Colors to Create Moods

Have you checked out my Color Experimentation Station I talked about in this post? I'm ALL ABOUT color these days – I'm just LOVING playing around with it and trying new things after the fantastic renovation.

Color is all around us in life, and truth be told the colors we're surrounded with really contribute to our moods! You should live your daily lives in warm colors (reds, oranges and yellows) and sleep in cool colors (greens, blues and purples). When we repainted our home – we did just that! Red Living Room, Yellow Dining Room and Terra Cotta Kitchen! Upstairs our bedroom is blue and the guest bedroom is green. When I'm "living" downstairs I feel energized and awake, and when I'm winding down upstairs I feel calm and relaxed looking at the colors I'm surrounded with.

I was fascinated with color as a very little girl… I remember helping my mom match her fabric to thread colors at the fabric store (she was an avid sewer at the time) and at just 6 years old I announced to the children's pageant director at our church that "I don't do pastels" when it came time for wardrobe… I have vivid memories of my strong dislike for pastels at that age… they made me feel like I needed to be quiet and subdued like they were… and being the HIGHLY energetic girl that I was, I wanted bright and bold! Those colors made me feel more empowered to speak my mind (God Bless those around me!).

Because color has been such a huge part of my life from the very beginning, it's no wonder that I fell in love with Stampin' Up! for their extraordinary color palate, and I'm just thrilled that it has received a trendy new "update", allowing me to get back to my creative roots without the "color clutter" as I like to call the colors that collected dust prior to their retirement!

So here are some Color Combinations I've put together using the Color Experience section of my website and how they can dictate the "mood" of a card:

Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise and Chocolate Chip: These colors are fun, bright and summery! They are over all solid "Feel Good" colors that just make you happy. Use a color combination like this for Birthday, Thank You, Hello or Summer Party Invitations.

Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Certainly Celery, Early Espresso and Sahara Sand: These colors are soft and subdued – the opposite of the combination above! Use a color combination like this when you want to create a mood of calming such as Baby Shower, Wedding, Sympathy or Get Well.

Baja Breeze, Basic Black, Whisper White and Crumb Cake: This color combination says classic, professional, crisp, fresh and maybe even industrial. I see these colors and I think of excellence with it's clean, sharp look. I would use this combination for the following types of cards: Business, Congratulations, Graduation, Retirement, Milestones and Masculine.

Now it's your turn to play with color and drop your color choices into this template to see what you can create! CLICK HERE to get started on your color journey! And once you've played – leave me a comment with YOUR favorite color combination!!!

TO ORDER STAMPIN' UP! PRODUCTS ONLINE 24/7 CLICK HERE!

Experiment with Color!

If you haven't already, be sure to head on over to my online store to play with color! Click "Order Online" in the upper right hand corner of this website. Then, click "Shop Now" in the upper right hand corner of the new window that opens. Once you're there, click "Experiment with Color", it will bring you to a screen that looks like this:

Once you're there, there are fabulous resources including a Video for you to watch showcasing all of our wonderful new colors!!!

CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED ON YOUR COLOR TOUR TODAY!

New Video: Introducing the NEW Core Colors!

I'm so excited to be sharing with you today the NEW Stampin' Up! Core Colors that are making their debut in the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog! These colors were so needed in our line up – and have transformed our color families! The new core colors are…

1. Marina Mist
2. Daffodil Delight
3. Early Espresso
4. Cherry Cobbler
5. Cajun Craze
6. Crumb Cake (previously Kraft)

Here's a Color Comparison Video so you can see what they're really like! Enjoy!

Join my Team of "Heartfelt Stampers" to preorder these fantastic colors today! Click Here for more details!

Customers, you'll be able to start ordering these fabulous new additions on July 1st!! Give me a call at 585-360-2667 to reserve a copy of the NEW Idea Book & Catalog featuring these colors for FREE!

TO ORDER STAMPIN' UP! PRODUCTS ONLINE 24/7 CLICK HERE!

Don't Forget!

• To register for Stampin' Summer Bash!!! Click Here for more details!
  
