Search results (tags) for: "colors"

Trends: Grey

2008-11-11T12:13:00Z

Earl Grey. Grey Gardens. Gray's Anatomy. Besides these many varied instances, grey (or gray, depending how you spell it) is quite the trend as of late. From clothing to accessories, grey captivates the imaginations of fashionistas the world over. Maybe it's because it's a midway point between black and white, or maybe just because of its neutral qualities — grey just seems to work with everything (and doesn't have to be thought of as gloomy to get the job done). Here's to our new favorite color!

Etsy Finds: Color Me Beautiful

2008-10-22T09:00:00Z

Love metal-worked jewelry? Make a bold statement with colored metal jewelry that's been enameled or given a verdigris patina. These make great holiday gifts for jewelry fiends. Here are our top picks, with a few searching tips mixed in to help you find more!

Corsico Ring - Size 5

The turquoise-colored patina on this ring is called verdigris. Search for verdigris jewelry to find more gorgeous pieces like this. By AntiGenre, $34.

View item | View Shop | Add to Etsy Favorites

3 X Red Necklace

Tuizui specializes in fine metalworked silver jewelry with glass enamel in every color of the rainbow. By tuizui, $135.

View item | View Shop | Add to Etsy Favorites

Moby

VerreEncore is known for her enameled jewelry in fun shapes. By VerreEncore, $38.

View item | View Shop | Add to Etsy Favorites

Cupped Red Padlock Earrings

These earrings have been colored red in a "super top-secret process." How mysterious! By DownToTheWireDesigns, $38.

View item | View Shop | Add to Etsy Favorites

2 inch Verdigris Earrings

These stunners are simple and modern in shape, but the color ups the impact. By cynthiadelgiudice, $22.

View item | View Shop | Add to Etsy Favorites

Colorful Stacking Rings mini x9

Colored stacking rings are great because you can rearrange them for an almost infinite number of different looks. By Meetalls, $35.

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currency (bracelet)

Smashing has a shop full of enameled jewelry in pastel brights. By smashing, $55.

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Aqua-Feather-Enamel-Earrings

I'm in love with feathers these days! Another shop full of gorgeous enameled pieces in a variety of shapes and colors. By jewelrybynatsuko, $42.

View item | View Shop | Add to Etsy Favorites

bright blossom necklace

A pretty little flower with a yellow sapphire in the center. Lovely! By iacua, $72.

View item | View Shop | Add to Etsy Favorites

Looking for more Etsy Finds? Try these links:

Jewelry Gift Guide | Showcase | Trends

Want to see Etsians in action? Watch these jewelry videos!

Need a daily fix of Etsy Finds? Sign up for the Etsy Finds e-mail! Conveniently delivered to your inbox!

Featured Buyer: Davey Sommers of COLOURlovers

2008-10-01T12:40:00Z

This week's Featured Buyer is Davey Sommers, editor of the art and design blog for color trendspotting site COLOURlovers.com. In addition to analyzing color palattes, Davey is a member of the The Post Family — a group of Chicago gallery and event curators, an artist collective and a print shop all rolled into one. He also sometimes makes stuff out of recycled things. Here's Davey.

I love Etsy because it is an unbordered community that brings artists and art lovers together. It's a great example of a market economy, too: one without lobbyists and tax cuts for nonlocal businesses.

Using the Colors tool on Etsy, these picks are inspired by the top colors currently on COLOURlovers.

Blue, or 'balls' blue in this case, is a reoccurring hue in the work of Mike Best, aka BestArtStudios2. It's a nice match for the thoughtful, and at times vulnerable, facial expressions of this character seen throughout his work.

In TheaCphotography's Bounty, she melds shades of green, allowing the deep color of the berries to pull the viewer's eye. As many of her photos contain a single prominent color, and since they are all sized 8x8, you could easily create a cohesive color palette made up of her work.

In this print by LizzyClara, what looks to be a hand holding out flowers, presumably to another person whom they have some sort of relationship with, is, in fact, a hand holding down flowers on the floor, as told by the color.

