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Thursday 18 June 2009

Yellow: Part 1

Earlier this month Kirsty and I were both happy to have been invited to flash our colour credentials for Shimelle Laine.

Or rather, Shimelle asked us to be guest bloggers during her
A Month of Colour project. My contribution, a step-by-step walkthrough of how I created an atypical colour combo, was featured on Tuesday - but you can catch up with it here. Kirsty's project will be up very soon and she'll let you know all about it over here too.

With Shimelle's colour-focus in mind we thought we'd take a look at a colour that some people find difficult to work with while others [and I can hardly comprehend this] actually take an active dislike to it!!! I on the other hand, adore it - it's Yellow. And so is this:


Playing this track while reading this is entirely optional ... but it is a very nice one and it makes the perfect backing track for the things I've got to share with you.
Last year, when the yellow fever struck me in earnest, I used a line from Coldplay's song as the title for this layout which I made to record my burgeoning obsession with all things sunny... and that fondness hasn't waned yet as this recent layout proves:

Banished

With its yellow American Crafts 'Moda Bella' backing paper, is certainly another attempt by me to capture and pin down a few of the sun's rays. Speaking of which, the colour of my laptop - in the photo - is actually officially: 'Sunshine Yellow' ... another example of my propensity to collect and create artificial sunshine. Just like this:

Weeks 19 & 20

The mini collage [top] was created in response to an art journaling prompt on Emily Falconbridge's blog. The question was 'What gives me hope?' and my immediate thought was 'sunshine' as everything seems possible when the sun shines. Miserable things still happen when it's sunny, but given the choice, I'll take miserable with the sun on my back over crying in the cold and wet any time!

On a similar theme ...I created this predominantly yellow mini-tag book last year and filled it with quotes around the idea of positive thinking: You can read the story behind it and see more images in my blog post here.

But it's not only in my paper crafting where I bask in a yellow tinged glow. These are the cushions on my sofa:

This little golden-plumed guy is a recent addition to our bird ornament flock, bought for me as a gift from an antiques fair this month. He is unable to stand upright, he's a little grimy in places and has only one claw on his left foot ... but, considering that I often share 2 out of 3 of those traits ... I'm rather smitten by him and all his imperfections!

And last but not least we have the yellow coat [pictured here in a rather fetching yellow passage way in Edinburgh!!]:

It's the same coat I mentioned in our Coraline projects post last week. It's also the coat which means I'll never again be lost in a crowd. The coat which has elicited responses such as 'Oh.... that's ....yellow'. The coat which I employ as a beacon when arranging to meet up with new people at work ...'I'll be the one in the yellow coat' has never failed to point someone toward me yet!

It's the coat which I wish my Grandma could've seen me in. As a fellow colour-lover - she'd have wholeheartedly approved of it. Put simply it cheers up drab, grey winter days and I need all the help with that I can get!

So, are you a convert to the bright-side yet? Any plans for a creative splurge with yellow as your focus? Are you running out in the next 5 minutes to buy a fabric dye to wave a golden wand over less sunny items in your wardrobe? How would you like one of these to help you out with that?

I made these brooches for the Coraline challenge and I'm giving them away ... do you want one? In the spirit of lovely, shiny, happy yellowness Kirsty and I felt it would be nice to offer you all a summery treat ....or two...or three:
... so, I've also made three little [3"x4"] tag books to give away. Each has a Love Elsie fabric cover and contains an assortment of yellow and pink papers and I'll also throw in some smaller punched ftags for you to decorate the books with.

All you have to do is leave me a comment stating whether you'd like a fabric brooch or a tag book [or both!].

You have until the end of the month to enter and then I'll pick winners at random, pack them up, trundle up to my local Post Office [which is next door to the bakery which sells the best Vanilla Slices ... and I might also pop in and buy one ...so you'd be doing me a favour really] and I'll send yellow themed freebies direct to your doorstep!

All this sun-talk may very well have gone to our heads as in a few days Kirsty will be here with her own yellow thoughts plus her own giveaway. We may even have news of some extra goodies on offer from some of our equally colour crazy friends ....... watch this space.....

[but make sure you're wearing sunglasses when you do and never, ever look directly at the sun ...] ;)

Julie :)

14 comments:

guest said...

nice pictures!

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Carmen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Carmen said...

I'm not usually a yellow user but I sit here typing with my fingers caked in yellow paint and it's all your fault! Yup I'm still working on my Coraline inspired thingamy that I hope to link you to soon. So glad I found this blog - very inspiring!

I love your birdie - he is divine!

p.s Sorry for the double post - in my excitement I forgot to say...OOOOH, MEEEE! I'd love one of your brooches.

Digital Misfit said...

I recently painted my kitchen cabinets in a happy butter yellow.
Such a cheerful color (and who doesn't need a bit of cheer when scrubbing dirty dishes?).
I would LOVE either a gorgeous pin or a fun book. They are both wonderful!

heidig@gmail.com

Steve & Joyce Rodli said...

I have got to go and find my yellow box, that's all there is to it!!!I was putting items aside to do monochromatic somethings with and it's been back-burnered. While you're grabbing a Vanilla slice you better get a lemon-yellow one toooo. We can't have you going home without some yellow. Surprize me on the give-away items. Happy happies. Joyce

Angela G said...

Oooh, I would just love one of your fabulous fabric brooches! So pretty and eye-catching, I'd be the envy of everyone. I've admired them before and now the chance to win one? - I may burst with anticipation x

kt_f said...

Those brooches are glorious! The yellow one is particularly fetching. I love the summery colours in this post, and agree about yellow being cheering, this is part of the explanation why I have a little pink pig on my desk at work wearing a blue knitted pom pom hat with a daffodil in it. :o)

Goldy Fox said...

If I add yellow buttons to everything I make this week I will know who is at fault =). Both the brooches and books are adorable and I would love either (but if you could manage to send a brooch my way I would jump up and down. a lot.)

Arianna said...

Wonderful post!!!
Of course I'd like both the fabric brooch AND the tag book... :-)
I'll have to try the yellow btw...
Ari

ceruleanblue said...

I've recently discovered a love of yellow, even bright yellow doesn't scare me any more (well, not too much lol). I'd love to get my mitts on one of the brooches - my clothes need prettifying, badly!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I find that whenever I try to work with yellow, I have the hardest time getting started, but I always love what I've made when I'm done.

I love the colors in your tag books! I already have ideas about what I could do with one if I won one...

strtwze said...

oh lordy, lordy, lordy! what to choose, what to choose! I love them both! Yellow is my 3 year old's fav color, so we have a lot of it around. Or "lello" as he would say.

Clair said...

I would LOVE a little brooch. They look so lovely - and, of course, given a choice, it would be the yellow one :)

Katie said...

I'm going to be greedy - I want both.
I'll take all of the yellow I can get, thank you :)

(Katie)

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