Little Leaves, 4 ways!

I must confess that I always feel a little bit impressed with myself when I make a card that has minimal stamping on it. On this Stamp-a-Stack, we used a background stamp (Polka Dot, which sadly is retiring *sob*) and a sentiment set, and that's it. The rest was done with the Big Shot and inkpads. Are you a little bit impressed too?
I've used some more Retiring colours here - Bordering Blue (I love this soft grey-blue shade), Mellow Moss (another fave, especially for masculine cards) and Pale Plum (which I've been using heaps with Rich Razzleberry). Thankfully, Rich Razzleberry is not leaving us, but I'm going to miss this partnership.
We used the Little Leaves Die in 4 different ways on these cards - plain, embellished with little trio flowers (Retiring Punch!) and black brads, as a stencil (sponged inside) and using the reverse cut-out image (with a pattern behind). That's great value for a $10.95 die!
I also taught a couple of different background techniques, using just an inkpad. You can see the different results on the 2 Bordering Blue cards, and also in the pattern behind the Little Leaves Die on one of the Razzleberry cards. When you don't have the background stamp you need, it's handy to know that you can create your own with just an inkpad!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!) Retiring Items in Red
stamps: Teeny Tiny Sentiments, Polka Dot Background
ink: Mellow Moss, Bordering Blue, Pale Plum, Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede, Always Artichoke, Basic Black
card: Mellow Moss, Bordering Blue, Pale Plum, Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke
other:Soft Suede Polka Dot Ribbon, Rich Razzleberry Polka Dot ribbon, Trio Flower Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Little Leaves Die, Big Shot, Vintage Brads, Large Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch, sponge daubers, corner rounder punch, cutter kit, dimensionals, crop-a-dile, mat pack