Do you have ‘go to’ colour combinations you use over and over again? Petal Pink and Crumb Cake with either Mint Macaron or Soft Sea Foam is one I love. It has a wonderfully soft look that is so pretty. Yesterday I was trying to create a simple three colour combination with a vintage autumn feel. Stamping some different options onto strips of card allows me to keep my favourites close at hand to refer back to. But plans go awry and a simple mistake resulted in a forever favourite.
FOREVER FERN
I know that many people create colour swatches with simple scribbles but I prefer to stamp actual images. That way I can really get a feel for how the colours work together. Some of my favourites come from the Forever Fern Stamp Set with their darker and lighter areas.
Because I was looking for a more vintage vibe I decided to start with a 2″ x 5-1/2″ strip of Thick Very Vanilla Card. This would give a very different feel to stamping on white. I began with one of the larger leafy images and stamped it three times using Old Olive ink. That was a good start.
Then I chose Cherry Cobbler and a much smaller leafy image. I stamped that one three times too.
For my third colour I chose an image with very rounded leaves that actually remind me of berries. So even though it’s not really an autumn colour, I decided to try this stamped in blue. That’s when things took an unexpected turn. Instead of picking up a bright blue I actually grabbed the new Orchid Oasis ink pad which is more of a purple. Before I realised my mistake I’d filled in the gaps on the card strip, and I absolutely loved it!
So rather than just filing this piece away I decided to keep it close at hand by turning it into a bookmark. On the back of the strip I marked the centre at the top with a pencil, Then I punched a hole using the slot option on the Very Best Trio Punch. After erasing what was left of the pencil mark I cut 8″ of 3/8″ Satin Edged Ribbon. Finally I threaded the ribbon through the slot and tied it in a simple knot.
Now I can see this pretty design every time I pick up my book. I’ll just have to make a second one and note the colours used on the back of that instead. Then I’ll add it to my other colour reference pieces for when I’m looking for a little inspiration. Look out for this combination on future projects!
For some other projects created using the Forever Fern Stamp Set see these earlier blog posts:
NEW SEPTEMBER WEEKLY DEALS – Stampin’ Up! have just announced that each week from September 1-28 they will be offering selected products at a discount. All I know so far is that the products available will change each week. The first set of deals will be available from 1-7 September and I’ll post more information as soon as I have it.
PRODUCT LIST
BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Very Best Trio Punch in a bundle with the Very Best Occasions Stamp Set (not used today). Buying these two items using the single ‘bundle’ item number meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the same two items separately. I’ve included a link to the bundle in case you want to explore that option.
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