Not exactly the same as "The Order of the Wen," but this shares the same warm color composition as this wonderful illustration by ashleyg.

I nearly mentioned mannmadedesigns twice with Jimmy's great selection of colors available for all of his wonderful products, like this "incorrigible tease" square bubble pendant.

These handmade stickers from SupergirlStickers use beautifully crafted "Dutch teal" origami paper. They would add a nice touch of color on any letter (if anyone sends those still), or, if you're a teacher, use them to distract a student from that poor grade on his last history paper.

This Italian lambskin by KarleighJae would work wonderfully for any "science class slut's" new lab coat.

Some time ago, dinosaurs lived on earth along with "certain frogs." And as you can see from this watercolor by tiddlyinks, they shared similar
colors.

The color palette of this handbound journal by strawhousebooks is relaxing and welcoming, definitely offering some "soul therapy."

Whenever a painting becomes mixed media, it becomes happy, like this "heart of gold" piece by kellycstudio.

I
hardly think that a baby could truly appreciate the colors in this "vanilla cream" pattern by sweetiepiedesign. I'm thinking, beer cozy.

Flying through the "insomnia martyr" night sky is flying ninja girl by beeczarcardsandgifts, whose shop is filled with other colorful items.

More on Davey:

Besides the things listed in the intro, Davey doesn't do too much else. "How much should one man do?" Davey sometimes asks, then answers himself: "This is how much, the much I am doing now; no more, no less, this is enough."

So Davey goes on about his life enjoying the finer things of a humble existence in the second city: watching the specks of dust on their voyages through the currents of air, listening to the sounds of landscapes, and laughing to a point where it seems his heart may burst when he hears the politicians talk about nothing for hours on end.

For more Storque posts on color, go here! For more shopping ideas, our Featured Buyer series is quite impressive! Do some digging, my friend!

Trends: Blue, Navy Blue

2008-09-30T14:43:00Z

I've got kind of a "thing" for the color navy blue. Like the classic song by Diane Renay, I've been thinking a lot about the color, sailors, ships (more on that later this week!) and all things marine. This collection of navy blue clothing salutes the origin of the color's name, as well as all the great fashion on Etsy.

Browse the Clothing Category | Trends | Fashion | Search for Items Tagged "Navy Blue Clothing"

Trends: Autumn Orange, Beautiful Orange

2008-09-18T14:16:00Z

The turning of the season has turned shoppers' attention to orange — such a warm, spicy, vivid color! Use the Colors tool to bounce around your favorite shades.

Autumn Gift Guide | Halloween Gift Guide | Trends

Fresh Shops: Ruth Marks

2008-09-11T13:20:00Z

My pal Michael Troutman from the band Awesome Color has heard a lot about Etsy (mostly because I've been touting its praises to everyone I know). Michael in turn mentioned all the wonderful things he heard to his friend — artist and sculptor Ruth Marks — and encouraged her to open a shop. Ruth knew about Etsy, but wasn't aware that it was a marketplace for fine art as well as crafts. Voila! A little over a month ago, Ruth opened her shop and I was mesmerized by what I saw. Her paper clay sculptures of women and children are beautifully rendered and have an eerie dreamlike quality. As a filmmaker interested in the work of Jan Svankmajer, The Brothers Quay and Bread & Puppet, this work resonates with me not only as visually pleasing objects, but as physical manifestations of some netherworld that I long to explore and dream about...

Here's a little interview we did with this Fresh Shop.

Can you tell us a little about the person behind ruthmarks?
I live in Michigan with my husband and two children. My husband James is an entrepreneur as well. (He runs a screen printing shop called VGKids.) It's perfect, because we work as a team to make our family life work and to make our businesses thrive. My studio is an converted kitchen in our old Victorian house. I like integrating home life and art making, it works well for me. Currently I sell most of my work through galleries and the occasional art fair. Making this Etsy shop has been a fun way to make my work even more widely available. The feedback has been wonderful.

