The Old Switcheroo!

What could possibly happen if two designers, from two different companies, swapped stamps?  Well, a whole lotta stampy goodness, I tell ya'!

My buddy Lisa Spangler and I thought we'd have ourselves some fun with a little switcheroo, and hope you get as much a kick out it as we have!

 

 

Lisa Spangler

Hiya!  I had a blast stamping these cards using A Muse stamps – ideas
kept popping in my head faster than I could stamp them.  I still have a
bunch of sketches planned out, can't wait to  give them a go!

Here's a little bit about me:  I started stamping 14 years ago while in
graduate school, not to make cards, but to decorate envelopes. 
Eventually it dawned on me that I could make cards with stamps too –
and I've been doing that ever since!

In 2005 I was invited to create card samples for the Hero Arts catalog.
The next year I left my job as a software engineer to work for Hero
Arts full time as a Designer and Senior Web Engineer.    I also get to
teach classes and help with product development.  It's my dream job!

I live in Austin, Texas with Jason, my husband of over 11 years and
our two goldfish, Smiley and Woodfin.  When I'm not stamping, I'm
either hiking, riding my road or mountain bicycle, taking pictures of
wildflowers, or tromping around a prairie. 

One of my favorite foods is sushi, and when Julie asked what stamps I'd
like to use for the samples for our swap, that one was at the top of my list.
YUM.

Julie, it's been so much fun working with you on this “designer swap”
-- you are truly amazing.  Many thanks to you and A Muse!

Right back at ya', girlfriend!  Thanks so much to Lisa and to Hero Arts for this FUN Designer Swap! 

And, now, I'm tickled to share the fab cards that Lisa whipped up with ya'all!

Happy, HAPPY Birthday!

Lisa does a lot of her coloring work with colored pencils, and I think the shading she does is terrific!

In this design, she actually stamped with a nice dark brown ink, which sets a softer tone to the finished piece, and really brings out the warmth of the colors she chose to use.

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Flower Filled

Lisa used our Oval Frames set in conjunction with the Marvy Scallop Oval Punch to frame our little flower-filled wheel barrow, and sponged the edges to really make the focal image POP!

Look carefully, and you'll see how the tiny blossoms have been blinged with Micro Dot Twinkle Stickers.

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Just a note

Lisa's a tremendous nature buff--check out her blog, Sideoats & Scribbles to see her stunning photography of the beautiful prairie flowers she films. You will fall off your chair!

             

I had no idea the Texas prairies were so beautiful, until I saw Lisa's photography.

I loved how she made the little hill by pinking the Madeira Green paper--I am SO trying this!  Such a simple touch but, with great impact.

Did you catch the "love" note made with the heart shaped Twinkle Sticker?

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Ice Cream Note

I love out-of-the-box ideas, and this one is no exception--I love how Lisa used an image from the Fancy Borders set to create the "ice cream scoops"!

So stinkin' CLEVER!

The glitter makes 'em all the more delicious, and each one is topped with a little Twinkle Heart "cherry" sticker!  SWEET!

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Arigato

This is just so sweet, to have the flowery Party Lantern dangling from yet another image from the Fancy Borders set.

If you look carefully at the detail photo, you'll see how Lisa used the Clear Twinkle Stickers to create little hanging "crystals". 

And check out how she embellished the paper flower in the center with the pink Mini and Micro Dots!

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Flower Fan

I literally blurted out "SHUT UP!" over this.

I see fans.  Lisa sees fans.  And, Lisa sees a FLOWER!!!

Genius.

...................... 

Lisa used the fan from our Sushi set to create  a flower, centered by a clear disc and a button.

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OK, so she sees fans, flowers, AND BUTTERFLIES!!!

Are ya' shaking your head like I was?  Same fan, from the same set!

Fantastic cleverness!  GET OUT!!!

 

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Thank you

I started cracking up over this because Lisa and I are *so* much alike--we BOTH SAVE OUR PLASTIC SUSHI GRASS for cards!

ROTFLMBO! 

I love how she cut out and 3D mounted the little Tatami sandals from the Sushi Set on this!  Just so darn SWEET!  And, see how she used the Heart Twinkle Stickers to embellish them? 

