Stores that carry "FIRE" season clothing

[aoknkentucky]

I agree with Anita about the pants! The last pair would be awesome!

 

Okay, Pam, You asked for my opinion....and I always hesitate to answer questioning posts because I’m not sure whether my point of view/opinion will come across as helpful or snarky. So, first and foremost, know that these are just my thoughts. YMMV, right? Very few people have my crazy brain. Even my longest time-bestest friend thinks I’m a nut. But, I’m the first person that she calls when she wants help planning or organizing. I just love that kind of stuff.

 

Here goes. For me, the pants on the plane need to be close fitting to my leg for that inevitable trip to the bathroom. I can’t imagine anything any grosser than my pants touching that floor and even capri pants might unless they fit close enough to my leg. Longer length helps keep my legs from getting cold. I take a pair of Smart-wool socks to wear over my compression stockings so my feet don’t get cold on the plane, because if my feet get chilled, I’m cold forever! Maybe your yoga pants are all these things. I don’t know. But, you did say you need pants, right????

 

Now the shoe question. I think if shoes are your Number 1 fashion statement and you have room in your luggage, five pairs of shoes are not too many. I have similar shoes and have used both red and turquoise shoes as statement pieces with almost any outfit in my closet. They just seem to go, don’t they? However, if you are concerned that five pairs are too many, three pairs may be enough. I’m sure the gladiators are cute as a button, but are they necessary for you to complete at least two, possibly three, outfits? If not, they might stay home this trip. Just saying, IF you are TRYING to pare down. On the last three or four cruises/trips, here’s what I’ve done and it’s worked out splendidly. One pair of dressy, one pair of casual, one pair of “they’ll fit no matter how much fluid I retain and go with (nearly)everything”. Depending upon what you are taking, red or turquoise might be the pair that goes on the trip, not necessarily the neutral color.

 

Last helpful hint (for now!)—I have learned that an Excel spreadsheet is my new best travel aid. I didn’t have much experience with Excel before planning these trips, but it’s not really complicated since I’m not using formulas. I really don’t know how! I’m just corralling my information. Once I type everything in, I can copy and paste and move those little squares all over the page. A pad of post-it notes on a poster would work too.

 

This year, I added a feature. Because we had arranged several excursions that were pre-planned and paid for and I had arranged transfers myself, I listed any company confirmation and phone numbers along with addresses on that day’s column. At the bottom of the last day, I listed my name, cruise ship, room number, and cell number in case my luggage got pried out of my cold little hand and it needed to find its way back to me. I printed copies to be placed in every piece of luggage that left my house. With a good list, I didn't spend any time at all trying to decide what to wear. I just looked at the sheet and dressed. It felt so good to know I didn't have to worry about whether I'd worn that already or if I needed to save it for later in the trip. Everything worked!

 

I’m rattling on and on. Sorry. My main objective was to help, not try to convert you to a capsule wardrobe suitcase. Vivienne Files does have an excellent post today though. If I substituted chocolate for the navy, and red for the pastel coral, this would be my perfect capsule, I think. With plenty of scarves and jewelry options, I could make this work for a very, very long time. Depending on the season, I’d substitute in our lime green, our purple, and maybe, our bright blue.

[Member123]

Yeah! Conversation!

 

Debbie, do you ever read the thread here titled Cruising Caribbean Fashionista started by indiana71? She gives me such giggles; I just read that thread a bit here and there. Anyway, she's quite a packer; she has an entire cruise room that she uses to "stage" her outfits and she cruises quite a bit. WELL. A few cruises ago, I decided to try out her method and... boy... I sort of fell in love with it! I don't follow the items to-a-"T".. but what I do is analyze the different days; i.e., flight day, embarkation day, sea day(s), port day(s), formal day(s)... and then sort of mix and match my days.

 

I have an "app for that." Seriously, I love my IPOD Touch and don't know how I got along without it before I had it. Anyway, I do kind of get my days into a sort of rhythm, so that I split up the wearings of my various tops, etc. For example, I have 18 cruise nights on the upcoming trip; so I have 15 ensemble outfits planned, along with 3 formal nights. The 15 ensemble outfits are being made up out of the tops/bottoms in rotation, plus a few one-off skirts (that weigh almost nothing) to help with the variety. By putting in the skirts, I only have to wear each bottom 3x. kwim?

 

So, you're not a complete nut... or maybe there are just two of us in this world!