What inspires you as a creative person?
Most of my imagery comes from childhood dreams and memories. I love to read and see films, and I think those narratives leak in to my work as well.

The doll artists of NIADA have an incredibly high quality craftsmanship and skill. I love going to their conferences to see the work in person and meet the artists. They are very generous group that I learn a lot from.

Of course the Pop-surreal or New Brow genre of work that is happening on the West Coast is so exciting. I love to keep track of the artists you can see in Juxtapoz magazine or in galleries like White Walls in San Francisco, Thinkspace in Los Angeles, Roq La Rue in Seattle.

How do you like Etsy so far? What are your favorite features of the site?
I love the accessibility of Etsy. I love that is always changing and that the staff seem to have a good eye and pick out fun things to highlight. I love just searching around and finding new artists all over the world. Sometimes being an artist can be isolating; it is good to remember that there are so many of us out there making beautiful things.

Anything else you'd like to add is also welcome!
I have a website at www.ruthmarks.com with links to some of my favorite artists and examples of my past work.

Looking for more Etsy newbies? Check out our previous Fresh Shops coverage!

Tech Update: Returning Colors

2008-07-09T13:35:00Z

Today we returned the Etsy site feature Colors to its previous version. This tool, which allows you to "Shop by Color" (some people call it "the Color Picker"), has been very popular with our members and with the press. Why? Because it's beautiful and fun! The second version, while more effective because of its ability to narrow results by keyword, lacked the visual appeal of animated bubbles of color. We've found the first version to actually be a better marketing tool for Etsy.com.

Reverting to the first version was a quick and easy change. The plan is to apply the functionality of the second version to the more visually compelling first version. While this task is not on the high priorities list, we hope to enhance this fun shopping tool as soon as we can.

Please see our TechUpdates featured column for more news on site features.

ColourLovers with Samantha Hahn

2008-05-19T17:44:00Z

COLOURlovers.com is one of those websites that, upon first click, made me feel a vertiginous opening wide of the doors onto a whole new dimension. I found this site through designer Samantha Hahn's post about using the Etsy Colors feature. Folks, if you're seriously into color, you should check out this website:

COLOURlovers™ is a resource that monitors and influences color trends. COLOURlovers gives the people who use color - whether for ad campaigns, product design, or even in architectural specification - a place to check out a world of color, compare color palettes, submit news and comments, and read color related articles and interviews.

I'm not exactly sure what's going on here, but if you are one of those people — like Clementine from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — who wants a job coming up with crazy names for colors, then this website is for you. If you know how to create hypnotic patterns or just enjoy collecting them, check it out. If you notice trends in colors coming in waves each season, you need to get on this! I imagine this site is most often used by decorators and designers, fashion trendspotters, and other creative types. Let me know if there are good uses for Etsy sellers in the comments below!

Here are some other Storque posts about color.

Color Picker Update: Filter by Search Terms

2008-02-19T13:46:00Z

The Color Picker, one of our oldest and most iconic features, has received a significant update today.

Now you can filter your color picking by using search terms! First, enter what you’re looking for in the text field on the left, then click a color on the right.

You’ll get some listings that match both the color and the search phrase. To see more results, click the “MORE” button.

You can also click different colors to see all of the results side-by-side!

In addition, we have tweaked the color averaging algorithm to be more precise. This will effect all newly uploaded listing images, so our results should get even better as time goes on.

These enhancements should make the color picker much easier to use. Let us know what you think!

Please address all comments and questions to the associated forums thread.

Color Schemes for Everyday Living

2008-02-01T17:12:00Z

Here we are in the middle of the town of Dullsville, state of Winter (at least those of us in the northern hemisphere!). Why not spruce up your home? In her last article about color and creativity, jenlo262 gives us the info we should have in the backs of our minds when redesigning our living spaces.

