Ideas by Andrea: color of the week

Showing posts with label color of the week. Show all posts

Monday, September 16, 2013

Color of the Week - Antique Gold

This week's color is Antique Gold - a sophisticated and worldly brownish-yellow hue!

Unlike pure gold, antique gold is slightly darker and browner, and often less metallic. It's a great neutral and pairs well with almost any color!

Fun facts about Antique Gold:

1. The first recorded use of "old gold" as a color name in English was in the early 19th century, as a way to distinguish the darker qualities of the shade.

2. Many American universities and professional sports teams use antique gold as one of their primary colors, including Texas State University and Purdue University, as well as the New Orleans Saints football team and Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team.

3. Antique Gold is also known as Vegas Gold, since it is associated with the glamorous casinos and hotels of the Las Vegas Strip.

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Monday, September 9, 2013

Color of the Week - Amethyst

This week's color is Amethyst - a nuanced and beautiful grayish-purple color!

Amethyst is a great color for autumn because it pairs so well with typical fall colors like golds, browns, oranges, and reds. For springtime, create a color scheme of amethyst and pastels!

Fun facts about Charcoal:

1. The first recorded use of amethyst as a color name in English was in 1572.

2. The color amethyst is named for a violet variety of quartz often used in jewelry; the name for the stone in turn came from the Ancient Greek words for "not intoxicated," a reference to the belief that it protected its owner from drunkenness.

3. The birthstone for February is Amethyst.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Color of the Week - Charcoal

This week's color is Charcoal - a dark gray neutral with blue undertones!

Charcoal works with almost any color, but I particularly like it with colors that are just "off" of highly saturated hues, like the grayish-blue Denim, and the brownish-yellow Dijon Mustard.

Fun facts about Charcoal:

1. The first recorded use of charcoal as a color name in English was in 1606.

2. It gets its name from the dark gray color of the carbon and ash remaining after wood is burned.

3. Artists have used charcoal for centuries. Check out your local art supply store to see a wide range of compressed charcoal sticks (charcoal powder mixed with gum binder) and charcoal pencils.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Color of the Week - Ballet Pink

This week's color is Ballet Pink - a pastel pink perfect for adding a sweet, calming touch to any bright color!

For a typical Parisian or Ballet-inspired color scheme, pair ballet pink with white and black or a dark navy blue.

Fun facts about Ballet Pink:

1. The color's name comes from the typical pink shade of ballet tutus, leotards, and slippers worn by female ballet dancers. Traditionally, male dancers wear white or black ballet shoes, though many modern ballerinas of both genders wear nude-colored slippers to give the illusion of dancing barefoot.

2. The art of ballet originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, eventually becoming very popular in France and Russia.

3. Many flowers come in ballet pink shades, including carnations, roses, tulips, orchids, daisies, hydrangeas, and dahlias, as well as the blossoms of many flowering fruit trees.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Color of the Week - Seafoam

This week's color is Seafoam - a beachy blueish-green hue perfect for spring and summer!

Seafoam is gorgeous when paired with candy-colored pastels (like cherry blossom pink and orange creamsicle), as well as highly saturated hues (like azure blue and raspberry red)!

Fun facts about Seafoam:

1. The name comes from the sometimes green color of naturally occuring sea foam, a type of foam created by the agitation of seawater as it breaks down algal blooms and other organic matter.

2. Honeycomb toffee, a sugary toffee with a light, rigid, sponge-like texture, is regionally known by the name "sea foam" in many parts of the U.S., including Maine, Washington state, Oregon, Utah, California, and Michigan.

3. Seafoam green is similar in color to Paris Green, a highly toxic green crystalline powder that has been used as a blue colorant for fireworks, as well as for rodenticide and insecticide.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Color of the Week - Lime

This week's color is Lime - a bright yellow-green color associated with neon and fluorescent hues!

Lime is a great color for summertime because of it's high saturation. Pair it with another bright color for an exciting color scheme!

