WHY DO I LOVE THE COLOR ORANGE SO MUCH?

ORANGE YOU GLAD YOU CAME?

I just love orange.

They say that people who like orange are exciting and live in the moment!

I LIKE that!

How do YOU feel about the color orange?

What's that?

You feel sort of "eh" about it?

Maybe orange has bad connotations for you....like it makes you think of Awful shag rugs! Ugly spray- on tans! Clown wigs! Jail clothes! The Home Depot?

Okay, I understand. But maybe...just maybe.... I can bring you over to the orange side. Then you'll wonder why you stayed away so long!

At the very least, perhaps I can get you to start appreciating orange a little more.

After all, orange doesn't have to look like a traffic cone. When it has a lot of reddish or pinkish undertones, orange can be THE most beautiful,warm, vibrant, exciting, eye-catching, and yes.....feminine color around! Yes...feminine!

MY PERSONAL STORY OF ORANGE

First - I will tell you my personal story about orange.

It begins, with a different favorite color.

That color was pink. Not so unusual for a woman.

So I loaded up on the pink stuff. Lots of pink tops, pink dresses, pink jewelry, pink purses, pink underwear, pink flip-flops, pink notebooks.....you name it. If it was pink, I wanted it.

Then one day, I realized the pink just wasn't "doing it for me" any more. I was sort of....bored with pink. It seemed just a little too...prissy and princessy.

At first, I didn't want to admit it. It felt so...disloyal. After all, I had been a fan of pink for so long.

But I had to face the facts. I had discovered a new love. Orange! And it was so liberating to admit.

TUTTI-FRUTTI

Actually, my switch over to orange wasn't really so all-of-a-sudden. It happened sort of gradually. First, I went from pink to....tutti-frutti.... sort of a combination of pink and orange.

Tutti-frutti IS a great color. I still love it, because after all, it is in the orange family.

Tutti-frutti makes me think of juicy gum - and pretty sunsets over the ocean while standing under a palm tree wearing a floppy (tutti-frutti colored) beach hat.

THE POWER OF ORANGE

Truthfully, I love all shades of orange. I find that I feel happier, livelier and more social when wearing orange (experts will confirm this)!

It happened just today....the confirmation of orange's positive influence over my mood.

I was sitting here typing in a green and tan top, and just didn't feel...quite right. I felt sort of .....depressed...off my game...just not myself. My writing was blah.

So I thought I'd try a little experiement. I went into the bedroom and changed into an orange, peach and white striped t-shirt.

POW! The transformation was INSTANTANEOUS!

Immediately, I felt uplifted! Happy! Giddy! Full of exciting ideas,......like...writing about orange!

I had a mad desire to shoot off an E-mail to a friend I hadn't talked to in a while. I felt all....smiley!

AMAZING!

ORANGE PACKS QUITE A VISUAL A PUNCH!

Just the act of putting a pumpkin orange pillow in the middle of a tan couch..... or strategically placing a bright orange vase on your coffee table, can literally brighten up the entire room and make you feel happy every time you look at it.

Think of Tiger Lillies and other bright brilliant orange flowers in a garden. Think of Monarch butterflies, pumpkins, glorious fall foliage, and hey - just a big giant bowl of oranges on your kitchen table.

Orange is one of the most effective natural mood elavators around. It is a true anti-depressant (experts will confirm this, as well)!

Who needs drugs when you have orange by your side (or ON your body)?

You do have to be careful with orange, though. You can't have too much, because then it becomes......overwhelming. I understand that.

Even I wouldn't want to live in an orange house with totally orange walls, orange carpet, and orange furniture (although that would be interesting to see)!

And I certainly wouldn't go out wearing orange pants with an orange top and orange shoes and an orange hat and a pair of orange sunglasses, with orange lip-stick, orange eye-shadow, and an orange purse.

Now that's what I call orange overkill!

