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Our team of writers brings you daily trend coverage, new products, inspiration, information and fun ideas. With an archive of more than 1,662 articles, you're sure to find something you love. Or if you have a great idea, let us know!

Roomba Light Art

Roomba Light Art


You wouldn't even know that the Roomba is a vacuum when looking through these photos. The idea of turning everyday things into art work is something more creatives thrive on, and this is no exception.

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The "Roomba Art" series was originally produced by Tobias Baumgartner, Marcus Brandenburger, Tom Kamphans, Alexander Kroeller, and Christiane Schmidt of the IBR Algorithm Group and Braunschweig University of Technology. "We had a swarm of seven Roombas, each with a differently colored LED on top. The roombas are operating at the same time -- can you spot the collisions?" Source

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After this initial series was created several others tried their version of such an idea and pretty soon various versions of this concept were created and posted online. Hope you enjoy the round-up we have put together.

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Have any of you tried this yet? Would love to hear your thoughts on this awesome photo series and creative concept.

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Zazzle Design Contest Winners Announced

Zazzle Design Contest Winners Announced


Zazzle is one of those totally awesome online brands that has just about everything you could wish for on one website. Aside from offering so many different products, Zazzle also gives you the chance to customize your own. Make sure you check out their selection of goods.

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Did you all enjoy creating iPad cases for our Zazzle contest? I hope so. There were so many fabulous entries, you guys are great at creating some inspiring pieces. So thank you for entering.

Today we are here to announce the winners of the Zazzle contest.

  • Grand prize winner will receive $500 + a copy of their winning iPad Sleeve
  • 1 Runner-up will receive $100 Zazzle gift certificate + copy of their iPad Sleeve
  • 2 Honorable mentions will receive $50 Zazzle gift certificates + copies of their iPad Sleeves
So let's get to it. The Grand Prize winner of our iPad Zazzle Design Contest is: Egg Me On iPad Sleeve by Praxically!

The runner-up who will be receiving a $100 Zazzle gift certificate + copy of their iPad Sleeve is: Vintage Flowers iPad Sleeve by HazelAgnes.

The 2 Honorable mentions who will be receiving a $50 Zazzle gift certificates + copies of their iPad Sleeves: PATTERN {chevron 011} by Schatzibrown

 

And finally, Vintage Floral by pinkinkstudio

Congrats to all the winners! Thank you so much to everyone who entered the Zazzle contest. I hope you had a lot of fun with this contest and we are excited to keep bringing you more.

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Colorful Kite Fest

Colorful Kite Fest


When lots of people gather in a park and fly kites together, the outcome is one incredibly colorful sky. Here are some  photos from Kite Fest in Austin, Texas.

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What colors do you see when you look at these shots? Woud love to see what color palettes and patterns you COLOURlovers come up with!

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Has anyone attended any fun and colorful activities recently? Would love to see what you are all doing!

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Zazzle iPad Sleeve Design Contest

Zazzle iPad Sleeve Design Contest


Today we are here with a really fun iPad sleeve design contest brought to you by Zazzle. Have you taken the time to play on  Zazzle yet?

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The site is filled with so many awesome products from iPhone + iPad cases, office products, clothing and accessories and just about everything else you could want. What's more, they have an option for you to go ahead and design your own pieces. Want to put your artwork on t-shirts? Zazzle can do that!

We are excited to announce the Zazzle iPad sleeve design contest. We are calling upon the COLOURlovers community to design the coolest sleeve you can through zazzle.com. Once you have created something you love, submit the design and share it so you can get lots of votes on your submission.

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How it Works:

Participants will be designing an iPad sleeve using the design tool on zazzle.com. Here is how to enter:

  • Create a Zazzle Account (It’s free!)
  • Download our iPad Sleeve Templates and use them to create your design.
  • Go here , select the sleeve you’d like to create and use your design to finalize your entry.
  • “Post for Sale” (red link towards the bottom right) your iPad Sleeve with the tag colourloversipadcontest in the Zazzle Marketplace

For the official rules, find out more on zazzle.com. You’re done! Now you can go vote for your favorites but clicking the “like” button below the entry!

The Prizes:

  • Grand prize winner will receive $500 + a copy of their winning iPad Sleeve
  • 1 Runner-up will receive $100 Zazzle gift certificate + copy of their iPad Sleeve
  • 2 Honorable mentions will receive $50 Zazzle gift certificates + copies of their iPad Sleeves

We will be announcing the winners on May 14, 2012. Good Luck to all and happy designing!

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Color Your World From The Inside Out

Color Your World From The Inside Out


Did you know that adding foods to your diet that are high in pigmentation is one of the best things that you could do for your health and creativity? Broccoli, carrots, beets, peas, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, etc. all contain whopping doses of antioxidants, the super-hero of the super-fit, chasing away free radicals that cause disease and degeneration.

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Every runway supermodel knows that the key to staying slim and shiny is to avoid foods that are white, or pale in color—potatoes, breads, pastas, white rice, sugar—and to eat fabulously colorful foods that are ALIVE and JUICY.

