52: Use Color to Fuel Your Creativity
I spent a good chunk of time sorting and purging my scrapbooking supplies today. I had so many papers and embellishments I wasn't using so I am letting them go to someone who WILL use them! How did I end up with all that stuff? I know I liked it when I bought it, but most of it never seemed to work for me. I got to thinking about which colors I use in my scrapbooking and which I don't. It may seem obvious, but the colors I use in my scrapbooking are, for the most part, the colors I haved used in my home, the colors I wear and the colors of nature. It makes sense when you think of it, because those are the colors that show up in my photographs!
I have a lot of neutral wood tones, reds, coppery colors and chocolate browns in the public areas of my home, and our bedrooms are done in shades of blues, reds and greens. Similar colors are found in my closet...blues, greens, reds, grays and browns. And of course, our outdoor photos show a lot of green, blue and white (with all the snow we get!) So it's no wonder that I was NEVER using the yellow, purple and pink papers and embellishments that were in my stash - I had no photos with those colors in them! Knowing that, it was easier to pack them up and send them off to someone who will use those colors in their scrapbooks and enjoy them!
Thinking about color all day long made me want to share a few ideas and resources with you...
How do you organize what you have? I organize my scrapbook supplies by color for easy access. It makes them really easy to find and coordinate. For eaxmple, when I am using a patterned paper that has green, blue and turquoise in it, I know exactly where to look when I need a brad or button to make one of the colors pop. I store my small embellishments in clear plastic shoe boxes in one of my wall cabinets so they are tucked away, but still close at hand and all my papers are sorted by color as well:
My color bins are not half as inspirational as Stacy Julians though! Read about how she organizes and scraps by color here on her blog.
If you like to play with color, you will enjoy COLOURLovers, an international creative online community where you can find and share color ideas and inspiration. There are gorgeous combinations, tools and patterns that you will love and that will definitely jumpstart your creativity!
If you sometimes have trouble figuring out which colors of paper and embellishments would work with your photos, try the color palette generator from Big Huge Labs. You can upload a photo and it will create a palette of all the colors in it so you can easily identify colors that will match. (Lots of other cool stuff on this site too!)
If you want to start from scratch and create a color scheme (maybe for a card or papercraft project) check out Color Scheme Designer. It's so easy to use, but it creates professional schemes in seconds! Love it!
You've probably heard of Pantone...they have been the gurus of color in the graphic design world for over 45 years - analyzing how we use color and influencing industries such as home decor and fashion. One of the things I find amazing is that each year Pantone chooses a color of the year based on all their research and all of a sudden it shows up everywhere! Do you know what the color of 2012 is? Tangerine Tango:
And how does this all relate to scrapbooking! Well, maybe you guessed that Creative Memories would be on top of trends and would probably feature some orange in their spring lines? Your guess would be right! Have a look at the new Enchanted line that will be available this March:
Once again, CM is right on trend. And since I figure I'll be wearing some Tangerine Tango shades of clothing this spring/summer, I know that my photos will look awesome on my scrapbook pages thanks to this amazing line! I can't wait to see it in person (that's one of the benefits of being a consultant that I love - seeing all the goodies ahead of time!)
I hope this inspires you to spend some time browsing some of these color resources and to think a little about what colors you love, wear and use. Then see how your scrapbook stash matches up. I'll bet you'll be surpirsed how it re-energizes your layouts!
Happy (and colorful!) scrapping!
I have a lot of neutral wood tones, reds, coppery colors and chocolate browns in the public areas of my home, and our bedrooms are done in shades of blues, reds and greens. Similar colors are found in my closet...blues, greens, reds, grays and browns. And of course, our outdoor photos show a lot of green, blue and white (with all the snow we get!) So it's no wonder that I was NEVER using the yellow, purple and pink papers and embellishments that were in my stash - I had no photos with those colors in them! Knowing that, it was easier to pack them up and send them off to someone who will use those colors in their scrapbooks and enjoy them!
Thinking about color all day long made me want to share a few ideas and resources with you...
How do you organize what you have? I organize my scrapbook supplies by color for easy access. It makes them really easy to find and coordinate. For eaxmple, when I am using a patterned paper that has green, blue and turquoise in it, I know exactly where to look when I need a brad or button to make one of the colors pop. I store my small embellishments in clear plastic shoe boxes in one of my wall cabinets so they are tucked away, but still close at hand and all my papers are sorted by color as well:
My color bins are not half as inspirational as Stacy Julians though! Read about how she organizes and scraps by color here on her blog.
If you like to play with color, you will enjoy COLOURLovers, an international creative online community where you can find and share color ideas and inspiration. There are gorgeous combinations, tools and patterns that you will love and that will definitely jumpstart your creativity!
If you sometimes have trouble figuring out which colors of paper and embellishments would work with your photos, try the color palette generator from Big Huge Labs. You can upload a photo and it will create a palette of all the colors in it so you can easily identify colors that will match. (Lots of other cool stuff on this site too!)
If you want to start from scratch and create a color scheme (maybe for a card or papercraft project) check out Color Scheme Designer. It's so easy to use, but it creates professional schemes in seconds! Love it!
You've probably heard of Pantone...they have been the gurus of color in the graphic design world for over 45 years - analyzing how we use color and influencing industries such as home decor and fashion. One of the things I find amazing is that each year Pantone chooses a color of the year based on all their research and all of a sudden it shows up everywhere! Do you know what the color of 2012 is? Tangerine Tango:
I love this energetic orange! I think I need to get this cover for my iPhone:
I received the venerable Sears Spring Catalog the other day and wouldn't you know it, there was a lot of orange in it too! Orange sweaters and tops and accessories were mixed with neutrals and showing up with names like "Light Cayenne", "Fiery Orange" and "Coral". Yummy...I may have to start adding more orange to my closet this spring!
And how does this all relate to scrapbooking! Well, maybe you guessed that Creative Memories would be on top of trends and would probably feature some orange in their spring lines? Your guess would be right! Have a look at the new Enchanted line that will be available this March:
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| (Photo from www.lisasworkshop.blogspot.com) |
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| (Photo from www.lisasworkshop.blogspot.com) |
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| (Photo from www.lisasworkshop.blogspot.com) |
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| (Photo from www.lisasworkshop.blogspot.com) |
Once again, CM is right on trend. And since I figure I'll be wearing some Tangerine Tango shades of clothing this spring/summer, I know that my photos will look awesome on my scrapbook pages thanks to this amazing line! I can't wait to see it in person (that's one of the benefits of being a consultant that I love - seeing all the goodies ahead of time!)
I hope this inspires you to spend some time browsing some of these color resources and to think a little about what colors you love, wear and use. Then see how your scrapbook stash matches up. I'll bet you'll be surpirsed how it re-energizes your layouts!
Happy (and colorful!) scrapping!
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