Pantone Spring 2016 Fashion Colors Lilac Gray and Iced Coffee

Lilac Gray and Iced Coffee are two neutral colors added to the Pantone Spring 2016 Fashion color palette.   Lilac Gray is a classic shade of gray with a light purple undertone where Iced Coffee is a much stronger neutral.  Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, explains "With its natural earthy quality, the softness and subtlety of Iced Coffee creates a stable foundation when combined with the rest of this season's palette.    

I didn't have time to play around yet with the Lilac Gray but made some more "variegated clay yarn" using the Iced Coffee.

This time I used three colors to create my variegated mix with Iced Coffee as the main color.  For the lighter shade, I used the clay color Almond (*recipe #2-8) and the darker brown I used Chocolate Truffle (*recipe #3-5).  I made a clay log of each color and then cut each log into four.  I then reassembled the log as shown in Box #2 below. 

So here are the clay recipes for the Pantone Spring 2016 Fashion colors Lilac Gray and Iced Coffee using Kato clay.

* Note:  These clay color recipes are created using Kato Polyclay.  Any of the base color "mixes" used are from my Clay Color System.

Pantone Spring 2016 Fashion Colors Buttercup and Green Flash

Pantone explains that while most of this year's spring/summer palette trends towards calmness, a few of the colors offer a contrast.  Buttercup and Green Flash give that bit of brightness and combine well with the rest of the palette.

The snow around us has been melting the past few days and today we had rain with the most gorgeous and bright rainbow.  The colors reminded me of the Pantone spring and summer palette which inspired me to create a skinner blend of Fiesta, Buttercup and Green Flash.

The blended colors had a tropical appearance.  I decided to turn the blend into a cane and create a sculpted flower from it. 

So here are the clay recipes for the Pantone Spring 2016 Fashion colors Buttercup and Green Flash using Kato clay.

* Note:  These clay color recipes are created using Kato Polyclay.  Any of the base color "mixes" used are from my Clay Color System.

Pantone Spring 2016 Fashion Colors Peach Echo and Fiesta

Peach Echo is from the orange family but with a pink undertone.  Fiesta on the other hand is a deeper, orange-tone red.  Both colors similar yet very different.  I didn't get around to playing with these colors as much as I had hoped but I did pull out my Sculpey Silk Screen Kit and added some metallic black paint to the Peach Echo background and white paint to the Fiesta.

So here are the clay recipes for the Pantone Spring 2016 Fashion colors Fiesta and Peach Echo using Kato clay.

 * Note:  These clay color recipes are created using Kato Polyclay.  Any of the base color "mixes" used are from my Clay Color System.

Pantone Spring 2016 Fashion Colors Snorkel Blue and Limpet Shell

Pantone describes Snorkel Blue as marine inspired and from the navy family but with a happier more energetic context.  The name alone implies a relaxing vacation and encourages escape which is what I would love to do with all the snow around outside.  Limpet Shell is a shade of aqua and combines well with the Snorkel Blue.

I played around with my version of batik fabric in clay using these two colors to create a sculpted flower and some beads.

So here are the clay recipes for the Pantone Spring 2016 Fashion colors Limpet Shell and Snorkel Blue using Kato clay.

* Note:  These clay color recipes are created using Kato Polyclay.  Any of the base color "mixes" used are from myClay Color System.

2016 Pantone Colors of the Year - Rose Quartz and Serenity

The Pantone Color Institute decided to do something different by introducing two colors of the year.   I was not only surprised by this but their color choices as well -- Rose Quartz, a soft pink and Serenity, a soft shade of blue which Pantone says are a "softer take on color for 2016"

After mixing up these clay colors I was trying to decide what to make with them.  They reminded me of soft yarns for knitting and so I decided to play with the extruded clay faux knitting technique.  I started extruding some of the clay and then came up with an idea to make it look more like variegated yarn.

 I was happy to discover my idea worked and here is what I did shown in the photo collage below:

And here are the clay recipes for the Pantone colors of the year, Rose Quartz and Serenity:

* Note:  These clay color recipes are created using Kato Polyclay.  Any of the base color "mixes" used are from my Clay Color System.

Pantone Spring 2016 Fashion Colors

It is that time of year again to mix up some new Pantone fashion colors for spring.  I know many of our followers look forward to these clay recipes I share and try to get them out to you as early as possible.  I understand that some of our readers are not into the latest fashion colors and prefer to use  whatever works for them.  That is great and we do that too but I find mixing up each season's new colors can be very inspiring and forces us to create fresh and new combinations.

Polymer Clay Chips in the Pantone Spring 2016 Fashion Colors

We have also found that using the latest Pantone fashion colors that come out twice a year (spring and fall) in our work keeps things more up-to-date not only with our line of jewelry but with our other fashion items such as buttons and shawl pins.  We deal directly with several quilt and yarn shops and see the latest Pantone colors in the new yarns or quilt fabrics on their shelves.

This week I will share with you the clay recipes for the Pantone Spring 2016 fashion colors using Kato Polyclay along with some interesting ways to combine them.

Art Deco Buttons in Black, White and Red

Here are some more buttons I made using my new "Art Deco" technique created from left-over clay scraps.  In my tutorial, I share a simple method for framing your designs which can show off the pattern even more.

This is one of my favorite color combinations made from the scrap pile shown below.  If you are one that doesn't do very much cane work, other scrap clay such as left over blends also work well for this. No matter what, we always seem to have so much left-over scraps and always looking for more ways to use them.

Left-over cane pieces and "scraps"

A New Tutorial to Start off the New Year

The new year has been off to a slow start for us but we've been able to spend some time with family we hadn't seen in a while so that is nice.  I traded in some of my claying time over the holidays to do some baking and cooking up a few special meals instead which Dave has really appreciated!

We have accomplished a few things, however, this year so far though.  We've managed to list more items in our online store and I finally published my new tutorial, "From Scrap Clay to Art Deco"!

We always end up with so much left-over clay that we call scrap but it is never wasted.  We will sometimes mix it up to create new colors or use it as filler for beads.  We also love making Natasha beads or creating with Stropple canes and one day while playing around I discovered this fun new way to create bold and funky Art Deco patterns.

In my 16 page lesson I share my new technique along with a Kaleidoscope variation and tips on combining your scrap clay to achieve the best results.

Art Deco Kaleidoscope Variation

I also show an easy method to frame your designs to create buttons or jewelry pieces plus 2 full pages of photos for ideas and inspiration.

My new tutorial is now for sale in our Etsy shop as an instant download or if you do not want to pay the extra VAT tax, you can purchase it from our online store and we will e-mail it directly to you.

This is a fun new way to create new designs from your scrap.  We like to use the Art Deco patterns to create bracelet tiles, buttons, cabochons for our interchangeable "Snaps" and even create Tessellation patterns.

Bracelet Tiles

Tessellation variation

Interchangeable Fashion in a "Snap"