When it comes to orange, a little goes a long way. Orange accents are perfect - or just ONE orange piece. The only time it's acceptable to dress COMPLETELY in orange, is if you are dressing up as a pumpkin for Halloween. And even then,you should have a green stem!

And orange vans? Just say no.....unless you have a time machine and want to go back to the 1970's, when tacky orange vans were cool.... (Actually, I don't even think they make orange vans any more)!

But orange doesn't have to be tacky. There are so many classy shades of orange, such as pumpkin, terra cotta, peach, or apricot.

Right now, my goal is to buy more things to add to more wardrobe as "orange accents," little splashes of orange...jewelry, shoes...and of course, orange tops.

As far as decorating goes....unfortunately, my husband is NOT an "orange person." He is a blue and green person. . Therefore, I just have to sneak little dribletts of orange here and there...where ever I can.

Currently, I am in the process of sneaking small orange glass vases onto surfaces. I also bought some orange plastic cups at the dollar store. Now I feel happy every time I drink juice! And I did see some very vibrant orangey outdoor pillows at Walmart, too. So I'm keeping my eye on those!

Here's a sad fact about orange: Unfortunately, orangey, reddish (auburn) hair colors are the colors that fade out the quickest (boo-hoo)! Lucky girls and women who are BORN with this warm and exciting color hair!

Of course, you can still wear orange THINGS in your hair, like bows and flowers and clips. Also, orange clothes look really stunning with glossy black or darker brunette hair - which luckily, I DO have!

But enough about me. Let's get to some interesting facts about orange, because after all, it is the most interesting color around (then again, I am biased)!

Orange is a close relative of red. It's the most controversial of colors. People seem to have either a very strong positive or negative reaction to orange. In other words, orange elicits a definite HATE IT or LOVE IT response.

Some bad news about orange? Only 7 percent of the population actually pick orange as a favorite color! Well, maybe I can change that.

Orange is fun and flamboyant, and it radiates energy.

Orange says, "HEY! LOOK AT ME!"

Orange gets people thinking and talking.

The color orange is friendly....if you wear a softer orange color, like say, PEACH, it's even MORE friendly....and a little less flamboyant than it's more reddish cousins.

ORANGE WITH OTHER COLORS (in fashion, decorating, or flower gardens):

Orange really POPS when paired with medium blue. That's because blue is orange's contrast color on the color wheel.

Orange is very fiery when combined with red or yellow....in softer tones, these combined colors provide a fresh and fruity experience.

Green with orange brings out the "yellow" in both hues, and can provide a calm "naturey" look (or maybe...a pumpkin look, at Halloween)!

Orange with deep purple is very eye catching. The combined colors are quite striking and sopohisticated.

WATCH OUT, though....when combining pink and orange, you may come off as looking downright psychadelic...like you should be VIBRATING....(so much for tutti-frutti....).

ORANGE AND BEAUTY:

Thanks to the gorgeous ORANGE haired actress Julianne Moore, a new trend has been started - orange eye-shadow!

Yes, that's right! Do you want to audition a brand new look.....something different and a little bit daring? Then why not try some orange eye-shadow, yourself?

You can brush gold, cream, or white shadow on top, to soften the look. Orange eye-shadow can be quite exotic - or it can look very fresh, upbeat, and even preppy, if you opt for a creamy peachier look!

Of course coral has always been a popular color choice for lip gloss, lip stick, nail polish and blush...very tropical looking.

If you've never gone the "orange route" before in make-up - for whatever reason - why not give it a try? You might be pleasantly surprised!

ORANGE IN LANDSCAPING

Orange flowers in a garden are quite arresting - they provide a cheerful and bold look, and visually "come forward" in a garden.

An interesting fact about orange? NO WORD RHYMES WITH IT!

Therefore, it's not so great to use in poems....

But that doesn't mean you can't write a poem ABOUT orange!

ODE TO ORANGE

I love you orange! You're a fun splash of bold!

But you are not well liked, I have been told.

