Sunday, 21 March 2010

Add Some Color to Life ! :)

Everytime Spring is here, I am enthusiastically working out for that Summer Body, just to go out and shop for the most flattering clothes. But staying put in Luton told me to wisely invest in some winter clothing instead. And even tough my wardrobe is rearranged in such a way that I can see all my summery skirts n tees in the most acessible place, makes me kind of wonder if I have been having too much of the very same colors for years now. I have no Pink and no Yellow compared to tons of Greens, Black, White, Blue & Red ofcourse.

So I thought of revisiting the basic color palette to learn what Colors reflect about ones mood and personality to make sure I shop for some Yellow and Pink too. Here it goes:

White: A popular color in Fashion. Light and neutral, it goes well with any color.
Considered a summer color, a good choice for tops. Always have some in your wardrobe. It readily matches bottoms of any color; a pair of blue denim jeans, Khakis pants, a gray skirt, a bright colorful beach bermudas? You name it!
Associated with cleanliness and purity, innocence and gentleness, it gives you a feeling of freedom and uncluttered openness. Women just always look that lovely in their snowy white wedding gown, don’t they?

Tips: Add a little touch of white to brighten or lighten up your mood Eg. a white tank top with blue denim jeans, white cotton jacket over a hot pink velour smocked baby doll dress or a simply all white for a simple breezy look.

Black: A popular color in Fashion, always stylish and never out of trend.
A good choice for bottoms. Directly opposite of white, it readily matches tops of any colors. Nonetheless, it is also a popular choice for tops, making the wearer appearing slimmer. A great complementary color for accessories like a pink sparkling evening bag, a diamond necklace…
A mysterious color, it gives you a feeling of perspective and depth. Symbolizing elegance and refinement, it is always regarded as a prestigious color.

Tips: Pair up black with other dark colors for an attractive mature look Eg. a brown wool button front cardigan with black pinstripe bootcut pants, gray tweed cropped blazer with black stretch pintuck pencil skirt - an absolute WOW ! :) ;)

Red: An expressive color extensively used in fashion.
Most visible and lively of all colors, it creates attraction and excitement. The wearer naturally portrays an image of excitement, energy, enthusiasm and confidence. Nonetheless, it also suggests an erotic feeling... a lady in red?
A physically inspiring color often associated with vitality and ambition, love and passion.

Tips: Pair up red with colors within the red family itself for various moods, i.e., a red retro style tee with maroon pleated skirt, hot pink cotton v-neck tank with red fleece collegiate mini skirt

Yellow: A color commonly use in casual fashion.
Similar to red, it creates attraction and excitement. However it suggests a more fun and sunshine-y mood. The wearer tends to bring about cheeriness to the group. Usually liked by those who embrace changes.
The color of sunshine, often associated with joy, liveliness and optimism.

Tips: Pair up yellow with dark or lucid cool colors for a striking youthful look, i.e., a yellow ruched halter top with black wool full skirt, yellow roll edge t-shirt with turquoise polka dot tiered mini skirt

Blue: A popular color liked by most.
Emotionally opposite to red and yellow, it brings about a very soothing and relaxed feel, pleasant to the eyes. Naturally refreshing in mood, it’s a good choice for daytime wear.
The color of summer skies and the sea, often associated with calmness, affection, idealism and inspiration.

Tips: Match blue with white for a refreshing and sporty look, i.e., a bright blue cotton v-neck hoodie with white stretch cotton studded pants, white terry track jacket with pale blue faded jeans.

Pink: A feminine color for girls.
Similar to blue, it’s soothing and pleasant to the eyes. Naturally sweet in mood, it has a lasting girly appeal. Girls in pink tend to portrait a very sweet and pleasant image, always attractive to the guys.
The color of cotton candy, often associated with warm, everlasting affection and tender love.

Tips: Add a little pink to bring out the feminine touch, i.e., matching your black satin strapless sash dress with a neon pink nylon 'Tessuto Sport' baguette, pink collar tee with black stretched cotton cropped pants.

Well, there are simply too many colors if one were to go on. I believe you should now have a feel of how the matching of colors can be of so much fun! In short, just play by the color rules:

* Stick to one color (all white, blue, red…)
* Hot goes with cool (match yellow with green or blue not with red)
* Use neutral colors to draw looks together (white, gray, beige and black are good neutral colors)
* Play around with colors of the same family (pink with maroon, sky blue with navy blue…)

And hopefully this exercise isn't gonna go waste when I dare to put on some Yellow ! :) After all the sunshine - y days are already here .. well... almost ! :)

Friday, 12 March 2010

No More WASTED Tomorrow's !! :)

Its been 10 Days since my last post "When Today Was a Waste Tomorrow's Got to Be Better!!" Yes, the next day was definitely better but what was even better was the whole 10 Days ! So what made the difference : Well, getting up just half an hour earlier left me with a lot more time to get more things done and then devoting a good amount to myself as well !!

But there was 1 paper that changed everything ! It is this very same paper that hangs right up on the wall above my kitchen sink. This is what it says:

CHECKLIST
1: Did the Dishes ?
2: Cleaned the Sink ?
3: Cleaned the Platform & the Cooking Hob ?
4: Mopped the Kitchen Floor ?
5: Binned the Garbage ?
6: Put the clothes on the Clothes Dryer ?
7: Put away the utensils in the Right Place ?

No ?? Then Tomorrow is going to be a
  • Messy
  • Stressful
  • Unproductive
  • Mis-Managed
  • Disastorous
  • Wasted
Day of your SHORT LIFE!!

Now, whenever either of us thinks of going off to bed without even one of these things getting done, we know what that is going to lead to. :)

So yep, sometimes instead of relying on your body to signal you to do things, you are better off putting PEN to PAPER and sticking up that CHECKLIST right where you can see it !! This trick really really works !! Now both ABHI and me have got into a habit of following this routine ! And I am sure it's here to stay !

Have something similar to share ? Leave me a comment on how you manage to get organized and shed away that laziness :)

Thursday, 4 March 2010

When Today WAS A Waste Tomorrow's Got To Be Better !!!

2 mistakes that I did yesterday that cost me 24 hours of my Life !!!

1: Dint do the dishes and hit straight to bed last night!
2: Forgot to switch on the water heating system and the taps ran freezing cold today morning!

The result: Well ABHI runs late to office cause he had to wait it out till the water heated. I spent a useless half hour 1st thing in the morning doing dishes while I should have been up having breakfast on time ! None of us had a bath on time and I missed out on taking AVANI to the Toy Library. I had to skip breakfast, could'nt fix up lunch for ABHI, AVANI got cranky cause her Massage was delayed and a ton other things that have me feeling sick about myself ! I even skipped my Gym today... nothing got done.

Yes! Thankfully I have found time to pen in this post so that I reinforce some discipline so that my loved ones don't suffer. So have made a Weekly Time Table for AVANI that lists out the activities I involve her in (Rhyme Time, Stay n Play Sessions, Toy Libraries, Swimming). So the moment any one of us thinks of going to bed without doing the Dishes, we know what it is going to cost AVANI - a day of Fun, Frolic and making Friends.

Wish me a better week ahead ! :)