It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Teal Fine) & Link Up On the Edge #325
I took some inspiration from Laura’s Big Book of Punny Titles because I have been tealing fine lately. And while it’s not necessarily the end of the world as we know it (or maybe it is), it is definitely the end of the year as we know it and in just a few weeks 2022 will be nothing but a memory. When the present becomes the past, events do sometimes take on a dreamlike quality so I chose this classic R.E.M. earworm for representing my newly discovered obsession with the color teal…and all other variations of blue-green colors such as turquoise, cyan, azure, or cerulean.
As soon as 2022 ends, I am going to start transitioning my boring white living room into a toadstool teal paradise. While I have been planning to incorporate this calming color into my home decor, I have found it slowly making its way into my closet as well. This got me to thinking about why our tastes and preferences in certain colors change over time while other color preferences, like your favorite color, tend to remain static for most of your life. I have never taken a survey of this information, but in my family of 4 we have all confirmed that the very first color that we each decided was our favorite color has remained our favorite color continuously into the present day. (Ralph-Purple, Archie-Orange, Jeff-Blue, Me-Green…in case you were wondering.)
Since green is my forever favorite color, it is no surprise that I would also be drawn to teal which is in the blue-green color family. It is also no surprise that Jeff also really likes the colors in the blue-green family which makes the decision making process for paint colors so much easier!
Did you know that the color teal gets its name from the eyebrow area of a duck? Teal combines the calming properties of blue with the renewal qualities of green in a combination that revitalizes and rejuvenates while representing clarity of thought and open communication. Tibetan monks consider this color as a symbol of the infinite sea and sky and Egyptians consider teal the color of truth and faith.
The more I am reading about the color teal and what it represents, the more I am understanding why it has been so appealing to me of late. It represents some pretty profound stuff which happens to be all the same stuff that I have been really focusing on in my personal growth journey.
By blending the tranquil stability of blue with the healing properties and optimism of green, teal becomes a color that is representative of restfulness and mental and spiritual balance. It encourages calm, quiet reflection which is one of my very favorite midlife activities, so I am really excited to envelope my living space in this comforting hue.
According to Color Psychology, people who are drawn to the color teal tend to be reliable and independent, creative and free thinking, even-tempered and thoughtful, but they also can be over-thinkers and under-achievers.
Some interesting facts about the color teal.
Teal was one of the first of 4 ink colors used in color printing and one of the 16 original web colors defined in HTML in 1987. It combines green and blue at a lower saturation than aqua making it easier on the eyes which led to an explosion in its popularity in the 1990s. During that decade, 6 of the 22 new teams that joined major professional sports leagues chose teal as their team uniform color bringing the total to 13 teams in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL who have teal as their team color.
With the advancement of digital film technology in the 2000s, teal became popular in shot-by-shot color editing because it complemented the warm skin tones of the actors which created a more compelling image. To this day, many major blockbuster films have a noticeably teal and orange (or amber) color palette.
Teal is a common color that appears in the natural world from the teal around the duck’s eyes to peacock feathers, from dense jungles and tropical lagoons to the deepest oceans. Color polls have shown that Americans choose blue and green with the most frequency as their favorite colors. And teal is a magical mixture of both!
When I spotted this black kimono with teal and purple flowers, I couldn’t look away. This meant I couldn’t walk away without taking it home with me. Isn’t it wonderful? It makes me teal great!
I layered this beauty on top of all black and started adding all the blue and green and purple things that I could find. The other special items I am wearing in addition to my gorgeous kimono are my favorite teal key earrings made by Michelle and my heirloom shawl made by my grandmother nearly 50 years ago.
Here is a photo of Grammy wearing her shawl. And that’s 2 year old Shelbee wearing the orange and white poncho she made for me.
I am curious now. What is your favorite color? Has it remained the same for your whole life?
Featured Favorites
Reader Favorite: Sally of Within a World of My Own
Fashion Favorite: Lucy of A Styling Journey
Other Favorite: Trina of Tipsy Heelz
Keeping it teal on the edge,
Shelbee
Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.
