Funny how a color can suddenly reappear in your world; not that it ever really disappeared. I’ve been pondering purple lately.
I bought this little plant at Trader Joe’s when we made a quick stop on our drive to Hartford. I liked the color and the tiny flowers and I wanted a potted plant for the apartment. I remembered the deep window sills from my previous stay and knew they would be a good home for this little beauty.
Then I hung this:
A favorite creation of mine that had recently been in a stack of folded quilts, its gorgeous purples hidden from view.
It reminded me of my youthful passion for purple and lavender. In the tiny little bungalow where my parents raised 4 children, space was at a premium: two small bedrooms downstairs and a bigger bedroom carved out of the attic space. One bathroom. For a while there it was just my brother and me, so my parents used the attic room and we each had our own bedroom downstairs. But then my sisters came along and the scramble for space began. Long story short: I ended up sharing the attic space with my much younger sisters for several years. When my brother left the nest, I got to move back downstairs and I finally had my own room.
If you look on the sidebar, you will see this:
Oh so true. I’ve always needed time alone, in my own little space. But I rarely had it when I was growing up. It’s very hard to retreat into the bliss of solitary-ness when you’re surrounded by 5 other family members in a space where you can hear every conversation, every sound. So on that day when I was able to re-claim a downstairs bedroom, Mom asked me what color I wanted the walls to be.
Lavender. Absolutely. Lavender.
Lavender it was. Mom bought a matching purple-y print bedspread and curtains. I was in heaven. I could shut the door to my private space, play original Broadway cast albums endlessly, read voraciously and tend to my potted plants. I could decorate my room. Just for me.
Later, in the days when we all had our ‘colors’ done, I was categorized as a Winter. Winters look good in jewel tones, not unlike the colors in this quilt. So I started wearing purples and deep reds. I looked good in them. Even now, with my hair no longer the deep brown it used to be, I still look good in them. Purples again. But not lavender. No, that was too pastel for a Winter like me.
I’m falling in love with purples all over again. Seeing that quilt hung on the wall of my temporary living space makes me smile.
Catching a glimpse of a stack of purple fabric, nestled between reds and yellows, makes me happy.
Is there a color that calls to you from your distant past?
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On another note: My friend Dawn just moved her Blogger blog to WordPress. (You should go visit her. It looks great!) When a blog is moved to WordPress, the feed has to be rerouted and anyone that followed with Google Friend Connect will no longer get updated posts. As for blogrolls, sometimes the URL has to be re-entered to update the feed even though the actual URL hasn’t changed. I have Dawn’s blog on my blogroll (up in the navigation bar) and I noticed it hadn’t updated since right before the move. So I deleted the URL and simply re-entered the same information. Bingo. It updated.
If you have Creative Cain Cabin on your blogroll, can you do Dawn a favor and update the information? I had to ask this same thing of my readers when I moved. And if you read the blog through Google Friend Connect, please resubscribe, either by email or through a reader such as Bloglovin.
We all have to help each other out here in blogland, right?
By the way, Dawn is currently adding all the information necessary to design graphics for fellow bloggers. She just did my watermark and my signature and I love the results. If you’re at all interested, stop by and see what she has to offer. It may take a couple of days for all the information to be available, but in the meantime, you can contact her via her email address.
Okay.
Happy Monday.
Good morning Claudia, I think I see a new quilt in your future with some purple red and yellow! Have a good day! Doris
That’s a good idea, Doris!
I have a stash of lavender / purple fabrics that I bought awhile ago. I started a quilt top…I think that I have two applique blocks done. I put it aside to work on some other things but how funny to see you talk about purples as I was thinking about it the other day ! :)
I know—I hardly ever talk about purple!
Funny how a particular theme/ color pops up here and there…on and off.. Hope your week is good..Happy Monday
Happy Monday to you, Missy.
Oh, My…the color purple….sounds like a movie. I never liked purple when growing up and didn’t until much later in life. My little boy asked if one day if I would have blue-purple hair…like some ladies at Church? Now that I am older, and have silver hair, I find myself loving purple. That color pops up in my garden so many times. I have several pieces of clothing that are purple. I just bought a purple winter coat. What’s next for me….purple hair? I don’t think so.
Balisha
I have a purple swing coat that I’ve had for years – I love that thing! No purple hair for me, either, Balisha!
Purple is my oldest daughters color of choice! Me I’m back to loving pinks! well maybe I never really stopped!
Well, you know I love pink, too. And red. And aqua.
Hi…I’m back,
I forgot to ask…what’s happening with Brenda at Cozy House?
Balisha
She’s blogging at her old address: cozylittlehouse.com
I don’t know if I have a favorite color although I am a little partial to turquoise..I just love all bright colors!
You know I love aqua and turquoise, Nancy!
