Playing With RED

So how many of you have been playing along the last two weeks with our
7 Weeks of Color??

Raise your hands, come on...  well, I for one am always anxiously awaiting the next color post from the Design Team.  It's kind of like a mini version of the color wheel EXPLAINED.

Today I thought I would take a quick second to share with you my creations with the color RED.

When I sat down to create with the color RED in mind, I soon realized what a limited amount of supplies I have in this color.  

Note to self.. buy more red scrappy stuff!

For my first three cards, I tried to use RED as my primary color, with other colors acting as accents.

And for my last card, I changed things up a bit by just using smaller squares of RED polka dot paper as accents.

When you think about it, focusing one one color as either a primary OR an accent, is a great way to challenge yourself... and MAYBE, discover some supplies you completely forgot you had. (*wink*)

February Kit Release

NOW AVAILABLE

February's Kit 'A Stitch In Time' 

This kit features two incredible paper lines, Basic Grey's "Origins" and Studio Calico's "Homefront".  Combined with fabric and paper embellishments, for me, this kit gives off a feeling of a calmer time and place.  One where the pace was a little slower, and everything had a handmade touch.

February's Kit 'A Stitch In Time' is now available in store! 

The Colour Blue

The Colour BLUE

The colour blue represents many different things we see in the natural world and brings out many different feelings in us.

Blue is a cool colour and can make us feel cold with wintery images of snow and ice. However the colour also reminds us of the beautiful shades of water in oceans, lakes and rivers, as well as rain, storms and the sky which are more often associated with warmer days. Blue is often used on national flags for countries surrounded by seas and oceans.

Blue can bring out feelings of sadness, examples "feeling blue" or getting "the blues". An old custom among sailing ships was to fly blue flags and have a blue band painted along the ship’s hull when returning home if the captain or any of the officers were lost during the voyage.

Blue is often used in clothing. Police officers in many countries wear blue. Upper classes in the Western world in politics and business often wear dark blue suits. “Blue collar workers” are those in the working class that perform manual labour.

Blue is the colour of British and Canadian Conservative political parties and the Democratic Party in the United States. “Bluebloods” were royals or aristocrats and the colour was often seen in their clothing and furnishings.

Blue is calming and can help you sleep or relax, so it is a good colour for your bedroom.

Dark blue symbolizes loyalty, intelligence, honesty, integrity, peace and compassion, while light blue represents tentativeness, cleanliness and calmness.

Use the colour blue in your scrapbooking to bring out colours in your photos, give a beachy or wintery feel as needed or bring a feeling of calm to a peaceful photograph.

Blue Colour Schemes
For a monochromatic layout, use different shades of blue to keep the emphasis on your photos as well as neutral "colours" such as shades of brown, white and black for depth.

An analogous colour scheme uses 2 or 3 adjoining colours on the colour wheel such as blue and green for the ocean or blue and purple for a snowy layout.

Orange is the complementary colour to blue (opposite on the colour wheel) and bits of it can be used to really make a blue layout pop!

Here are some examples of blue layouts I have created. The first 2 are monochromatic. The third is more analogous, using greens to go with my photo.

I would love to see your layouts using the colour BLUE this week! Monochromatic, analogous, complementary or using mainly blue photos, the world is full of blue. You can upload your layout to our gallery right HERE, and link it in the comments to this post.

One Last Party at my House Project

Here is my last Party at my House kit project. I made a mini house album with pics from my family home growing up that my Mom sold this year to buy a smaller place. Lots of good memories :)

You can still get your Party at my House kit right HERE. Get it quick before the February kit comes out!!

February Sneak Peek!

"A Stitch In Time"

Releasing February 5th, 2010!

Away From Home & RAK Winner

Hi everyone!  Just popping on here from my mom's computer.  This weekend has ended up keeping me away from home, so I just wanted to stop in and apologize for not posting the winner of the last Valentine's RAK, and the sneak peek of the February kit yesterday as I had planned. 

I will be back to post the peek later tonight, but in the meantime, here is our RAK winner....

List Randomizer

1.TeenaBugg38

Timestamp: 2010-01-31 14:22:35 UTC

Congratulations TeenaBugg38!!  Please email your mailing address to admin@artfreckles.com , and I will get your goodies off to you!

 

Thanks everyone! Be back soon with a sneek for you!

The Color Red

Each Friday until our March Crop each design team member will present a color. We are hoping to inspire and educate you in the hues of many colors.


The Color RED

Red is hot. It's a strong color that conjures up a range of seemingly conflicting emotions from passionate love to violence and warfare. Red is Cupid and the Devil.

Nature of RED
A stimulant, red is the hottest of the warm colors. Studies show that red can have a physical effect, increasing the rate of respiration and raising blood pressure.
The expression seeing red indicates anger and may stem not only from the stimulus of the color but from the natural flush (redness) of the cheeks, a physical reaction to anger, increased blood pressure, or physical exertion.

Culture of RED

Red is power, hence the red power tie for business people and the red carpet for celebrities and VIPs (very important people).
Flashing red lights denote danger or emergency. Stop signs and stop lights are red to get the drivers' attention and alert them to the dangers of the intersection.
In some cultures, red denotes purity, joy, and celebration. Red is the color of happiness and prosperity in China and may be used to attract good luck.

Red is often the color worn by brides in the East while it is the color of mourning in South Africa. In Russia the Bolsheviks used a red flag when they overthrew the Tsar, thus red became associated with communism. Many national flags use red. The red Ruby is the traditional Fortieth Wedding Anniversary.

Use of the Color RED
Use the color red to grab attention and to get people to take action. Use red when you don't want to sink into the background. Use red to suggest speed combined with confidence and perhaps even a dash of danger. A little bit of red goes a long way. Small doses can often be more effective than large amounts of this strong color. Multiple shades of red and even pink or orange can combine for a cheerful palette.

Use of RED with other Colors
Although not normally considered an ideal coupling, in combination with green, red is a Christmas color — a joyful season.
Cool blues provide contrast and tone down the heat of red. Light pinks and yellows are harmonizing colors that can work well with red if not too close in value such as dark red with a pale or golden yellow. Be careful using purple. It can be an elegant combination but too much could be overpowering.

Add a dash of red to a soft but sophisticated pink and gray combo. For some countries, including the US, red, white, and blue is a very patriotic trio even if the shades of red and blue differ from those used in the flag.

The layout I chose to do for this COLOR Challenge is special in the fact it has journaling from one of my favorite PETRA songs~The Coloring Song.

I challenge you to use the COLOR RED and feel free to be inspired by my design.
Please upload your creation in our gallery.
Be sure to tune in NEXT FRIDAY for the next COLOR CHALLENGE!

**Color information provided from desk top publishing on the Internet**