Outfit Details: Leggings, Turtleneck, Kimono-Torrid / Boots-ShoeDazzle / Handbag-Teddy Blake / Hat-TJ Maxx / Fingerless Gloves-Amazon / Shawl-Inherited from my grandmother / Necklaces -All old / Earrings-Made by Michelle of Funky Fashion Style and My Bijou Life)
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
30 Comments
Suzy Turner
I’ve totally got that REM song stuck in my head now, Shelbee!!! 😉
As for colours…I must admit that my favourite colour growing up was pink. It was only when I was grown up (well… when I was an adult lol) did I realise it was green lol! As you know, I adore all things green, and that very much includes teal. It’s the most beautiful colour…which is perhaps why I adore my new car so much. Its official colour is called Bikini Blue, but it looks green in most lights. It really is beautiful, and it makes me smile whenever I see it!
Your outfit is simply stunning, and I so love that you’re wearing your grandmother’s shawl that she made so long ago. And how adorable is that photo of you both? This post just makes me happy, Shelbee!
Huge hugs
Suzy xx
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, Suzy, thanks so much! I am so glad that my silly little post that randomly became about the color teal made you happy! I love that your new car is teal, too. I never had very cool colors on my cars although I do really like the dark navy blue of my current Highlander. It looks black sometimes but when the sun hits it, you can really see the deep navy sparkle. We didn’t have any choices in colors though when we got this car. Everything was delayed and back ordered and we basically just got what was available. Maybe my next car will be a funky shade of green! I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friend, and sorry about the R.E.M. earworm!
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
Oh I just LOVE those boots; which is no surprise since my favorite color is blue. I tend to like all the blue tones and anything in the green/ teal/ aqua family are really close seconds.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Joanne, thanks so much! Those colors are so appealing and I love to throw in purples and deep pinks with all the blues, too. Sometimes red as well. I guess I mostly just steer away from yellows and oranges. I like those colors just fine, they just aren’t my favorites.
xoxo
Shelbee
Laura Bambrick
I love your puny title and those gorgeous teal boots! Such a cute outfit!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Laura! I feel like you and I are pun buddies! LOL.
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
What a information! I’m just looking forward to see the result of your living room, lol. And look at 2 year old you! So cute. And that you still have that shawl it’s amazing!! Enjoy your weekend!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, Nancy, thanks so much! You know how I love to research and share the most random information about things! Haha. Looking forward to chatting with you tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Tamar Strauss-Benjamin
Those boots are so great! Happy almost new year!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Tamar! Wishing you a Happy Hanukkah and a very wonderful new year as well, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Your True Self
Hi, Shelbee – Blue greens are my favorite colors, especially teal. I love this duster kimono you’re wearing. I wonder where you got it. It looks especially good over the black column of color. I’ve been coveting long-sleeve tops with thumb holes lately. I have one that’s a thermal layering top but that’s it. So I am admiring your black top with the long sleeves that go over your hands with thumb holes. I really enjoyed this post! Thanks – Angie, http://www.yourtrueselfblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Angie! I go this gorgeous kimono at Torrid and it is still available in a few sizes and on sale for under $18! It was originally $89.50, but I got it on sale. And actually, my shirt does not have finger holes, I am wearing black fingerless gloves with it! But it does look like it’s part of the shirt. I have about 8 different pairs in different neutrals and other colors to go with everything!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
Beautiful outfit! As you know, teal / turquoise is one of my favorite colors. I have a lot of it in my closet, and it’s all over my living room walls. I LOVE it! I’ve always been a bit baffled about where teal ends and turquoise begins though. It is interesting as my favorite color did morph slightly from blue as a child to purple as an adult. But as an adult, I’ve come to appreciate a lot of colors more than I did as a kid.
Michelle
https://funkyfashionstyle.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Michelle! I always think of you when get on a teal or purple kick! They are such great colors and I recently realized that although you and I have different skin and hair tones, we do look best in very similar colors. It makes it easy to pass my clothes on to you, that’s for sure! Speaking of that, I will be visiting Becca from February 22-26 so we need to plan a girls’ shopping and lunch date in Asheville!
