once upon a color story...turquoise and mustard

i find myself coming across color stories that work everywhere i look. sometimes they're intentional and carefully selected, as in a coordinated outfit, and sometimes, they're totally coincidental like the way the color of a plastic shopping bag just sings with its carrier's nail polish color, or the way a piece of fruit someone is holding looks against the color of their shirt. there is just something about colors that work together - they have a certain vibration that just jumps out at you.

often, the colors are "complementary," or somewhat close to it...which is to say they fall roughly across from each other on a color wheel, though even when i look at a color wheel and purposely choose complementary colors, i'm often not as struck by their relationship as i am when i find color pairs in real life, "complementary" or not. when i do find a color story i love, whenever possible, i try to snap a quick picture or at least jot down a note. (sometimes the picture is a challenge - it's hard not to look like a creep taking pictures of random people and smiling while pretending i'm "fixing the camera"...that trick only goes so far).

sometimes when i fall in love with a color scheme, i find an immediate way to use it, while others i file it away for some later time. this picture from a featured wedding on the website of he and she photography immediately caught my attention because of the interesting turquoise and mustard color story strung throughout the wedding's decor. btw, how much do you love the idea of all the wedding guests signing a certificate that the bride and groom frame and hang in their home? love.

these two colors create a tight, bold buzz between them and i knew i needed to immediately employ the combination. looking around my closet, i actually miraculously had all the necessary pieces to try it out, and i'm loving it.

by combining this yellow and mustard pucci-esque bag (instant obsession from target), my favorite wallet (a shiny, patent chartreusy-mustard), and two make-up cases i bought a while ago at bath and body works, i have the insta-ensemble i wanted -- so summery and perfect, and looks great with the other colors in my summer stable - coral, pink and orange. what's really great is that these pieces totally look like they are meant to be together, and i don't know that i would have stumbled upon this combination without having seen the picture i did.

so turquoise and mustard live happily ever after.