We’re up to week 10 over at Just Add Ink and we have another fun challenge for you to play along with.

This time, you need to put something together using this delightful palette….

When I saw it, I had thoughts of submitting my blog header as my challenge entry, as it pretty much fits perfectly, but given that none of it is Stampin’ Up! and it doesn’t involve any ink, I thought better of it and moved on…

I love the soft, prettiness of this combination, but my own stamped creation is somewhat busy and loud as it turns out…

I think it’s the combination of the stamped upper panel and quite detailed DSP at the bottom that sort of shouts at you…

What do you think?

For the top part, I repeatedly stamped the decorative scrolly-type stamp from  Framed with Love out of the soon to be defunct Summer Mini catalogue, turning the stamp each time so as to fill the space with a fairly regular and tight fitting pattern.

You probably determined for yourself that the Stamp-a-ma-jig is pretty much a must-have for this  part…

See that Close to Cocoa 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon across the centre…?   Well it’s not actually Close to Cocoa at all, or at least it wasn’t when it started out.  It’s Whisper White that has simply been coloured in with the brush end of my Close to Cocoa Stampin’ Write Marker.

How cool is that?!

Aren’t you just so glad that you popped in today and had your ribbon colour possibilities extended in direct proportion to the number of Stampin’ Write Markers that you own?

If you own every colour, then a roll of Whisper White 1/4″ Grosgrain and some Very Vanilla in the 5/8″ will enable you to custom make your own ribbon colours in varying widths as well!

You’re welcome

The main stamped image is another from Framed with Love, as is the long skinny stamp that stretches across the card underneath.  I wanted to get the most out of the one stamp set, and aside from the greeting out of Vintage Labels, managed to stick to just the one stamp set.

Check out the neat and perfect cutting out in this shot (whilst trying to avoid the less than stellar stamping if you would….)

The perfect border here is due less to my scissor wielding talents, and more to the fact that I now own a very exciting piece of die-cutting machinery plus a die that matches this stamp perfectly!

It’s coming up in less than a week’s time with the amazingly extensive Autumn/Winter Mini catalogue, and without going into too much detail, I can tell you that it starts with “B” and ends in “ig Shot”, so deduce from that what you will

I have another card to show you tomorrow that uses the same decorative scrolly-type stamp in a similar way, but in an entirely different colour combination, so pop in over the weekend to check that out.

In the meantime, head on over to Just Add Ink to check out the amazing array of projects inspired by this combination of colours, and play along for yourself if you like!

Oh, and don’t forget that both the Summer Mini Catalogue and Sale-a-bration are all done and finished come April 1, so if you *need* anything out of either of those catalogues, you’d best be contacting me quick smart!

Just Add Ink Challenge #10 – Colour Challenge
Stamps: Framed with Love, Vintage Labels
Paper: Cameo Coral, Blush Blossom, Close to Cocoa, Kraft
Ink: Cameo Coral, Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Vintage Brads, Whisper White 1/4″ Grosgrain (coloured with Close to Cocoa Marker), Stampin’ Sponges, Stampin’ dimensionals

Many of you would already be aware that we are smack bang in the middle of the most fun time of the Stampin’ Up! year – Sale-a-bration!

Other than put a little advertisement up to the top right there, I haven’t done much in the way of shouting it from the rooftops, so I hope to rectify that today by sharing a couple of cards I made with my favourite of the stamp selections available in the Sale-a-bration brochure.

I loved all the stamp sets on sight, but my favourite one is Happy Moments.  I reckon you can’t go wrong with a stamp set that contains four images that could be used for pretty much any occasion, PLUS three greeting stamps into the bargain as well.

And it is a bargain, ’cause it’s free!

It – or any of the other three sets in the catalogue – can be yours for free with any order of $100.  Spend $200, choose two sets.  Spend $300, choose three sets plus the associated hostess benefits.

Spend more than that, and you and I need to have a serious chat about the Stampin’ Up! demonstrator opportunity…  Oh and did I mention that if you take up that particular opportunity during Sale-a-bration you get to choose a free stamp set from the Idea Book & Catalogue too…?

Yep, you do.

See I told you Sale-a-bration was fun!

Ok, onto the cards.  They both use the stack of gifts stamp from the Happy Moments stamp set, which I love because you can colour it all girly and pretty, or make it more boy-ish colours too – both of which I have done in the following examples…

This first card was for a little school friend of my big girl, whose 7th birthday party was just this morning.

The cutest thing was that when Hannah gave her the card, as she was ripping into it, she said “I know what this is – this is a card that your mum made”.

They’re onto me…..!

Here’s a close up of the watercolouring on the stamped image, and I also wanted to point out something else about this part too.

See the scalloped border around the edge of the circle?

Well that circle is the 1-3/4″ Circle Punch and we don’t actually have a corresponding scallop circle punch in the catalogue.  Check out this post on Marelle Taylor’s blog for a nifty little trick to get different sized circles out of your original Scallop Circle Punch…

“Happy 7th Birthday Madelen”
Stamps: Happy Moments
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, So Saffron, Watercolour Paper, Regal Rose Patterns DSP (Level 1 Hostess)
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Kiwi Kiss, So Saffron, Regal Rose, Tangerine Tango, Baja Breeze
Accessories: 1-3/4″ Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Aquapainter, Tangerine Tango striped ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals

The next card was for the principal at school after I noticed a couple of weeks ago that his birthday was listed in the school newsletter.  It’s such a lovely school that my big girl goes to (and next year, so will the little one…!) with just one class for each year level and the teachers and the principal know each and every one of the kids by name.

Here’s his card…

The image on this one is also watercoloured, but this time I first stamped and embossed with White Embossing Powder, so it gives the image quite a different look.

So that’s just two simple examples of the many different looks that you could get out of this one stamp, never mind that you have three other image stamps in the set to play around with as well.

Sale-a-bration runs until the end of March, so get in on the free stamps action by contacting me and letting me know what you’d like for your $100 (or $200 or $300!) order

“Happy Birthday Mr Martin”
Stamps: Happy Moments, Short & Sweet
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Naturals Ivory, Kiwi Kiss, Watercolour Paper, Urban Garden DSP
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Chocolate Chip side double stitched ribbon, Aquapainter, Stampin’ Sponges, 1-3/4″ Circle Punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals