The Colors of Yesterday

“Colors that remind me of Grandma”

This is a post that is a bit near and dear to my heart. For the most part, I post about color this, color that, blah blah blah but once in a while there's a post that's just a wee bit more. This is one.

As we all know there's so much more to color than meets the eye. I'm tapping into the feeling we get when we see color. This is huge because if we can choose a color that reminds us of something pleasant, be it Grandma or other, THAT is the color or colors that we want in our home.

To this day, whenever I see semi gloss yellow, I think of my Grandmother's kitchen. Who really has a yellow kitchen anyway? I've never seen a yellow kitchen like the one Grandma had and you know I've been in oodles of kitchens. 

So I have compiled some photographs taken at The Waxhaw Antique Mart in town. Do I collect antiques? No. So why do I go to an Antique Mart? For a memory refresher. To smell the smells of something from the past that will trigger a memory from my earlier childhood. To see something that my Grandmother used to have out on her Sunday dinner table. To just see something that will trigger a memory to give me a smile. Just because! Here's what I found.

Old dolls with dark curly hair, pink dresses peachy lips …

… the smell of wood and how it feels …

… laced up shoes in soft white … 

… floral print dishes in delicate colors …

… hats in all colors, shapes and sizes that are very reminiscent of the day …

… toys of a very specific era in those very recognizable colors …

… frilly pastel dresses …

… the sound that REAL wood floors make when you walk on them …

… gilded lamps with silk shades …

… those awkward flowers that were hand painted on lamps, hand crocheted lace and a mirror close by …

When memories of my past begin to get fuzzy, I head to the Antique stores for a refresher in color, scents and smiles.

Waxhaw Antique Mart

Grandmas - I miss you both

UPDATE, May 24: Wednesday night as I was reading some comments on Facebook from this blog post, something very strange happened. I hesitate to write this down but I think it's special and I decided I wanted to share it.  

Somebody commented on Facebook about this post and I was typing back to them. I don't remember the exact comment I was typing in it's entirety but I typed the work “spectacular” and the second I finished typing that word I heard it on TV. It was a commercial and for one reason or another  the actor said the EXACT word as I just has typed it - SPECTACULAR. What are the odds of that happening?  

I say it was both my Grandmothers sending me their approval of this post. What else could it be? My son was watching TV with me when he heard me scream. This is just to weird!

I had gotten a very warm fuzzy feeling and an enormous feeling of love. I KNOW it was my Grandmothers - they were with me for the very brief moment.  

This post will remain very special to me. I hope I didn't spook you or I hope you don't think I'm crazy. This actually happens often so I'm a bit used to it, after all, Artists's are supposed to be strange :-)