Let’s face it. Color makes the room. As a painter, I love using color in my artwork. Not being an interior decorator, however, I know that choosing the right color for your room can be daunting. But when you find the right combination of colors you can make any room come to life.

When making color choices it is important to first know your room and what you want to convey. Colors can convey many emotions not only in the colors themselves but also by their shape or size. We have different emotional responses to warm colors verses cool colors and to hard edged shapes verses natural organic shapes. It’s also important to consider shades and tints of color (darker verses lighter). Darker colors tend to make a room seem smaller while lighter colors tend to open up a room. Once you know what you want your room to say, it’s time to start thinking about the right colors!

To begin understanding color, it’s important to know the basic color wheel (check out my previous post here). It will help you find your color complements (e.g. orange and blue) and analogous colors (colors next to each other on the color wheel). Warm colors tend to conjure feelings of a sunny and also active environment. Cool colors can convey a clean, airy, and calming environment. For example, red (a warm color) tends to elicit a stronger emotional response than blue (a cool color) which tends to sooth. Traditionally warm colors are considered to include red, orange, yellow and yellow-green. Cool colors are considered green-blue, blue, and purple. White and black can be considered as neutrals, but I’ve found that adding white (tinting) a color tends to make it cooler. I find a pure yellow to be much warmer than a lighter lemon yellow. The warmth of a color can also be affected by its surrounding colors, especially with the purples and greens.

To create my color schemes, I favor using a triadic color scheme approach — picking three analogous colors and accenting with a complement. For example, yellow-orange, yellow, and yellow-green can be combined with purple accents for a triadic color scheme. (For information on other color scheme approaches, check out Tiger Color.)

A variation of this color scheme is fitting for one of my favorite rooms — the living room/reading room. If you are lucky enough to have both as separate rooms, that’s even better!

For me, the living room has always doubled as my cozy reading room. This is the room that I want to feel warm and inviting. I want soft edges, warm colors, and lovely organic shapes. For this room I like yellow-ochre walls with a cream trim, brown and yellow-green accent items, and a scattering of a light red-purple/purple to make the walls appear even more yellow and warmer. Here are some items that fit this scheme:

[notebooks by bluevalentinepress]

[pillow by craftsfromtheheart]

The dining room is another favorite, as this is the family meeting place for meals and games. Since this space can often be smaller and very active, I favor colors that create an open and relaxed environment. I still like to spruce it up with a few bright spots too, and find a beautiful Spring bouquet works well with both of these color schemes.

[bowl by dbabcock]

[woodblock print by VIZArt]

For the bathroom I prefer a feel of cleanliness and order. I want simple lines and cool colors. This is often a good room (due to its size and mirrors which can move color around the room) to have a darker or more vibrant color on an accent wall, with the remaining walls lighter or white. The darker wall is a good place for hanging some art or photos too (making sure they are airtight to prevent moisture from getting inside). I find this is one of the easiest rooms to have fun colorful little items to display too — with colored soaps, bottles of bath salts, bath mats, towels, and more.

[soaps by KristensCosmetics]

[mosaic by studiofresca. At the time this article was published, the fish were, according to studiofresca, "listed as 'on temporary hold' because they are actually on display in galleries on Kauai and I would need to double check that a particular fish is still available before I can commit to sell it."]

When building a color scheme for any room, a favorite quilt, painting, or pottery may be a great place to start too. And who knows, you may find all the colors you want hidden right within that favorite item!

Any favorite color schemes you want to share with us? Post in the comments below!

Online Workshop Wrap-Up: Color Theory Applied to Your Shop

2008-01-29T04:01:00Z

Even if you missed us in our sparkly gem sweaters during last week's Wednesday Online Workshop, you can still get the point! In accompaniment with Jenlo262's recent color theory article, we discussed the basics of color theory, and how you can apply its principles to brighten up your shop. In case you weren't able to make it to the Virtual Labs, you'll find a wrap-up below with important notes from the discussion. You may also want to check out the other articles in the Shop Makeover Series!

