Color Inspiration

Color is an essential part of life. From its importance in art and design to fashion, it helps if we all understood it a little better. The first step is to find inspiration and then analyze how the colors work within a particular scheme. Finally, understanding how the colors make you feel will allow you to create something extraodinary.

You can find inspiration everywhere you look. Don't take anything for granted. When you are running errands, stop and take in the architecture of the buildings around you. What colors do you see? Examine how the light affects the surface of the building. How do the tones reflect against the environment?

{The warm colors of clay, green and creams remind you of the desert while inspired during late afternoon in the city}

{Colors of late summer with a touch of peach will make you feel the cool whispers of the trees dancing in the breeze}

Nature can be the best place to find ideas. Since Mother Earth has created such a beautiful palette for us, we just have to take what makes us feel good and go for it. Blues, greens and neutrals are just the beginning. The seasons carry bright autumn hues, winter whites and flowers born with every color of the rainbow and beyond.

{With a calm olive being the main color, the light blue and cheery yellow add the colors from a spring garden}

{Cool blues and gray with a touch of brown mimic autumn birch trees while the soothing mustard yellow adds some brightness and warmth}

{Brown and olive green neutrals keep this palette calm}

Another way nature helps us in the color department is through food. Everything that grows from the Earth is unique. Depending on its nutritional content and origin, veggies, fruits and plants provide an array of colorful ideas. The next time you make dinner try arranging the plate with style. Don't forget to take a picture!

{Olives and creams contrast each other while mustard and brown helps even out this pasta inspired palette}

{A warm hearty breakfast shares a neutral toned backdrop with light touches of creams and lavenders}

Wherever you find inspiration, it's good to start with one main color and then pick no more than three to compliment it. Keep saturated, bright colors to a minimum and muted; darker tones for backdrops. As long as they all come together in harmony, your project should be beautiful.

{This nautical themed palette of neutrals will create a calm and relaxing space in any home}

{Vintage blues and grays set a nice tone for the reddish brown and dark cream to create whimsy}

{I am currently working on a series of Photographic Palettes with Kate Smith for Sensational Color and so excited to start sharing them with my readers. So many new and fun projects lined up for 2012 so keep an eye out and I promise to keep you posted}

Food Styling

I love when I get to host a dinner party or gathering. Putting smiles on people's faces makes it all worth it but I find a lot of fun in decorating the space and styling the food. Everything you serve should look good. In terms of baked goods, pretty is what you should always shoot for. No one wants to eat food that reminds them of something gross. If you're like me, you won't go near something if it smells bad or looks unappealing. It just ain't gonna happen!

I recently had my fiance's cousin and her boyfriend over for dinner. Even though I was in the kitchen cooking and baking all afternoon, it was worth it. They loved everything and we all had a great time catching up. For dinner I made Veggie Quesadillas with Spiced Corn on the Cob and Salad. Then for dessert I whipped up Vanilla Cupcakes and Whoopie Pies (which was a first). I was glad to know they were a hit.

A thing to remember when you are serving food of any kind - it's all in the presentation. If you just throw stuff in a bowl and lay it out, it will look that way. It's nice to show you care and want everything to be special for your guests so jazzin it up a bit is the way to go. You don't have to crazy, simple always comes out of top, but just a few little additions and your table will be beautiful and picture perfect!

Here I used pretty white decorative plates and flowers to brighten up my dessert table. The cupcakes stood on a cake stand and I placed a bud vase in the middle with smaller flowers. All the colors came together and made a gorgeous spring presentation. Yummo!

{Due to the dreary day, the area lacked a lot of light. So if you can get past the shadows, enjoy the photos}