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Sushi Spinner

            

I know!!! (--Monica, TV series "Friends")

Check out how she curved the sentiment, along the edge of the sushi circle element!

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Now you're wheely rollin'!

Wheely Girl is Lisa's all-time favorite A Muse stamp, and she smartly used the solid stitched image from the Fancy Borders set to create a hill for her to cycle up!

Did you notice what she used to create the windy "trail" behind her?

The STEAM from the Coffee Break Set!

               

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Lisa, your creations always inspire and delight--thank you for making this Designer Swap such a blast, my friend!

We'd love to share the fun with you, our readers, by havin' a "Lisa's Favorite A Muse Stamp Give-Away":

Wheely Girl
+ Madeira Blue 4 Bar Note Cards

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment right here on this article!

And, be sure to pop over to the Hero Arts Blog HERE and check out the cards I made!   I hear there's a give-away goin' on over there, too! 

--Julie   

Comments

[Mary Duffek]

OMGoodness the inspiration that is in this post! I liked so many that I can't even choose a favoirte!!! I really love the first card with the dog too cute!

[Michelle Infantino]

Wow!!!!!!!!! What great alternate uses of all those stamps. I am so glad I checked in. These are all so lovely and I love the little bling she added.

[Marga]

Wooooooh, these are gorgeous!!!!! Great job!!!

[june gibbons]

these cards are so creative!! i love them all. long live sushi grass!!

[Bobbey]

Fabulous cards!!!

When i grow up I want to be just like you!

[Jackie]

WOW!! What awesome cards! And what a creative idea!! Designer Swap!!

Thanks for sharing these 'amusing' & 'heroic' card ideas!! What a giant treat!!

Blessings to you both!!

[Emilie]

The cards are magnificent. I wish I could do the same but I'm just starting...

[Dorothy Ready]

only new to stamping and I am amazed at what you have done I hope that when I have mastered stamping I can do my cards as good as these.

[Kim]

All I can say is WOW!! Those cards are amazing!

[Beverley Parish]

WOW! Such lovely card ideas :) I love the butterfly card that it so inventive.

[Sarah M]

Great cards Lisa!!! Am loving the switch-a-roo. Great idea!

[Cheryl Sims]

Love the switch you two did. It just shows that creativity knows no specific company. You two are awesome and I love all the designs you have done. Wheely girl is one of my favorites too, but who but Lisa would have thought of the steam to be used? Great mind!!!
Cheryl Sims

[Trish D]

I *LOOOOOOOVE* that ice cream card - absolutely adorable! The switcheroo is a great idea

[Jacki Jones]

when do you have the time??? all the cards are beautiful!!!

[Jackie]

Wow! what a good idea to switch. I love all of the cards . . . so many great ideas.

[stephanie d]

this is such a neat idea! I love all the cards! Great job!

[Pia]

Great cards Lisa! It is amazing how you used these sets!

[Lisa]

What a perfect day-fun ideas from my TWO favorite stamp companies.

[Sue W.]

Your cards are so much fun. The simplicity and creativty of them are wonderful.

[ElizabethG]

How neat is this swap! What great inspiration and another blog to stalk err I mean visit :)

Thanks!!
Have a happy weekend!

[Loretta Lock]

yup, you girls are AMAZING! Thank-you for your time and all the inspiration!

[WendyP]

Wow! Loved all the cards! Awesome designs!

[Michelle Nadraszky]

How fun are these?

& what a great idea to swap & design for another company...very fun!

[Kristina Lewis]

I love this idea of swapping companies! How fun! The samples are amazing - I am so loving the ice cream card! And the colored pencils look great!

[Danielle]

These are so clever and super fantastic! Creativity overload!! Fabulous!!

[Jane Harrah]

Wow, very creative and CLEAN! I love tham all.

[kimmie]

OMG How cute are they! Love them all! Fantastic job by both

[Mae]

I totally enjoyed looking at the cards...Lisa's just so creative.

[Sheryl]

All I can say is, "WOW!!!". Lisa's vision for the use of simple stamps is totally amazing! Thank you so much for this experiment!

