Radiant Orchid, Color of the Year

I've been reading a few blogs and apparently some find this color difficult to use.  I think my mother was onto something last year.  I noticed in her house she started to use lavender shades with navy quite often.  Mostly towels in the bathroom and kitchen.  I really liked the combo, and started pairing it myself in quilts,  reversible napkins and bandannas.

Pantone carefully selects the color of the year.  They do thorough research of fashion, beauty, interiors and industrial design to decide what the color of the year will be.   Radiant Orchid is a beautiful blend of cool and warm undertones.   It will look lovely with red, turquoise, teals and lighter yellows.  It will complement olives and deep hunter greens.  And it will pop neutrals, greys and tans.  You can't go wrong adding this to your closet, home or beauty regime.  Which is exactly what Pantone is looking for.

Holly of decor8 blog has a great post on Radiant Orchid.  She shows many different ways of decorating with this new shade.  

I think it is a great way to add color to a room.  I would love to use the color in a bathroom or on one wall.

Check out this post and the beautiful and simple floral shot.

From stagetecture.com

Lucky Mag

Ok the above clip is from Lucky Magazine.  The shoes and clutch are pretty boring in my opinion but they are demonstrating ways to add the color to your wardrobe.  I do love the model wearing two shades of radiant orchid.  Her outfit looks fantastic!  Color blocking, eye catching and vibrant!

This is more my style: this simple, geometric handbag from MaxMara shown on the runway last September.

 (Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images)

http://www.glorioustreats.com/2012/05/purple-ombre-mini-cakes.html 

What about adding this color to your wedding celebrations?

Check out favecrafts.com for this inspirational post on adding radiant orchid to your special day!

I am so not a fan of the bridesmaid dresses.  Well I am just not a fan of matching bridesmaid dresses to begin with.  However the flowers, the cakes, the chandelier or the purple drinks???? A little goes a long way!

Seeing that ombre radiant orchid cakes makes me think of radiant orchid macaroons. 

What do you think of the color of the year? Will this be a radiant orchid kind of year for you? Maybe nail color? Dress color? Cakes? Chandelier? Might make a beautiful quilt.

Kona cotton swatches.  This is something I was playing around with in Illustrator.  These are Kona Cotton fabrics.  I love the dark blue into the purples finishing with the pool color.

Or a patchwork:

Playing with color can be exciting.  This can be peaceful, vibrant, cheerful.  You decide!

Modern Quilts....Denyse Schmidt

My mother is a quilter. I thought quilting was basically patchwork although this isn't the type of quilting my mother does. Since working at Purl I am slowly learning more about quilting. I have learned what my mother does is whole cloth quilting. I remember as a child she would have quilts set up in our living room and all the Polish ladies from the Christian Mother's (a PTA type group) of our school would come to quilt. My mother is of Polish descent, her mom and dad came over.  I was thinking the other day of a picture that was taken when I was probably second or third grade. I was wearing a bandana on my head and helping thread needles for the quilts. I guess this must be my first exposure to quilts. If I find the picture I will post it for you all. My mother is still quilting but her hands do bother her. She has made all of us, my 4 brothers and sisters, their children and numerous aunts and uncles quilts. I wonder how many she has made. I have two she has made for me. The latest one was a wedding gift, see below. Absolutely beautiful.

Oliver of course is happy to bless any new cloth item in the apartment.

 The edging here is all hand done.

I do want to learn how to quilt and it is much more complicated than I thought. Maybe my mother will give me some lessons over Easter weekend.

 Denyse Schmidt, a well know quilter based out of Bridgeport Connecticut, has come out with a new book. Her quilts are patchwork quilting. Her fabrics are gorgeous and there is a new collection we carry at work called flea market fancy. What a great name! I realized I actually have some of her fabric from a few years ago. They are colorful and sweet and modern. So I was quite excited when I learned Purl was having a book release party for her at the store on March 29th....and I am working at it!  If you live in NYC you should come by and get some inspiration.

LOVE!

Flea Market Fancy comes in 4 colorways.