Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Color Choices...

I'm making a chevron pillow as part of an online CAL (Crochet A-Long), and I was at first going for a bright mix of colors - thinking they'd look fun on our red couch.


That picture is small on purpose.  I'm afraid of blinding someone.  As much fun as this combination is to me, it just downright clashes with the couch.  So I'll need to find another purpose for that terrific riot of colors I've begun above.

Now I'm thinking about more subdued choices for my couch pillow.   The base will be dark brown, light brown, wheat, off white (that actually has a slight tint of rose to it - love it), and burgundy.  While the pictures don't quite capture the burgundy-ness of the yarn, the burgundy basically matches the couch.



And what I'm contemplating adding is gold (which gives the combination a decidedly autumn feel):



And then look what happens when I add teal (and yes, that's a different color of gold):


Is it good, or is it bad?  I don't know if I have a problem with not knowing when to stop with color, or fear of being too bold with color.   In case you're inclined to share your opinion (and be my guest), remember...the red is really a burgundy (as opposed to a cherry red like it looks above).  And the teal has a slight bit more green tint (it's really not bright like it appears above).  And the off white has a slight rose tint that compliments the burgundy.   lol    So much for providing pictures.  I really need to figure out how to get true red and blue colors out of this camera.

Newsflash!   I just tried putting in the basket the teal without the gold and THAT'S IT!   I'm ditching the gold.   For now, anyway.  ;^)

Meanwhile, I've got something on the hook I've been meaning to whip up for a while now.  It's going to be a rectangular shawl and the pattern produces a kind of lattice-work design.


And I finally got my hands of a copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo.   Admittedly, I'm only about a third of the way in, but I don't quite understand the attention this book has gotten.  It doesn't seem to me to be anything terribly new, nor Ms. Kondo's strategy very difficult as I've heard lamented across the internet.  But then I'm what some might call old, and probably have at least 2 more decades of decluttering under my belt than Ms. Kondo (nevermind that she started her "tidying" at the tender age of six.  But then again...didn't most of us when our mothers chided us weekly to "Clean your room!")? 

While there's "nothing new under the sun" ...and all that, in this book, I do recommend checking it out if you're needing to get a handle on your stuff.  Because whether or not it holds any magic for you, it certainly can provide another motivation to get rid of that which is bogging you down. 

When it comes right down to it, it's not that most of us really don't know how to "tidy", it's that we lack motivation, and sometimes are overwhelmed by the volume, are busy or even lazy, and well, yeah...just not getting it done.  Ms. Kondo won't likely motivate you to shake off the overwhelmed-ness you may be feeling - for that I recommend Peter Walsh and any of his decluttering books, or to show how old I really am, my first decluttering guru was Don Aslett.  He provides some serious motivation.  But Marie Kondo may just spark some interest in tackling your clutter once more with some resolve and give you the courage to tackle it in bigger chunks than you may think you can.  If clutter is getting the best of you, check out the KonMari method of "tidying".

Linked to Ginny's Small Things
and
Nicole's Crafting On

19 comments:

  1. I think I prefer the first combination, but I am quite conservative. That said, I love your first riot of colour!

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  2. Beautiful colors and I love the bright chevrons!

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    1. Thanks. It's not something I'd normally put together, but I was feeling kind of...spunky. lol

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  3. I read the Marie Kondo book last fall. There's some things I like about it and that were new to me. I like how she has you work on a single category at a time rather than a room or shelf or bookcase. It's too easy to keep multiples of things without realizing it because one is stored in the bedroom and the other in the office. I also like how she works from less emotionally-fraught categories up to more difficult categories. I don't necessarily agree with her order of what is easier and what is more difficult, though. I think clothes could be very difficult for some people! I also don't appreciate her attitude towards books.

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    1. I'm currently working on my closet and today I made a list of the order of categories I would go through. Shirts/tops had already been done, so my list went like this: sweaters, pants, skirts/dresses, shoes. When I opened the book shortly after making my list, that was pretty much the exact order Ms. Kondo listed. I guess I intuited which would be less emotionally challenging for me without realizing that was the goal. I will say, the idea of leaving the emotionally charged items 'till one has had success with other things is, perhaps, a bit of a new thought for me, if not all that revolutionary.

      An oh dear...I haven't gotten to the books section. I've been seriously culling through my book collection in recent years and I have found that it works best for me to do it "layers" - a thought that would be contradictory to the KonMari method. I may need to leave my precious books 'till later. lol

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  4. I LOVE the addition of the Teal. I think it really gives it that pop of color!

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    1. Okay, that seals it. I'm keeping the teal no matter what. :^)

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  5. I love the teal in with those other colors. I think it pulls it all together!

    I have been wondering about that book. Motivation, or lack of it, is my problem right now. Being a military family, I really do a thorough declutter during each move. I lost something dear to me somewhere in the house this week and finding it has led to more straightening up than you can imagine!

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    1. I know...losing something important is a pretty good motivator to clearing the decks. A stressful motivator, but sometimes a useful one.

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  6. I liked the gold, but maybe that's because I am a Leo which is a sun sign.

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    1. :^) I don't not like the gold. But I do think it was complicating the color combination for me.

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  7. I think you hit the right combo....the gold wasn't doing much for me. I think you're choices will be lovely!!! And I think you are the first person who has agreed with me about that book....but I, too, have been 'downsizing' and 'decluttering' for much longer than the author has been alive....and there were so many fabulous 'simplicity' books that came out in the 90s; circle of simplicity, living with less, voluntary simplicity and a skinny little volume that I finally gave to a dear HS friend who was drowning in stuff that was my organizing Bible for years---wish I could remember the title. Anyway, I figure the author is the Duane Elgin of the day, and every generation needs their 'heroes'!

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    1. I think you're right - every generation needs their 'heroes' - or 'experts'. We were no different, I suppose.

      Okay...today I got to the section on folding KonMari style. This, I will say is new - to me. Folding things so they stand up on end. I tried today with DH's shorts. I can't wait to hear him laugh when he opens his drawer. If it appears to be working I'll try the t-shirts. Though how to get folded t-shirts to stand up is a bit of a mystery to me. Also, the depth (height) of the drawer space isn't put to good use. I'm not sold, but I'm giving it a try.

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  8. I like the real too. I'm having a hard time choosing color combos too. I started a Pinterest board for just color palettes hoping it would help me. I'm drawn to monotones and blues it seems. LOL

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    1. I think I'm more a monotone sort of gal, too. And blues! Oddly, nothing in my house is blue.

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  9. Came here to say gold without teal. Realise I'm outvoted and you already decided. Leaving quietly now :p

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    1. lol You don't have to leave quietly, Michelle. I do welcome the input. I'm going to be experimenting with it here for a few days. I'm back to not having completely ruled out gold, or even settled on teal as an accent, but I do love the teal color. Hopefully, I'll have at least a swatch done soon and can post more pictures. Maybe for Wednesday's Yarn Along...

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