Throughout history flowers, and their colors, have been used to convey sadness, happiness, friendship, love and even dislike. Ever been given a dead black rose? If so, you know exactly the emotions that can come packed in a single flower. It's really no wonder that we are all so drawn to flowers.

Flowers and color are synonymous. Just do a quick palette search here at COLOURlovers containing the word "flower" and you will instantly be shown a multitude of beautiful palettes whose colors can only be replicated in nature. There is no other product that conveys so much feeling based on its color alone. They are sexy, intriguing, and universal and perfect for any occasion.

White Flowers

Traditionally white flowers, the symbol of tranquility, peace and elegance are used for sympathy offerings and weddings. Their stately appearance lends itself to many types of floral applications. It may seem odd that white flowers are used for both celebration and mourning but really, while sympathy flowers convey grief, they also celebrate life and cherished memories.

Islam is a monotheistic religion originating with the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th-century Arab religious and political figure. The word "Islam" means submission, or the total surrender of oneself to God, Allah. An adherent of Islam is known as a Muslim, meaning "one who submits (to God)". There are between 1 and 1.78 billion Muslims, making Islam the second-largest religion in the world.

Sacred Color of Islam: Green

Revered is the colour green, which has been associated with Islam as a symbol of the religion itself. Green is the sacred colour of Islam, and is used for the bindings of the Qur'an (the Muslim Holy Book) and in the silken covers of the Sufi saints. It has been suggested that green is revered because it was worn by Muhammad, but it also symbolizes life and nature. When finally reaching paradise in the afterlife, the Qur'an states, "ornaments shall be given to them therein of bracelets of gold, and they shall wear green robes of fine silk and thick silk brocade interwoven with gold, (18:31)" and they will be "Reclining on green cushions and beautiful carpets (55:76)." In Islamic culture green and gold are the colors of paradise.

Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. The estimated population in July 2007 was 28,674,757. Although the culture is primarily Amerindian and Spanish, traditionally, it has been influenced in its cooking, clothing, music, dance, and art by a number of African, Asian, and European ethnic groups. Because of this blending, Peru is a country so vibrant in colour.

Please see the bottom of this post for how you can help in the Earthquake Relief Efforts in Pisco, Peru.

Spanish conquest introduced the guitar and the harp, was responsible for the development the charango. African contributions to Peruvian music include its rhythms and the cajón. Peruvian folk dances include the marinera, tondero and huayno. Festivals, dances, and performances are marked by almost-flamboyant splashes of colour.

Color theorists and designers in fashion or computer graphics have coined phrases based around what colors shouldn't go together. A recent forum post, Red and Green Should Not Be Seen? discusses two of the sayings ("Red and Green Should Not Be Seen" and "Blue and Green Should Never Be Seen Without Something in Between"), and some lovers have even responded in protest, showing how there is no 'wrong' in love. Here are some palettes and applications of the forbidden colors that really work.

Red and Green Seen

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the world's largest coral reef system, composed of roughly 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for 2,600 kilometers (1,616 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometers (132,974 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia, and can be seen from space.

From jellyfish to whales and a wide variety of fish, the reef supports such a diversity of life, including many rare, endangered species. The reef has skeleton deposits dating back half-a-million years, but among these deposits lives a world of colour. Coral alone can be from red to blue, and even white. Despite its stone appearance, coral is actually alive and growing. Corals have been growing in the region for as long as 25 million years, but have not always formed coral reef structures. Four-hundred species of corals, both hard corals and soft, are found on the reef.

Colorful Sea Life of the Great Barrier Reef

More than 1500 species of fish live on the reef, including the Clownfish (below), Red Bass, Red-Throat Emperor, and several species of Snapper and Coral Trout.

Continuing on from our 130 Green Palettes, and since we're getting towards the end of our sunny summer... We looked through tons of great lover created palettes to bring you more than 90 yellow color palettes to help you share the last bit of summer color love. Some have lots of yellow... some have hints of yellow...
 
 
 

There is a very clever mug that has been popping up on all my favorite sites lately (Neatorama, swissmiss, Gizmodo ). The MyCuppa "mugs to help you mix your favourite brew to just-how-you-like-it by matching the colour guide on the inside. Available in Tea or Coffee styles."

20 Coffee & Tea Color Inspired Palettes

Glass-blowing is an art form that I would consider to be the most complex in the sculpting world. Between the need for extreme temperatures and careful technique, it seems beyond me how such wonderful things can be created by glass-working artists, especially because it almost entirely has to be done while the glass is molten hot.

But what can come out of that heat is incredibly beautiful. From paperweights to landscape art, glass is a world of all shapes -- and colours. Considered the greatest living master of glass-working, Dale Chihuly's glass creations show us just that. From warm yellow and bold reds to oceanic teals and deep sky blues, the spectrum of his work is boundless. Looking at Chihuly's collection of Basket creations and Seaforms is enough to show us his extensive colour palette, while his work plays at the pre-conceived notions we have of what glass is.

The Big Island, also known as the Island of Hawaii is an amazingly beautiful place and I was lucky enough to call it home for the first 17 years of my life. The Big Island is made up of just about every different type of landscape you can imagine... Volcanoes and Deserts... Rainforests and Grasslands... Beaches and Valleys... even Mountains and Snow...

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The Big Island was home to King Kamehameha the Great, who by the early 1800s had united most of the Hawaiian Islands under his rule. He named his Kingdom Hawaii after his native island... leading to the confusion we have today with the Island of Hawaii in the state of Hawaii. It wasn't until 1959 that Hawaii became the 50th State of the U.S.

Color Aloha from the Big Island of Hawaii

by SparkyLeigh The Big Island has surf breaks on just about every side of the Island. The warm tropical waters and hot afternoon sun make any day surfing a great day surfing.

A crew of eight crosses the line between Hello Kitty's cuteness and the sojourns of Star Trek. Together, they travel the ocean searching for fun and adventure. These talented eight -- including a valiant polar bear, daredevil kitten, and big-hearted penguin -- eagerly meeting the excitement they find outside of their undersea base, the Octopod.

They are the Octonauts, and they live in a vibrantly coloured and illustrated world created by the illustration and design team MEOMI, bringing vivid colours to imaginative stories.

MEOMI is ...

... Vicki Wong (Vancouver) and Michael Murphy (LA). They have been featured illustration and design books, while their characters have found homes all over the world on clothing, merchandise, toys, and magazines. Meomi has been a creative force for Fisher-Price/Mattel, Electronic Arts, Google, Time Out Magazine, Bang-on Clothing, and CBC4Kids.