Fun facts about Lime:

1. The first recorded use of "lime green" as a color name in English was in 1890.

2. Lime is a color three-quarters of the way between yellow and green (closer to yellow than to green), so named because it is a representation of the color of the citrus fruit by the same name.

3. To prevent scurvy during the 19th century, British sailors were issued a daily allowance of citrus. Though lemons were more effective (due to a higher quantity of vitamin C), West Indian limes were easier to obtain on Britain's Caribbean colonies, and British sailors thus aquired the nickname of "Limeys" because of their heavy lime intake.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Color of the Week - Banana

This week's color is Banana - a pale yellow named for the color of unpeeled bananas!

All light yellows work as neutrals because of their similarities to tan and ivory shades, so they look great with almost any color!

Fun facts about Banana:

1. Bananas are edible fruits produced by large flowering plants native to tropical South and Southeast Asia; they are likely to have been first domesticated in Papua New Guinea.

2. Bananas, like autumn leaves, canaries, and egg yolks, get their yellow color from natural pigments called carotenoids.

3. A person slipping on a banana peel has been a staple of physical comedy for generations, and the popular Nintendo Mario Kart video game series uses banana peels as weapons that cause opponets' cars to spin out and fall behind.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Color of the Week - Bubblegum Pink

This week's color is Bubblegum Pink - a tint of pink with a hint of orange undertone!

Bubblegum pink goes great with other pastel shades and candy-colored hues.

Fun facts about Bubblegum Pink:

1. The name refers to the first brand of bubblegum, Dubble Bubble, which has been in production since 1928.

2. When Walter E. Diemer invented Dubble Bubble, pink was his favorite color - and the only dye he had on hand at the time - which is why Dubble Bubble's original flavor is and has always been its characteristic pink hue.

3. It's similar in color to Baker-Miller Pink, a hue that was originally created by mixing one gallon on pure white indoor latex paint with one pint of red trim semi-gloss outdoor paint and named for the two U.S. Navy officers who first experimented with its use in the Naval Correctional Facility in Seattle, Washington.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Color of the Week - Teal

This week's color is Teal - a dark greenish-blue hue!

Teal is a beautiful, rich color that's perfect for anchoring light, bright, spring-and-summer candy-colored hues like watermelon pink, apple green, and turquoise. Alternatively, pair it with a neutral like snow white, icy silver, or jet black to create a sophisticated cool color scheme for winter events.

Fun facts about Teal:

1. The first recorded use of teal as a color name was in 1917. The name came from a type of duck native to Eurasia - the "Common Teal" - which has the distinguishing feature of dark blueish-green feathers around its eyes.

2. The post-2004 redesigned version of the U.S. $100 bill features teal as its primary background color.

3. The basketball team the Detroit Pistons used teal as one of their primary colors from 1996 to 2001.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Color of the Week - Cherry

This week's color is Cherry - an eye-catching, highly saturated red with just a hint of pink!

Decisive and bright, cherry red is the perfect way to add a pop of color to your event or home decor - just remember that a little goes a long way! ;)

Fun facts about Cherry:

1. This color name derives from the name of the popular cherry fruit.

2. Cherry red is similar to the color known as "cerise," though the later is technically the slightly more blueish hue of a cooked cherry, such as those found in cherry pies.

3. Traverse City, Michigan is known as the Cherry Capital of the World and hosts an annual summertime National Cherry Festival to celebrate their production of tart cherries.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Color of the Week - Sky Blue

This week's color is Sky Blue - a pastel shade of blue that's calming, cool, and refreshing!

Pair it with another pastel or a light neutral (like silver or ivory) for a chilly color scheme beautiful for winter and spring, or add a pop of bright color for summertime!

Fun facts about Sky Blue:

1. The name "sky blue" has been used since at least 1728 to refer to the pale blue of the sky.

2. Many current professional sports teams use the color, including the Uruguay national football (soccer) team, whose team nickname is La Celeste (The Sky Blue One).