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
So very cool. I looking forward to seeing the Teal Room. Looking so very nice there. Love the look. And I bet you didn’t know that R.E.M. is my favorite group, Have a great Monday.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Patrick! And no, I did not know that R.E.M. was your favorite! We always talk about Grateful Dead stuff so I assumed your favorite band would have been more in that genre!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Loved the punny title!!! And, gosh, do I love that song! I seem to have had it running through my head for a few years now! I love teal, too! Several years ago, I walked into my closet (this was when I was still teaching) and realized almost everything in there was teal! I had to make a break before someone called the Fashion Police! My favorite color of all time is purple. And, lucky for me, I can wear most shades of it with those having a blue undertone being the best. I can’t wait to see your living room transformation. I am still sitting here in my beige house and hating it! I want to start with the bedroom, but I have no idea which way I want to go! A blog post, perhaps? Thanks so much, my friend, for the link party!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you, Marsha! I enjoyed R.E.M. back in the 80s and 90s. Now it makes me all nostalgic for those youthful days of yesteryear! I recently realized that while greens, blues, and teals are my favorite colors, I probably wear red and black the most frequently. I need to go into my closet room and take a rough inventory of colors because now I am curious. Picking paint colors is one of the most overwhelming things for me. I always compare it to picking an outfit for the day except with the outfit if I don’t like it, I can just change it tomorrow. If I don’t like the paint color once it’s done, I am not going to change it tomorrow. It’s at least a 10 year commitment and that makes it stressful. When your decorating idea comes to you, then you should planning it. Until then, just wait for the home decor muses to wake up and speak to you!
xoxo
Shelbee
Jennifer
Those boots are amazing!!!!
Jennifer
Curated by Jennifer
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Jennifer!
xoxo
Shelbee
Sally in St Paul
Teal and all colors in the blue-green (and blue…and green) categories are my favorite. Those boots – gorgeous (and amazingly styled)! Thanks for the feature of my post 🙂
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Sally! There is something really special and soothing about blues and greens (I always think of James Taylor’s Sweet Baby James lyric, “Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose…”
xoxo
Shelbee
April
I love your use of R.E.M. in this post. I feel like REM was the offiial soundract of the 90s. And I was a 90s girl. When they said wide legged pants were back, I cannot express how happy I felt!!! Thank you for hosting, and I love the teal boots.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, April! I agree that R.E.M. definitely belongs on the official soundtrack of the 90s! Remember how out of the box they were?! Recently, I have been jamming out to 80s and 90s songs, flashing me straight back to high school! The 90s is definitely my favorite fashion decade second only to the current decade which I call the Decade of Anything Goes…when we can freely incorporate any of the trends of the past 2000 years if we choose and still look relevant! I hope you are rocking out in your wide legged pants!
xoxo
Shelbee
Carol
What a fun outfit! Those boots are absolutely fabulous! Thank you for sharing this post in the Talent Sharing Tuesdays Link-Up 45.
Carol
http://www.scribblingboomer.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Carol! I do love these boots but they definitely were not made for walking!
xoxo
Shelbee
Barbara Chapman
Shelbee, it’s pink… But teal is right in there! I wear a lot of spring colors even though I am really a summer. My last two homes had accent walls of a blue-green-gray, which I still love. Oh, and you can package those boots up and send them down south anytime! 😉 They are now immortalized on Fun & Funky Fashions, along with your grandmother’s really awesome shawl!!! It’s really cool that you inherited it!!! I had a yellow one back in 3rd grade made from crocheted granny squares. It had yellow hanging fringe. Then I had a brownish shawl later on… I don’t remember when? Maybe middle school? It was the 70’s that much I know! 🙂
Happy to feature your fun post at Share Your Style #372 for you this evening.
Happy New Year hugs!
Barb 🙂
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, Barb, thanks so much! I really enjoyed reading your comment! I love all the shawls and kimonos and wraps but vintage ones are definitely the best! I bet your yellow fringed one and your brownish one were both super stylish and would still be today! Pink is a great color, too. It is in my top 5 favorite colors. Green, blue, red, and black might beat out pink for the top 4 spots. I hope you are having a lovely holiday season, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Barbara Chapman
And I totally forgot! I LOVE R.E.M.’s song!!! It’s catchy and was a great one from the 80’s!!!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks! It is certainly a catchy tune and it really does epitomize the 80s!
xoxo
Shelbee