Not only will brightly colored foods make you a brightly colored person, (add a rosy glow to your cheeks, bring the sparkle and shimmer back to your eyes) they become a cheerful accent splash of color to your kitchen when stacked in a bowl near the Kitchen-Aid or french press, and make a lively center-piece for the dinner table.

Dust off that brightly painted Mexican-ceramic bowl and fill it up with the season's best apples and oranges and color your world from the inside out.

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How Colors Change on the Web (or Don’t)

How Colors Change on the Web (or Don’t)


As individuals, we change our colors often. We reflect our inner palettes in what we wear, what we buy, where we cast our gaze. We have the freedom to engage unlimited combinations whenever we see fit.

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But what about the colors of the websites we visit daily? Do websites shift in these same ways, or even at this rate? Over the course of a year we change our color preferences untold times, but looking at how websites evolve over a similar time period indicates something quite different.

I recently examined a representative sample of websites that have gone through a significant redesign in the last year to analyze just how much, if at all, these websites changed in terms of their inner color palettes. These few examples represent a trend I noticed - that some websites have gone through massive shifts in layout, usability, and general structure. In comparing their palettes, however, you don't see such shifting.

In the example of target.com below, you can see that there has been an obvious overhaul of structure, reorganizing the site completely. While there is a subtle increase in a practical implementation of color 'coding' (notably pink to indicate a 'spring' item and brighter link colors), the base of the palette remains the same. This shows that Target knows the importance of evolving functionality (and product) independent of base branding colors.

Another great example of a structural overhaul is bankofamerica.com. Here you can see they've moved to a centered layout and are using a few brighter blues for specific calls to action, but again, the remainder of the palette remains unchanged.

Another website I took a look at was twitter.com, which went through somewhat of a transformation last year. Save for a button color change (for the better) the base of their palette and branding remains the same.

Of particular interest this past year were the transformations undertaken on dennys.com. Around July last year they went with an overhaul not just of structure but of color as well. I don’t think the color portion of the overhaul was that successful, as a look around six months later shows they've reversed their direction. They've gone closer to what they had previous to the saturated yellow look, dialing back to a more traditional food-friendly palette of light tans/browns and creamy whites. Did Denny’s find out how much is too much? Was bright yellow too much of a stretch from what is traditionally a red-dominated industry?

In the case of our recent Purple.us redesign, you can see that we’ve maintained the base of the palette, only adding a select aqua to draw emphasis to the site’s informational hierarchy. Again, you can see how important the core of a palette is to the site’s overall presentation.

It is important to understand that while sites adapt and alter in various ways and degrees, there are some decisions that must be absolutely correct in early stages of development, namely color. Color delineates brand. Color can define a site. Color resonates in the mind of the user, whether they notice or not. Color is vital. If a website requires modifications, initial color choice and primary concepts must be considered just as vital.

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MOO + COLOURlovers : Business Card Design Contest

MOO + COLOURlovers : Business Card Design Contest


Today MOO and COLOURlovers are coming together to bring you a business card color palette contest. Just think about it, you have the chance to spruce up a pack of business cards that many people will receive that is sure to brighten their day when they do. Of course we know that this is the perfect task for the COLOURlovers community since you are all great when it comes to playing with color, so check out how to enter below and get going.

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MOO is an online print company that creates a variety of materials including business cards, postcards, and MiniCards. The attention to design, focus on only a few products done well, and care for their customers, are just a few things that set MOO apart from other similar companies. Products that are high-quality are a must in making the best first impression possible, and MOO knows that, so they strive to offer top designs and make the process as easy as possible. Here are some of the pre-designed business card templates you will find at moo.com.

How to Enter:

Submit your best 5 color palette for a MOO business card pack. Once you have created something you are proud of, show it off! The palette will be in the gallery to gain "love" from the community.

As a tip, you can adjust the width of each color using the red bar right above the palette color.

Submissions close at the end of the night on Sunday April 8, 2012. You will have the chance to gain love notes until April 12, 2012. We will announce the winner on Friday April 13. The top five most ‘loved’ designs will be announced as the winners and these five designs will be bundled as a new COLOURlovers pack and will be available for sale on moo.com.

Once you create your awesome, check out the other entries and vote for your favorites.

The Prizes:

The people who created 5 most loved color palettes will each receive a $100 MOO voucher to be used at Moo.com for any of their available products.

Not only will you receive a voucher, but the 5 most loved palettes will be included in the next set of COLOURlovers business cards by MOO.

Good luck and get designing!

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COLOURlovers Interview with The Wedding Chicks

COLOURlovers Interview with The Wedding Chicks


The Wedding Chicks is one of the most fabulous wedding blogs around. Aside for always offering top-notch inspiration for planning brides, they also have a bevy of other great resources including free downloads and a shop filled with adorable goodies for your wedding day.

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For those of you past the wedding phase and onto babies, don't fret as they have created a fabulous baby blog, Onto Baby, featuring inspiring nurseries, baby showers and all things fabulous for a growing family.

First up, why don't you tell the community a bit about who you are, what you do, how long you have been doing it, and your background.

