Your favorite colors hit stores next fall

How brave are you when it comes to color?

It's one thing to buy a gallon of paint and decorate a wall. It's another to spend perhaps thousands of dollars on a strong color statement.

But that's what manufacturers expect you to do in the fall. They rolled out furniture in shades like rhubarb red, electric blue, amethyst and lime green this spring at the market in High Point, N.C.

Both upholstered and wood furniture show the bold colors.

Red Egg put bright coral on its sideboard in the Double Happiness collection. The price is $2,400. Visit www.redegg.com.

Most of us will never buy a $1,700 plum-colored sectional from Broyhill, a $2,025 retro Ultrasuede lounge chair in a color American Leather calls Wine-n-Roses or a $1,300 apricot leather recliner from Barcalounger Home.

But there's a less costly way to get on the color wagon. Palecek's zebra pillow comes in blue, lime, orange, brown or black. Here the orange is shown with a companion pillow. The retail price for 20-inch pillows is $88 to $148. Visit www.palecek.com.

Visit the Web site of the American Home Furnishings Alliance at www.findyourfurniture.com.

Here's the finishing touch for your office

We all know that candy is bad for us, but penny candy is so bright and so much fun. Don't you feel like a kid again when you stop in one of those stores with bins and scoops?

Staples has decided to make paper clips both decorative and fun.

Again we're talking bright colors, of course. The paper clips come in several shapes from hearts to stars to music notes and guitars.

And forget about basic black binder clips. These are small or large, metallic colors or patterned. There are push pins, too.

The company says you can save by buying in bulk - just as with penny candy.

At a special kiosk you grab a small round container for $6 or a larger one for $10 and fill it with whatever you want.

We see these being a big hit in the fourth grade next fall.