Monday 26 August 2013

Green - Peace and Calm

Meaning of Green
I love this photo. It really sums up my next colour, green.
 Its peaceful, restful, uplifting. It signifies balance, honesty, harmony and a refreshing sense of well being. Green is the colour we associate with words like durability and renewal and fertility. Its the colour of self respect and unconditional love.
Green is the most restful colour on ones eyes. Its the world's most favourite colour after blue. In colour therapy its the colour used to relax a mind. If the colour wheel was a PH scale it would be bang in the middle.

 Green really stands for nature. If you think about it almost all of nature has some element of green in it. Politically it is always associated with environmental issues which is logical. In Asia the green stone of Jade is sacred. In Ireland , St Patrick's day is always associated with the colour green. Its the colour of Christmas ( coupled with its opposite red of course) and the ' go ' colour for traffic lights . In business if you get the 'green light ' for an idea or project its only positive go go go!! If you have a green thumb in the garden, you are a 'natural' gardener. We talk of the American dollar being the ' green back', ' greener pastures' being richer than what we have. Deep greens indicate old money, racing green, speed with style whereas olive green is the ultimate colour of peace.

However green does get some negative press too. How about green with jealousy ' the green eyed monster' as Shakespeare referred to this deadly sin. It is also a colour we can associate with sickness. We talk about someone turning green when they are about to vomit. But maybe that is more Chartreuse yellowy greens in the palette as eating green vegetables is always a healthy option!

Whether you like green or not, it has to be considered the oldest colour of life really. Its our natural back drop and makes you feel calmer even if you don't realise it does. Next time you are at the park or in the garden with the kids , get them to spot how many different kinds of greens they can see.  You would be amazed and I think its always good for them to appreciate the colours of their surroundings.

Tuesday 16 July 2013

Trade Show Time!

ColourMeArt will be showing our full range at the Home and Giving Show in Melbourne from 3rd - 7th August in what is affectionately known as " Jeff's Shed". Come and visit and see what is new. Stand A33. See you there............


Monday 25 March 2013

Happy Easter !

Happy Easter From ColourMeArt



 Easter is one of the best time of year to get creative with the kids and have a bit of fun with colour. We always do an Easter egg hunt , sometimes with written clues and even using map coordinates now they are getting older.
One of the favourite traditions in our family is egg rolling. We first hard boil an egg each. Add some vinegar to the water and they seem to harden even more . Bit like baking conkers ready for battle!

Then once they are left to cool, you can start the fun decorating them.
Using wax crayons ( or candles if you don't have any) you can draw on them. You can use inks ( or food colouring ) for bright colours. Glue and beads, string or paper for the more deconstructive creators.

You can add your own style and preferably your initial to make them different.  Best dressed egg gets a small prize in our house but then on Easter Sunday we meet up with friends and do our traditional egg rolling competition. A lot of fun and if you have kids that are older than each other , this is a family tradition that spans the age difference between children quite well.
You set the course ( on a hill obviously), rolling the eggs one at a time down it. The winner of each round is the egg that rolls the furthest that remains intact. You keep taking turns until the ultimate winner gets the first prize.
The Crows and Ibis like their Easter treat left behind and unless you have decorated your egg with something really unbiodegradable , you can leave them to feast while you go for a dip to work off your chocolate fest.

Happy Easter!

Thursday 7 February 2013

Red is for Love. Happy Valentine's Day!

So Valentines Day has come around again! Why do we associate the colour red with love? Well red, pink and those hot colours make our heart skip a beat. Just like love. Red is the end of the colour spectrum that make us take notice, it stands for danger, hot taps, red traffic lights, fast sports cars, warning signs, fire fire!

Next time you are at the supermarket just take a look at how much packaging is in red. Buy me , buy me now!!

The Chinese culture consider red ( and gold ) very good luck. I have designed many a bedlinen set based on this colour combination , traditionally given to newly weds.

Think of expressions like ' in the pink', seeing things through 'rose tinted spectacles', it's a very positive colour and if you are feeling physically low, red lifts the soul, cheers you up. The very basic feng shui rule on red is to put it in your relationship corner ( top right ), so think about growing something red or pink in your top right corner of your garden, put something red or pink on the top right corner of your desk, bedroom........ See if it makes a difference to your lovelife or sense of wellbeing. I know I was amazed to see a deep pink colour painted walls on the delivery floor of Royal Womens Hospital in Randwick but the sense of positivity , love and warmth when you step out of the lift is fantastic. Someone knew what they were doing when they chose that! Must have been a mum that knew a thing about colour theory!
Anyway Happy Valentine's Day whatever colour you are wearing!

Sunday 20 January 2013

Made In Australia

 
So as Australia Day fast approaches, it would be good to think that the public knows what the Australian Made official logo means to a small business like ColourMeArt.
 
I always try and encourage creative friends and colleagues to get the Australian Made logo on their products whenever possible. It is a great selling point, when virtually nothing is truly made in Australia any longer. Any licensee has to sign an affidavit to promise their products are in fact made here. They have to pay an annual license fee based on turnover, and any merchandise like stickers etc is at a cost to that particular business.
 
Most customers and particularly tourists want an Australian made product to take home but whinge about the price in comparison with products made overseas. If the government really wanted to encourage particularly small businesses to keep production here in Australia, they should be handing out stickers, advice and there should be no fee for being a licensee in the first place.
 
ColourMeArt products are passionately Australian made, and will endeavour to continue to be wherever possible. Hopefully as customers become more discerning in their choices, they will buy more Australian made products. 
 
Happy Australia Day!