all things color

Along with everything else I have going on over here, I've also been organizing all of the content for my next online class- Color Your World- which starts today! My head is swirling (literally) with information, inspiration and random facts about color and I thought it would be fun to share a little with all of you!

✺ Did you know that the first color wheel has been attributed to Sir Isaac Newton? Yep, it's true, in 1706 he arranged red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo and purple on a rotating wheel- as the disk spins around it blurs the colors so quickly that the human eye only sees white.

✺ Blue is the most common color—especially since blue jeans are everywhere! Blue has a calming effect. Fashion consultants recommend wearing blue to job interviews because it symbolizes loyalty. For this same reason, U.S. police officers traditionally wear blue.

✺ In 1903 Binney & Smith introduced the first Crayola crayons in 8 colors- red, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, black and brown. Today they offer over 120 different colors!

✺ Only the most expensive dyes were used to make the color purple, which is one reason it is associated with wealth and power. Synonymous with royalty, purple is often preferred by artists, spiritualists and deeply creative people. Purple is the ultimate bridge between warm and cold, as it is comprised of red and blue, two opposite primary colors–making it the “ideal” color, the blending of Yin and Yang of the spectrum.

✺ Bees can see ultraviolet, blue, and yellow.

✺ The most emotionally intense color, red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. It is also the color of love. Red clothing gets noticed and makes the wearer appear heavier. Since it is an extreme color, red clothing might not help people in negotiations or confrontations. Red cars are popular targets for thieves. In decorating, red is usually used as an accent. Decorators say that red furniture should be perfect since it will attract attention.

✺ Van Gogh said, “Yellow is capable of charming God.”

✺ Did you know that color affects every facet of our lives. The way we react to colors is a combination of physiological, biological, psychological, social and cultural reasons. Color has the ability to soothe and also to stimulate us.

unexpected

charm is a product of the unexpected.

-José Martí

homemade ice cream sandwiches

All of a sudden it got really hot here in San Diego and the best treat to beat the heat...homemade ice cream sandwiches! Making your own, while a little time consuming is SO much better than buying them.

I started by making cookies and a really quick and easy way to make yummy cookies is with cake mix-

1 box of cake mix in any flavor- I used chocolate

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

2 eggs

Drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

When the cookies are finished, it's time to fill with ice cream!

Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes to soften up.

Spread on the surface of the cookie.

I crumbled up butterfinger candy bars and rolled the sides of the ice cream to cover in crumbles.

oh SO yummy!

I made enough for a week - just wrap and freeze!

placemat purse tutorial

While I love designing and making handbags, I am not a big fan of carrying a traditional purse! That is why since high school, I have carried or worn a cross the body purse ( I have TONS of them-like TONS!) and I am always looking to add more to my collection.

Lately I have been inspired to create some purses for myself with placemats-there are some really cute, colorful, and textural options available for cheap. Who says you have to shop for fabric in a fabric store!?!

While browsing at Target I found this straw placemat for $3.00. I liked it because it was neutral, it felt light and airy and was full of texture. Though I knew it would be a little challenging to sew with (I like a challenge!)- I knew that it would end up make a great little straw purse that I could wear with all of my white summer dresses.

There are a number of really simple patterns for cross body purses out there- I did not use a pattern for this project. If you are not comfortable "winging it" like I do, I would recommend using a pattern.

I started by folding the placemat in half and then cutting up the middle- there will be enough material for two purses!

I cut to size lining for the inside of the purse from unbleached muslin.

Next I cut everything in half so that I had a front and back.

I sewed a zipper to the top of the purse.

and inserted a braided cord for the strap and sewed up both sides with a tight zig zag stitch and then sewed up the bottom.

Last, I turned everything right side out!

fyi- because this material is like woven straw it was little challenging to turn right side out and straighten out.

and there you have it- a cute little straw purse!

drops of water

“How could drops of water know themselves to be a river? Yet the river flows on”

-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Greek Panzanella Salad

Ever since my mother in law made me this greek panzenella salad from the Barefoot Contessa I been making a HUGE batch of it every week- I literally cannot get enough of it- I crave this stuff! So I decided to share it with all of you!

Ingredients

Olive oil

1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)

Kosher salt

1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 red bell pepper, large diced

1 yellow bell pepper, large diced (I used two red bell peppers)

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 red onion, sliced in half rounds

1/2 pound feta cheese, cut in 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted

Start by chopping up all of the vegetables

and the feta cheese.

Throw the vegetables into a bowl.

Prepare the vinaigrette dressing and pour over the top of the vegetables.

Vinaigrette

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup good red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup good olive oil

Mix the vinaigrette with the vegetables and mix together.

For the cubed bread-

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan.

Add cubes of french bread and sprinkle with salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned.

Add more olive oil as needed.

Add the olives, feta and bread to the vegetables and lightly mix.

Let everything sit for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

waking up to parrots

We have a very interesting phenomenon here in San Diego- flocks and flocks of wild Red Crowned Amazon Parrots. Urban legend says that years ago, parrots escaped from a pet store and now fly free and live in the neighborhoods of San Diego. While their origins in this area are not completely clear, one thing is for sure- there are a lot of them - at least in our neighborhood and they are LOUD! Every spring/summer they seem to show up in the sky, sitting in trees, eating berries and creating lots of commotion in the mornings and evenings. They wake us up early in the morning, squawking and landing in the trees around our home. I have been fascinated with our neighborhood parrots for years- there is something quite exotic about waking up to parrot noises in morning- kind of like waking up in a jungle or somewhere far, far away. My fascination has lead to stalking them with my camera from our deck (a girl has gotta have hobbies!) and recently decided to follow them around the neighborhood and up the street- I found about twenty parrots amongst the trees, happily munching away on red berries- they hit the jackpot.