Hello Yellow!

The warmth of the sun, as the Beach Boys sang, depicts the comfort that is given by the color yellow. Yellow is a color that is full of creativity and energy. This color is the one that is easiest to see, and some folks who are color blind may be able to see the color yellow. Yellow is happy, wise and joyful. Yellow is considered a color of high intellect.

The use of color in decor or design adds clarity to decision making, relief from stress, better concentration and a guard against lethargy during those cold, dark winter days. Yellows are popular in kitchens and bathrooms as they give light to those rooms and possible inspiration to the cooks using the kitchen. Yellow in an office adds an uplifting, cheerful appearance.

Yellow was one of the first colors used in cave painting because it was derived from clay. The color yellow is found in Egyptian tombs as they decided that the gods had bones made of gold, so they interpreted this into their tomb paintings. The Egyptian’s yellow paint was created from orpiment, which contains arsenic and of course, highly toxic. The women’s faces were depicted in gold or yellow.

Yellow is the color of gold, which makes it a rich and royal color.

The Chinese consider the color yellow to be their center and is associated with the Earth. The color yellow is also associated with the emperors of the Qing Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty. During the reign of Huangdi, who is regarded as the founder of the Chinese civilization, there were an enormous amount of inventing going on. He is considered the Yellow Emperor.

The Hindus wear yellow to celebrate spring.

France painted traitors yellow.

The United States painted taxicabs and school buses yellow in order for them to be visible. It is also the color of caution.

Yellow is the happiest color of the entire spectrum.

Since yellow is associated with health, warmth, optimism, and cheerfulness, it is no wonder that yellow finds its way into so many different designs and creations.

Yellow can be bright, sunshiny or it can be a sweet pastel. Yellow and red make orange and yellow and blue make green. Yellow goes with everything and can easily be worked into a design. It is a primary color and used to blend all sorts of new colors. Yellow is wonderful alone or with a contrasting color like purple or black.

These designers used yellow to make a solid statement or a soft whisper. Either way, the use of yellow in these designs will give the owner a sense of well-being.

asiansecrets

Batik Art Painting, 'Girl with Butterfly' by Taufik (75cm x 90cm)

Gingers-Garden

Glycerin Soap Yellow Daffodil Jonquil Flower in a gift box

Uniquelyhandmade

Retro Or Diner Look Yellow Gingham Like Check Tablecloth Fringe 53x70

shymouseecrafts

Tart Tangy Lemon Refreshing Coconut Scented Octagon Pillar Candle

TheOldBarnDoor

Purple and Yellow Iris on Blank Photo Note Card - Dawn of Change Flower Photography

SolanaKaiDesigns

Lace Agate and Metallic Gold Czech 6/0 Glass Seed Bead Necklace 18.5"

ResetarGlassArt

Amber Fused Glass Platter with Iridized Black Accents, 14 x 7 Inches

FairiesMarket

The Denim Handkerchief Quilt

Creationsbyfrannie

Moms Personalized Gift Keepsake and Remembrance

Covergirlbeads

Encased Lampwork Lentil Beads Handmade Glass Apricot Raku Silver Clear

bynani

A-Line Skirt -- White with Blue and Yellow Floral Print

evezbeadz

Yellow Jade Leopard Heart Black Hello Kitty Necklace

FrozenFairytale

Yellow satin fabric flower hair pin

bluemorningexpressions

Pink and Yellow Swirl Necklace and Earring Set Lampwork Beads

DesertCreations

Flowing Gold Wire Dangle Earrings with a yellow glass focal bead

Thefamilyjoolz

Vintage Recycled Goodwill Curls and Beads

specialtivity

Chenille stitch Green and Yellow tubular Hoop Earrings

zoomgraphik

Olivine Jade bracelet with pewter bead

ButterflyInTheAttic

Pair of Vintage Summer Fish Earrings

KevsKrafts

Heart Inside Heart Pendant Handcrafted from Poplar Wood

KatsAllThat

Lemon Jasper and Khaki Quartz 19 inch Chunky Necklace Set

Umeboshi

Lemon Meringue Dichroic Fused Glass Pendant with Bright Teal Accents

hollyknittercreations

Handmade Yellow and White Mini Cloth

carolesjackets

Sweatshirt jacket; yellow/daffodil design. Sizes 2X to 5X.

