Honeysuckle Pink for Spring 2011

Pantone, the world renown experts in color, announces each year in December the "Color of the Year" from a palette selected by a group of professionals in fashion and design.  They began this series in 2007 and for 2011  they have announced the color  is Honeysuckle, a bubblegum pink, shown above.

Karen Atwood ribbon scarf $74.

If you have never heard of Pantone, they began as a commercial printing company in the 1950's and have eveled into the color forecasting experts for fashion and design industries..

As Wikipedia explains....The Pantone Color Matching System is largely a standardized color reproduction system. By standardizing the colors, different manufacturers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colors match without direct contact with one another.

Beau Ties of Vermont ties $39.-45.

According to color experts pink is the color of happiness - bright pinks are youthful, fun and exciting!  Pink stimulates energy and encourages action and confidence.  Pink get you out of the blues and gets you going again.

Joanna Alot hand painted silk scarves $96.

Some fun facts about pink-

• Some studies of the color pink suggest that male weightlifters seem to lose strength in pink rooms, while women weightlifters tend to become stronger around the color.

• Pastries taste better when they come out of pink boxes or served on pink plates (it only works with sweets). Pink makes us crave sugar.
•  

Leslie Bowman quilted purse $58.

Hope you enjoyed our pink selections today. We are joining in on Pink Saturday so do visit for more pinks!

Hats for Royal Wedding Viewing Parties

Paper hat by Jennie Robinson. $43.

The count down for the Royal Wedding of Prince William and his fiance Kate Middleton on Friday April 29 has begun! BBC America has the exact countdown and will be broadcasting the wedding live on their television station.

Wide brimmed hat with silk flowers. $47.

Another version of the wide brim. $47.

The big trend is to host a Royal Wedding Viewing Party complete with British foods - scones, crumpets and English teas. Some party throwers have even planned a blue food event in honor of  Kate's blue engagement ring.

Pill box paper hat with tulle and silk flowers. $35.

Wearing a handmade festive hat by Jennie Hart Robinson would make the affair more complete.  You know how the Brits love their hats!  Jennie's fun paper party hats would be the envy of any party.  Choose from tulle covered pill box, flower trimmed wide rimmed and even more unique styles.  The wilder, the better!

Fun pill box style. $35.

What are your plans for the big day?

Jerry Crowe Describes His Lathe Wood Turning Techniques

Cherry burl with turquoise. $375.

 Just in - a great new selection of turned wood bowls by Jerry Crowe.  Each one created in his unique style and is as individual as the tree burl it originated from.  In his own words -

Elm burl with turquoise. $230.

"I study these knotty hunks of wood, some weighing up to a 1000 pounds, before choosing one to rough-cut with my chain saw.  I notice the high spots and wormholes.  Imagine the texture, how the pattern of grain runs, and where the bark will best leave a balanced, natural edge.

As the lathe turns and the chisel slings off ribbons of wood, a thrill runs through me.  I follow the colors and pattern rising out of the grain, for it is nature, not I, that decides the shape of the piece.

Cherry burl with malachite. $285.

At this stage, the burl is green and wet, so I leave an extra thickness of wood.  To keep it from cracking, I brush on hot parafin and set the hollow form in a kiln for weeks of slow drying.  When a piece is dry, I turn it again, captivated by how the lathe persuades the rough wood to turn smooth, how it coaxes the beauty of Mother nature into full bloom.

Next, I inlay my signature mixture of crushed, semiprecious stones - lapis, turquoise or malachite - into the natural holes and cracks of a piece.  I sand this down until the colored accents seem to grow right out of the wood.

Box elder with lapis. $210.

In the end, each piece soaks in a special oil mixture, dries and is re-dipped four more times.  After that, I buff with rouge - the same polish used for gold and silver - and then a final layer of wax."

A long creative process from beginning to end but well worth it, don't you think?

Spalted hackberry with turquoise. $250.