• Can't come to the Bash? Order the Long Distance Kit! Click Here to View!
• To check out my PDF File SALE Spot!! Both Demonstrators AND Customers!!! Click Here to View!
• To check out the Last Chance Stamp Set List! Click Here to View!
  
• To check out the Last Chance Accessories List! Click Here to View!
  
• To check out the Last Chance Decor Elements List! Click Here to View!
  
• To purchase the Mini Starter Kit for just $99! Click Here for Kit Contents. Click Here to learn more about The Heartfelt Stampers Team.

Awash with Purple!

Today's card is OUT with the old and IN with the new all rolled into one!

ALY'S HELPFUL HINTS:

• This stamp set, "Awash with Flowers" is a sneak peek – it will be available on July 1st in the NEW 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog! I just adore working with this set – it's been a while since I've had a 2-Step Stamping Set that I really love.
• What is 2-Step Stamping? 2-Step Stamp Sets come with 2 parts – 1 part is a series of bold images – this is what you stamp your lighter colors in. Part 2 is a series of outlined images – this is what you stamp your darker color in. 2-Step Stamping is a beautiful way to achieve rich images, without having to go through all of the work of water coloring! And 2-Step Stamping has NEVER been easier with our new CLEAR MOUNT STAMPS – it makes lining up your images as easy as pie!
• Have you tried Textured Cardstock yet? I just ADORE textured cardstock – it's probably one of my favorite products! It adds SO MUCH to a card by doing so little, which allows you to make simpler cards that looked jazzed up in a fraction of the time. Textured card is what I've used here on the background purples.
• The colors of this card is all about the retiring purples!!! I'm going to miss these light purple beauties dearly. I've used Pale Plum, Lavender Lace and Almost Amethyst. Order these colors while you still can!

WHAT TO ORDER:

Items in RED are RETIRING on June 30th – Order while you still can! Accessories are ONLY while SUPPLIES LAST!

Awash with Flowers Stamp Set (Coming Soon!!), Soft Subtles Textured 12×12 Cardstock (108695), Lavender Lace Classic Ink Pad (101305), Almost Amethyst Classic Ink Pad (101723), Pale Plum Classic Ink Pad (102732), Basic Black Classic Ink Pad (101179), Basic Black Cardstock (102851), Whisper White Cardstock (100730) and Basic Black Gingham Ribbon (104832)

TO ORDER STAMPIN' UP! PRODUCTS ONLINE 24/7 CLICK HERE!

Don't Forget!

• To register for Stampin' Summer Bash!!! Click Here for more details!
  
• Can't come to the Bash? Order the Long Distance Kit! Click Here to View!
• To check out my PDF File SALE Spot!! Both Demonstrators AND Customers!!! Click Here to View!
• To check out the Last Chance Stamp Set List! Click Here to View!
  
• To check out the Last Chance Accessories List! Click Here to View!
  
• To check out the Last Chance Decor Elements List! Click Here to View!
  
• To purchase the Mini Starter Kit for just $99! Click Here for Kit Contents. Click Here to learn more about The Heartfelt Stampers Team.

Another Smootchy Presto-y Card!

I'm just LOVING working with the Presto Patterns Specialty Paper in the Summer Mini Catalog – especially when paired with Smootch Spritz! It's just SO much FUN! Here is today's card featuring these fant-abulous items! This card was a mother's day card that I made for my sister-in-law.

ALY'S HELPFUL HINTS:

• Want to learn the complete ins and outs of how to use Presto Patterns Designer Paper and Smootch Sprtiz? Look no further than my Video Tutorial (Click Here!) featuring these items!
• Two of the colors that I have selected for this card are Blush Blossom and Brocade Blue. I have to be honest… you couldn't get me to touch Blush Blossom with a pole just weeks ago – but with it becoming part of the Color Renovation's Retiring Colors I've forced myself to break it out and I've been having a lot of fun with it! This might be a color that you want to add to your collection while you still can.
• Basic Grey works with these two muted colors to bring some contrast and make things "pop."
• Create your OWN Designer Brads by using Designer Brads in combination with halfback pearls as shown here. The silver base was once a Star Designer Brad – but you would never know. The halfback pearl from a Pretties Kit and secured with a Mini Glue Dot does just the trick to transform this brad into elegance. Receive a FREE Pack of Designer Brads (your choice!) this month with a Qualifying Purchase!

