Perplexing Purple

What is the color that you scrap with the least? If your answer is “purple”, then you are not alone. Recent online polls show that purple is definitely the least popular color used in scrap booking.

While researching this article, I read somewhere that “purple is a state of mind”. So what does purple mean to you? I think, with me, the answer changes with age. During the 70s, when I was a little girl, I loved pretty pastel purples and pinks. Purple in the 80s automatically made me think of Prince and Purple Rain. The 90s, when my daughter was little, were all about watching a certain purple dinosaur sing and dance and giggle (shudder). These days, purple mostly reminds me of flowers and eggplants from my garden. These are probably all fairly common answers for “purple” thoughts.

But the meaning and use of this color was once anything but common. Since ancient times, the color purple has been linked to wealth and royalty. This is because the color was originally so hard to produce. Purple dye was made from the excretions of certain snails. And it was not an easy thing to do. Cleopatra loved the color purple and was said to have her servants soak 20,000 snails for more than a week just to get an ounce of purple dye.

Since the purple dyes were so rare and expensive, only the people of the highest status had access to them. Roman emperors used purple as the color of nobility. It was decreed that only the Emperors could wear purple. Even selling purple items, to anyone outside of the royal family, was a crime punishable by death.

Purple has held many other meanings throughout history in different parts of the world. In Spain it represents the common man. In Japan, the color purple signifies wealth and position. In Egypt, purple denotes virtue and faith. In Thailand, purple is the color of mourning. It represents courage in the United States Purple Heart. It has been described with such words as mystical, spiritual, formal, gentle, and vibrant.

But can purple speak to us creatively? I can answer that question with a big “yes” just by looking at these positively pleasing purple projects (try saying that five times fast), but read on if you need more convincing.

Tooth Fairy by Janneke Smit

Supplies: Paper, Felt Stickers: BasicGrey, Rub-On Alphabet: Scrapworks, Bling: Heidi Swapp, Marker: Color Workshop (P&M Products), Font: Corbel, Other: thread. Tools: Other: sewing machine.

Design Notes: I cut along the design on a strip of patterned paper to make it look like a punched border or even a small banner, and then I inked the edges with a marker. I thought it looked a bit like a row of "teeth" so it would enhance the theme of my page.

Journaling: On 11/23/09 Larissa lost her first baby tooth, right before bedtime! The next morning she was not very happy that she only had gotten $5 under her pillow. She had expected a note or a card from the tooth fairy as well... Only six days later she lost her second baby tooth. Fortunately this time the tooth fairy left her a purse, and it even had a note inside! Maybe the tooth fairy had overheard...

Love Emily by Rene Tibbets

Supplies: This I Promise by Tina Chambers (Digital Scrapbook Place), Software: Adobe Photoshop CS4.

Design Notes: I duplicated the circle frame from the kit several times and filled the frame in with the light purple background from the kit to make a border under the photo. I copied and pasted the heart elements inside and outside the frames randomly.

Bloom by Debbie Sherman

Supplies: Paper: BasicGrey, Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper, Alphabet: American Crafts, Flowers: Prima Marketing, Petaloo International, Bling: Darice, Prima Marketing, Ink: Colorbox (Clearsnap), Pens: ZIG Memory System, Other: transparency. Tools: Punches: The Paper Studio, Martha Stewart Crafts, Border Punches: Martha Stewart Crafts, Circle Cutter: Fiskars, Edge Distressor: Heidi Swapp, Other: stamps.

Design Notes: The flourishes were created by stamping them onto a transparency and then cut out and adhered to the layout with glue dots. The shaped background was made by tracing a die cut.

Journaling: My favorite Spring flower is the Lilac. When I was young my father introduced me to his favorite flower. The Lilac has been my favorite since.