 

I have felt so much better after I got started with this packing list... and its subsequent analysis. It's not that I feel totally limited by the list, but when I follow it... well... that's just a decision that I don't have to make while I'm onboard. Does it help with packing lighter? Not really. And, it doesn't have to do with making ensemble outfits... what it has to do with is dividing up my wardrobe between our two checked bags. When you divide... really... it makes you take a few additional clothes in each bag; not many... but a few. For example, if I think that there are 3 formal nights, then I am inclined to put 2 formal outfits in each bag... which gives me 4 formal outfits... which is one more than I might really need. On an 18-night cruise, we might actually have 4 formal nights. If we end up having a problem with the arrival of one bag, then I might have to wear each formal outfit twice, or just one of them twice. It's just not THAT much more weight to pitch in one additional dress... and the logic proceeds from there, to just one more bottoms... to just a few more tops. Well, you see how it can mushroom.

 

And then there's the problem of the weather possibilities... and packing for that. I have quite a varied itinerary for this upcoming vacation. I'm at the countdown days where the PANIC sets in! :eek: It might be PANIC, or it might be EXCITEMENT. In any event, it's all absorbing, time consuming, last minute detail driven... exhausting... manic... SHOPPING!!! No, I'm kidding.

 

Although, I have been looking at some absolutely fabulously wonderful... wait for it... NAIL POLISH COLORS!

 

I'm making myself crazy. I'm going to go get a cup of tea, reread your post, and go check out the Vivienne Files... because I should be cleaning the kitchen.

 

Love you ladies! :D

[aoknkentucky]

An app? Really? What's it called? I'd love to download it. I had a much longer post ready to send and realized that Nobody would want to read all my details about spreadsheets! OCD? You think? Nah.

 

I understand countdown. It's part of the fun. Just trip excitement. Or craziness. Whatever. Same difference.

 

I'm afraid I'm one of the tote-it-with-you folks. Yep, I went to Alaska with a legal rolling carry-on and a purse. Well, actually, the purse was a diaper bag. If you haven't thought about this idea, I’d like to suggest that you consider it. My ziploc bags for 3-1-1, medicine, etc. went in the compartments around the perimeter of the diaper bag and the wide, flat bottom worked great. Plus, I had a wipe-pack handy at all times on one end of the bag to help with the “I feel grubby”. It held all the extras plus my sleeping duds and the non-wrinkling top I wore for embarkation the next day. I put my day-to-day stuff in a billfold on a string, sort of. Actually my 5-year old granddaughter loaned me a purse. Lipstick, money, cc, SnS, and iphone all fit in the little guy. What more did I need during the day? DH packed a nylon back-pack for our day trips. I put my makeup in a small pretty clutch. When I arrived, make-up went in bathroom and the pretty bag was used for evenings. I was SOOOO proud of myself!

 

Like you, I've used lots of ideas from threads here and on Vivienne Files. I've read the thread Indiana71 started and I really like many of her outfits, but I don't want to be burdened with all that stuff, I guess. I have a few health-related issues that prevent me from the lugging and tugging, so unless we are driving to port, I make sure that I can maneuver with whatever I leave the house with. DH has a breathing machine to haul around with his luggage, so I can't expect him to lug my stuff too. I never dressed using scarves as an accessory, but I really like it now. Nearly no weight and you can take several to change up the look of an outfit for a fraction of the space and weight in the case. If it’s too hot to wear around my neck, I tie it around my purse or I tie it as a bracelet if the scarf is small enough.

 

I know it’s not for everybody, but the main reason that I want to travel with what I can carry is because of the first cruise I ever took. I went as a chaperone for a high-school choir cruise. Even with the challenges you can only imagine, I was hooked on cruising. My story, however, is about the lady in charge of the choir costumes. One son was in the choir and one son had graduated but was traveling with us as a male chaperone. Long before anyone else showed up, she was at the school to make sure everything was loaded properly in the charter buses for our 27, yes 27, hour bus ride to Orlando. Well, the trip down was less, but don't ask about the trip back home. It was miserable. ANYWAY!!! This lady got to her cabin and eventually realized that her luggage hadn't made it to the ship. She bought things from the gift shops and borrowed from everyone she could. When she arrived home? There sat her suitcase. The responsible, older son had left it sitting in the living room floor. So, this story isn’t about airlines or cruise lines loosing luggage, but it is a horror story that I don’t want to have happen to me. That poor lady was of the shorter and fluffy variety and I’ll never forget how miserable she was because there’s only so much you can borrow when everyone is obviously smaller than you. It broke my heart. Not too long after that, I read the adage about two kinds of luggage—carry-on or lost. It still gives me the shivers.

 

I’ve never taken the opportunity to travel more than 9-10 days at a time. It’s a luxury that I’d like to experience. Often. When that day arrives, I’m sure that I’ll need to cross-pack and use every inch of the largest suitcase I can imagine. I’m looking forward to that day.

 

Pam, your outfits sound like you’ve planned to mix-and-match quite well. It makes me wonder how similar our FIRE wardrobes are. I kept saying, “I’ve got those” when you mentioned:

 

“Bottoms: animal print skirt, sand capri, khaki (tan) pants, a light warm navy print pant

Tops: coral, animal print, tangerine, turquoise, yellow, bright yellow halter, ivory, red, chocolate

Turquoise suede sandals, gold gladiator sandals, multi-metallic (mostly gold) heels, bronze strappy heels, red heels”

 

Well, not the halter. Lordy, Lordy! My halter-wearing days are LONG-gone!

 

Hope you have fun selecting your supporting cast (wardrobe). Let us know what you decide about the shoes, ok? October will be here before you know it!

 

Nail polish? I never really picked out a color this summer. Oh yeah, let’s talk nail polish.

[Member123]

Oh, no... don't get me started on nail polish. :o I am a nail polish addict. Is there a meeting somewhere? Although I'm a self professed nail polish addict, I don't want to attend a meeting because I don't want to get better! I can sit at my computer screen for hours and hours just researching and looking at nail swatches. Have you found nail swatches? OMG. I LOVE NAIL SWATCHES!

 

OK. Nobody laugh. DH and I did a practice run on packing the bottom of the suitcases with shoes! He is taking 3 pair: 1 pair of "dress" shoes; 1 pair of "dressy casual" shoes; and the pair on his feet for the plane/shore excursions/gym. I think he may be taking some water shoes in his carryon. I got 6 pair of shoes into the two checked bags; that means that I have to take 2 pair in my carryon and wear my walking shoes on the plane. The only reason that I have to take an extra pair of flat sandals in my carryon is because I have to wear my walking shoes and I don't want to wear my plane outfit in Hawaii on the day we arrive. Isn't that funny?!? Geez.

 

I remember a show years ago with Suzanne Somers with one episode where her tiny, tiny suitcase weighed a ton. The reason? She packed an iron because her suitcase was so tiny that everything always came out wrinkled....

But I digress....

 

Do you think that our wardrobe sounds similar? Maybe the colors... but I think that we dress very differently. For one thing, I've never had to worry about my chest getting in the way of anything that I want to do. I read a thread on here where the woman couldn't buy dresses with side zippers because she couldn't reach them with the "girls" in the way! I just don't relate to any of those difficulties.

 

And, especially since my goiter surgery, I cannot STAND anything around my neck. Absolutely nothing can touch my neck or hang heavy around my neck. It's terrible! I think it's probably bordering on psychological... but... whatever... no scarves for me. Never. Ever.

 

I'm getting my packing act together. The shoes are definitely going. This is a long trip, but not really a difficult transportation one; for example, we don't have any small European taxis to worry about and no trains. Mainly just transport to/from airports, so no big deal. But, I think that we're going to make it with a checked bag and a carry on each. I will definitely take a look at the diaper bag idea!

 

So, nail polish. I so love some of the names. Here's my current wish list to grab; they're Deborah Lippmann polishes and they are: No More Drama, Laughin' to the Bank, Mermaid's Eyes. What I have that I love: Deborah Lippman On the Beach; Dior Saint-Tropez; OPI: A Good Mandarin is Hard to Find, Austintacious Turquoise, Call Me Gwenever, Didgeridoo Your Nails, Purple with a Purpose.

 

I have fallen in love with blues, purples, greens! Holy cow. LOVE. THEM. Coral is my play it safe color. Wow. I'm truly addicted. :o Oh, I forgot my new one: Teal the Cows Come Home! YES. I bought it for the NAME! LOL.

 

Oh, the app that I use is just a list app called ListPro. I love it; I've finally figured out some of its fancy features and I feel so organized with it... it's not as fancy as, say, StylishGirl, but I can't be bothered to take all those pictures. StylishGirl lets you take pictures of your various tops/bottoms/shoes/jewelry and then combine them into an outfit. It looked pretty cool, but the methodology was just too tedious for me. I like my simple little manual entries to make my lists of the outfits that I intend to wear... and which suitcase they'll be packed into. Divide and conquer! Name of the game!

[aoknkentucky]

Pam, I'll take a look at the polishes. Thanks for the names to look for. You probably have much nicer luggage than me, but I learned the hard way that it's not a good idea to put my shoe heel against the cloth back. Yep, had to use my duct tape for the second time (in my whole life, right?)

 

Heck, I did a trial run with my entire travel wardrobe. More than once. I know. I'm a lost cause too.

 

I got home and saw the nightly news. Anita, is everything ok where you are?

Edited August 20, 2013 by aoknkentucky
Pit - put. Typing on my phone.

[Anita Latte]

I have to catch up on this conversation...Mom just called me and was like, why did Debbie post that? And I'm all...I don't know...so I had to find out what the news was. Not near me. We are all fine. No worries.

[Joby]

Pam--what did I wear to Africa? I wore my Athleta Dipper pants in sand dune color. They worked for me--a little stretchy, nice color, long enough and looked good after having them on for about 36 hours. I also have 2 pairs of Dipper shorts in different lengths. I'm not real high maintenance on planes--I NEVER sleep, I'm usually not really comfortable and I'm not that stylish, so, I wear whatever and hope it does well :)

 

Next trip, I think I'll wear the same pants. Not too creative, huh?

 

I love having the nail polish colors. I'm always on the look out for some FIRE colors. I found one that I got for 50 cents. It's called Grass Slipper by Sally Hansen. Greens are one of our colors I don't have any polish in. I have plenty of the corals in all saturations. I have 1 turquoise, it's another Sally Hansen called Marine Scene. I think it's favorite of all my polishes. I don't usually buy expensive ones ;) Anyone else have other for certwin FIRE colors?

 

When I've cruised, I always make a sheet and have each days outfits on it w/ accessories. It makes life simple when the work is all done here at home and not on the ship! My family makes fun of me. I have a sheet for daily clothing, a sheet for activities and a sheet with whatever shipboard activities I might want to go to or do. I'm a list maker and OCD about planning :eek:

 

Has anyone else looked at the Pantone paint color chips from Lowe's? If so, I would like to see what we all agree on as to what are FIRE matches.

[Member123]

Kim, I think when you have a flight outfit that simply works... especially for the long hauls... absolutely!... fly, wash, repeat!.. Good. To. Go.

 

I would love to land on a flight outfit. I just have been through the most bizarre changes in weight fluctuations in the last few years. Actually, that's not true. My weight hasn't changed much at all, but my SIZING has changed dramatically; I've changed from a Chico's 1.5 to a Chico's 0; and a Cache 10 to a Cache 6. It just makes the pants so darn baggy; not a good look; and so challenging when you're on a plane because of what Debbie was talking about (ewww, by the way) and also that gap that happens when you bend over and the waistband pops out and you can see to China... <use your imagination.>

 

I took a look at the Dipper pants from Athleta; they have so many pants to choose from! I like my pants to have a bit higher fit in the belly button to waist spot. But, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be getting some form of Athleta pant/capri and calling it my flight outfit. Anita also told me (she does know me very well) that if I have something really comfortable, I'm probably going to grab it as a "first thing to wear to breakfast" on board the ship... so I need to give some thought to that, as well.

 

It's a dark, rainy day here. Perfect weather for dreaming of sunny vacation spots.

[Anita Latte]

Hey hey...had to get the water filter for the fridge, so I picked up every single Pantone chip! LOL! I felt just slightly odd grabbing every single one of those paint chips...BUT...I knew that the colors were going to look so different in different environments and I didn't want to have to make any judgments in the store...so...

 

I went out into the sunshine with my own EARTH color cards and using that and my own arm as a tool...I think the following MAY be FIRE colors...

 

Orange/Red:

 

Citrus, Apricot ice, Nectarine, Tangerine Tango, Haute Red.

 

Blue/Green:

Ethereal Blue, Blithe, Princess Blue, Turkish Tile, Peacock Blue, Macaw Green

 

That's it.

 

I thought all the yellows and a lot of the oranges had a weird undertone? They just didn't seem to blend into my cards at all...they looked so sickly...and granted...EARTH colors can be really kind of...mmmm....well...sickly....LOL!...but these were nasty sickly...not lovely EARTHy sickly...if KWIM?

 

Just for reference...I think the following blended really well into my EARTH card:

 

Reds:

Fired Brick, Rum Raisin, Picante, Chili, Red Dahlia, Bossa Nova...and I liked, but am not sold on Amaranth and Eclipse.

 

Other:

Moroccan Blue, Online Lime, Liberty (Periwinkle)

 

It's a busy day for me today...but this was my fun exercise. I don't have time to search for the previous discussion on this...does this agree with what you thought, Kim and Linda?

Edited August 22, 2013 by Anita Latte

[Member123]

Yes, I did find the cards. I brought home almost all of them because I was in a hurry and couldn't take time to go through and pick out what I thought were our colors. I've been away this week and am now just getting back to the cards. So far I think these would work. Blues- Princess Blue, maybe Blithe; Aquas- Bay, Beach Glass, Aqua Glass and Cockatoo,; Greens- Macaw Green and Tender Shoots; Yellow- Solar Power; Reds-Tangerine Tango and Tomato Puree; Apricot Ice, Nued and Echru. Not sure about Chili

What's your opinion. These sure changed colors after I got them home!

 

Happy belated, Linda! 43 years--that's a long time AND you're still celebrating it seems--way to go :)

 

I didn't get all the colors like you did, wish I would have. I think I'll go back and get all of them tomorrow. I did think "Citrus" looked FIRE'ish too. I LOVE "Beach Glass". this could be a fun conversation and a useful piece of info if we get various opinions on the colors. I'm anxious to see what Anita comes up with on EARTH colors.

 

Thanks for the nice compliments on the photo :) The sweater/vest is one of my favorite FIRE combos that I have. I love Chicago, such a fun and exciting place to visit but, I don't think I would want to live in a city that large and busy!

 

Orange/Red:

 

Citrus, Apricot ice, Nectarine, Tangerine Tango, Haute Red.

 

Blue/Green:

Ethereal Blue, Blithe, Princess Blue, Turkish Tile, Peacock Blue, Macaw Green

 

That's it.

 

So, consensus:

 

Blues/Greens: Princess Blue, Blithe, Macaw Green

 

Orange/Red: Tangerine Tango, Apricot Ice

 

We are probably safe with these, at least. I'll have to go to Lowe's and pick up the cards so I can play! Curious to see why Beach Glass didn't make the cut for Anita.

[laurspag]

I think you need to find a funner pant...what about these?

 

http://vip.zappos.com/volcom-day-and-night-pant-electric-orange?zfcTest=fcl%3A0

 

 

I almost had a seizure when I saw these, ha.

[Member123]

Laura!

 

The absolute worst thing about seeing those pants is that I actually thought....

 

GROOVY.

 

:cool:

 

Are you old enough to remember that you called things "groovy?" LOL.

[MJC]

Just have to add my 2 cents and say that I think for any cruise longer than a week, 5 or 6 pairs of shoes is not excessive by any means. For me the bare minimum breaks down to:

 

flip flops

workout shoes

2 pairs walking shoes or sandals for touring

2 pairs evening shoes

 

I suppose I could wear the same shoes for dinner each night, but I just don't want to!

 

I've had several very long haul flights, and this is my strategy. If it's night and I expect to sleep or need to sleep to adjust to a time zone, I change my clothes (I bring super lightweight dark cotton pajama pants that are a little looser than yoga pants and a tshirt), brush my teeth, take off my makeup, and take half of a melatonin. When "morning" comes, I put my clothes and makeup back on just before they serve breakfast. I always bring a good moisturizer and my own pillow to supplement the crappy ones they hand out, and a pashmina to wrap around my shoulders or use an an extra blanket. I am not a good sleeper in planes and cars but this strategy has really helped me. Plus I don't feel all rumpled when I arrive at my destination.

 

Melatonin is a hormone your body naturally secretes to regulate sleep cycles, and it really helps with jet lag too. I get it at the health food store or Walgreens. It is not a drug, so you can wake if necessary; it just gives you that soft fuzzy feeling you get when you're tired. I won't travel without it anymore.

 

As for packing strategy, ours is really itinerary-dependent. I've done ten days out of a rollaboard, and I've done three weeks with three bags (thank you business class). Sometimes it's all mix-and-match, but when we went to Costa Rica I had a table (never mastered Excel, to my husband's dismay) with what we were doing each day and what we needed to wear. It's always the big suitcase if we have formal nights, because I want the gown and the shoes and the hair stuff, etc. -- that's part of the fun for me.

 

The longest trip we had was three weeks, so there was a lot of re-wearing and washing things in the sink for a trip like that.

 

I was watching the capri pants discussion with a smile. I'm glad Pam got some tough love over those pants, that's a sign of true friendship. :)

[MJC]

p.s. thanks Anita for posting the EARTH colors you found at Lowe's

Edited August 23, 2013 by MJC
add info: p.p.s I really like those groovy pants!

[aoknkentucky]

Oh, yeah. I remember groovy. The first thing I thought was "Dizzy, my head is spinning, like a whirlpool it never ends, and it's you girl making it spin. You're making me dizzy." Remember that one?

 

Okay. I went back to Lowes on my lunch hour yesterday and picked up a few more cards. There were a few empty spots, so I’ll try to get to the Lowes on the other side of town to fill in the blanks. I don’t have Ethereal Blue, so obviously I still didn’t get them all. I REALLY shouldn’t have worried about what people might think seeing me take one of each. Sheesh!

 

I think I’ve had another break-through about my FIRE colors. We talked about this briefly way-back-when our cards arrived and mine were so dark that my dark brown looked black. CJW said mine were sent with a darker saturation because of my darker hair color. I’ve noticed that the more saturated the bright color is, the better I think it looks against my skin. Nothing remotely pastel seems to work as well. I veer away from our lighter bright colors when I can exchange for even more saturated color.

 

That’s why I’m not sure that Beach Glass and Apricot Ice make my FIRE list. I think they are too pale for me. But that’s always and will forever be my problem. I can look at these colors for enormous amounts of time and make arguments both for and against so many colors I see. I’m hopeless. For me, they don’t necessary match but look like they GO with our FIRE pages, and they share the same saturation of color, even if looking a teeny dull by themselves. When I put them all together, I think they harmonize.

 

Part of the problem for me is that my cards don’t seem to agree. The (first) page that shows all FIRE colors together aren’t the same colors as the four pages of larger swatches. So I waffle back and forth between two options for every example. The two examples work together to give me a spectrum and that’s good, but that makes it easier for me to include colors that I think some of you instantly dismiss. I can’t think of another single thing in life that I’m this wishy-washy about, and it frustrates me to no end!!!

 

I’d like to request two things from everyone. First, for those attending our meet and greet next summer, please, Please, PLEASE, bring your color cards with you. I’d like to have a little clarity about this. Second, I’d like anyone willing to complete the following little exercise and tell me where I might be messing with my brain. I’d truly like to learn this, but I’ve just about given up! It’s too frustrating.

 

Okay. Put the cards on a flat surface in one long line in this order (overlapping cards is acceptable and encouraged):

 

Haute Red, Citrus, Princess Blue, Macaw Green, Dewberry, Tangerine Tango, Solar Power, Blithe, Green Flash, Deep Periwinkle, Tomato Puree, Primrose Yellow, Pool Green, Jasmine Green, Poppy Red, Apricot Ice, Cockatoo, Tender Shoots

 

I think they all GO together. They don’t necessarily match my color cards exactly, but to be honest, there are only two or three that do, and I don’t want or need to be THAT rigid. I understand they are just a tool to use. I honestly can’t see that any of these don’t work together. I can even begin to put Tender Shoots beside Haute Red at the other end of the line and then Cockatoo, and so on and make an unending circle of color with these and I think it all works together. I can put individual colors together and think they complement each other, i.e. the blues, the reds, the yellows, etc.

 

Maybe this is an exercise best left until next summer at the meet and greet, because, heaven only knows, I’ve waited this long….

[aoknkentucky]

Margaret, I've heard of others taking melatonin. I'll have to try that.

 

Everyone travels a little differently. It is sooo true, but until you mentioned it, I hadn't thought about the fact that sometimes, we travel a little differently even from ourselves. Thanks for that.

[Member123]

OK. I'm going to have to go get my chips so I can play.

 

Someone posted a link to Lisa Eldridge and I just love her! She's a makeup artist to celebrities, but she's so very practical. She's beautiful and has a lovely, lilting English accent.

 

So, she posted a video on her long haul flight ritual, and I am going to do it! I don't care! I am going to do it!

 

<BTW, Laura, don't worry about what other people think or do! By golly, if you want to wear a dress on your Majesty cruise, you do it!>

 

Ummm, here's the link:

http://www.lisaeldridge.com/video/23653/my-beauty-regime-on-long-haul-flights/

 

I'm going to buy some melatonin because I've been thinking about trying that for years and Margaret just reminded me. And, I'm going to buy a scented eye mask, for sure!

 

I'm doing this. I'll let everyone know how it goes. :)

[Anita Latte]

OK...

 

I can't play the game quite as well because I have EARTH color cards and not FIRE. I can relate to your frustration Debbie regarding the representation of the colors in the printed materials because there are two colors on mine that are in NO WAY possible the color that they are supposed to be. I asked Curt about it but he never addressed my question. My Gray Green is totally tan...and my Olive Green is brown. So I question that entire card of colors because I think something happened in the printing...I'm not complaining...just saying...I relate.

 

I told Mom that I need to take a second pass at the colors...because I did it will one methodology and I need to do a "double check" so to speak. Your question is a good one for working on another methodology.

 

When you lay all those colors out together...oof...too much to really focus in on anything. Have to start small...and in doing this exercise...I'm going to totally change my mind about some of these colors!! :eek:

 

I got my clothes involved this time...

 

Do this...put Green Flash next to Macaw Green. Tell me how muddy Macaw Green looks next to Green Flash. Why? Because Macaw Green is muted. Put Jasmine Green next to Tender Shoots. Same thing happens. Tender Shoots just went MUDDY. Macaw Green and Tender Shoots are muted EARTH tones. They are true colors which have been muddied up to become muted colors. Jasmine Green and Green Flash are clear colors.

 

Do you have Palm and Oasis? More EARTH. They go great with Macaw Green and Tender Shoots. Make that a second collage. You have to sets now. This one, so earthy, so tonal, and...

 

Back to Jasmine Green and Green Flash. Aren't they pretty? So bright. So happy. Have these two sets separate but next to each other. Take Primrose Yellow. Put it on the FIRE pile. It's okay. Put it with the EARTH pile. OOO. Do you see it. Primrose Yellow is much happier in the muted pile. If you don't see it right away...try to defocus while looking at the pile. Make your vision blurry on purpose. Which pile is more harmonious? For me...that EARTH pile is like coloring fading into each other...which muted colors will do. But in the FIRE pile...that yellow just doesn't have the brilliance to stand up to those greens.

 

Let's try Solar Power... Same thing. Sunshine Yellow does not exist in these Pantone colors right now. Probably too much for someone to paint in their house... With this kind of methodology, making smaller batches of colors and trying them out, you can test out the colors. So, in this new analysis, I'm just typing as I do this right here at the computer...

 

Here's a neat trick...use your camera with these piles. I'm not on the right computer to upload the photos I just took, so I'll have to share later. But it is amazing what the camera can see that my eyes have a hard time seeing. I took pictures of the groups, and based on the pictures and how well the colors go together:

 

Nectarine is FIRE.

Chili is EARTH. (Was there ever any doubt about Chili though? LOL.)

Apricot Ice is FIRE.

Tangerine Tango is FIRE.

 

Gotta go get my kid from school!

[aoknkentucky]

Weekend is nearly here. I may not be back on-line until Monday. But, wanted to say thanks. Thank You. Thank You, Anita.

 

I thought I was losing my mind because I second-guess myself so much on this. What you said makes perfect sense. Now that you have given me a couple of sure-fire winners, I can see it so much easier. I couldn't understand why no one had mentioned Green Flash and Jasmine Green. They looked best of all to me. The only blue that I think truly works is Paradise Blue. I think Blithe is too muted to be FIRE.

[Anita Latte]

I'm going to keep working on this. Using the camera is a pretty big help actually. I may share some of the photos, but that will take using a computer that is a bit iffy these days. I'll report what I find again. I'm very curious as to what everyone comes up with. I think this process will be more reliable and well thought out than my last go around. I'm curious to see how some of the other colors play out.

 

What I find to be interesting is to see how some of the colors SEEM to go with both, UNTIL I take a photo. I must admit that I was rooting for Tangerine Tango to be an EARTH color...and I thought it looked pretty good...until I took a photo... So I just want to encourage everyone again...even as I say so for myself...there is likely a color that is similar and appropriate, even if the ONE on THESE cards isn't. It can still exist...KWIM?

[Anita Latte]

I spent the earlier part of this evening working on this little project here. I took almost 200 pictures!! :eek: But I have to say...the camera can see things in such a way that it makes it easier to see the way things are with the naked eye. And there were times when I made a judgment call on a color and later, after adding more colors to the color family, the odd ball would stick out more and more...and I would have to reanalyze a color. In the end, I had to actually try to decide what element the colors were...

 

I didn't analyze all the pinks...and there were a lot. So this is not the definitive list. And by no means do I think that I am totally right, so if your opinion varies, please understand...I will not be offended to hear the difference of opinion. I think ya'll know that about me already...but just to put it in writing one more time.

