Colorful Language

I love reading color adjectives, whether in a novel, describing a ball gown, or in a magazine, hyping the latest lipgloss colors. But rather than green, or even dark green, or rich green, pale green, I'd much, much rather read celery, pine, or lime. Instead of red: crimson, vermillion, ruby, or scarlet. I have a particular fondness for colors named for fruits: watermelon, tangerine, lemon, cranberry, apricot... Or gemstones, precious or semi-precious: turquoise, garnet, ruby, emerald, sapphire, onyx, lapis... Or colors pulled from nature: fern, marigold, lilac, lavender, copper... And offered up in groups of two or three, they are all the more enticing.

So I am even more delighted than I can say with my recent purchase The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket. Recommended by Deanna Raybourn, and thoroughly supported by my husband (who believes I could benefit from a tad more domesticity), the book is not only a fascinating look at one woman's romance with a life domestic but a color explosion as well. Gorgeous pictures on every page of all things domestic: cupcakes (featured with delightful regularity, frosted in every color imaginable), quilts, knitting, flowers, artwork, tea cozies, fruit, embroidery...it goes on and on. And not only does Jane Brocket use color in her domestic pursuits, she uses it quite eloquently in her descriptions as well. Every page has me wanting to make a cupcake and frost it in a wild, out-of-the-ordinary color just to bring one more spot of color into my own little version of domesticity.