I don't care! You make me smile!

You are a bright butterfly...

A warm pumpkin pie...

Spicy or sweet...

You are a visual treat.

Plus, so good to eat!

(That last line is a play on words, in case you couldn't tell)!

Besides, purple and silver don't have any words that rhyme with them either, so there!

Watch out.....orange also is known to stimulate appetite! So you may not want to paint your kitchen orange if you're watching your weight.

Another interesting fact about orange? People like it LESS as they get older - which means orange is a very youthful color - (which is another good thing about it, if you ask me)!

HOW ORANGE AFFECTS US:

*It radiates warmth.

*It encourages socialization.

* It raises spirits.

*It wakes us up.

* It promotes creative thinking.

*Orange is festive. It makes us think of PARTIES AND FUN!

In aromatherapy, fresh citrus scents are often used in cleaning products - along with beauty products and candles.

The zesty scent of orange is invigorating and reminds us of vitamin C, health, and cleanliness!

I have even read that sniffing a freshly cut open orange can help you feel better if you are experiencing nausea.

SOME MORE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE THE SCENT OF ORANGE:

REFRESHING

COOLING

CHEERING

UPLIFTING

CLEANSING

REJUVINATING

ENERGIZING

SENSUAL

STIMULATING

Why not try a citrus, orangey scented perfume? Orange is often mixed with vanilla, grapefruit, and ginger for a lovely refreshing, invigerating, (and YUMMY!) aroma.

ORANGE WILL KEEP YOU FEELING ENERGIZED FOR THE ENTIRE DAY (which is great to know if you have a boring job)!

AN ORANGE PERSON'S RELATIONSHIP PERSONALITY:

People who choose orange as a favorite color LOVE fantasies! They tend to view sex as a one act play where they are the star.

Hmmm...interesting......

"ORANGE PEOPLE" AT WORK

People who like orange do NOT like ordinary type jobs.

They get bored very easily.

They do not like projects that take a long time.

They often play middleman when there is a conflict.

They are great under pressure.

They excel at solving problems.

They do not like to stick to a schedule.

ORANGE IN DECORATING

HGTV says that when you incorporate orange into a room, you are creating a vibrant space full of warmth.

Orange creates a cheerful aura. It is also bold, exciting, friendly, inviting, and informal. An accent wall of orange will cast a warm glow over the entire room.

The hot trend in decorating right now is persimmon - which is a dark orange color.

(Just leave out the orange shag rug..... unless "retro" is your goal)!

ORANGE IN JUICE

Orange juice is a great way to start your day! It's packed with anti-oxidents and vitamin C...plus, it's just so refreshing!

Another good "orange" juice? V8Splash! That stuff tastes FANTASTIC....and it's so super healthy! You can just TELL it's healthy, by it's beautiful bright orange color. You can practically SEE the vitamins bursting out of the glass! My favorite, is the tropical blend.

For this refreshing, cool, and easy summer recipe, you will need:

1 large box NON-instant vanilla pudding

1 large box orange Jell-O

I carton Cool-Whip

Sliced bananas soaked in pineapple juice

1 can drained mandarin oranges

1 8oz. can pineapple tid-bits, drained

nuts/mini marshmallows (optional)

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

When you make the pudding, substitue water for milk. Add the Jell-O to the pudding at the end of the cooking time (remember, you're using NON-instant pudding - so you will be cooking it over the stove)!

Chill for about 2 hours. Now whip the mixture to lighten it up. Then simply fold in your Cool-Whip and fruit...and enjoy!

Orange colored food has many health benefit, such as beta carotene, which is a powerful anti-oxidant. Beta carotene is essential for eye health. It also DELAYS CONGNITIVE AGING, and protects skin from sun damage.

Many orange colored foods are also packed with vitamin A. Vitamin A is commonly referred to as a retinol, and retonic acid. It is important for night vision - as well as neutralizing damaging free radicals in the body. Vitamin A is crucial for the health of your immune system.