We began the Online Workshop with a discussion about the color wheel and the principles used to create color themes to complement your products.

The Monochromatic Color Scheme uses one single color in a combination of different tints, shades and tones. A great example of monochromatic can be seen in this adorable dress by Neneee.etsy.com.

The Analogous Color Scheme uses three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, for example blue, green and yellow. One color is used as the dominant color, while the others are used as an accent.

Take a look at this beautiful skein of analogous yarn by brennx0r.etsy.com.

The Complementary Color Scheme is made up of two colors that are opposite one another on the color wheel, for example blue and orange. This is a great color scheme to use when you really want to create a dramatic contrast between your item and the background.

Check out how maryandjane.etsy.com's red dot earrings vividly stand out against the green background. This is a perfect example of how complementary colors can really make your item stand out or "pop" as they say.

The Split Complementary Color Scheme uses the base color, in addition with the two colors adjacent to its complement. This color scheme creates a strong contrast, but does so in a more subtle way.

Take a look at lupin.etsy.com's colorful pansy brooch and how she used the split complementary color scheme of green, purple and yellow to create a balanced color contrast which really makes her item stand out.

The Triadic Color Scheme uses three colors which are evenly spaced around the color wheel. If you draw an equilateral triangle over the color wheel, you will create a triadic color scheme at the three points, for example green, purple and orange.

The Tetradic Color Scheme uses four colors arranged in two complementary pairs and looks best when one color dominates three accent colors. If you draw a rectangle over your color wheel, your will create a tetradic color scheme at the four points.

And just a note to all those who were trying to say that Mary didn't have her facts straight, it is indeed TETRADIC!

Creating a Mood with Color

Colors can be carefully combined to create a mood within your shop to complement the type of items you are selling.

If you are selling delicate, feminine items, you may want to use a soft color palette such as white, yellow and pink.

If you are looking to make a bold statement, you can use a warm color palette like yellow, red and orange. These colors have been shown to raise a person's heart rate and create excitement.

A shop selling vintage items, or items with a vintage feel may want to use a color scheme that was popular within the era the items are from or inspired by. For example, if you want your shop to have a 1970's feel, you might want to use avocado green, brown and mustard yellow.

Using a cool color palette can complement a shop filled with eco-friendly products very nicely since the cool colors like blue, green and grey are most commonly found in nature.

If your shop items incorporate a broad range of colors, you can use neutral backgrounds like black and white, silver and grey or tan and gold in order to unify your items. Neutral colors will help draw the focus to your product and make the vibrant color palette within your items stand out.

Another trick is to create a shop centered around one single background color. This is a great way to brand your shop and create consistency. Take a look at how kinchi.etsy.com's shop uses bright green in the background of every photo. This gives the shop a fun vibrant feeling which perfectly complements the children's clothing sold in the shop.

I hope this information has inspired you to go out and experiment with color, expecially during these cold, dark winter days.

Give it a shot soon, because we'll be highlighting Shop Makeover Series before and after screenshots at the end of the month. Paste the links in the comments below!

This Handmade Colorful Home

2008-01-25T14:33:00Z

Always wanted to add a bit of color to your home but don't know where to start? Punch up your decor with some colorfully crafted Etsy finds. Check out our Color Theory articles here for more help.

Yellow and Teal

1st Row (L to R): ritagpatel, robayre, catnapcottage

2nd Row (L to R): cristinamcallister, mtjoyschool, karenhiltondesigns

Purple and Green

1st Row (L to R): ThreePennyPalace, ThreeMusesArt, absoluut

2nd Row (L to R): joom, projectfelt, shauno

Bright Colors In Print

1st Row (L to R): yellowcanoe, JoannaGoldman, reethm

2nd Row (L to R): shutterstitch, suzannaanna, munieca

Have some colorful Etsy favorites for your home? Share them with us by posting them in the comments!

Shop Makeover Series: Makeover Your Listings with Color

2008-01-22T19:41:00Z

For her second post in her color theory series, jenlo262 has some recommendations and examples for sellers undertaking the Shop Makeover series. The following article covers color combinations and theory, as it applies to your listings.

