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Color Me Green with Envy

green collageGreen is the prime color of the world and that from which its loveliness arises.
– Pedro Calderon de la Barca

No argument from me here. I’ve always loved green, which comes in handy when you’re a gardener. It’s pretty hard to grow a garden without it.

I see no reason to stop with the garden though. I liberally sprinkle green throughout my home.  Just last week I replaced the broken clock in the bathroom with a retro-inspired vintage green clock. It goes beautifully with the green tile. One of the walls in my home office is a muted green and I’m pretty sure half of my wardrobe is green too. It’s handy when you’re getting dressed, because everything goes together. I still tease my husband that when he came to pick me up on our first date in a green car he pretty much sealed the deal.

According to Color Matters:

Green is no longer just a color, but the symbol of ecology and a verb.

Since the beginning of time, green has signified growth, rebirth, and fertility. In pagan times, there was the “Green Man” – a symbol of fertility.  In Muslim countries, it is a holy color and in Ireland, a lucky color. It was the color of the heavens in the Ming Dynasty.

Have you ever thought about your favorite color and why it appeals to you? My sister’s favorite color is purple and my husband’s, blue. My dearest friend loves aqua so much that it feels like part of her personality.

When I was pregnant with my second son, my then-3-year old decided that his brother’s favorite color would be yellow. My oldest son loves orange, and the people around him loved blue, green and red, so he figured his brother would ‘inherit’ the color yellow. With his limited world experience, he figured only one favorite color per person. That still makes me smile.

My Sweet Tangled Bird curated a beautiful post this week entitled, Color Inspiration – Lucite Green. She’s pulled together exquisite examples of  Pantone’s Lucite Green, a trending color this spring. She included a gorgeous owl piece from artist Michelle Morin that had me returning to her post again and again. The art left me breathless.

Our blogging 101 assignment for today: write a post that builds on one of the comments we left the day before on a blog we’ve never followed. The idea behind this is to:

  • Your blog is shaped by your own thinking and by your interactions with others, and building on someone else’s post expands your own ideas.
  • If you thought the original post was worth commenting on, that means it struck a nerve — it’s a topic people are interested in reading about.
  • Responding and linking to other blogs adds to the fabric of the blogosphere, and actually helps other bloggers find you. – Source: Blogging 101

What’s your favorite color? Please tell us why.

48 thoughts on “Color Me Green with Envy”

  2. What is my favourite colour? I don’t have just one – I adore anything that falls into the blue-green range from purest hues of both colours to the lightest mixes [including aqua 🙂 ] Of course there are some shades that make my heart particularly zing! Show me something in Viridian or Cyan and I am a puddle on the floor………..

    Green is the colour of balance and is the heart chakra’s representation – therefore associated with the power of love. Blue is the colour assigned to the throat chakra and so associated with the power of ‘the word’ – speech. I am aware that these are the two chakras I work out of mostly – but only when I’m at my best 🙂

    You have to have blue and yellow to make green – those colours represent the heavens and the sun and together they create nature. This is part of the colour story I would tell my very littlest students in a painting class. You can do that when the sense of wonder is still open in a child 🙂

    The owl painting is beautiful – I can see why you would love it!
    And I love the story of your son’s decision regarding his brother’s favourite colour. Makes perfect sense to me 🙂

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  3. You know what? I could not say what my favourite colour is! It used to be red and green, but then I went through a blue phase, followed by yellows and oranges, then pinks and purples. I think I just like colour! No pale wishy washy shades, no greys or beige-browns. Just strong splashes of colour both in my home and wardrobe and the garden!Nice post Alys – it got me thinking. 😉

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    • I like color too, so I completely get that, Cathy. I’m also not a fan of beige and had to gently convince my husband over the years that furnishings could be colorful and even bold.

      Strong splashes of color suit you. It makes perfect sense to me

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  4. This was a fun thread of conversation to follow. Color has so many tones and values that make such a difference. I love color. I don’t wear them all but I love them all. I can see you with green everywhere. Green cheers us as does some shades of yellow. I wear yellow on grey days or when I need a lift. I love purple but some shades don’t love me. I wear them anyway to open myself up. I love the happy feel of aqua and have plans to use that color. Heehee. How can one have just one favorite. I have slacks in brown, black, grey, navy, and dark green. Then I add happy colors in my tops. Depends on how I’m feeling and what I want to share. Don’t want to be noticed, wear white and no makeup. You become invisible unless you add accents.
    I’ll try blogging 101 again when things are a bit more settled. (will that ever happen?) Looks like you are having a good time with it.

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  5. Green is the colour of life and growth and hope. I think it’s possibly the colour I’d struggle most to live without, though I’m not sure whether or not that makes it my favourite. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful collage of colour.

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    • I’m glad you enjoyed the collage. Thank you!

      That’s an interesting way to look at it: doing without. I think it would be strange to be color blind, unable to perceive all of natures hues. Of course if you’ve never known differently then perhaps it wouldn’t be the same as someone losing the ability to see. Food for thought.

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  7. I don’t have a favourite colour, but I am drawn to particular colours for different parts of my life. For example I seem to be attracted to teals and rich reds for my kitchen and living area, while the walls of the bedroom are deep green. The paint name was ‘tree frog’ and I couldn’t resist it! In clothes I often start with black and add accents of strong colours. [Apparently Melbournians wear black, so of like a uniform!] I use a lot of purples and violets in my paintings. So many beautiful colours, so little time!
    Your Blogging 101 course sounds good, Alys. Interesting to recognise that the comments one makes on a blogs are because that blog has resonated. Very true, but something I have never put together before.
    Hope all is well in your world. xoxox

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    • Oh my goodness: ‘tree frog’ is irresistible. Wouldn’t it be a fun job to come up with all those clever paint chip names? I suppose it would lose its appeal after the 900th color.

