Craving Color

By Rebecca Christian

We’re in the bleak midwinter, alright, with snow on snow on snow. Last night I spent a jolly twenty minutes attempting to excavate my teeny little mother’s enormous boat-like Mercury Marquis from several feet of the stuff. At least it’s still cold enough that the snow is still pure white — it hasn’t turned to that sad brown sugar slush yet.

The experience left me craving color, so I wore my Love That Red Revlon  lipstick today. I love the classic color and the style of the tube. It reminds me of a Timex or a martini glass, just as cool now as it was in 1960 and will be in 2020.

When I got to work, I was delighted to find a catalog in my mail slot from Viva Terra. These colorful enameled bowls reminded me of the kind of picnics you took as a kid, carrying along a Mason jar (now that’s another timeless design) to catch butterflies and an old blankie to stretch out on and gaze up at the clouds.

Aren’t they pretty? I have to admit I’ve sometimes bought furnishings as much for the color name as for the product itself. I once committed to wall-to-wall carpet in a blue-grey color that was pretty but not quite right for my 20s-era house (I should have stripped the floors and bought Oriental rugs instead) because I couldn’t resist its name, October Storm. Once in a newlywed basement apartment, I attempted to banish the drear by painting my kitchen just the color of the peaches in this pie.

There was an awkward moment when a visitor asked, “Didn’t you just about die when you saw how they’d painted the kitchen this awful orange?” That was during the Country French era. I had curtains that were peach, blue and white and  at a farm auction I got a rocking chair upholstered in Granny Smith apple green: It’s a combination I still like.

Don’t you love the way the Mad Men TV show has brought color back into women’s clothes? My daughter received a kelly green vintage dress for Christmas and was overjoyed.

Hey, life’s a costume party! Could kelly green or  Screaming Yellow Zonkers yellow be the new black? Or how about motel-pool turquoise, which I love in small doses. For our April color issue, we’re featuring designer Trina Turk. Below is one of her adorable dresses. www.trinaturk.com

Yesterday in my new duties overseeing our garden coverage, I was given the coolest Sunflower  gloves (www.mudgloves.com) in lime green. They  are opera length,  thin enough to be very comfortable and not make your fingers clumsy, and made in a UV blocking fabric. Because they go clear up your arm, they’re good for when you’re doing anything “viney.” First prune your bushes, then go to the opera!

At the same site, you can find a mini version of  adult Mud Gloves, called Mud Puddles, shown below, in frog (green) and flamingo (pink). They’re cotton-lined and waterproof. At $5.99 a pair, they’d make a fun Easter basket gift for grandkids, especially if they like to garden with you.

Readers, what colors are you craving, and what websites do you got to when you want to take a ride on the color wheel?