Isn’t it strange how suddenly you realize how much of one specific color you have and love? I’ve always been a yellow person. I love how it makes me feel.
Happy Monday!
Judy
Yellow is such a cheery color, Judy!
My parents surprised me on my 16th birthday by redoing my bedroom. When I came home from school that day, my room had been painted lavender, and there was a beautiful lavender shag carpet on the floor. New, white furniture, with white bedding with little lavender flowers. I loved it, and was so surprised! I still have lavender in my bedroom, with other colors now, but it is still one of my favorites for my bedroom. I don’t wear a lot of lavenders and purples. I am a pink girl. Even my front door is pink!
It sounds like it was pretty beautiful!
I have always been drawn to purple. When I lived at home my room was purple and black ( the 70″s!) Just yesterday I bought some gorgeous purple sheets and a nice purple sweater. It always reminds me of the fields of lavender in France, warm and inviting.
One of my favorite sweaters, ever, was a jewel tone purple.
I just returned from a quest in my home for purple…not very much, I’m sad to say. I do have a pot of purple petunias on my front porch, however. You’ve got me thinking now, of how I could incorporate more purple. Pink is a color from my past. Don’t have much of that either…except in flowers. So, what’s a gal to do? ;)
Not much purple in mine either, but quite a bit in this apartment, Donna!
Funnily enough, I recently moved a large photo from a bedroom to my living room. I grew the purple clematis and it was photographed by a friend who knows her way around a camera. I just needed a blast of colour in here.
Perfect!
I shared a room with my 2 sisters when I was young. In a 1 bath bungalow. :-) I made sure my kids each had their own room. I’m checking our for 10 days to go camping.. see you on the flipside! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
Have fun, Teresa!
Ah, purple…one of my favorite colors. When I was small I had a favorite swimsuit (back when swimsuits were not stretchy fabric) that was plaid. The plaid was various lavenders & shades of turquoise, some sea foam green, and touches of yellow–it was perfection in plaid. While I prefer deeper shades now, those are still the colors that I gravitate toward.
Do you think you will be adding more purple in your home when you get back?
I’m not sure! I’d sure love to find a place to hang this quilt.
We missed you when you moved downstairs, it didn’t feel as safe upstairs anymore, and as I recall you had me on your bed listening to music all the time.
Mere
Yes, but it was in MY room. That made all the difference, little sister.
Love purple. It’s my second-favorite color (first is blue – except for navy). Our main hall bath was done in purple for several years, much to my boy’s chagrin. ;-) I’ve always loved your saying, “I’m a solitary person who is chatty”…that is so me, too. Happy Monday back at ya!
Have a great day, Melanie!
My favorite color is purple too, and when I was very small i had a purple bedroom with purple shag carpet. LOL brings back memories. Thank you for the shout out, I appreciate you spreading the word. Things are looking better traffic is coming my way:) Bloglovin also commented me and did an update on their end so anyone following that way should be updated too!
You’re the second commenter to say she had purple shag carpet! Good news about the traffic, Dawn.
I’ve always been drawn to reds. I love cranberry, wine, burgundy and even bright red.
I have a two year old granddaughter who is already drawn to lavenders and purples. My oldest daughter was also crazy about purple when she was a toddler. Once we walked into a public restroom, when she was three, and they had obviously used an air freshener that was a grape scent. She said, “It smells purple in here”!
nancyr
I love red, too. There’s a lot of it in my home. Love the ‘It smells purple in here!’
A solitary person who is chatty – what a great description. Mine would be “a solitary person who is chatty sometimes.” Blue has been my constant love since I can remember. But my mother always said I looked better in pink, so I got the pink clothes and my sister got the blue ones. Lots of blue in my home and wardrobe now, stronger shades, since I was deemed a Winter, too.
Hello, fellow Winter!
Purple was always my color growing up. I even had a purple shag rug in my bedroom as a little girl.. Yep, just showed my age.. LOL.. My rooms were always purple and pink and here I am 43 and I still love purple an pink. I love that little plant you picked up and the vase looks like a purple cupcake tin. Love it!
Okay, Robyn – you’re the third commenter who had a purple shag rug!!! I love that.
It’s amazing how happy that little plant makes me!
Happy Tuesday, Claudia. Oh, that quilt is a piece of exquisite art. Absolutely stunning.
I do remember the days of having your colors done. I am a winter, too, and still so with my now gray hair. Another thing we have in common is being a person that needs their alone time. It is one of my most treasured pleasures, but it is not one I get often.
I am very much in love with purple now, in all tints. I never cared for it when I was young. But I do love it in the warmer shades such as you have shown instead of cool tones.
I am a solitary person too and thrive on plenty alone time. But I do love good conversation and time when the family get together. And I have two such weekends coming up in August!
I hope that your time in Hartford flies by and will only seem a moment until you’re packing again.