Hello friends, it is Leslie here with my latest Color Me Pretty series. This time around I got really inspired by navy, straw, salmon, a little lemon, a little wood and denim.

These colors work well together in clothing and I found myself tearing out images from the early summer catalogs of J.Crew, Madewell and Noa Noa to include in my mood boards.

Don’t you think clothing catalogs can be a treasure trove for ideas about color and texture? We have seen how fashion can inspire interior design projects but it can also inspire much smaller projects, like how you wrap a present or combine papers for your next collage.

With navy it seems to be all about stripes, in fashion, on my Japanese bowls, striped ribbon from New York. I just had to paint some for you, as I like how watercolor can make stripes look even fresher, if that is possible!

Once I started doodling with the navy paint I had a hard time stopping and after the stripes I ended up writing with my paint brush, painting patterns on envelopes and decorating plain paper fans. I can imagine that a few hand painted fans on a wall would be really pretty. Painting fans is also a fun project with kids as my daughter and her friend loved painting their own too. I picked up the plain uncoated paper fans in LA’s Chinatown for a dollar or so each. The paper was pretty thick and a good surface for the watercolor paint.

Some of my stripe patterns got cut into squares and made into stapled quilts for my corkboard. I saw pieces of paper stapled together like this at an Anthropologie store near my home. I thought it was a great idea to show you as you could make something similar for your walls or for a card with little bits of paper or with photographs.

Finally, I wanted to show you how these colors even inspire my desk. I love looking at ever changing little boxes and rolls of tapes. The wooden dispensers from Uguisu are a constant, as is the beautiful card-file from lovelydesign and the artwork. I framed a series of small prints by Catherine Campbell of My Folk Lover together to form a grid so that I could view all of them all of the time.

I hope you found something today that may inspire a creative project for you. Please enjoy the rest of August and I will see you back here next month. – Leslie

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Psst: If you’d like to see more lovely inspirations from Leslie and her Color Me Pretty column, please refer to this page to view gorgeous color palettes to inspire you today!

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Like what you see? If you’d like to learn how to create your own moodboards and learn how to style your own photos for your blog, Leslie is co-teaching Blogging Your Way, an online self-paced class along with me next month for 4 weeks where you will learn all of this and more. To enroll (hurry space is limited!), you may click here. Class is for all levels and you DO NOT need a blog to participate in this class but it would be helpful if you started one during the class so you can start applying your newfound education! :)

(images: leslie shewring)

Tags: Color Me Pretty

56 Responses to “Color Me Pretty: Navy Stripes + Salmon”

1 carrie leber commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 4:12 pm

those images are so beautiful – especially the peonies! what a great post.
carrie leber´s last [type] ..A Very Vogue InteriorScape
2 Delaney Gates commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 4:17 pm

*sigh* How utterly inspiring. I love the mood boards. The little wooden spoons and trinkets tucked in the envelopes are so sweet!
3 Ludmila {creamylife.com} commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 4:17 pm

gorgeous! this color palette is like a summer-fall dream, when we say bye to summer and welcome the fall. it’s absolutely stunning!
Ludmila {creamylife.com}´s last [type] ..Monique Germon – Designer- Stylist and Photographer
4 michelle commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 4:19 pm

wow, just wow. this is my favorite color me pretty column yet. i’m such a sucker for navy.
michelle´s last [type] ..A Splurge &amp A Steal
5 decor8 commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 4:27 pm

Michelle I think you say that each week. ;) Me too though, me too.
6 Marisa commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 4:30 pm

Wow! So gorgeous. I’m in love with the painting you did on the paper fans… and the sweet watercolours too! So much inspiration, thank you for sharing!
7 Piper (DailyDivaDish) commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 4:34 pm

Very inspiring! Such a pretty color combination! And your desk is gorgeous.
XO Piper
Piper (DailyDivaDish)´s last [type] ..Rosemary Beach Vacation Rental
8 Eric commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 4:34 pm

American stamps are so boring compared to these. What do we have to offer? Elvis and Mickey Mouse. You have great old-world designs….
9 Christine commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 4:39 pm

ooo! Love these colours, they’re so preppy and summery!
Christine´s last [type] ..Anthropologie love letters
10 Kelly commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 4:59 pm

ooohhh, I love these colors together
11 My Owl Barn commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 5:01 pm

This is such a beautiful combination. The last image is gorgeous!
My Owl Barn´s last [type] ..Wisdom Owl Clutch by Judith Leiber
12 Lex commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 5:01 pm

I love these colours, they are so calming! What type of flowers are those? They look like a rose hybrid.
13 Victoria Klein commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 5:09 pm

So very beautiful! The color combination is both fun & sophisticated at the same time – a tough thing to accomplish.
14 michelle commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 5:09 pm

:) Leslie’s talent just blows me away. I love how she creates artwork specifically for each column, how the actual supplies become a piece of art, i love all of it.
michelle´s last [type] ..A Splurge &amp A Steal
15 C. commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 5:59 pm

These are incredibly wonderful and inspiring!
And I agree with you about catalogues giving so much ideas. I keep a lot of them for inspiration.
16 krystyna81 commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 6:02 pm

I love the idea of painting fans with your little girl! Maybe my daughter and I (who has already taken over my studio!) will try that, too. I love blue and white…and the slightest shift in saturation or temperature changes it’s character so completely.
krystyna81´s last [type] ..Pastel Portrait Video
17 Mads Mom commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 6:13 pm

These are gorgeous. Reminds me of an article I just read in the Sept. RealSimple, combining Teal and Red for fall.
But this is fresh and sweet. (And just like my daughter who is dressed in pink stripes and navy today…very french!)
18 Jessica Ashley commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 6:41 pm

This just took my breath away…I emailed it to one of my brides in hopes she loves it as much as I do.
19 Will commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 6:54 pm

Styling heaven. It’s going down here! It’s those blue and white stripes…they get me every time.
Will´s last [type] ..Home Tour- Downtown LA Loft
20 Melissa de la fuente commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 6:54 pm

Oh…Leslie, this might be my most favorite ever. Just gorgeous and so fresh… I love the quilt idea and love your desk with the beautiful tape dispensers. sigh… So good.
xo
Melis
21 April commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 7:13 pm

What a lovely color combination! It makes me want to dive right back into my art journal, but I’ll have to save it for tomorrow. Thanks for the inspiration.
April´s last [type] ..Getting Over the Social Media Hump
22 La Belle Vie commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 7:22 pm

I have to be honest. I’ve never been a fan of Navy blue but this column is so gorgeous I may gave to reevaluate! Wow!! The Colour Me Pretty is always so inspiring…

Jessa xx
La Belle Vie´s last [type] ..Youve Got Mail
23 sera commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 7:31 pm

I think you have inspired me to redo my entire blog in these colors. I was wooing the sun to come with an orange background but oh how I love the patterns and stripes and loveliness that you have tossed together here. so lovely!
24 Terri commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 7:51 pm

I love your mood boards, Leslie! This one has such a wonderful color combination!
Terri´s last [type] ..Im Smitten
25 Eliza commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 7:52 pm

ahh…so inspired by the lovely Leslie and her amazing color palettes…yet again! Also, I wanted to absolutely recommend taking the Blogging Your Way course with Leslie and Holly! I took it last spring and am still referring back to my notes and integrating things I learned from the class. Leslie had so much to share about how to style and take photos…what I learned in those few weeks from her would have taken me years to figure out on my own…it was SO helpful. Not only that, but with all of Holly’s amazing insights and wisdom about stepping more fully into who you are and utilizing the creative potential of blogging, this course is not to be missed!
26 Liz commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 7:54 pm

Wow! The color combination and images are simply mesmerizing. I love the paper fans!
27 Andy Mathis commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 7:57 pm

Wow- painting those fans like that is inspired. Very lovely.

*wishes I had thought of that idea* :) *
Andy Mathis´s last [type] ..2011 Cat Charity Calendar
28 Piper commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 8:00 pm

Oh you had me at navy stripes!! I’m so into stripes right now – pillows, rugs, paper, anything! These are just gorgeous images. I love the combos you put together.
29 Emma commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 8:22 pm

What a great palette. It feels very fresh and new. I feel like we haven’t seen this combination in awhile. I would love to see it come into fashion and home accessories. Really inspiring.
Emma´s last [type] ..super quick sweet treats
30 leni commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 8:42 pm

the blue writing is just gorgeous.
31 Jaime commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 9:17 pm

I love the flowers and that cute clutch in the first pic!
32 Cindy commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 9:22 pm

Is space still available for one more in the blogging course? I tried to register but it requires a blog url – and I thought it was possible to take the class even if your blog isn’t set up yet. I’d love to sign up!
33 MIMÓZA commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 9:34 pm

gorgeous! Leslie, I was inspired by the exact same colours in a recent necklace design, you can take at look at it on my blog here: http://mimozadesign.blogspot.com/2010/07/honey-loves-sea.html
34 decor8 commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 9:39 pm

Cindy you can enter http://decor8blog.com in that field, I’ll have my web admin update this asap!
35 DT commented:
August 19th, 2010 at 10:37 pm

Splendid colors and fresh designs!
36 lush bella commented:
August 20th, 2010 at 12:29 am

this is just so wonderful! the photography, the colors, the handpainted paper fan! love your column leslie!
lush bella´s last [type] ..dreaming of windows
37 SeaGal commented:
August 20th, 2010 at 12:31 am