And let's not forget vitamin C (um...orange juice, anyone)? Vitamin C is a powerful anti-oxidant which boosts the immune system and protects against cardiovascular disease. It also helps rebuild collagen in the skin.

ORANGE FRUITS

Cantaloup

Peaches

Apricots

Oranges/Tangerines

Guava

Papaya

Persimmons

Kumquat

Mangoes (my personal favorite)!

WHY DON'T YOU.....

Dice some delicious orange colored fruit over your cereal? Or on top of salads or deserts? You can also transform fresh fruit into tasty salsa, or cool soups, or puree it into delicious smoothies or sauces.

YUMMY EASY MANGO SMOOTHIE
Simply cut up a mango. Now pour milk, a small amount of sugar, a drop of vanilla extract, and some ice-cubes into a blender (no need for exact measurements here.....just "wing it")! Now add your mango pieces; press grind.....then whip....then enjoy!

WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH BLOOD ORANGES?

You've probably been hearing a lot about blood oranges, lately. What's the deal with them? How are they different from regular oranges?

Blood oranges are a mutation of the "sweet orange" and are grown in Italy. They develop their distinctive crimson colored flesh because the fruit develops in colder temperatures at night than regular oranges.

Blood oranges contain 28% of daily dietary fiber necessary, and are a great source of vitamin C, folate, calcium, and thiamine. They also contain more anti-oxidants than regular oranges.

ORANGE VEGETABLES:

Pumpkin

Sweet Potato

Carrots

Winter Squash

Why don't you try a delicious, autumn-inspired squash soup? How about some fragrant pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, or pumpkin muffins?

Why not substitute sweet potatos for regular potatos? They're much healthier.

Or try some tasty sweet potato chips? They can be found in the organic aisle of your supermarket.

ORANGE CANDY

Chocolate and oranges have traditionally been known to compliment each other quite well (especially dark chocolate).

Brand new in the hit parade of orange and chocolate combos, are dark chocolate dipped orange jelly-beans!

OTHER ORANGE CANDY FAVES:
Candy Corn (of course)!

Circus Peanuts (what flavor are those things, anyway...)?

Orange Slices

Orange Pixi-Stix

Orange gummi bears

Orange Peep pumpkins, for Halloween!

Orange is red brought nearer to humanity by yellow - Kandinsky

California is a fine place to live - if you happen to be an orange - Fred Allen

There is no blue without yellow and orange - Vincent Van Gogh

IN CLOSING....

I hope I have convinced you to give orange a try. If you don't want to call it orange, call it....coral! Or...apricot! Or.....persimmon, if that makes you feel better!

You can start off slow - maybe with just an orange watch or some orange socks or a little orange knick-knack on your night stand... see how it goes.

I guarrantee you'll be glad you brought orange into your life!

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*MEET OTHER ORANGE LOVERS! LOG INTO THE EXPERIENCE PROJECT (IT'S FREE!) AND JOIN GROUP: I LOVE THE COLOR ORANGE!

*FREE ORANGE FRAGRANCE DEAL: SIMPLY CLICK THIS LINK: www.boss-fragrances.com THEN CHOOSE THE SCREEN YOU WANT (EITHER MEN'S OR WOMEN'S), FILL OUT THE FORM AND RECEIVE A FREE SAMPLE OF THEIR SIGNATURE PERFUME, ORANGE!

* THIS IS MY VERY OWN CONTEST IN SUPPORT OF ORANGE!

I WANT YOU TO EITHER TELL ME, IN 100 WORDS OR LESS, JUST WHY YOU LIKE THE COLOR ORANGE,,

OR WRITE A POEM ABOUT ORANGE!

WRITE YOUR ANSWER IN THE COMMENT LINE BELOW, AND I WILL PERSONALLY AWARD THE WINNER WITH...I DON'T KNOW, SOMETHING ORANGE!

GOOD LUCK!