Sensational Color Pro Kate Smith's Online Color Journal » Kate Smith

CMG Members Surrounded by Blue Dogs in New Orleans

Kate Smith — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:47:15 +0000

We had the unexpected surprise of being greeted by many ‘Blue Dogs’ at the New Orleans Sheraton when we checked in for the Color Marketing Group International Conference.

This iconic image created by artist George Rodrigue was everywhere!

Veteran’s Day: Honoring Those Who Serve

Kate Smith — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:52:56 +0000

Joint Honor Guard members participate in a 2008 Veterans Day ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. (Photo/Cherie Cullen, U.S. Dept. of Defense)

One of the things I most enjoy about living in Washington, DC is that I’m surrounded by museums, memorials and monuments. Many of these are dedicated to the men and women that have served in the armed services and on Veteran’s Day many of these locations host services and events recognizing and remembering these brave individuals.

If I was home today I’d be joining in but instead I’m sending my message of gratitude from afar and asking that you too take a moment to honor those that have chosen to serve and protect the rest of us.

Happy Havey Wallbanger Day

Kate Smith — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:02:26 +0000

With all of the meaningful events and great people we could choose to commemorate with their own day, it struck me as funny in an absurd kind of way when I saw that today is Harvey Wallbanger Day. So how is it that a cocktail has its own day?

I never did get to the bottom of that question but instead found lots of stories about the origins of the name and recipes for this sunny colored concoction. Below are the ingredients from the recipe that seemed most appealing to me–orange juice, lemon juice, bourbon and Galliano– and rather than blend one to celebrate I whipped up a Harvey Wallbanger color palette.

As you can see my color palette has the warm glow of anything mixed with bourbon. Happy Harvey Wallbanger Day

Stephen Colbert, Letitia Baldrige and Me

Kate Smith — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:44:43 +0000

I was honored to be asked to contribute to the silent auction that will benefit the Sibley Memorial Hospital Foundation The event is tomorrow night and I’m sure it will be a great success.

Of course even more fun than being asked to be included was for me to see the other fabulous contributions that have something up for the bidding tomorrow evening. Here’s a clip of my offering plus comments on at least two I’d like to win…

Disclaimer: Okay so I wasn’t really listed ahead of Stephen Colbert or Letitia Baldridgre. What you see above is my own fantasy Photoshop mashup but you can see the original listing with all of the fabulous contributions here…

Colorful Halloween Tricks, Treats and Trendsy

Kate Smith — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:07:29 +0000

Halloween Happenings seem to have started last night and are sure to go on all weekend. I won’t be donning a costume this year but it is still fun to bring some sensational spookiness home and Julie gave me some great ideas this week on Live in Full Color on just how to do that.

My favorite was the Spookatini but Julie has so many tricks and treats up her sleeve that it took three post to share them all. See ‘ A Few Hallowed Ideas’ Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

Spookatini by ‘It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere: The Global Guide to Fabulous Cocktails‘ author, Colleen Mullaney.

Recipe on Live in Full Color

Kiki grew-up in the “Halloween Capital of the World,” so is it any wonder she is the best when it comes to holiday color? She shared so many different ideas for using this year’s Halloween trend colors that it was difficult even for me to decide which I liked best. See them all ‘Trend Tuesday: Tricks and Treats for a Stylishly Spooky Halloween’.

Happy Halloween!

You Can Wear Every Color, It Just Depends on the Hue

Kate Smith — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:10:32 +0000

I’ve met many image consultants but haven’t always agreed completely with their approach or thinking about color but then I met Jane Pennewell a fellow member of Capital Speakers Club. Jane completely captured my attention because everything she told me overcame all of the shortfalls I had seen with the way other image consultants worked.

I always advocate people go with their instincts but also seek an expert’s advice so I decided to see what tips Jane might have for me. In no time Jane gave me some fabulous ideas for putting together and accessorizing my wardrobe so it reflected my personality and made a strong statement about my own style.

Jane featured my experience in her Fall newsletter that was emailed today. Thanks Jane!

“You can wear every color, it just depends on the hue” –Jane Pennewell

To learn more about Jane visit her website JPImageConsulting.com

AKA ‘Goofy Grape’

Kate Smith — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:32:57 +0000

Forget the technical or factory name. Once a color has been dubbed with a moniker by the masses you might as well just go with it.

I was reminded of this as I was searching for something today and came upon Smokin Joe’s comment on the forum board at JalopyJournal.com and it make me smile so I thought I’d share with you.

Ford has always come up with colorful names for their paint. Most of them give you NO idea of what the paint’s supposed to look like. Other factories followed suit. Mopar had some really strange colors for the cudas and challengers back in the 70’s. I tried to get some of the purple from a paint store once for an AAR cuda using the factory paint name and the guy didn’t know what I was after till I told him I wanted “Goofy Grape”.

Pic from http://auto.howstuffworks.com

Welcome Karen Platt: Gardener Extraordinaire

Kate Smith — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:32:43 +0000

I have been a big fan of Karen Platt ever since she ignited gardener’s desire for dark plants with her much acclaimed book, Black Magic and Purple Passion. I believe that she was the catalyst that brought about the black plant phenomenon first in the UK then worldwide.

You can just imagine how thrilled I was when Karen agreed to be a featured contributor to Sensational Color. Karen will be writing articles based on her color book series that represent all colors used in the garden. Each of Karen’s books offers a blueprint on which plants to choose and how to use them and I think we can look forward to her keen insights on how to bring new colors into our gardens.

The first article is Color in the Garden – Black and if you’re like me by the time you finish reading it you’ll want to grab the book or ebook and start thinking about how you might add a little Black Magic to your garden.

Ask Kate: Beige on Beige

Kate Smith — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:22:24 +0000

My latest ‘Ask Kate’ article has been posted on Homefurnishings.com…

Artist Paints Himself in Full Color

Kate Smith — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:26:10 +0000

Julie and I keep our eyes open for the most interesting uses of color for the Best in Color post on Live in Full Color and while I always love what we come up with sometimes something truly astounds me. That is exactly how I felt when Julie shared the Chinese performance artist Liu Bolin who ‘color matches’ himself to the background of his photographs.

The artist says that the photos are not retouched or photoshoped just presented as captured on the film. All I can say is, “Wow!”.

See what Julie has to say and find a link to more photos and a video of Liu Bolin plus our other colorful finds in the post Best in Color on Live in Full Color…