These are beautiful, such a creative idea. I love the blue and white striping..
SeaGal´s last [type] ..Little Treasures Bring Sweet Pleasures
38 sideoats + scribbles (Lisa) commented:
August 20th, 2010 at 12:53 am

Oh my, Leslie! I don’t know how you do it, but your Color Me Pretty columns make me feel so energized and happy, yet relaxed and peaceful all at the same time! Does that make any sense at all? Thank you so much! :)
sideoats + scribbles (Lisa)´s last [type] ..Lawn Fawn hearts Cards for Kids blog hop!
39 julie commented:
August 20th, 2010 at 1:04 am

Beautiful, I love colour combinations.
julie´s last [type] ..how to get a song stuck in your head- in style
40 Leslie commented:
August 20th, 2010 at 2:27 am

Ooooh my gosh….this has to be my most favourite colour me pretty so far! Such a fab combination…I could gush about this all day. I am in love with all of it. I feel so inspired and have just signed up for the blogging course because I want to create beautiful posts like this too. (or at least try!).
Leslie´s last [type] ..Neverending story print
41 Jessica @ Reclaimed Marketplace commented:
August 20th, 2010 at 6:35 am

Wow, these photos are gorgeous.The colors are awesome! I actually have these colors in my family room! A bright coral/salmon couch with navy pillows! We have kinda a bright striped rug down right now but I think we should switch it out for a more raw tweed look like your showing here. Thanks!
Jessica @ Reclaimed Marketplace´s last [type] ..guess who came over!
42 irene commented:
August 20th, 2010 at 2:50 pm

these colors are really, really beautiful! i love this post :)
irene´s last [type] ..elder
43 Chloe commented:
August 20th, 2010 at 8:47 pm

Perfection!
44 fresh365 commented:
August 20th, 2010 at 10:45 pm

I can’t get enough stripes right now! The pairing with the salmon = perfection. I’m craving those Japanese bowls too!
45 Charlotta commented:
August 21st, 2010 at 12:24 am

I loved this post!
The colour combination is fantastic and the crafty inspiration divine.
Love the hand painted fans and the little indigo cards. So much to smile over here.

Have a gorgeous weekend and thank you .

xx C
Charlotta´s last [type] ..Changeing season and GIVE-AWAY
46 Julie the Alkaline Sister commented:
August 21st, 2010 at 8:03 am

I’m with fresh 365- “can’t get enough of those stripes!, I’m wearing them right now! I have scarves, dresses, coverups, sneakers you name it! Great post Les, luved the combo!
Julie the Alkaline Sister´s last [type] ..Watermelon &amp Fresh Mint Juice-Watermelon benefits 101
47 Kira commented:
August 21st, 2010 at 1:30 pm

I love the watercolour material you included in the pictures!!!
Have a nice weekend !!!
48 Amanda {Mocking Bird} commented:
August 21st, 2010 at 10:13 pm

Oh my goodness, what a beautiful post.
I love how you’ve put these colours together. So pretty.
Thanks for the gorgeous inspiration.
Amanda {Mocking Bird}´s last [type] ..Gypsy Girls and Sailors
49 Hilary commented:
August 22nd, 2010 at 1:01 am

that color combination is absolutely lovely!
50 Katie commented:
August 22nd, 2010 at 5:41 am

oh, wow, awesome combo. I’m wishing I had some salmon-toned fabrics to go with the faded denim sitting in my fabric stack right now…
I think I’d throw in a bit of antique lace with the combo, too. It’d be a fun way to incorporate the same feel as straw into a wardrobe.
Katie´s last [type] ..It’s this time of year
51 The Jeanny commented:
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:22 pm

very nice colors <3
52 Frida commented:
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:23 pm

I love your pictures. Such an inspiring post! I want to grab my own camera right away. THANKS!
Frida´s last [type] ..Stilig ungkarlslya i Göteborg
53 kms commented:
August 24th, 2010 at 9:00 pm

Love, love, love this post as these are my destination wedding colors! Men will be in navy seersucker and the ladies are in coral J. Crew dresses. These colors obviously make my heart melt. Thanks for this post!!!
54 Caitlin commented:
August 26th, 2010 at 6:23 pm

Love love love, of course :) ! So amazing.
Caitlin´s last [type] ..Animal Print for Summer
55 Saioa commented:
September 2nd, 2010 at 10:12 am

Hi Leslie,

I would love to know where did you buy those beautiful striped bowls.

Thanks. :)
56 Maria commented:
September 6th, 2010 at 4:57 am

Beautiful Leslie! It’s great to see your work and how you mix different colours and textures together. I only dreamt about stripes last night – I think it’s because I’m dreaming about a striped jacket for our Aussie springtime :)
Maria´s last [type] ..im loving

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