Q&A time at Stamping Joy

Thanks to Natasha for this question:

"How do you decide on colour combinations, do you use inspiration or just play until it looks right? "

{By the way I am still waiting for more questions to my Happy Birthday StampingJoy gift offer...}
How Do I choose my colour combinations? Good question, I had to think about this one.

????

One of the easiest ways I find for me to decide on a colour combination is to get inspired by a Designer series paperpack. I flip to the pages in the catalogue (pages 132-135) with all the different paper samples and go with the colour combo that suits my mood or the person I am making the card for. Such as Bella Rose or Raspberry tart for a female card, or Sweet always for a girly card, or the blues and greys and greens in Urban garden for a cool elegant sophisticated look and for male cards also.

I love using Riding hood red, kiwi kiss and pink pirouette with chocolate chip from the bella rose collection: Not necessarily in flowers and rose bud patterns though.

OR, the Chocolate, Regal rose, pink pirouette and pumpkin pie in the sweet always papers:

That makes it so easy. Why think for hours when a design team has done all the work for you? That's my feeling anyway.
Random thought number 2. Another way, I choose my colours is by simply going to a colour family and choosing my favourite 2-3 colours from that range. (page 5 of the Idea Book) and adding one or more neutral colours such as white, grey, sahara sand, black or cream.
3. Sometimes I flick through the idea book untll I see a card I kind of like, that strikes me in some way and I just change one colour in it.
Making it with the same colour percentages: Usually a 60:30:10 ratio.

That is: like the card on page 4 is 60% Riding hood Red, 30% kiwi kiss green and 10% pacific point (blue) with white as the neutral. It is a tried and true method of colour combinations.
4. But often I just pick my favourite colour at the moment, it might be a new "in-colour" such as pink pirouette and I have no idea what I want to do. So I select white cardstock, with a black or brown mounting layer and feature the pink pirouette in the stamping, ribbon and accessories.
5. When I am scrapbooking I tend to let the photos direct my choice of colour . A bright pink hat, bright blue eyes, a pale pink shirt or green grass in the picture. So you will see my daughter's school photos all reflect her school colours which are closest to riding hood red at the moment, her fashion sense (lots of pinks) and her bushwalking in cool greens and blues.
When in doubt I often refer back to the current mini catalogue (page 4 has a beautiful baja breeze and basic grey page). Once again the colours are highlighting the beautiful blue of the girl's eyes and her skin tone and hair a warm contrast to the blues.
6. Monotone colour combinations are one of the safest ways to select colours for me. I will choose several different tones of the same colour. Like ... mmm... purple: pale plum and perfect plum with Elegant eggplant with white to lift the colours. Or almost amethyst, lavender lace and Lovely lilac with black, or white as the neutral. 7. One of my favourite ways to select colours is from magezines, pictures, paintings, junk mail (expecially the bed linen catalogues). You can almost always find a stampset that mimics the pattern and colours to repeat in the design. Chocolates, cocoa, black and white are very in at the moment as is kiwi kiss and white bed spreads in embroided floral designs and butterflies. I have often bought a skirt, pajamas, or t-shirt because I just love the colour pattern and think why not a card using just that combination.8. And then, there are the colour challenges that many card making sites present each week and month. They are just the thing to get me out of my colour comfort zone and make me try something new.
9. As a demonstrator I have access to online and monthly paper magezines and newsletters with techniques and colour combination ideas. I also use great coloured cards that other demonstrators are using and just change the stampset or layout of my design using the same or similar colours.
10. And like everyone, sometimes the colour mojo just goes away, and I go back to the pages of the Idea book and use one of the "Style watch" combinations: sweet bella, retro fresh and silhouette ranges with the current "in-colours" ...
So the answer to the question is - just about anything, any where, especially when I am out browsing at the shops, library, Art galleries or magezine shelves - anything that makes me stop and go wow!!! Love those colours - have to have more of them in my life.