dianesdangles

Citrine Gemstone Nugget White Freshwater Pearl Bracelet, Yellow 8 Inch

ThaddeusRose

Tiger Eye Earrings With Crystals, Brass, Copper, Ear Wires, Handmade

jnldesigns

Yellow Flower Vintage White Filigree Ring

PrettyGonzo

Polymer Clay Flower Bracelet with Carnelian Gemstones and Seeds, Earthy, Multicolor Yellow, Brown, Green

artbysunfire

Greeting card for friendship any occasion 228

ShadowDogDesigns

Yellow Tangerine Czech Glass Handmade Earrings Swarovski Beaded Summer

Thesingingbeader

Dark yellow brown magnesite nugget earrings antique brass lever backs

craftsofthepast

Golden Nephrite Jade and Vivid Rose Quartz Gemstone Beaded Bracelet

ClicksbyKaren

Yellow Gingham: A pendant charm necklace

Sunny, fun and mentally stimulating, the use of yellow in all these designs are sure to add happiness to whomever owns them! You can see all of these great designers’ gift ideas for Mother’s Day on this blog post: http://bmebluprint.blogspot.com/2013/03/mothers-day-countdown-week-5.html

They have a lot more than yellow!

Enjoy!

Julie and Blu

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Barking up the Wrong Sea Lion

Sunday nights at my house when I was a kid consisted of a big bowl of popcorn and Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, back when it was called Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. There was the great animation of Tink popping fireworks over the castle in Technicolor. We even got to see Walt himself as he told the story of the episode we were going to see. The building of excitement of something great and being with family for popcorn that was made on the stove in a cast iron skillet, made Sunday nights the night to look forward to. Dad was the popper, the rest of us, the munchers.

This is a newer intro, but Tink makes her appearance.

Cartoons were good, so were those movies like Mary Poppins, but the real star as far as I was concerned was any documentary that contained animals. I loved the photography, the beautiful scenery, the wonderful animals and the outrageously funny narrations. Animal behavior was unpredictable and could downright funny. Leaping lizards and dancing birds all made up some of these fantastic documentaries.

While I enjoyed most of the animals depicted on the nature documentaries, I just adored the seals. If my memory serves me right, which it probably does NOT, there were several little snippets that were filmed with the Mouskateers and seals doing tricks. There was even the movie, Sammy the Far Out Seal, which I do NOT remember.

Seals on Disney were sleek, black, funny and very, very intelligent. They were able to do tricks, play with their handlers and amuse the crowds. You can see the same silly seals in Sea World.

These kind of seals:

So, you can imagine how excited I was to get a chance to see the seals when I was out in California. I had heard about the seals just lazing about on the shores and the floating docks in San Francisco. I imagined all these cute little black sealions barking and waiting to entertain me.

However, this is what greeted me on the shores of California (right outside of Cambria if anyone wants to know) and on the docks of San Francisco:

 

 

 

Not quite what I had in mind at all, however, the sea lion seen above is the same sea lion used by places like Sea World. They seem to have a fur that I did not expect, as they come onto shore to molt.

Apparently, sea lions are quite content to float about or lounge on the beach. I did see a couple interactions between two males that was on the aggressive side, but for the most part, these guys are just as happy sunning themselves as they are socializing. They also have little ears, which takes them out of the true seal class like the Leopard Seal.

The sea lion is an extremely social creature, and they communicate with series of barks and chirps that is only understood if you are another seal.

These guys are so smart that the Navy has used them to retrieve equipment, search for mines and do other services related to ships and rescue. They are used along with the dolphin for use by the government. Even they are about to lose their jobs by robots. The Navy will replace the use of these guys by robots by 2017.

Seals taste good if you are a killer whale or a polar bear.

