For my last shares from Leadership (at least for now), I'm just going to post photos of cards that I though stood out from the rest.

They stand out for different reasons.

This one is just outstanding.

Very simple.

Very effective.

There isn't anything more to say about it.









I just love the color combination on this one!

Dusty Durango, Cameo Coral, and Certainly Celery.

I recently bought a decorating magazine and these colors were featured through out the magazine, so I guess that means they're THE colors for this spring.

And I would agree!


And finally, this one.

The designer used the Teaparty DSP (with all it's soft subtle colors), and then just layered and embellished with the colors from the DSP.

Barely Banana, Pretty in Pink, and Certainly Celery...

Did you notice the square scalloped layer? That was made using our Scallop Square Big Shot die - she cut it, then folded it over and behind the layer of Teapot DSP.

I have lots more swaps I can share, but think I'll save those for when I'm really stumped about what to post.

I've been playing with some new ideas, so, hopefully, I'll be posting those next.

In the meantime, I want to remind you about Stampin' Up! efforts to help with the Haiti earthquake efforts.

For every "I {Heart} Hearts" set sold between now and February 28th, Stampin' Up! will donate $2.00 to the American Red Cross to be used for the recovery projects.

So, if you've been thinking about buying that set, now's a great time! It's a WIN-WIN for everyone!

Thanks for stopping by!

Some non-traditional uses for punches

Tonight I thought I'd feature some cards that used punches in non-traditional ways.

This one uses the Ornament Punch that was available in the Holiday mini-catalog. I don't know if this punch can still be ordered, but I'll bet it will be in the Idea Book and Catalog that gets released in July.

How could they NOT include it? It's such an adapable punch.

You may recall I used it to make angels and choir people in this post.

The designer simply cut off the bottom of the punch and now it looks like a vase! Clever, eh?


This vase was made using the large oval punch. Again, a small part of the bottom was cut off square, and then a small chunk of the top was lopped off.

This is another of those simple cards that always appeal to me.




And here's a very non-traditional use of punches!

Isn't he cute?

His face is the heart punch, wit the tip cut off, then turned upside down!

Circle punches form his ears, his eye spot, and his dog tags. And his collar is a scrap of Real Red punched with the 1/8" punch.







Hope you enjoyed these card shares. If you ever have questions about how something's been made, be sure to leave me a comment, along with your email address, and I'll be happy to try and answer it.

Thanks for stopping by!

And yet more Bs

How about some more photos of cards from Leadership swaps?

I've been busy playing with something new, but am not quite ready to share it with you - SOON, though, OK?

So, for tonight, let's continue on with the "B"s - tonight it stands for Chocolate BUNNY! Item 116982, $7.95, on page 43 of the Occasions mini-catalog.


I like the color combination on this one. Chocolate chip and Rich Razzleberry, with some Kraft used as an accent.

The Razzleberry ribbon and the scalloped edge add some eye interest, as does the use of the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder on the Chocolate Chip background.

The designer used the word window to punch out the greeting, then mounted it on a piece of Razzleberry punched with the Modern Label punch.

This bunny was stamped in Choc Chip on Kraft CS, then cut out and layered on to the card.


This one's nice and "springy". Made with Barely Banana, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise and Soft Suede.

This time the bunny's just stamped in Chocolate Chip on Whisper White, the layered on to the Tempting Turquoise.

The Soft Suede polka dot ribbon adds a nice touch, as does the circle of Soft Suede CS with a yellow brad.





This one's springy, too. Guess the color combos are what give these cards the "spring" look.

This time the designer threw in some Pretty In Pink, which is also picked up in the Teaparty DSP.

She also used the "happy Easter" stamp from the Well Scripted set (Item 117072 #19.95 in the Occasions mini-catalog).

Again, scallops are featured, both using the scallop border punch and the scalloped oval punch.

She stamped the bunny on Chocolate Chip CS with Chocolate Chip ink, then cut it out and layered it on to the card.


