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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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.

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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.

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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.

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Sunday Sample Spotlight: "Silly Love Songs"

Here's a great color scheme to transition from summer to fall - hot pink with shades of cool blues!

"Silly Love Songs" Invitation Duo (invite & reply card)

This stationery set features a hot pink folding envelope. I used blue patterned scrapbook paper to line the left flap and right pocket, then scanned the scrapbook paper to print a border of the same pattern around each printed item - the invitation and reply card.

The reply card has the same hot pink color as the main pink envelope, and the text uses the same shades of pink and blue found in the envelopes and scrapbook paper.

I love the thin light blue lines that cut through the wavy blue stripes. The scrapbook paper's design adds a lot of depth and implied texture to the stationery set (even though the paper is all smooth).


Next week's Sunday Sample Spotlight: "The Stone Age"


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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.

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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.

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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.

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Summer Color Combo - Gold & Coral

Coral is perhaps *the* color of this summer - and gold gives it a perfect level of sophistication for elegant affairs! This gorgeous color scheme is a great blend of modern and timeless, and would also be beautiful for spring (especially with a lighter coral color) or autumn (thanks to the richness of the gold)!

Tie coral bouquets with gold ribbons or place coral blooms in gold vases. Deck your tables in coral tablecloths accented with gold chivari chairs and gold place settings. And there's no shortage of coral and gold jewelry at your disposal - use coral and gold beads to fill clear vases and adorn your centerpieces and favors with gold and coral ribbons!


I also think this color scheme would be beautiful for a family room or other living space. The coral and gold are so warm and inviting!

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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.

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Summer Color Combo - Red & Heliotrope

Bright and vibrant, this color scheme gets the party going!

Play with different shades of heliotrope, purple, and magenta to over-saturate your event with fun color, or choose just one to complement a solid, dependable red for more subdued affairs. Decorate with lots of flowers and girly accents like lace, ruffles, or damask patterns to further play up the femininity of this color scheme.

This would also make a fun color combo for Valentine's Day!


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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.

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Summer Color Combo - Cherry Blossom & Avocado

This color scheme is beautiful for spring and summer!

Decorate with cherry blossom branches (or drawings of them) to keep up the theme, and embrace vintage props, fabrics, and decor! Vintage botanic-style drawings in green and pink would make for beautiful wedding favors, stationery - even fabric!

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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.

 

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Sunday Sample Spotlight: "Strawberry Swing"

Green and pink is a color scheme that works with almost any season, depending on the shades. This funky and unexpected magenta and olive green color scheme would be great for spring, summer, or autumn!

"Strawberry Swing" Invitation Duo (invite & reply card)

The invitation and reply card are each printed on white cardstock and mounted to textured olive green cardstock. Then they're layered with a sheet of transparent green vellum each, for added richness. Two mint green brads in the top corners hold everything together.

There's a subtle light pink pattern in the background of the invitation and reply card that reflects back to the pink envelopes. The elegant font and preppy argyle-like pattern work together with the textured cardstock and vellum to add sophistication and formality to this funky color scheme.

 

 
Next week's Sunday Sample Spotlight: "Where the Story Ends"


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Shameless Plug Time: Love this invitation (or others featured on this blog)? Want something similar (or something completely custom) designed 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.

Summer Color Combo - Emerald & Navy

Rich and dark, emerald and navy is a great color scheme for fall and winter, as well. For summer events, keep things bright by using more emerald than navy and focusing on fun pops of color!

I love the peacock feather design painted on the sides of the green shoes on the left photograph in the middle row! And the tropical scarf in the middle of the bottom row is a great example of how to keep this dark color scheme sunny and cheerful with just a few hints of lime green and orange.

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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).

 

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Sunday Sample Spotlight: "The Elephant in the Room"

This stationery set is perfect for any carnival or circus themed event, including weddings, child birthday parties, and baby showers!

"The Elephant in the Room" Invitation Duo (invite & reply card)

The invitation uses a bright red envelope, while the reply card opts for yellow. Both are printed on pure white cardstock and mounted on textured yellow cardstock.

The two fonts are very carnival-inspired and fun, while the simplified illustrations add extra pops of the yellow and red color scheme without getting too literal. There are no animals or carnival rides or games - just balloons and banners in yellow and red.

 

 
Next week's Sunday Sample Spotlight: "Strawberry Swing"


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Shameless Plug Time: Love this invitation (or others featured on this blog)? Want something similar (or something completely custom) designed 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.

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!

 

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Summer Color Combo - Royal Blue & Magenta

Magenta is a great color for summertime because it's so bright and saturated! Pair it with a rich royal blue for a sophisticated color scheme.

Wrap magenta bouquets in royal blue ribbons or place them in blue painted porcelain vases for classy centerpieces. And with such a bright color scheme, don't shy away from having some fun with it! For a funky twist on vintage props, spray paint wire bird cages, old bicycles, and ornate picture/mirror frames hot pink!

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