While my seals did not come with a beach ball or a Hula Hoop, they were entertaining to watch in the natural state. They nuzzled, fought, bickered, complained, pushed each other off the floats and all the natural things that social groups do. They chased each other out of groups and talked about the outcast.

I was fascinated by how many of these things there were. They were everywhere.

If you get a chance to see these guys in the wild, they really are a fascinating sight.

Oh, and they are NOISY!

Enjoy

Julie and Blu

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Mother's Day Countdown Week 5

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Lassen and the Eye of Vulcan

It is active and it is spectacular. Mount Lassen is the southernmost volcano in the Cascade Range that is active. It last erupted in 1921 after a seven year period of eruptions. The most explosive one was last felt in 1915 when the mountain blew a hole out the side. This side explosion is the same as what Mount St. Helens did in the early 80s. I do not know why I am so intensely interested in things that blow up, but I have done the Ring of Fire Tour, which is the name I dubbed a vacation that consisted of sticking my nose into anything that bubbles, steams or rattles. It was the same tour that brought me to Mount St. Helens, Glacier and Yellowstone.
Lassen is the example of what will become of the Mount St. Helen’s debris field. The park that surrounds Lassen has benefitted from the cleansing of the land, and is the home of many different volcanoes and geothermal activities. Every volcano is represented in the park. Lassen peak is a cinder cone volcano with lots of craters on the top. The Vulcan’s Eye is the rock formation that is at the beginning of the Lassen Trail.
While we did not do any hiking, we did do a lot of wandering around Lassen National Park. This photo shows the Vulcan’s Eye and Crag’s Lake.


This was the first mountain lake that I was ever high enough to see and I was overwhelmed by the clear blue water that is typical of mountain lakes. The colors are so unspoiled and brilliant. We had a beautiful sky and clear day to wander around the volcanoes.
Lassen Peak has the highest snowfall rate of any other place in California. The base is over 8,000 feet, while the peak is over 10,000 feet. It is considered one of the most likely to erupt in the future. Next to Mount St. Helen’s this is the only other volcano to erupt in the United States in the 21st Century. It is likely to erupt again in the future.
This is a cropped version of the eye,which I took from the parking lot at the trailhead. The original photo had the parking lot in it and was taken from the road beside the parking lot.

Since this is a National Park, if you get your park pass that is good for a year, you too can do the Ring of Fire Tour.
I find there are so many wonderful places to explore that I will never have enough time in my lifetime to get to them all, but I am sure trying!
Enjoy
Julie and Blu

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Pink is Not Just for Little Girls

The use of the color pink to signify a baby girl was not even a color choice for babies until just around World War I, which is just about 1914 for those who hate history.

Until that time, children wore white cotton dresses until about the age of 5 or 6, yes, boys AND girls were dressed in white dresses. The cotton bleached well, so it was always clean and no one had the time or energy to fool with different clothing colors for different genders. Additionally, the color pink was relegated to boys because it was a bolder color and the blues for the dainty girls.  My, how things changed.

The color pink is a derivative of red and as we know, red is a strong and dominant color. A simple dash of white brings the color down to a much lesser color, but does not relieve that drama associated with red. Pinks are for those who have a bold streak in them and are not afraid to show it off. Think Lady Gaga.

Pinks can also have a hint of blue in them to get an even bolder color bordering on the magenta side. This hot pink was a proud contributor to the clothing and styles of the 60s. Again, think Lady Gaga who has been stuck in a time warp since time eternal.

When muted and soft, like pastels, pink is the color of romance and love. It is displayed in spring collections and Easter bonnets. It shows up in ribbons and bows and ballet slippers. It is dreamy and associated with little girls, which connotes innocence. It is the color of fairies and all things cute.

Pink is also used in the symbol for the breast cancer fight.

Pink is the color used by the Roman Catholic Church to signify joy and happiness. The Buddhists consider pink the fourth primary energy center.

Pink alone is not uncommon. It is an independent color that can stand by itself and create a mood. When pink is coupled with other colors, it can become quite dramatic. Pink and black are a common pair and they look stunning together. This is one way to pair two dominant colors without mishap, since pink is muted. Pink with blue are equally pretty, but lack the dramatic appearance that black plays with the color pink.

