magazine monday: pantone’s color of the year!

A day or so after the new year began, I decided to give Evernote a try.  The beginning of a new year seemed like an appropriate time to organize the lists in my head, those on post-it notes and the ones on legal pads, into one program that I could not only access online, but from my phone as well.  Since downloading the Evernote app for my iPhone, I’ve been able to keep track of the various ideas that pop into my head while, for example, I’m brushing my teeth.  (Talk about productivity!)

In my Evernote account, you’ll find various lists from personal goals to topics that I’d like to see on my blog.  Pantone’s color of the year, Turquoise, was near the top of my “To Blog About” list, but I wanted to find the perfect moment for it to make its debut on the & [unlimited] blogsite…

That moment came as I was flipping through the 15th Anniversary issue of Martha Stewart Weddings this past weekend and saw nearly an entire page dedicated to Pantone 15-5519!  A turquoise-themed Magazine Monday with Meredith became my mission for today!

Back in December, Pantone announced that Pantone 15-5519 Turquoise would be 2010′s Color of the Year.   According to Pantone, the worldwide respected authority on color, “turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of well-being.”

Now, I’m no color expert myself, but as the resident of a light turquoise home with lots of turquoise accents, I have to say that I agree completely with Pantone.  I find our home to be quite calming and I often catch myself dreaming of running off to a tropical paradise, just by looking at the bowl on my coffee table.

Here are a few bits & pieces of turquoise I am inspired by daily:

I found these jars and an old telephone insulator at one of my all-time favorite stores, Portland Salvage Company.  And this mug, although not the official color of the year, is one of Pantone’s Universe Mugs.  I picked mine up at Gus & Ruby, the delightfully cute stationery shop in Portsmouth.

We found a few more turquoise accents at two other favorite local shops.  The pillow, rug and throw pictured below are from the colorful Company C, and the bowl was picked out from the impressive collection at Foundry Lane, both located on Commercial Street in downtown Portland.

Wedding-wise, a turquoise-inspired color palette is one of my favorites!  After doing a quick search for turquoise inspiration boards, I fell in love with this one from Snippet & Ink. Click HERE to see the post about this particular board.

Inspiration Board Credit: Kathryn at Snippet & Ink.  Click HERE to see individual image credits.

In fashion, the color turquoise can be quite versatile.  I prefer the casual, relaxed cotton turquoise, as shown below.  The two photographs on the left and right are ones I took of the Brook There Fall ’09 Basics line.  Michael snapped the one in the middle of yours truly (showing off my Shootsac!) in Kauai last month!  I’m wearing my all-time favorite Patagonia Morning Glory Dress that I’ve had for years.

Well, that about wraps up my love for Pantone’s Color of the Year!  And, to think, it’s not even my all-time favorite color…