WHAT TO ORDER:

Presto Patterns Specialty Paper (117175), Silver Foil Smootch Sprtiz (118771), Vanilla Shimmer Smootch Sprtiz (118772), Three Little Words Stamp Set (113254), Basic Grey Classic Ink (109120), Basic Grey Cardstock (108692), Whisper White Cardstock (100730), Blush Blossom Cardstock (103318), Brocade Blue Classic Ink (101102), Pretties Kit (109114), Star Designer Brads (112572), Basic Grey Taffeta Ribbon (109064), Mini Glue Dots (103683), Brayer (102395) and Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

TO ORDER STAMPIN' UP! PRODUCTS ONLINE 24/7 CLICK HERE!

Don't Forget!

• To watch the Spring Retreat Highlights Video Here!
  
• To register for the May Card Making Class!! Click Here for more details!!
  
• To order from the Clearance Rack Today!!! Click Here to get started!!
  
• To join the Stampin' Up! Family and receive two FREE Technique DVDs! Click Here for more details! Contact Me to get started today!
  
• To order your favorite Retiring Stampin' Up! Colors before they are gone forever! Click Here for more details!
  
• To place a qualifying order to receive FREE Designer Brads! Click Here for more details!
  
• To order your May Card Kit of the Month!! Click Here for more details!

HOT News!! Color Renovation!!!

I am soooooo excited about Stampin' Up!'s latest and greatest announcement!!! Well…. I'm actually just excited that it's official and I can talk about it… I've known for a while and it's been the hardest secret I've ever had to keep!!

What does this Color Renovation entail?? 30 Current Colors will retire, 5 New Colors will be added, 3 Current In Colors will not retire and 7 Past In Colors will Return!!! In the end, we will have 40 Colors, 4 Color Families of 10 each – Brights, Neutrals, Regals and Subtles. In addition to that, there's a new format for In Colors – now, we will have 5 New In Colors each year, with each set lasting for 2 years instead of 1. In July 2010, the first 5 New In Colors will be released and run until June of 2012. In 2011, 5 New In Colors will be released and run until 2013. So every year there will be a change, but there will always be 10 In Colors after this first year

Here is a look at the new color line up as a whole!

Then here is the look at and list of RETIRING COLORS. These colors will RETIRE ON JUNE 30th!!!!! So order then while you still can!!! Be sure to stock up on your cardstock and buy refills for your Ink Pads!!

Soft Subtles Retiring Colors:

• Pale Plum
• Lavender Lacle
• Almost Amethyst
• Sage Shadow
• Mellow Moss
• Barely Banana
• Apricot Appeal
• Blush Blossom

Bold Brights Retiring Colors:

• Pink Passion
• Pixie Pink
• Orchid Opulence
• Lovely Lilac
• Brilliant Blue
• Glorious Green
• Green Galore
• Gable Green
• Yoyo Yellow
• Only Orange

Earth Elements Retiring Colors:

• Summer Sun
• Really Rust
• Ruby Red
• Cameo Coral
• Creamy Caramel
• Close to Cocoa

Rich Regals Retiring Colors:

• Bordering Blue
• Brocade Blue
• Ballet Blue
• Taken with Teal
• Handsome Hunter

Neturals Retiring Color:

• Going Grey

So here is a full list of Carry Over and Returning In Colors! These colors are the listing of Current In Colors that will not retire, and past In Colors that will return:

• Melon Mambo
• Rich Razzleberry
• Pacific Point
• Tangerine Tango
• River Rock
• Soft Suede
• Riding Hood Red
• Pink Pirouette
• Baja Breeze
• Wild Wasabi

Then here is the list of names for NEW COLORS that will be added to the collections!!

• Daffodil Delight
• Early Espresso
• Cajun Craze
• Cherry Cobbler
• Marina Mist
• Also, Kraft will become Crumb Cake and have coordinating pads and markers, not just cardstock

That's it for now! So exciting!!!