by Kim Hughes
supplies: cardstock, Prism, Bazzill; patterned paper, Bella Blvd., Making Memories, My Mind’s Eye, My Little Yellow Bicycle, Me & My Big Ideas; stickers, Making Memories, BasicGrey, Sassafras; metal brads and clip, Making Memories; punch, Fiskars; pen, Sakura; adhesive, Therm O Web
I chose green for my page because the photo of my son, Mitchell, reminded me of that beautiful summer day. The grass was so green and the feeling of nature was overwhelming. I wanted to create a fresh and clean looking layout because the colours made me feel renewed. I took scraps of green patterned paper from several manufacturers and added them in strips of various widths beside my photo.
Red symbolizes many things and is considered a very intense colour. Depending on the shade, it can mean many things. Dark red, for example, symbolizes energy, leadership, courage, and anger. Light red symbolizes joy, passion, sensitivity, and love. Pink symbolizes friendship and love.
by Kerry McRorie
supplies: cardstock and patterned paper, Stampin’Up!; ink, Stampin’Up!; buttons, Making Memories; die-cut shapes and letters, QuicKutz; floss, DMC; font, Century Gothic; adhesive, SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY 3L
I wanted to show that red is not just for Christmas and Valentine’s Day. I took summer photos from the cottage and pulled red from the twizzlers, my son’s lifejacket, and from the inner tube. For continuity, I matted all of the photos with red, die-cut the title in red, and printed my journaling in red ink. Red floss and one red button work to further solidify my colour themed layout.by Linda Harrison
supplies: cardstock, Stampin’Up!; patterned paper, Stampin’Up!, Dream Street; brads, Stampin’Up!, Making Memories; button, Making Memories; chipboard, Technique Tuesday; rub-ons, Fiskars, Dream Street
I chose these pictures because they had SO many colours in them—a monochromatic theme really helped keep the layout from getting too busy. The blue/green colour added to the tropical and “fun” feel of the subject matter...especially since this is a place we visited while in the Cayman Islands. This was the perfect colour to give us a feel that we were back down there once again.
Green symbolizes life, nature, fertility, and a state of wellness. It is considered the most restful colour. It also is said to symbolize self-respect and balance within.
Orange is associated with joy, warmth, enthusiasm, and creativity. It is also said to symbolize success, determination, and encouragement. It is widely popular with younger people and is said to stimulate both appetite and mental activity.
by Kimber McGray
digital supplies: Kellie Mize Flying High kit for Designer Digitals (www.designerdigitals.com); Katie Pertiet Snap Frame Flourished Square Frames No. 2 for Designer Digitals (www.designerdigitals.com)
I love the colour orange! It could be because I married a redhead, or because my son has copper-coloured hair, or because fall is my favourite time of year. Whatever the reason, I just find orange warm, vibrant, and exciting! For this layout, I pulled the orange from my son’s hair and jacket and then just built on it from there.
Also called aqua or aquamarine, turquoise is a mix of both blue and green. It is said to symbolize water, sophistication, and to possess the same restful qualities of both blue and green. While lighter shades symbolize femininity, darker shades of teal symbolize a lively sophistication.
“Mere colour, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways. “ ~Oscar Wilde
Colour is everywhere. It heightens our senses, affects our moods, and has even been said to define our personalities. Cultures around the world strongly associate colours with various themes, omens, and rites of passage. In North America, for example, black has long been associated with death, while white is believed to signify life and purity. In Asia, however, white is the traditional colour of mourning. In North America, black has also come to suggest sophistication and formality. We associate trust and stability with the colour blue, while people of Korean descent associate these same virtues with the colour pink. So, around the world, our associations with colour are as varied and as diverse as the colour wheel itself.
With regards to our health, specific colours are thought to have different effects on people and on the healing and treatment of various disorders. Colour and light therapies have been dated back thousands of years to ancient Egypt and Asia and have recently been gaining popularity as a method of treating S.A.D (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Here is a brief list of what colours are typically associated with what emotions, moods, and therapies:
Black: self-confidence, power, and strength
Blue: calming, lowers blood pressure, decreases respiration
Green: soothing, relaxing mentally as well as physically, helps those suffering from depression, anxiety, nervousness
Violet: suppresses appetite, provides a peaceful environment, good for migraines
Pink: used in diet therapy as an appetite suppressant, relaxes muscles, relieves tension, and is soothing
Yellow: energizes, relieves depression, improves memory, and stimulates appetite
Orange: energizes, stimulates appetite and digestive system
Red: stimulates brain wave activity, increases heart rate, respirations and blood pressure
With regards to design, colour is considered one of the most useful and powerful tools one has to work with. As artists, we respond to colours in different ways, and these responses take place on a subconscious, emotional level. We also use colour to help us tell our stories. Most of us have strong colour preferences and gravitate again and again to a similar palette. It is a BIG challenge for many of us to step outside of our comfort zones and work with “different” colours. For the purpose of this article, we are featuring four different layouts—each with a very different colour theme. Kim, Kerry, Linda, and Kimber each chose a colour and created a very monochromatic layout based around it. Here are the layouts and a description of the colours they used:
