It’s February! And it’s First Friday! And, we hope you will fall in LOVE with our new collection, Color Story. If you live in a place that is at its peak of cold and gray, we thought you could use some fun bright color right about now.
This new collection is all about color! The full spectrum is at your finger tips. With countless ways to dispay, this group will inspire your inner artist. When I began placing our first samples, it was as if I was painting with real swatches of paint. (Except no clean up!) And I could move them. And move them again. And again. In addition, the wonderful matte finish of the fabric wall decals will tempt visitors to ask, “Was this wall painted by an accomplished craftsman?” And you can answer, “Why yes. Yes it was.”
You might say that the seeds for Color Story were planted 25 years ago, when I created the first of five Noah’s Ark themed baby books, which, as you know, all ended with a RAINBOW! Julianna, who was 4 years old then, and co-writer for this blog now, was right by my side, watching and learning and drawing and painting. Flash forward to our family business today, and Julianna is still painting with me … full-time. (Although my studio is in Austin, and hers is in Virginia, we still paint side by side, but in a Skype kind of way!) And, we take turns creating a new collection for Mej Mej every month. This month, I passed the baton to Jules. And we decided it was time to celebrate the rainbow again. But, rather than give you rainbow-rainbows, we are presenting you with the individual colors of the rainbow, so that you may arrange to your heart’s content.
Below is an inspiration board from our own daily life. We are sort of crazy about things in rainbow order around here. Maybe it’s because we are artists. Maybe it’s because we are unicorns. But whatever, we love a good rainbow. In fact, one year, when attending Surtex (a trade show for artists and product manufacturers), we created a booth to display our entire portfolio in rainbow order. With aprons to match. And candy to match. And flowers to match. I know, I know. We were kind of over the top on that one.
Below from upper left: 1) An early rainbow by Julianna, age four 2) Candy giveaways in rainbow order 3) Fan deck handouts in rainbow order 4) Ladder of product in rainbow order 5) Julianna’s sisters manning rainbow booth (life in a family business!) 6) Embroidery threads in rainbow order 7) Flowers in rainbow order 8) Our newest rainbow. We love him.
Jules created this collection to work with all kinds of design styles. You can add it to a boho space bursting with color, or mix it with lots of white for a modern scandi aesthetic. (See below.)
And, not only are the Color Story paint shapes delightful for baby or toddler rooms, they are equally at home for all kinds of grown-up spaces, from kitchens to craft rooms, from college dorms to bathroom mirrors. And you can even personalize them! YES! Personalized pops of color! Go for it! It brings a whole new meaning to ‘Color ME a rainbow.”
And finally, here’s a photo to illustrate just how easy it is to create a statement wall. Apparently, you can even install your new wall with a dog in your lap. Hi Jules! Hi Tivoli! (And PS, remember that rainbow-order thing I mentioned earlier about our trade show? Well, I guess it’s genetic, because (see below) it appears that Jules has caught the books-in-color-order bug. You go girl! )
And that’s the end of this Color Story story. But, if you would like to get into a rainbow state of mind on this fine February First Friday, here are some colorful links. Grab your beverage of choice, and perhaps a bowl of Lucky Charms, and enjoy.
• In awe of the James Turrell Skyspace at the University of Texas.
• In love with Ellen Heck’s Color Wheels. (Full disclosure: She is another daughter who may have been over-rainbowed as a child. I call that good parenting.) :-)
• Visit my Cathy Heck Studio ROY G BIV Pinterest page. It’s a colorpalooza.
• We love following Kelly and Jeff Mindell and their adorable baby, Arlo, on Instagram. And, this week, they revealed Arlo’s excellent new nursery, full of rainbows and love. StudioDIY
• Did you know you can SHOP BY COLOR at Mej Mej?
• You might want to add this to your playlist while you are designing your colorful nursery: Somewhere Over the Rainbow, sung by Judy Garland. Timeless.
• And you might add Rainbow Connection, sung by Kermit the Frog. After hundreds of comments about this video, Kermit responded, “I’m glad you’re all fond of me.” Love that guy.
• And here’s a real double rainbow. A sweet memory of my Dad. Watching the Scenery Change.
Most of all, we hope you enjoy every minute of creating the special place where your little one, or your growing one, or your already-grown-up one will wake up and start the new day full of hope and possibilities.
