Try Handmade

A few months back Pantone unveiled their color of the year for 2010. To be honest even as a designer I don’t pay too much attention to these forecasts. Still, I was excited that this year’s color – turquoise, is a beautiful one. It makes me think of tropical climates, vacations and beautiful water. If you’re decorating a room in your home or are working on a creative project and need color ideas the Pantone site is a good one to visit for inspiration.

I thought of the “color of the year” when I saw a treasury on Etsy made by 3dots – filled with turquoise finds. I’ve included a few of these in my collage above.

The chair in the top image is from the Etsy shop of Michele Maule. Michele is Portland artist whose work I’m very partial to. She has been making art for over 10 years now and is a graduate of Portland State University. Having grown up in Portland – I always love learning about Portland artists and bloggers.

The halfmoon hoops on the far right are from Etsy seller and metalsmith, Meetalls. I am always impressed when reading the work, care and effort that goes into jewelry made by metalsmiths like Meetalls.

The turquoise ring on the left was also made by another talented metalsmith who sells on Etsy, Erin Jane. She strives to use recycled silver whenever possible – and almost 100% of the silver she uses now in her designs is recycled.

The gorgeous spot bowl in the middle is from Amy Perch, whose full collection is avaliable online at Perch Ceramics. I see a lot of handmade ceramics on her site that I’d like to make my own!

Hope you enjoyed taking a peek at these turquoise finds. Would love to hear what your favorite colors are for around your home, or while you’re working on craft projects or items for your Etsy shop.