Today’s post is brought to you by the color yellow. Yellow has a reputation for cheerfulness and optimism—so it’s the perfect time of year to honor this upbeat color. Yellow is everywhere—yellow forsythia, yellow daffodils, yellow tulips… Yay! Spring has arrived!
Yellow made a fine showing at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia when I visited recently.
Swathes of daffodils take me back to the unforgettable flower fields in Lisse Netherlands.
The yellow fields of brilliant rapeseed in the Germany countryside are also unforgettable.
Closer to home, the fields of yellow rocket around the John C Campbell Folk School in Brasstown North Carolina are breathtaking.
It’s tempting to categorize yellow as a spring color but this cheerful color appears year-round. Daylilies, roses, sunflowers, and irises, for instance, showcase the many colors of yellow in the summer.
In the fall, yellow joins red to mark the turn of the season as the leaves turn.
But yellow isn’t only for flowers and plants. Mother Nature also uses yellow, although sparingly, on wildlife. Here are two examples of beautiful yellow birds—the American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) and the Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea).
And here are two examples of gorgeous yellow butterflies—the Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae) and the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus).
Yellow, along with red and blue, are the foundation of the traditional color wheel—add red and you have orange—add blue and you have green. It’s a powerful color with a world of possibilities.
Speaking of color wheels, have you heard of the Martian Colour Wheel? It’s an alternative to the traditional color wheel. It has a lot more colors—120 to be exact. Its foundation is 24 evenly spaced and fully adjusted hues. This color wheel, as Warren Mars its creator explains, “keeps the full brightness of all the hue exemplars in order to match the richness of colour available on our RGB screens. There are also 2 dark shades for each hue and two light tints. The result is 120 colours that cover most the gamut available on a computer screen and most colours that you can see in the real world. … The Martian Colour Wheel also NAMES every colour with a simple, recognisable, real world example!”
Here’s the yellow section from both color wheels.
A post about a specific color would not be complete without addressing the meaning of that color. According to Jacob Olesen, a world-renowned color expert who authors the website Color Meanings, “Colors play an exceptionally prominent role in our lives. They influence our thinking, inspire our decision-making, and impact our moods.” He describes yellow as “the color of happiness and optimism. Yellow is a cheerful and energetic color that brings fun and joy to the world. It makes learning easier as it affects the logical part of the brain, stimulating mentality and perception. It inspires thought and curiosity and boosts enthusiasm and confidence.”
The below vibrant yellow building, which I spotted in a popular area of Aveiro Portugal, is certainly cheerful and energetic. And judging from the number of people I saw posing for selfies in front of it, it definitely brings fun and joy to the world!
My relationship with the color yellow isn’t nearly that dramatic. I did opt to paint the walls of our previous kitchen yellow. It was bright and cheerful but, in hindsight, the yellow may have been a little too saturated.
Nowadays, I use yellow a little more carefully. Yellow, along with magenta and moss green, are the foundation of my outdoor décor. Here’s the color scheme on our curvy café chairs.
The color scheme is repeated in the pyramid trellises I made for our flower garden. There are, by the way, step-by-step instructions to make these tuteurs here on the blog at DIY Pyramid Trellis Tutorial.
I also like to use yellow in my photography—especially as an accent color to call attention to DIY projects and photo props.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this deep dive into the color yellow. It was such fun putting this post together that it may become a recurring theme.
More Info
Enjoy more springtime stories and photos in the posts:
. Charleston’s Glorious Window Boxes
. Spring Into a Garden Tour
. A Virtual Visit to Lisse
. Virtual Hanami Around Aizu
. A Virtual Stroll in Ticehurst
You may also enjoy the post Following the Yellow Arrows which features my adventure walking the Camino in Portugal.
More information about the traditional color wheel is available on The Color Wheel Company website.
Learn about the Martian Colour Wheel on the Warren Mars website.
Check out Jacob Olesen’s website Color Meanings for more insights into the power and symbolism of color.
Today’s Takeaways
1. “Colors play an exceptionally prominent role in our lives. They influence our thinking, inspire our decision-making, and impact our moods.” Jacob Olesen
2. Try focusing on a specific color and notice how it seems to appear everywhere.
3. Consider a color-themed photography challenge by taking photos of a variety of subjects in the selected color.
It’s a good idea to test your dyebath with a folded piece of paper towel before immersing your fabric/materials. This provides an opportunity to check that the color is as expected and to adjust if necessary.
Stories and photos are published on the blog, at www.FanningSparks.com, every Tuesday. This post marks the 159th time I’ve hit the publish button. Readers sometimes ask if I’m worried about running out of things to post about. Surprisingly, I’m not— I keep a running list of ideas that has far more topics than I could ever address. This endless list of things to see, to learn, to try and to share is what keeps me energized and the blog in motion.
1. 
The FanningSparks presence on 
Statistics and analytics are all well and good but hearing from readers directly is better. FanningSparks got some great exposure this last year.
In today’s post, I share step-by-step instructions to make your own teacup pincushion. The approach and technique used are similar to those from my last DIY tutorial post, 
Colorful felt flowers are the key to this project but buying felt in the desired colors can be a little tricky. The best way, of course, is to shop in person where you can hold the teacup up against the felt. But that’s not possible when shopping online. I’ve found using a photo of the item I’m trying to match is a good way to select colors online. Shoot the photo against a white background in bright, clear, natural light. Then view your photo beside the vendor’s colors. It’s helpful to take snippets of the color samples and drop them directly onto your photo. This method isn’t foolproof but the side-by-side comparison is a good indicator of which colors will work best. And it’s much better than holding a teacup up to your computer monitor! The below photo shows a few color samples from Prairie Point Junction’s wool blend felt (see More Info below).