Before you can make a sale, you will need to get buyers to look at your art. There’s no better way to entice the browsing customer to click on your image than by keeping it fresh, interesting, and colorful!

For the first image in your listing, I suggest worrying less about what and more about the wow. It’s not necessarily important to capture the whole complete image of your item as long as you get the basics of the item with some colorful artsy flair. How can color make your item pop? Follow these six tricks for a better image and see how these sellers made it work…

First things first — keep your colors true: Before you start arranging or choosing colors for your background, you will want to make sure you can keep your colors as bright as they can be by building a light box (see Lori's post here). A box will especially help when trying to keep your whites bright — making your item the center of attention. If you can’t build a light box (or your item is too big, keep it natural by using indirect sunlight. For two-dimensional items, scanners work great too if you have one available.

[crochet pattern by anapaulaoli, yarn by OneSheepHill, bracelet by FancyFreeMe ]
Contrast - balancing your lights and darks: Keep your item from blending into your background by using dark colored backgrounds for light items and light backgrounds for dark items. Or mix and match!

[earrings by KiwiTreeBotique, mug by misslo, apron by JoyfulAbode]
A splash of bright color: Keep your listing fresh by increasing your color intensity.

[soap by SudsMuffin, beads by tearose, cuff by NicoleLorentz]
Using your color compliments: Make your item pop by looking across your color wheel for a background color.
[buttons by frombelgiumwithlove, hairpins by thefunkyfelter, clay pendant by Dirtgirlpottery]
Using analogous colors: Invite your viewer into your listing with a lovely combination of similar colors.

[earrings by staroftheeast, face wall pocket by amandamoon, ceramic pendant by leapinglizards's shop]
An artsy background: Finally, give your listing a little artsy flair with an interesting, unusual, or incongruous background and have some fun!

[earrings by executeme, lariat necklace by 12linden, vintage book by whiteelephantvintage, Green Katamari pincushion by ReFabulous]

If you’re still not sure how to spruce up your listing, try just keeping it simple. The tiny little square that makes or breaks whether you get a shopper in your shop can only hold so much. A solid colored background with a quality photo will make a great lead-in to your wonderful works of art.

Comment below with links to your before and after screenshots from your Shop Makeover improvements! Which of the techniques described here helped you out?

Wednesday Workshop: Color Theory and how to apply it to your shop!

2008-01-22T16:00:00Z

Join us Wednesday, January 23rd in the Virtual Labs, specifically the "photo lab" room, at 3:00pm EST sharp for the next Labs Online Workshop!

This week we will be discussing the basics of color theory and how you can take advantage of the use of color in your shop!

So study up on the basics of color theory article we published last week and bring something to write with!

See you Wednesday,

Etsy Labs

Jenlo262 Presents: The Basics of Color Theory

2008-01-16T14:47:00Z

When winter is in full swing, there is no better time to consider color! Even in winter, color is everywhere. It jumps out at us from a group of children playing in the snow with their brightly colored hats and scarves, and it falls deep into the background of the soft lavender hills in the distance. It weaves itself throughout our homes, our landscapes, and city streets. But how do we use these colors in our creative processes – be it painting, weaving, sewing, or decorating? How can we make colors come to life in the middle of winter?

The artist’s basic color wheel (which differs from the subtractive wheel used by printers which has magenta, yellow, and cyan as its primary colors) helps us define what we are seeing, and how to make a world of color work for us. The idea behind the color wheel starts with three primary colors (red, blue, yellow) evenly spaced around the wheel. These colors are considered primary because they can not be created by mixing other colors. Historically, for artists, they were considered the building blocks for all other color choices.

