Thursday 25 June 2015

The Colour Collaborative: June: Found



When I first started thinking about this month's CC theme, 'Found', the first thing that came to mind was what I bring home from our walks. Feathers, leaves, lichen, seed heads. Or those things from further afield, like seashells and driftwood.

But I like to go treasure hunting in charity shops and at car boot fairs too. And my latest find is exactly the sort of thing which has prompted me to think about colour. You see, my usual preference is for muted shades which reflect the outdoors. Mossy greens, greys. Maybe mustard yellow or heather purple.


And yet this vase caught my eye the other week. On paper, the colour combination sounds quite strange: mint green, saffron yellow, plum, white, slate grey, powder pink. A rainbow sheen of lustre glaze.

But it spoke to me. I suspect it's probably 1930s or 1940s. The base tells me it was made in Germany. I have a bit of a thing for this era, and a lot of a thing for vases. It cost a few pounds. There are a few chips around the bottom and it leaves a ring on the table.


I like the way an unusual colour combination actually works; if I could buy a similar fabric I would. I like how it is so evocative of a certain time period. And I like how the colours will complement particular flowers: purply hellebores, yellow-orange crocosmia, shell-pink aquilegias.


The colours were what made me pick this little vase up. It interests me that they're not what usually attracts me. No eau-de-nil or sludgy teal blue. The mixture of pastels and brights shouldn't work but it does. It's one of my best finds yet.


Don't forget to visit the other Colour Collaborative blogs for more of this month's posts, just click on the links below.


What is The Colour Collaborative?

All creative bloggers make stuff, gather stuff, shape stuff, and share stuff. Mostly they work on their own, but what happens when a group of them work together? Is a creative collaboration greater than the sum of its parts? We think so and we hope you will too. We'll each be offering our own monthly take on a colour related theme, and hoping that in combination our ideas will encourage us, and perhaps you, to think about colour in new ways.




17 comments:

  1. I'm a big fan of eau de nil and sludgy teal as well, but I also like your vase. It's arty and colourful and yet not too much. A brilliant find, and a really good size for those big blooms. CJ xx

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  2. The vase is beautiful and the colours really work. It will suit all types of flowers.

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  3. My usual loved colors are just like yours, so this wouldn't necessarily have caught my eye right away, but it's so interesting. I have a lot of vases too, which is kind of strange because I don't often have flowers in the house during most of the year unless I buy them. I really like the shine on this vase and the way the paint sort of blends one color to the next. It was a great find, enjoy having it.

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  4. As well as the beautiful colours and pattern, it also has a really great shape; elegant, classic, well balanced, and that's why it looks as stylish now as it did when it was made. I like it very much and agree that it's always pleasantly surprising when we find ourselves drawn to objects what we don't think to be our usual taste. xx

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  5. I am always surprised how certain items from the 1930s and 1940s look so contemporary. A lovely find.

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  6. Hey Sarah,
    Goodness me! I have a similar vase to the one you found a rummaging in the charity shops. I found it on a tip! It has the same colours, but is perhaps taller than yours. I love it, and it has been with me for over twenty years. I must post a picture of it. And how great that there are still gems like your gorgeous vase to be found in the charity shops of today!
    Leanne xx

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  7. What a great find ... I'd have fought you for it if we'd both been there, I love these 1950s bold block coloured vases, gorgeous!

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  8. What a lovely vase, and well set off with the Alchemilla, simplicity that lets the vase shine :)

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  9. I love charity shops, mainly because you never know what will be in there. That is a lovely find, the shape and colour are very contemporary. Isn't it funny how something can just draw us in, even when it's not what we think we would normally choose?

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  10. Brilliant find! Hope you really enjoy using it xx

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  11. The colours and shape of your vase are wonderful. What a great find.

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  12. So treasures can still be found! It's lovely. Bee xx

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  13. Ooh yes, a great find indeed! I love the colours of it :)

    S x

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  14. leaves a ring on the table?
    Stand it on a plate or saucer that picks up on your chosen colour.

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  15. You have eyes for beautiful details.
    I love your vase.

    Gunn / Stavanger / Norway.

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