Pink pairs well with green since they are opposite on the color wheel. A hot pink and a lime green make a wonderful retro color combination. Pinks work with purples since they are side by side on the wheel, it takes a little blue and a little red to get to a purple, and when they paired, they are a continuation of the primary colors. Add white for springtime floral arrangements.

The more colors added to a red, the more the mood of the pink changes. You can have a salmon, rose, peach, wine, fuchsia or coral pinks that all make wonderful accent colors. Pink works with all metals as well. It is warm, but not hot, it is comfortable and not overwhelming and it softens a design.

Feminine and pretty, pink works for big and little girls. Youthful and fun, pink brings out the playful side of everyone. Everyone knows the best cotton candy is pink!

These designers knew how to incorporate pink into their designs to bring out the best in the pink.

KevsKrafts

Wood Breast Cancer Awareness Ribbon Ornament Handcrafted Cedar

SolanaKaiDesigns

Swarovski Crystal, Handmade Polymer Clay Beads, Pewter Charm Earrings

Creationsbyfrannie

Personalized Love and Marriage 1224 Keepsake

carolesjackets

Sweatshirt jacket: pink with irises embroidery. Sizes S-XL.

Uniquelyhandmade

Childrens Name Banner Custom Wall Decor Pink Horse with Blue Red Plaid

ResetarGlassArt

Fused Glass Pendant, Pink Zebra Pattern Dichroic on Royal Blue Base

TheOldBarnDoor

Victorian Swedish Scripture Card Romans 6:23 Pink Rose

evezbeadz

Sweet Treats Pink Cheshire Cat Jade Necklace OOAK

Thefamilyjoolz

Pink Pearls and Lace Necklace

Thesingingbeader

Short small 14 inch choker rose pink white beaded opalite Czech

FrozenFairytale

Chandelier mixed media polymer, metal and stone earrings.

postcardsintheattic

Antique Postcard - Pink Real Photo RPPC Couple - Romantic - Romance - Paris - Early 1909

ShadowDogDesigns

Pink Green Candy Jade Aventurine Sterling Silver Earrings Handmade

Umeboshi

Oblong Color Shifting Handmade Dichroic Glass Jewelry Earrings w Gold

PrettyGonzo

Pink and Blue Necklace, Flower Beads, Freshwater Pearls, Rhodonite

berkshirebowls

Unicorn Puzzle in Pink Standing Puzzle

clemmievtotesandbags

Playful and Practical, all in one anything bag.

Covergirlbeads

Pink Flower Bead Ivory Handmade Lampwork Glass Lentil Floral Vines SRA

specialtivity

7 inch Cotton Candy Pink Flat Spiral Stitch bracelet

ThaddeusRose

Citrine Glass Bead Dangle Earrings Bead Caps Pink Brown Pale Yellow

 

KatsAllThat

Papaya Freshwater Pearl and Pink Lace Agate Donut Pendant Necklace

jnldesigns

Chunky Black and Pink Interchangeable Watch Band

bluemorningexpressions

Handmade Polymer Clay Bead Necklace Purple Pink Blue Pearl Mosaic

PolkadotOrchid

Custom Embroidered Pink and Purple Baby Snap Shirt Protagonist Series

ninascorner

Handmade Crocheted Pony Stuffed Animal Toy

PamelaBead

Baby Pink and Blue Stretch Bracelet

DesertCreations

Pink and Black Spotted Rhodonite Stone Beaded Silver Wire Wrapped Ring

KKMaries

Polka Dot Mother Daughter Wood Tile Pendant Set

dianesdangles

Rose Quartz and Pink Cats Eye Chandelier Silver Dangle Earrings

craftsofthepast

Antique Venetian Wedding Cake Bead Necklace Old Bakelite Sea Coral

 

When you want to soften a mood, always take pink into consideration.

These designers are also featured on Mother’s Day Countdown Week 4 with many other gift ideas for mom. Please stop by and visit their studios for more beautiful art.

Enjoy

Julie and Blu

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