As you most likely learned in your kindergarten class using glasses of colored water (although you may have forgotten by now), mixing two primary colors together creates the secondary colors of purple, green, and orange. Then, by looking across the wheel, this establishes your complementary color combinations: red and green, blue and orange, and yellow and purple. Artists consider these complements to encompass the whole spectrum of colors, since when they are mixed together (e.g. red mixed with green) they produce grey. (Or what we used to call in art class – “mud," at which point we knew it was time to go clean our brushes!)

If you need a little (and I mean little) science to back this up for you, consider the effect of the complementary colors on your eyes (more specifically the cones and rods inside your eyes).

Take 20 seconds to stare at the orange square, and then stare at the white space to the right of it (or a blank white wall or white sheet of paper) for 20 seconds. What do you see?

You are likely to see a faint blue square shape – the complement of orange. If it doesn’t work for you, it works best if you color in a red or orange square with markers on a plain piece of paper, so feel free to try it again. And remember: I said a little science! It’s also fun to note that the faint square your eyes produce is the same shape as the original colored shape at which you were staring. For more information (and another more complex eye test), go here.

But what can these complementary colors do for you? For early artists it was a great way to deceive the viewer. When blue pigment was scarce (i.e. expensive), an artist could make a grey sky look more blue by using an orange color next to the sky. A color complement is just that: it brings out its complement in surrounding colors, making it brighter and more vibrant.

So, if you want those colors to pop off the page, you can place complementary colors next to each other. Or if you want to hint at a color, you can use a complement to bring out color from something more neutral. It is also a great way to help a viewer travel through your painting, your quilt project, or even your room! Watch your eye travel from an orange pillow, to a blue vase, to an orange and blue quilt lying across your favorite chair. Using even a little bit of color complements can brighten any home!

Going further into the color wheel, we can mix primary and secondary colors together to give us a broader range of colors (tertiary colors) from which we can create color schemes – color combinations that work well together (e.g. using colors that are side by side on the wheel with one or two complements).

Another way to do this? Shop by COLOR! Choose two or three colors near each other in the Etsy color chart, and then venture out to find a complement! It’s a great way to look at a variety of colors to find your color scheme and also get to look at the items that go with them. Understanding your color wheel will make the process of finding colors that work together easier, but as you create your color combinations for your painting, your room, your afghan project, and more, it is important to realize that there are other factors at play as well (lights and darks, warms and cools, the emotions of color – more on that later). However, understanding your color wheel will be a great start to any project!

Look for the next installment in Jenlo262's series on color theory, coming soon!

Color Picker is Temporarily Offline ( UPDATED )

2007-12-17T00:09:00Z

::UPDATE -- It's back online! Pick away! ::

We've taken the color picker down for some emergency maintenance. Due to record levels of traffic hitting the site, the load from a specific color picker function has been causing some parts of the site to behave sluggishly. We’ll be looking at ways to enhance the color picker this week, and will have it back online as soon as we can. As always, site performance is a top priority, so we're doing what we can to keep it running optimally.

Please address all comments and questions to the associated forums thread.

Gift Ideas: Warm Colors for Winter

2007-12-03T07:36:00Z

These warm and glowing items will be sure to brighten someone's day come the cold and dreary winter months.

Check out the associated Treasuries by TeenAngster and AshleyJacobsen for more ideas!

Etsy Finds: Television Takes Time

2007-11-29T05:21:00Z

Today's Etsy Find is prieto808, who reminds our inner couch potatoes in colorful fashion that we've got to turn off the TV and get out into the world! Among her other works, she sells very vibrant, original acrylic paintings that snatched up my attention and didn't want to let go.

Her paintings make me feel like she's illustrating the places where imagination roams; or, on a lesser day, where it stays inside and channel-surfs for some decent reruns. Check prieto808 out! Her pieces make great gifts for indie art collectors.

(Coloring) Book Review: U.S. Supreme Court Coloring and Activity Book

2007-11-16T17:21:00Z

SarahSays writes a regular Storque column in which she provides legal info for indie entrepreneurs. As Etsy's in-house attorney, she also has the tough job of dealing with the intense and varied legal issues that come up for any young web commerce site. After hours, she feels like doing something a bit more soothing...coloring. And so she offers us this book review.