WC: We met when Amy photographed Jocey's wedding, we became fast friends and the rest is history. Jocey's background is in graphic design and mine is in photography. Together, we are the Wedding Chicks. Launched in March of 2008, The Wedding Chicks is a daily blog focusing on weddings, wedding fashion, wedding decor and DIY projects.


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What past experiences do you think have contributed the most to where you are now?

WC: We are both extremely ambitious and determined, I think that these traits were handed down from our parents. Jocey and I have a very similar work ethic and that makes for a really strong partnership.

What colors and color trends do you think we will see a lot of in wedding in 2012?

WC: We anticipate seeing more gowns in soft color palettes, such as blush pinks, yellows, and creams. We are looking forward to seeing brides with hair down embellished with a statement head piece. We think lip color is going to be huge as we adore a bride who braves a bold lipstick on her big day. We predict a more classic and refined look on the groom.


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What patterns and trends do you think will be big in 2012?

WC: We definitely think that the Chevron Stripe will continue to be big in design, as for weddings we think that patterns in bridesmaid dresses will gain some momentum.


Source: Molly Sims WeddingFree printable invitation suite by Wedding Chicks

Which colors, patterns & trends are you personally most excited about seeing?

WC: Personally, we go bananas over pastels and we are in love with color blocking.

What are your top three color palettes you love to see in a wedding?

WC: We are currently obsessing over palettes of:


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Peach, pink and orange

Red, hot pink and yellow

Light pink, yellow and white

What colors do you not often see together a lot, but would like to see more of?

We would love to see more palettes of:

mint green and gray

we would absolutely like to see an all shades of blue wedding, hint hint

How important do you think patterns are to a wedding design? What are your favorites?

WC: Patterns are definitely wonderful especially if the colors are cohesive and blend in with the theme it adds that little something extra. Can't get enough floral, stripe and chevron. We particularly love a pattern in the bridesmaid dresses.


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What's the best design-related advice you've ever received?

WC: Keep it simple.

When you are feeling stumped, where do you turn for inspiration?

WC: We head straight to Pinterest, as well as fashion and design magazines.

For someone that is just beginning to plan and design their wedding, what resources or advice would you give to them?

WC: Choose something that YOU like and stick with it. Work with a stylist to help you create the look and feel of your wedding. Don't worry about what others are doing, it's your wedding and it should be a reflection of you and your future Mr.

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COLOURlovers Interview with Cyd of The Sweetest Occasion

COLOURlovers Interview with Cyd of The Sweetest Occasion


Today we are taking a glimpse into the life of Cyd, founder of The Sweetest Occasion blog and Sweet Occasions Studio, a wedding planning and design company. Her love of color, patterns and textures, have given her the inspiration she needs to create some fabulous wedding decor.

Her blog is equally inspiring as she loves those less trendy and totally classic colors and designs. Follow Cyd on Twitter and make sure to take a look at her fabulous blog, The Sweetest Occasion.

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First up, why don't you tell the community a bit about who you are, what you do, how long you have been doing it, and your background.

Howdy, fellow COLOURlovers! I'm Cyd Converse, founder and creative director of The Sweetest Occasion, a lifestyle and design blog that has been delivering fresh ideas and inspiration for weddings, parties and living a life full of celebration since 2008. We're all about adding a little sparkle to everyday life. I'm also an event designer and stylist, having launched Sweet Occasions Studio in 2008.

What past experiences do you think have contributed the most to where you are now? 

My formal training is an architecture so I have a classic design background. I have a lifelong passion for color, pattern, materiality and space planning which ultimately led me to the exciting and beautiful world of weddings. Plus, my grandmother was the ultimate entertainer and I inherited that passion from her. Even if it was just a group of us grandkids around the house for a weekend sleepover, she never served dinner without putting on her favorite earrings.

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COLOURlovers Interview with Melanie of You Are My Fave

COLOURlovers Interview with Melanie of You Are My Fave


Melanie created You Are My Fave as her creative outlet just 4 years ago. You Are My Fave combines the love she has for decor, crafting and weddings to create some fabulous inspiration for all. The pages of her blog keep you going because you just can't wait to see what else is in store (it also wears out that "Pin It" button with all those awesome photos). Catch up with her on Twitter @youaremyfave.

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Let's find out what inspires her, what keeps her going and what got her to this point.

First up, why don't you tell the community a bit about who you are, what you do, how long you have been doing it, and your background. 

My name is Melanie. I've been blogging daily at You Are My Fave for the last four years but I do a handful of other things too like throw parties and assist Design Mom. I'm also a pro at watching an entire TV series over the course of one weekend.

I graduated from college in the slacker major of Communications with an emphasis in advertising. After a series of unfortunate jobs, I started my blog and haven't looked back since. Of course the things I learned in my major have helped me with all this social media biz.

What past experiences do you think have contributed the most to where you are now?  

First, I think my parent's emphasis on work ethic has helped me tremendously. I had a paper route when I was only eight. Anyone who works for themselves knows it's not easy and if you don't work hard, you won't get anywhere.

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