
Take a look at a color chart sometime. Pull it up on your computer and study it a little…or better yet…print it out. See what beautiful arrangements you can come up with.