 

So the photos. I tell you what...CRAZY. What happened was that there would be harmony in a photo. One color didn't stand out from another. All carried equal weight in the photograph. It's hard to say everything blended all the time, especially when you are trying to figure out the first colors in a new color family...like bringing in the blue on top of the green, or the reds, etc. But I ended up pretty much liking the following groupings:

 

FIRE:

 

 

Starting from the Orange color and working clockwise:

 

Tangerine Tango

Necterine

Apricot Ice

Citrus

Green Flash

Jasmine Green

Paradise Green

Beach Glass

Cockatoo

Pool Green

Peacock Blue

Turkish Tile

Sweet Lavender

Dewberry

 

Please excuse me, but I'm going to post all the families that I created...

 

EARTH:

 

 

Beginning with the brownish color next to the green and then clockwise:

 

Red Dahlia

Fired Brick

Picante

Bossa Nova

Chili

Burnt Orange

Marmalade

Solar Power

Primrose Yellow

Palm

Oasis

Tender Shoots

Macaw Green

Online Lime

 

AIR:

 

 

From the light pink color clockwise:

 

Quartz Pink

Haute Red

Rumba Red

Mulberry

Navy Blue

Moroccan Blue

June Bug

Hunter Green

Ultramarine Green

Deep Green

Pale Banana

Rum Raisin

Eclipse

Amaranth

Beaujolais

 

ICE:

 

 

From the two reds clockwise:

 

Formula One

Tomato Puree

Rosebud

Deep Periwinkle

Liberty

Princess Blue

Blithe

Ethereal Blue

Cool Blue

 

So again...the deal with the photographs is that it becomes quite clear when a color just isn't working with all the other colors. In my next post, I'll share some of the photos that clearly show when a color clashes. Because believe me when I say that there were some colors that I really WANTED to be this or that...for all appearances, I seriously thought it was...but the photograph just highlighted the fact that the color wasn't playing nice with the other colors.

[Anita Latte]

Ok...I have to post this right now...I'm looking through some of these pictures and I think there is still some switching that needs to happen. I hereby am saying that I think these families still need to be tweaked. :p Ah well...this could take a while...

 

Debbie, you mentioned Blythe being too muted...well...this was one of the colors that was making me think that I needed to start trying to create groupings of all the different elements, because it was hard to see...

 

Here is Blythe on EARTH:

 

 

Doesn't go at all...so I thought, maybe FIRE?

 

 

But it didn't seem right to me...the FIRE group lost it's happy...

 

Check these out...

 

Look at how happy the photo with Dewberry is:

 

 

But the whole photo is such a downer when you add that Haute Red:

 

 

So weird...even the color of my table looks different! And if you look back up at the Blythe photo...well, you can see that it's a downer photo too with the color of the table going off. And looking at these photos...you can hopefully see why I think that Blythe is ICE and Haute Red is AIR...because Blythe does seem to be able to stand up to the other FIRE colors on clarity...but Haute Red has a muddy look to it, IMO.

 

So looking back up at the family photos I posted in the previous post...I can see that the color of my table is off is the FIRE family, at least...I think if the photo were harmonious, the table would be more golden, and it isn't...so I think something is off. The trick will be to figure out how...*sigh*

[Anita Latte]

I am FASCINATED by the way the photos change...I wasn't looking the photos on the computer...only on the camera. But now...studying all these photos. Check this out...like I said...I moved the colors around, and I did reanalyze some colors, but maybe I shouldn't have second guessed myself...

 

This was the ICE family at one point.

 

 

So it isn't just the warm, happy colors making my table look golden. My table is golden, it should look golden. Even if the colors on top are all cool:

 

These colors are from the green clockwise:

 

Paradise Green

Cool Blue

Ethereal Blue

Blithe

Princess Blue

Liberty

Deep Periwinkle

Rosebud

and in the middle is Beach Glass.

 

Maybe I just need to look for when my table looks right? Hmm. I'm going to have to take more pictures...

[Anita Latte]

I can't seem to stop...

 

I guess because I know that Beach Glass was a color that Kim and Linda were really liking... Here are two photos. The first includes Beach Glass. The second replaces Beach Glass with Peacock Blue.

 

Beach Glass...

 

Peacock Blue:

 

My table goes from gray to pink...hmmm.

 

And here is my true golden table...notice that Cockatoo is in this ICE collage:

 

 

And that you are probably thoroughly confused...I'm going to bed. LOL!

 

No seriously...just sayin'...this project needs more work.

[Joby]

Oh, Lordy, this is quite educating AND fun! I'm off to Lowe's to get all the colors they have there now. I want to play too.

 

Debbie, I NEVER travel without my FIRE color card. It goes regardless!