      Your home sounds lovely and with your artistic talents, I’m sure it’s a rich, colorful reflection of you.

      I love wearing purples and blues and tend to start with dark jeans or pants and a colorful top. If I wear a dress, it’s often a solid blue, green or purple or a floral print, paired with bare legs in summer and dark tights during the colder months.

      I’m glad I’ve squeezed out the time to take this course. I’ve learned a lot and connected with some interesting people as well, both the course instructors and other folks taking the course. 55 of us.

      All is well as I plan for my trip to DC to meet up with four other bloggers. I can’t wait. xox

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  8. I am green with envy with this post!! ;0) And I do not have a favorite color, I love all colors in the right place! Thanks for sharing your wise lessons and knowledge! Have a great weekend, Johanna

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  9. Red…..red….red…..not an orangey red, but cherry red…..and aqua in all tints and shades…..and don’t forget purple. …..lavender, periwinkle, deep dark purple…..and my favorite backdrop color is cool gray…..

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    • Oh, what a lovely palette, Mary Elizabeth. Cool grey and dark purple are especially beautiful. And another aqua fan! Cherry red is an extraordinary color as well. So many colors to explore, so little time. 😉

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  10. I’m still catching up and having the most fun doing it. What an interesting post (says the lady with the aqua gravitar) LOL. No one promotes a colour more than da Boomdee, so I guess it must be part of my personality. The girls at work have said now that when they see anything aqua they think of me. Isn’t that cute. I’ve taken away Tiffany’s cache and put it in my pocket, thank you very much, hehehe. Nice of them to build some hype though, jolly good sports and all. Oh, now I’ve turned a bit English…bahhaha. I’m a shark, nipping off bits here and there 😀

    That’s a fun collage you did on this day. I really like the baby tears and leaf with the dew drops. I remember you had it as your header for a while. Very refreshing. Of course there you are with Green M&M, wearing green and looking radiant. I always think red heads wear green so well. It’s the hot and cool thing maybe? I like your sunglasses there too. Are they the ones you left in the cinema? Drats ! I also think you look stunning in Aqua, although it’d be hard to prance around in your ‘under-the-sea goddess dress’ I guess. Plus you’d have a troop of little girls following you and asking questions about Disney’s Frozen. Maybe in Washington, we could endeavour to buy the same dress, in aqua? Hehe, that’d make people confused. “hey, they’re odd twins aren’t they?” “why is one short and one tall?” “are they both canadian maybe?” We could paint the town aqua :D! xoxoxox

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    • You make me smile. What a knack! Oh yes, aqua dresses for sure. That would be so much fun. Many years ago I saw a pair of twins at Macy’s. They were probably 80 years old, dressed to the nines with hats, heavy makeup and fancy clothes and dressed identically. I’ve never forgotten that. I see no reason whey we can’t do the same. We’ll be turning heads for sure.

      LOL to the little girls following me around asking Frozen questions. What a fun and funny unintended consequence of that costume.

      Yes, those sunglasses are long gone, darn it. Thanks for your kind words. I think most of us look pretty good with a plush M & M on our shoulder. 😉

      Gosh you have an amazing memory. The sunglasses, the fact that I lost them, the photo from my former banner and even the Frozen reference. Love it!

      You absolutely have an aqua vibe. I’m sure there are many of us who see aqua and think of you. I know I do. I’ve *mentally* purchased thousands of dollars worth of aqua on your behalf, always wishing you were standing right next to me so I could show you this or that. I saw a gorgeous set of aqua bath towels this week as we were passing through Macy’s, a Kitchen Aide, a small cart…all sorts of things I could never send but I think they’re a delight like you.

      And yet another nickname is born Ms. Boomdee Petals. Ms. Tiffany. xox

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      • Bazinga! Macy’s!! I like shopping there. I wish we had one here in the boonies. You’re sweet to think of me while you’re shopping, thanks cutie pie! Snicker, I’m a delight? No you!….hehe Kitchen Aides, carts and towels? Sounds like you were in housewares. Did you buy anything? I always like their purse department, they have a really good selection and I almost always buy one. I think maybe we should go in Washington? I think there’s a purse with my name on it there…:D xo k

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        • I actually worked in the purse department of Macy’s in college. Can you believe it. I made $2.10 an hour, and received a 10% discount on purchases. Living the life!

          They have great dresses too. Maybe we’ll find our matching aqua dresses there. Let’s do it! xoxo

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          • Isn’t that funny! Man, you had the fun department. I got to work in Linens and Bedding at Eaton’s in High School. So dull. Fold, unfold, refold…..and repeat. The cash registers were still the very old push button ones that you put a carboned, three copy bill in a slot and pulled a handle to print info on to it. The customer got a yellow copy I think. Oh geez Alys, we’ve been around. I can’t remember what I got paid. I’m sure I wasn’t Livin’ La Vita Loca 😀

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            • Oh no! The dreaded linen department. 😉
              I remember Eaton’s. I remember those manual cash registers as well. Our veterinarian has the original cash register from when they started the business in their lobby. I’ll have to snap a photo for you the next time I’m there.

              We’ve been around and we’re still getting around. That’s the best part of all.

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              • I think if you grew up in the 60’s in Canada, your parents probably shopped at Eaton’s, I miss them. We had one very close to my childhood home. But I left when a got a job at ‘Shoppers Drug Mart’ (a franchise here). They paid so much pretty and I got a discount on makeup, magazines, candy and stuff like that.
                If I wrote down everywhere I worked, it’d be a pretty long list too, LOL

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