[Judy Jung]

Really enjoyed seeing Lisa's creativity expressed with A Muse stamps! What a stamping genius!! Thanks for the peek at another company's stamps. What a fun Friday!

[Chrissy]

These are so inventive and just plain fabulous! Thanks for all the great inspiration - can hardly wait to stamp this weekend! :-)

[Mary Lou]

WoWzer! Many fun and sunshiny cards!

[Amanda Teel]

These are FANTASTIC, this is the first time that I have seen these stamps thanks to the HA blog! ~Amanda

[Anne]

A Designer Swap? How fabulous! Love to see new ideas and inspirations! :)

[sally]

So cute! I am loving the designer swap idea. Thanks for sharing.

[Julie]

Loved the switch-a-roo. Great cards! ~Julie

[Megan H.]

Very cute cards!

[Mangomomma]

These are absolutely adorable! What great inspiration for these sets!

[Krolski]

Wow, too cool! Love Lisa and the designer swap idea. You guys are too clever!

[Anne]

Wow!! I Came from the Hero Arts blog and all I can say is WOW!! Julie, your cards over there are amazing but you already knew that...So thanks for sharing.

[Debby]

Wow more great cards. I love how creative you all are with what you have on hand. Just beautiful.

[Nancy C.]

Thanks to both of you for swapping, since I didn't know about A Muse stamps before today! I'll be back! These are great stamp designs and great cards.

[RUTH ALLMART]

Wow Julie, this is so much fun :o) I loved all of Lisa's cards. I think my fav was the spinner card (could ya get a better sentiment than that????) Have a great weekend!

[Dolly/scrapthat]

Oh My gosh that Spinner card with the sushi is just too fun! Made me LOL...Love them all! Great work!
:0) TFS Your talent with us!

[Judy Marino]

What awesome carsd both of you ladies have made! Now I have another blog to follow...how am I going to be able to keep up with all these wonderful blogs in one day?! Thanks for sharing your creativity and talents with us!

[StampinCathy]

How cool to do a designer swap. You guys are just to creative and inspiring. I just love what both designers created with their different stamps. I hope this is the beginning of different stamp companies. Thanks for a chance.

[Inkylin]

I so totally loved this swap idea. I would love to see this again. Lisa your cards are so cute and inspiring. Julie thanks for swapping ideas and allowing us to see them all.

-*Linda*-

[jennifer]

What a great idea... you ladies are both very talented and an insperation to create.

[S. Latour]

Fabulous ideas and wonderful cards!

[Faith]

When I saw the Banner on SCS, I couldn't wait to see what's up!!! What FUN!! I LOVE these cards!! and of course Julie's explanations.... putting you two together was pure genius... A whole new whole world opened up for me....

Faith

[Jill Swanson]

A terrific idea. I love the swap concept. I might not have discovered this great site. Thanks for a chance to win and the great ideas. Jill

[jennifer]

What a great idea, you ladies are talanted and an insperation to create. Thanks!

[Julie]

Wow, awesome stuff here! I love seeing all the creative ideas for the stamps and sentiments...great inspiration!

[jennifer]

What a great idea, you ladies are amazing and an insperation to create. Thanks

[~amy~]

In the words of Julie..."shut up!" Lisa's cards are absolutely magnificent!!! How stinkin' creative!!! Loved them all!!!

[HeatherH]

Awesome idea to swap blogs! The cards were fantastic!

[Pat R.]

What a great way to start the day...thank you for sharing these wonderful ideas with us. Two of my favorite blogs swapping ideas - WOW!

[Dotty]

How delightful!! LOVE them all, but I must say the fan butterfly is CLEVER!!

[Beth M]

What a great idea to do a designer swap! Love all of Lisa's creations! Now I'm off to check our your designs Julie.

[Cat]

i just LOVED this competition! beautiful cards [& i just LOVE the wheely girl]! TFS

[Beth]

What fabulous, inspring uses of these stamp sets! Absolutely wonderful! This is a most awesome and innovated idea! Thanks so much!

