coloring outside the lines: link party features.

Today’s post is supposed to be features from last week’s Crazy for Color link party …

… so why can’t I just leave it at that?

Why can’t this be a straightforward tell you what it is post.  You know the “thanks for all the great links … so much amazing inspiration … I was bowled over by your bold use of color … so hard to pick features … blah blah bah …” post.


Instead all I can think about – and want to write about – is the movie Pleasantville.


You know the one, right?  Made in the late 90’s.  Starring Tobey McGuire and Reese Witherspoon as brother and sister …


… and how Don Knotts shows up in their TV … or is it at their door?  Or maybe both?




And somehow the Don Knotts TV repair guy sends Tobey and Reese’s characters into a 1950’s television show.


It’s a world without color.  A world of rules.  A world where things were done a certain way.  Where people had very specific roles.  Wives cooked and cleaned.  Husbands worked and were waited on by their wives.  Kids were well-behaved.  And clean.  And teens were chaste.



A world where everything was the same. Homogenized. Boring …



… and a world where coloring outside the lines was frowned upon. 



But when they dared to …

… oh, when they dared to grab that crayon…

… that’s when all the fun started.

And their world became colorful.

And it had me thinking about this blogging world …



… because, from time-to-time, rules are thrown around.  And things can start to look the same.  Homogenized.  Painted over with Heirloom white.



Which is why, as I went through the link party, I was truly inspired.  Empowered.  Emboldened.  You see, I realized I’m not alone.  That I don’t have to paint everything white.  That there are others out there like me …


… others coloring outside the lines …

… embracing color …

… or, more specifically, the color orange.

Like Erika at BeBookBound who created this amazing dresser for her self-proclaimed geek son …






…and what about my friend Katie at Creatively Living?  She spray painted a chandelier orange for her daughter’s room …





… and then there’s Jennifer at The Chronicles of Home.  She added pops of orange to her master bedroom (hmmm, that sounds familiar) …





… and Melissa at The Happier Homemaker?  She up-cycled a mirror into an amazing orange framed white board …





… and, last but not least, how could I not include South of Main’s very own orange painted fish?





Now, the original plan was to keep the features to five …

… but I have to add in one last one.

It’s not orange, but it’s close.  It’s peach and peaches and making peach jam at Achieving Clarity …





… which looks equally as delicious as her deliciously introspective prose …

“One of the things I have come to appreciate in growing fruit and vegetables is how they force you to stay in the moment …  There is a job that needs your attention in the here and now.  You either take care of it or you miss your chance.” 

~Achieving Clarity

Beautifully said.  Full of color.  In black and white.



P.S.  Be sure to check out who my party co-hosts featured …

Kari at Thistlewood Farms

Karah at The Space Between

Andrea at The Cottage Market

Kelly at Eclectically Vintage

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