3. In contemporary culture, pale blue colors like sky blue are often associated with baby boys (though prior to the 1940s, baby boys were actually associated with pale pink, while baby girls were associated with pale blue).

Monday, July 1, 2013

Color of the Week - Orange Creamsicle

This week's color is Orange Creamsicle - a pastel orange hue beautiful for spring and summer!

Because of it's pale color and similarities to gold and tan shades, orange creamsicle makes an unexpected but effective neutral, and therefore works well with almost any color!

Fun facts about Orange Creamsicle:

1. The color's name comes from orange flavored creamsicles, popsicle-like frozen desserts with a center of vanilla ice cream and an outer layer of orange-flavored ice.

2. Orange Creamsicle is similar to other shades of pastel orange, such as apricot and peach.

3. Many summertime dessert recipes attempt to recreate the orange creamsicle flavor. It doesn't take much scouring to find dozens of delicious orange creamsicle cake, cupcake, fudge, and Rice Krispie Treat recipes on the internet!

Monday, June 24, 2013

Color of the Week - Avocado

This week's color is Avocado - a darker green shade with yellow undertones!

Because of it's richness, avocado is a great color for autumn - and it pairs great with typical autumn colors, like browns, reds, oranges, and golds. But avocado is also unexpectedly beautiful with pastels (team it up with pastel pink or lavender for springtime!), and looks gorgeous mixed with several other shades of green for a rich nature-inspired display.

Fun facts about Avocado:

1. Avocado is named after the dark green skin of the avocado fruit native to Central Mexico.

2. Avocado fruits are also known as "alligator pears."

3. Avocado was a common color for metal surfaces (including automobiles and household appliances) and shag carpets in the 1970s, along with "harvest gold." Both colors (as well as shag carpets) went out of style by the early 1980s.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Color of the Week - Magenta

This week's color is Magenta - a gorgeous hot pink color perfect for sunny summer days!

Tame this bright color with neutrals or pastel colors, or add another highly saturated color to your color scheme to really celebrate flamboyant fun!

Fun facts about Magenta:

1. Magenta was created as a complement to green for color printing processes in the late 1800s, and is one of the three primary colors (with yellow and cyan) still used in the color printing process today.

2. The color was named after the Battle of Magenta, fought in the town of Magenta in northern Italy during the Second Italian War of Independence in 1859.

3. To psychics who claim to be able to observe auras with their third eye, someone who has a magenta aura is usually described as being artistic and creative.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Color of the Week - Coral

This week's color is Coral - a pink-orange shade that's beautiful almost any time of year!

Pair it with pastels, silver, or ivory for winter and springtime, bright jewel tones for summer, and rich neutrals like brown or gold for autumn!

Fun facts about Coral:

1. Though coral reefs naturally occur in many colors (including blues, purples, greens, and yellows), the color coral only refers to the Corallium rubrum and similar species which share a pink or red exoskeleton.

2. Owing to its intense and permanent coloration and glossiness, red coral (also known as "precious coral") has been used since antiquity for jewelry making. Coral jewelry has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, and was especially popular during the Victorian age.

3. The ancient Romans believed red coral could protect children from harm, as well as cure wounds made by snakes and scorpions.

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Shameless Plug Time: Love this color? Looking for custom stationery made to match this color (or whatever other color combinations you're using for your event)? Visit Invites by Andrea to view more samples, download a catalogue pdf, or fill out a design request form. Or shoot me an email to ask me your questions or learn more information.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Color of the Week - Acid Yellow

This week's color is Acid Yellow - a bright neon yellow with just a hint of a cool green undertone!

Pair acid yellow with a cool neutral (like gray), or a highly-saturated color like magenta or azure blue for a fresh, youthful color scheme.

Fun facts about Acid Yellow:

1. The name acid yellow comes from the food industry, where some types of yellow food coloring are known as acid yellow.

2. The acid yellow color is similar to chartreuse yellow, a bright color named in 1838 for its resemblance to a type of French liqueur, and electric lime, a fluorescent Crayola color created in 1990 and popular for creating psychedelic art.