Supplies Needed 
Gently turn the felt circle inside out through the slit. Push out seam by running finger along the inside of the seam. Press. Stuff pincushion pad with polyester fiberfill or other material. Ensure outside edge is stuffed evenly. Take care not to overstuff—the seams should not be strained. Use matching thread and whipstitch (or stitch of your choice) to close the back slit.
Choose embroidery floss to divide the pincushion pad into petals—the color can match or contrast as you wish. Wrap the 6-strand floss around the pincushion pad 3 times to measure the length needed. Mine was 32” long. Cut and thread the floss onto a long embroidery needle. Insert a pin near the center point on the bottom and wrap the floss tail around this pin to anchor it. Insert the needle at the center point on the bottom of the pad, pull it up through the pad and exit at the center point on the top. Wrap the floss around the outside of the pad and return the needle to the center point on the bottom.
One in particular, a chunky, bejeweled costume jewelry bangle, caught my imagination. With the help of a little felt flower-making research, some colorful felt and a few accents, a pretty little keepsake box emerged. It was a fun process with lots of opportunity to get creative. Today’s post includes detailed step-by-step instructions for transforming any bangle bracelet into a keepsake or trinket box.
Equipment and Tools Needed
B. Next comes the best part, place your felt on your ironing surface and lay the freezer paper pattern on top of the felt with the shiny side down. Use your iron to press the freezer paper pattern into place—a few seconds is all that’s needed. Take care to use the heat setting appropriate for your felt. The amazing thing is the iron melts the plastic just enough to make the paper stick to the felt while you cut out your piece.
C. Cut out the pattern piece (freezer paper and felt) using sharp, short-bladed scissors for precision. Then simply pull the freezer paper off the felt. Surprisingly, it comes off very easily and no residue is left behind. Pattern pieces can be reused so take care when removing them from the felt.
Measure the height of the inside of the bangle using a ruler. Add ¼“ for the seam allowance. This will be the height of the liner wall. Cut a rectangle of white felt with the length and width calculated.
Cut out the circle leaving a small border outside the cutting line. Follow Steps B-C of the Freezer Paper Technique as described above to adhere and cut out a white felt circle. Reuse the freezer paper pattern to cut 3 more white felt circles.
Start by sewing one long edge of the felt rectangle, which will become the liner wall, to one of the felt circles. Use 2-strands of matching embroidery floss with a blanket stitch. Start and finish ½“ from the ends of the rectangle.
Hold the short ends of the rectangle together ensuring the remaining unsewn bottom edges are aligned and fit snuggly against the bottom circle. Trim the short ends if necessary. Pin and stitch the short ends with a blanket stitch. Finish stitching the long edge of the felt rectangle to the bottom circle.
Glue this felt circle to the top of the foam board circle. Insert embellished bottom into the liner. If desired, glue felt liner walls to the inside edge of bangle.
Hold ribbon by loop and gently pull the ends of the ribbon through the hole in the felt circle and then the hole in the cardboard. Push cardboard and felt circle together. Securely fasten the ends of the ribbon together. You can twist the ends if the ribbon is wired. Knot or stitch if the ribbon is unwired. Keep ends as flat as possible under the cardboard. You may wish to glue or tape the ends in place.
Make Apple Blossom Form Round Petal Flower
Make Dogwood Form Pointed Petals Flower
Make the Leaves
Step 6 Embellish Lid Now comes the fun part—embellishing the felt lid! Position the flowers and leaves in a pleasing arrangement.
Voilà! Your new keepsake box is done!
Now it’s time to put your new creation to work—mine holds a pretty little vintage button collection.
Another item that seems to have grown into a collection is vintage textiles. I have a few displayed on a ladder in the hallway to my studio. The top piece, taking pride of place, is a tablecloth hand-embroidered by my Mom. It’s a beautiful piece! The other pieces were collected from near (US Southeast) and far (Japan and Germany).
Sometimes a vintage or thrift store find can be repurposed for an entirely new role. I shared an example in the post 
But vintage finds need not be limited to the inside of the home. We have a small collection of vintage white French enamelware which we collected while living in Germany. It’s displayed on our porch and reminds us of our time in Europe. Here’s one of those pieces playing an unexpected role as a wren’s nest.
In the same way vintage finds add interest and uniqueness to our home, they can add personality and punch to photos. I’m always on the lookout for vintage or thrift store finds to serve as photo props. The little porcelain figurine of a young girl holding the number 2 was a timely vintage find for the post 
Here’s another example of a thrift store find that needed a little attention. The wicker picnic basket was in good condition but the top covers were missing. The updated basket, complete with new covers, starred in the post 
Vintage pieces are often time-worn but I think that can add to their appeal. This vintage croquet set, which played a key role in the post 
There’s one more reason I like to explore vintage shops—to scout for inspiration. I love to find handmade items from the past. It’s interesting to see what people made—to see what materials and techniques they used. These vintage finds can serve as thought-starters for new projects. The wooden trivet, shown top right in the photo below, inspired the Christmas wreath I shared in the post 
This postcard featuring Rafael Ortega, a famous Spanish bullfighter, is elaborately enhanced with embroidery.
Vintage postcards are fun to collect. They’re small and easy to transport and store. Yet they can be quite fascinating as can be seen in this set of 3 vintage postcards from an antique market in Tongeren, Belgium.
The illustrations are signed by “Girona”. The postcards were printed in Spain. They are incredibly cutesy but special and unique. Here’s a closer look at the little girl and boy winding yarn.
An interesting detail that I didn’t notice before is the girls are knitting with extra-long straight needles positioned under their arms—that’s the way my mother knits too. It’s just another reason to treasure these vintage finds!