Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Most Requested Color at the Sunshine Shop?

Green!

Whether its part of a color combo or all by its lonesome, green has been the #1 requested color at the good ol' Savannah Sunshine Shop. I hadn't noticed the trend until just recently. From rugs to scarves to pillows...green has popped up over and over again. Why green though? I'm still trying to figure this one out.

I work in a place filled with the latest, greatest, trendiest colors...I'm over saturated with the colors that are popular and those that are sooo in right now. I've seen the blue and brown combo (a million times), the 'spaqua' (spa + aqua = spaqua), the gray and yellow, the purples, and now the bright orange (or as the Pantone crowd calls it, 'Tangerine Tango'). I know my situation is a little unusual because I'm around these all day, everyday. Color trends, though, are splashed all over magazine covers, in ads, in every clothing store out there. When it comes to color, there are sooooooooo many options....so why green?

Here are a few examples:

My first special request I ever took through my Etsy shop was for a set of braided oval rugs for a nursery. Her colors were blue and green. Soft, sweet, blues and greens...



A little while later, an old friend ordered three 'treasure boxes' for her nieces. One of which (you guessed it!) was a fun, playful green, complete with a fabric flower...



The next custom order was for my Aunt Lorinda. She wanted three scarves, one for each of her daughters (my cousins) for Christmas. We discussed color palettes for each girl, one of which, we decided, would have a Spring color combo. Light greens, light pinks, and cream...



Last fall, I was talking to my sister-in-law, Julie, when she asked me to make a few pillows for her. She said she would order them from me but I decided (without telling her) that they would be perfect Christmas gifts instead. Her apartment was decorated with bright fun greens, with black and white. She described such a fresh, clean color palette. She completed the look with her green plants and black outdoor furniture (but perfect indoors too!)...

You might remember these from my homemade Christmas post!

Just days (maybe even hours?) after posting about my homemade Christmas gifts, I had a message from my Aunt Terry. She saw the pillows I made for my sis-n-law, Julie, and said she had to have a set for herself!



So why green? 


In a world where everything moves extremely fast and is always changing, everything and everyone are connected, and so many colors, patterns, fabrics, aps, ads, you name it, are thrown in front of us...maybe we tend to fall back on what we know. Maybe we find comfort in the soft greens of Spring and the green of the grass we used to play and run around in on warm summer days. You remember those days, right?! I'm having flashbacks of chasing fireflies with my sisters. If we were lucky, we caught them. We held them tightly in our little hands, only releasing our grasp enough to peek in and watch their backsides glow that bright yellow-green.

The color green represents growth, nature, the outdoors...life. Why green? Why NOT green...

I think I may have talked myself into a new favorite color. :)


Sunday, February 5, 2012

*UPDATE* A Homemade Christmas

Because we were halfway across the country from each other over the holidays, I wasn't able to give my mother-in-law, Leslye, her Christmas gift until this weekend. I had all intentions of making her a fun tote bag but changed my mind and was suddenly inspired to make her something I knew she would be able to use...an iPad cover! She and her husband, Don, like to go on adventures throughout the year so I knew a cute but also practical iPad cover would be perfect for her. I didn't want to ruin the surprise so I waited until now to share!

The fun polka dot and floral fabric:



The zigzag stitching detail:



The homemade covered button that matches the lining fabric:



And here's the final product...I was so thankful the iPad fit! :)




Hopefully Leslye will get a lot of use out of this cover. Not only will it protect her iPad but it will also add a little color and brightness to her day!