3. Neon lights were named for the noble gas of the same name, which gives off a red light. Other "neon" colors are actually produced from other gases and chemicals, such as helium (yellow), carbon dioxide (white), and mercury (blue).

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Shameless Plug Time: Love this color? Looking for custom stationery made to match this color (or whatever other color combinations you're using for your event)? Visit Invites by Andrea to view more samples, download a catalogue pdf, or fill out a design request form. Or shoot me an email to ask me your questions or learn more information.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Color of the Week - Turquoise

This week's color is Turquoise - a bright blue with just a hint of green undertone!

Turquoise is already fairly saturated - pair it with a slightly darker hue that's also high in saturation (like royal blue or red-violet) for a brilliant eye-catching color scheme. It's particularly striking with red (check out my inspiration boards here & here).

Fun facts about Turquoise:

1. The first recorded use of turquoise as a color name in English was in 1573, based on the gem of the same name. In turn, the gem's name comes from the French word for "Turkish," as it was originally imported from Turkey.

2. As a mineral, turquoise has been prized as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years, and is the traditional birthstone of December. In the ancient Persian Empire, turquoise gems were worn around the neck or wrist as protection against unnatural death; it was believed that if they changed color, the wearer had reason to fear the approach of doom. Today, science has proved that turquoise gems can indeed change color, though it is thought to be caused by light, or by a chemical reaction brought about by cosmetics, dust, or the acidity of skin.

3. The color turquoise is known to be calming, and can be used to treat patients prone to panic attacks or mania. Mainstream psychiatric hospitals often use turquoise and other light tones of blue and green to paint their interior walls, and many nurses often wear turquoise scrubs.

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Monday, May 20, 2013

Color of the Week - Champagne

This week's color is Champagne - a neutral that complements almost any color!

Champagne works with almost anything, from pastels to darker shades, and from highly saturated hues to fellow neutrals!

Fun facts about Champagne:

1. The first recorded use of the word champagne as a color term in English was in 1915; it was named for the sparkling wine produced from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France.

2. This color is often used to describe gemstones or paint finishes (such as in marketing automobiles) in order to imply that one is purchasing a luxury product.

3. Horses may inherit a "champagne gene" from either or both parents; this simple dominant allele creates rare horse coat colors, hazel eyes, and pinkish, freckled skin. In champagne colored horses, any hairs that would have been red are gold, and any hairs that would have been black are chocolate brown.

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Monday, May 13, 2013

Color of the Week - Lavender

This week's color is Lavender - a great pastel purple for spring!

Because it's so pale, lavender works best with darker shades. I particularly like it with unique colors with gray undertones (like moss green or dusty rose pink)!

Fun facts about Lavender:

1. The first recorded use of the word lavender as a color term in English was in 1705; it was named for the flowering plant of the same name native to much of southern Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia.

2. The color lavender has symbolized many things throughout history, including love at first sight, decadence (especially the sensual enjoyment of music and art), elegance, femininity, homosexuality, imagination, and general cancer awareness.

3. There is a character in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter book series named Lavender Brown.

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Monday, May 6, 2013

Color of the Week - Lemon Meringue

This week's color is Lemon Meringue - a pale yellow tint!

Because it's so light, Lemon Meringue is more similar to cream or ivory than true yellow, and works as a beautiful neutral with many colors ranging from pastel to highly saturated.

Fun facts about Lemon Meringue:

1. This color is (naturally) named for the uppermost layer of a lemon meringue pie, a dessert typically made with a shortbread crust (on the bottom only), lemon curd filling, and a fluffy meringue topping.

2. In the baking world, meringue is made from whipped egg whites and sugar. It's known for its light, airy texture, and is necessarily a fat-free food, since the presence of even small amounts of fat before the meringue is baked can cause the beaten egg whites to collapse.

3. Lemon Meringue is similar to cream - officially the color of the cream produced by cattle grazing on natural pasture with plants rich in yellow carotenoid pigments.

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