I am the proud member of many legal publication mailing lists. This is one way I stay on top of the most current legal news, case law, and theories. And most of the time I order a legal book and then hide in my office to read it. But not this time! Not this book! When this book arrived I ran around the Etsy Labs to introduce everyone to the newest member of the SarahSays library.

The U.S Supreme Court Coloring and Activity Book, by Jenny B. Davis is published by the American Bar Association Journal. The 32-page coloring book features connect-the-dots, the matching game, and a maze. The book also contains illustrations depicting significant Supreme Court Justices of the United States to color in — including all current sitting Justices. And unlike any of my other legal books, this book comes with crayons.

This book is fun yet creative and educational. The book claims to be suitable for all ages but I would assume that older children might better benefit from the content than younger children. This coloring book would be a great way to start a dialog with kids about the United States’ legal system.

Trends: Mustard Yella

2007-10-23T07:26:00Z

If you haven't already noticed, there's a lot of mustard dripping around lately, and I'm not talking about your shirt and that hot dog.

Wait -- subtract the hot dog. I am talking about your shirt.

Mustard yellow is experiencing a revival of unprecedented popularity, last observed in your mother's kitchen circa 1973 or your own embarassing school photo. (Don't hate! My first mustard clothing item was a mustard, black and purple plaid flannel that I wore to a family gathering in 1993. I got made fun of to no end. What can I say? I was a trendsetting child.)

(Not me, but a beautiful shade of yella!)

Best expressed in combination with rich navy blues, browns or blacks as an accent color, mustard has truly come full circle from its humble beginnings as a mere seed used for condiments and a source for dyes. The rich hue is a subtle, yet comforting, tone that is both autumnal (pumpkin pie, anyone?) and warm on the eyes.

As to when mustard yellow's 15 minutes of fame will be up this time, who can say? All I know is that I've got to get as much of it as I can while it lasts!

Note: This article has been published with a related Treasury. Check it out and leave some Etsy luv before it expires!

Trends: Black and Pink

2007-09-12T06:23:00Z

It’s hard to remember a time when I didn’t like the colors black and pink, but I’m sure there was a month or two in there somewhere. These days the color combination is practically always on my mind. I love the way that the two colors together feel both classic and modern. Dial up the intensity of either color and the look feels bold and fresh; tone things down and you’ve got a soft, lady-like look that never goes out of style. Since I’ve seen these colors pop up all over the design world lately I thought it might be fun to take a quick look at some of the artists working with this classic combo.

For me the queen of black and pink would have to be textile designer Madeline Weinrib. She’s has made a name for herself by creating luxurious collections of fabrics and accessories that boast bold colors and rich embroidered patterns. Some of my favorite pieces are her Suzani fabrics and rugs with bright magentas and hot pinks- the color instantly grabs your attention but is balanced out by black detailing that brings it all together. I found this combination in the work of Etsy seller sk8ordiehard as well — her “Doilies and Daydreams ” print is a great example of how fresh and bright hot pink feels when paired with black.

Etsy sellers Simply Modern and Yael Fran have some lovely prints that use a toned down pink and black for a calmer, more relaxed feel. Hot pink certainly isn’t for everyone so it’s always nice to see the pairing brought down a few notches in a way that’s easier on the eyes.

If pink and black together feels a little too 80’s for you (I can definitely skew that way if I'm not careful), check out some of the great artists working with hot pink on its own. People like Etsy seller Linea Carta and artist Claire Grill use the color in a way that feels bright and unexpected — and anything but dated.

Whether they’re using saturated colors or soft pastels, artists are definitely looking to pink and black right now. It’s such a classic combination and I’m thrilled that artists are getting back into it — hopefully it will stick around long enough for me to save up for one of those Madeline Weinrib rugs.

Check out Grace's trendspotting blog, design*sponge, for more fresh ideas on art, fashion and home decor.