Colour your world.

Colour is so inspiring.  I just went out for a walk.  It's a beautiful day here in Melbourne.  Have a look at this:

(c) divacultura 2012

Clear blue sky and bright, bright green leaves.  Nature puts blue and green together, so I wonder why someone said that "blue and green should never be seen, unless there's a colour in between"?  I think the colours are glorious together.  In real life, the leaves on these trees are almost fluorescent green.  There's a row of about six of them and they look so alive.

Some of my favourite colour combinations are ones that would generally be thought to clash.  I bought a new umbrella the other day:

(c) divacultura 2012

Pink and red!

I also love pink and orange or red and orange together.  They really make a statement.

My couch is red velvet with purple piping and I have an ottoman which is the reverse - purple with red piping.  Check out the funky geometric red and purple cushion (by Nicola Cerini.) 

(c) divacultura 2012

This ottoman was a 30th birthday present from my friends.  It's not quite vintage yet.

(c) divacultura 2012

The socks I'm knitting at the moment are skinny stripes of purple and turquoise.

(c) divacultura 2012

There's so much colour in the world and I love to have it in my house and wardrobe.  The other day I wore a purple dress with orange sandals and was paid compliments all day on the joyful colour combination!  I just put it on because it was clean and ready to wear.  It was so lovely to have the colours noticed.

When asked whether particular colours would go together, my mother would always respond by saying "if you put it, it goes".  I guess I have taken that advice completely to heart.  I put colours together all the time without fear.  They go!

I've often wondered why certain colours are appealing to one person and not to another.  My aversion to yellow is well known but I know many people love the "sunniness" and cheerfulness of yellow.  I look at yellow and the word that comes to mind is "rancid".  I can not wear yellow - it makes me look like an 87 year old Greek widow or someone with a very bad case of jaundice.  Perhaps that is why I don't like it.

How do you colour your world?  What colours or combinations make you feel happy?  What's your "yellow"?