Seize the Birthday: Topping "Leaves"

The last time I submitted a card for Seize the Birthday with the topping of orange I made an orange card with leaves. This challenge topping is leaves. Great. I spent three days trying to come up with another card and below you will see my attempts at using different stamps, embossing powders and background. I was ready to give up today but I looked in one more stamp location and found this stamp (NBUS). Also viewing Kylie's latest post I decided to go back to swishing ink on my craft mat and spritzing with water. First I stamped and heat embossed the leaf and then I rubbed distress ink on the mat, spritzed with water and then placed the paper on top. After trimming the image I set out to find the right color paper and none of my SU! were a good fit but then I remember a Gina K set I had not used and this turquoise is perfect. The designer paper is from the same set. I mounted the leaf and added some black bling. The sentiment was also stamped and heat embossed. Honestly I love the card and the hard part is who am I going to give it to for my long list of friends/family with December birthdays.

Stamps - Hero Arts "Leaf Flourish," MFT "Occasion Sentiments"

Inks - Distress Ink (crushed olive, peacock feathers, persimmon)

Paper - Gina K "Spring Parade Stamp TV Kit)

Other - Versafine, embossing powder, watercolor paper, DCWV rhinestones

Here are seven attempts at trying to create a card with leaves, all failures.

http://seizethebirthday.blogspot.com/2014/11/leaves.html