This card was made using parts and pieces from the Eggcellent Eggs Kit found in the Occasions mini-catalog, along with Chocolate Bunny stamped in Chocolate Chip on Choc Chip CS.

The flowers and leaves are die cuts included in the Eggs kit.

Yes, the original idea is to use this kit to decorate eggs, but, hey, why not use the pieces on a card, too?

The oval was pierced using a template provided by the designer, and adds just enough more eye interest, don't you think?


Notice how different the bunny looks, depending upon the color of CS you start with. The use of Chocolate Chip ink seems universal, (it IS, after all, entitled "Chocolate" Bunny!) although I know there are bunnies in almost any neutral color, so you can use YOUR imagination when stamping him.

Hope you enjoyed the bunnies!

Do you NEED this stamp? Remember, we're now carrying a small selection of single stamp, of which the Bunny is one. There are seven others in the Occasions mini, so let me which one(s) you'd like!

Thanks for stopping by...

And the Bs (B-utterflies)

Here are some more cards I obtained swapping at Leadership.

Today I pulled photos of the cards featuring butterflies - what better way to follow the Bird cards I've been showing you for the past few days!


I like the use of the largest butterfly from the Beautiful Wings embosslit on this card - it matches beautifully with the embossing background image. And the lines all flow well with the Shades of Spring DSP (Item 117160 $9.95) in the Occasions mini.








This one is bright and cheery, isn't it?

Razzleberry DSP, along with Razzleberry CS, with Crushed Curry as an accent color.









And this one is plain, yet not plain at all. Maybe simple is a better way of describing it. This one used the same embossing folder for the background as the first card I showed you. Notice the use of vellum for the butterfly. It's such a delicate touch.








The butterflies on this card were also made using the new Beautiful Wings embosslet (Item 118138 in the Occasions mini-catalog. $11.95). Lots of little details on this one, including the use of the scallop border punch again.







And this last one is just plain pretty!



I like the use of the scallop edged punch at the bottom and a thin strip of DSP across the center of the card. The stamp set used for this card is "Great Friend" (Item 113792 $17.95 in the big catalog).










Do you NEED that Beautiful Wings embosslit? Give me a call or email, and I'll be happy to order it for you...


Thanks for stopping by!

And yet MORE Birds

You're probably beginning to think the only bird cards I got at Leadership were done with that XL 2-step Bird punch, aren't you?

Well, I did get a few other swaps with different birds on them. Look!













These cards were made using the 'Friends 24-7' set (Item 113218 $25.95) on page 100 of the Idea Book and Catalog.



This card was made using the 'Very Thankful' set, which is our Ronald McDonald set this year.

For each of these sets that is sold, Stampin' Up! will donate $2 to the Ronald McDonald foundation. They also contribute $100,000 each year.

I love the detail on this card - from the embossed turquoise background to the fact that the designer rounded two of the four corners to add visual interest.





I love how the designer has stamped this hummingbird image repeatedly, to make it look like it's in flight.









And last for tonight, but certainly not least, an owl!








So now that my attention has been drawn to bird images, does anyone have any idea how many there are sprinkled through-out this year's catalog? Leave me a comment with your guess, and I'll give some blog candy to the person who comes closest. Include the Occasions mini-catalog in your guesstimate, too!

Thanks for stopping by...

More For the Birds

I thought I'd just continue to show you cards I received as swaps at Leadership that featured birds...



















All these cards again used the XL 2-Step Bird punch (Item 117191 $15.95).

These are different yet from those I posted yesterday.

Very versatile punch - and it's one of the new "foldable" ones, so it takes up about 1/2 the space in your craft cupboard. You NEED this one! LOL



Give me a call to order it!

Thanks for stopping by...

For The Birds

I went thru my swaps from Leadership the other night to take photos, and I was very surprised at how many of them had birds on them. Thought I'd show you a few tonight...






























Each of these cards uses the new XL Two-Step Bird Punch (Item 117191 $15.95). And look how different each of these cards looks - and they all used the same 3 pieces from the punch!

Do you have this punch yet? Do you need it? Give me a call, or place an order via my website!

Thanks for stopping by!