Turquoise:: The Pantone Color for 2010

I am happy to announce (well re-announce) that Pantone has decided that Turquoise will be the "it" color in 2010. So watch out, it looks like Turquoise will be gracing the covers of our magazines and stitching of our garments. Not a bad thing.

Turquoise Transports Us to an Exciting, Tropical Paradise While Offering a Sense of Protection and Healing in Stressful Times

CARLSTADT, N.J., Dec. 8, 2009 –Pantone LLC, an X-Rite company (NASDAQ: XRIT), and the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today announced PANTONE® 15-5519 Turquoise, an inviting, luminous hue, as the color of the year for 2010. Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.

“In many cultures, Turquoise occupies a very special position in the world of color,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “It is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion and healing, and a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky. Through years of color word-association studies, we also find that Turquoise represents an escape to many – taking them to a tropical paradise that is pleasant and inviting, even if only a fantasy.”

Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion and interiors. With both warm and cool undertones, Turquoise pairs nicely with any other color in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, complements reds and pinks, creates a classic maritime look with deep blues, livens up all other greens, and is especially trend-setting with yellow-greens.

In fashion, Turquoise makes a statement that can look elegant and dressy in fine silk and gemstones, or casual and fun in cotton and athletic apparel. Because of its versatility, Turquoise is a great accent color in jewelry, purses, shoes, hair accessories and even nail polish for women, and ties, shirts and sportswear for men.

For brides wanting a flattering choice for attendant apparel and accessories on their big day, Turquoise is now one of the nearly 200 PANTONE WEDDING Colors available from Dessy, a leading manufacturer of bridesmaid, social occasion and flower girl dresses, as well as destination wedding gowns under the labels Dessy Collection, After Six, Alfred Sung, Lela Rose Bridesmaid and Sandals Destination Wedding Dresses. PANTONE WEDDING exclusively from Dessy provides a collection of color tools to make it easy for brides to achieve perfectly color-coordinated weddings – from inspiration to “I do.”

Additionally, Turquoise is one of 3,000 colors available in Pantone’s line of superior-quality, eco-friendly paint. PANTONE Paints combine the accuracy of PANTONE Colors with the beauty of high-performance Dutch paints. Perfect for a powder room or bedroom, Turquoise is an evocative, spa-like hue that adds an undertone of warmth and excitement to any cool space. In the kitchen, Turquoise adds a unique flare to tabletop and appliances.

When Able is unable:

Our friend and fellow studio artist, Able Parris, who you should know since he's the only other Mama Said blog contributor, is down for the count with his recent appendectomy. Apparently he and his appendix have decided to part ways, which I hear is a painful situation. Also Able makes monthly wallpaper/desktops that we all enjoy using. However his appendectomy took precident over the December wallpaper so I decided to step up.
TA DA!
To see the lovely things Able usually creates check out his blog: ableparris.com/

The stockings were hung by the handmade, foam core fire place with care.

It all started with the lights.
Thurston and I got these lovely white lights for our winter wedding a few years ago. I loaned them to Lee and Stacy for their rehearsal dinner last spring and was too lazy to ever take them home. So they've just been wrestling with my feet under my desk for the past six months or so.
I tried really hard to wait until December to put them up, but I just couldn't make it. How can you resist a canopy of twinkle lights? Thanks to Matt, well, really Matt's height, we had all the lights up in the blink of an eye!
Then came the small tinsel Christmas tree, which has been under my desk since last Christmas. Emily and I used load of old peeps as ornaments. Along with the random ornaments Matt found in his desk it became a pretty full looking tree.
Then we found the little stockings that Wade gave us last year and thought we needed to hang them from something. That's where the mantel came in. And since you can't have a mantel without a fire place and a fire we had a more involved project on our hands. Matt spear headed the project with help from the rest of us and with a few scrap pieces of foam core and two light-work afternoons later, we had ourselves a cozy fire and fire place.
Oh. And the Santa's mail box was discovered in one of the closets in the studio and I believe that was made by an ex studio member, Zach. So thanks Zach! We're putting it to good use.
We spend more conscience hours at work than anywhere else so may as well make it merry!
We have plans for a foam core wreath and a family portrait too. Maybe even a deer.