Copse and Spinney

“What is your favorite color?” From the time we learn to converse and write, this is one of the earliest topics of conversation. Along with “What’s your name? and “What is your favorite food?”  Everyone has a different story to tell. And colors give us clues to our personal style!

Have you ever considered why we favor one color over another? Although we may be influenced on some level by the ever-changing designer color and style trends, we may find that our real preferences relate more to the intrinsic feelings and associations we had with color as children. 

For example, there was the biggest box of crayons! In my childhood, the biggest box boasted 64 different brilliant colors and a new built in sharpener! Didn’t crayons have the most interesting names? There was lemon yellow, sea green, mint green, cornflower blue, periwinkle, brick red, burnt sienna, mahogany, red-orange, orange-red… just to name a few! My favorite crayons were lavender, periwinkle, sea green and cornflower blue (which today I think equates to French blue!) Even to this day, this same family of colors appeals to me the most. 

Favorite colors are found in nature. Two of the most well loved are blue and green.  It’s still hard to pick which one is my favorite. They are so connected in nature that at times it is indistinguishable where the green ends and where the blue begins. Water hues change with the passing light of day; skies can appear green on a hot cloudless summer morning. Whereas, just before a storm the sky may be a deep indigo blue with a blend of gray.

Pictured below is one of the loveliest blues: indigo as the sky before a storm! Indigo is the color of a field of lavender, in the evening sun or their lavender bouquets tied in neat bundles. 

BLUEBONNETS 

Bluebonnets are a royal blue that can range in color from a darker indigo to bright and regal. A field of them painted by the Greatest Artist is dappled with other Texas wildflowers. Springtime in Texas where I grew up, with the rolling hills of bluebonnets welcome cars full of families each year who pose together for photos. 

FAVORITE BLUE DISHES

As a teen, I asked my mom and dad for a hope chest, which was the old-fashioned way of collecting things for a “someday home,” in the hope of a future marriage. I collected blue transfer ware. There are many options for collecting antique and vintage transfer ware, and it’s always fun to mix and match patterns.  

Blue willow (below) and French transfer ware serves a special heart cake. 

A Wedgewood Blue colored vase with a dancing lady had a special place in my mother’s bedroom. This color is lighter and more akin to periwinkle.  Wedgewood is shown below with Laura Ashley fabric and blue hand crocheted cotton washcloths made by a friend.

COBALT BLUE 

One year for my grandmother’s birthday, she received a gift of a clear glass cannister of lavender bath petals and a cobalt blue bottle of rosewater from Crabtree and Evelyn. This was my first time smelling the delicate scent of rosewater.  

BLUEBERRIES AND CREAM 

Another time, my Aunt and Uncle brought over some Bluebell Natural Vanilla Bean ice cream with fresh blueberries for dessert. My uncle wanted me to know that you MUST get the Natural Vanilla Bean kind if you want the absolute best! Crème la Crème! 

La Fermière French Yogurt sometimes comes in periwinkle French blue containers! My grandma’s kitchen cupboards were painted this color! 

Try Le fermiere rose flavored yogurt!  And after you finish it off you can repurpose the jars in so many cute ways! Link to diy 

For more blue inspiration and a visual mood board!  Click here!

I hope you have enjoyed this feature, “A Color Story: Blue.” Stay tuned for a focus on the color green!