[Quasar]

I love those cards. They are wonderful and creative.

[Angelnorth]

Fantastic cards! I love, love, love that sushi spinner - fun! Off over to check out Julie's creations too!

[Tracy]

It's so amazing what people come up with-great cards-love the colors!

[Michelle Sampson]

Wow. She has some incredible creativity. This is a great idea, and I know both of you had a blast with it!

[peggy]

What an amazing idea - to swap designers and get a whole new perspective. Wow, I love these cards that Lisa came up with - I'm in awe. I can't wait to see what you did with Hero Arts stamps!!

[Karen]

What great cards. Thanks for sharing.

[Laura B.]

Really fresh ideas! I liked the "Now you're wheely rollin'" the best! Very inspiring, thanks!

[Tami Grandi]

oh my word- these are amazing! Great work! Makes me look at stamps in a whole new light.

[Chris]

I think the Ice Cream Cone card is my all time favorite-great job! I just love the Twinkle Hearts as cherries on top of the ice cream. Both designers are so talented. Thanks for sharing!

[Kelly Booth]

This has been fun Julie...Lisa's cards are wonderful!
would love to win the Wheely Girl....

[Amy]

Oh mylanta! Each and every design is just rockin' the rhinestones in ways I'd never imagined! My favorite is the Roll With It sushi card--how cute is that?!

Amy

P.S. Hi Julie!! Love to keep up with all your shenanigans, he he!!

[Karen]

Karen D Wonderful idea to switch like this both of you have brought great ideas to the table i would love to win these stamps i am so limited to where i can buy great job

[Cathy Andronicou]

Oh I am such a Lisa fan, I am constantly amazed at the wealth of ideas that flow from her..she is a true inspiration to all card makers. Also I have to say I am glad she did the designer swap otherwise I would never of heard about your site and your wonderful stamps. Thank guys!

[Lei R]

I love the way she used the fans! Adorable and very creative. :D

[Tami H]

Fabulous! Oh my goodness...the talent is almost too much to take...LOL! Julie, I loved your cards over at the Hero blog as well. What fun!!

[Candy]

All I can say is that both of you have left me with lots of fun and creative ideas for cards! I have just loved browsing both sites this morning with my morning cup of coffee. What a fun exchange you both had!

[Mary Dawn]

wow, how cute! all of them!

[Tammy S]

What an awesome idea to swap stamps! You both are so inspiring and made some really great cards. I love your style!

[Amy T.]

What a great project! I love the fact that the 2 were able to share ideas and products -- all the better!!!

By the way, Wheelie Girl is my favorite Amuse ARt STamp. While I do no own it myself, I had my friend stamp the image several times and I used it for cards to the local biking club!!!!!!

[Lyndsay Neumann]

SHUT UP! I'm lovin' these fresh ideas. FABU, Lisa!

[Annapurna]

Cool cards. How fun to switch stamps and look at them from someone else's point of view. TFS.

[Val S]

What a neat idea...having the designers trade places! I love the cards that she did, especially the oriental themed cards...fabulous!!!

[Thien-Kim]

I'm loving that sushi stamp! I love sushi.

[OUKELLI1142]

Holy smokes- such creativity and inspiration! What fabulous examples! I'm loving this blog stuff. Thanks for sharing and swapping today! :)

[Ashley M]

I love'd checking out what the two of you were up to! So many fun cards and ideas! Thanks for sharing!

[Carol]

I love seeing a stamp used in different ways. A wonderful collection of artwork.

[Margo Smith]

love the bright and simple cards!!!
wish I could skip work and stay home and stamp, - now that would be a great way to end off a week!!!

[Cathy]

Oh, my gosh! Those are so stinkin' cute - and elegant - and perfect! Oh, now I'm probably going to play in the craft room all day instead of doing grown-up stuff!
Cathy

[Cassie]

what a fun idea! love all the cards lisa!!!

[Michelle V.]

These are soooo cute!!!

[{vicki}]

Love getting ideas for cards
Thanks
{vicki}

[Jenny A.]

Loving all the beautiful cards!!! Thanks for all the inspiration!

[Andi Sexton (rrlscrapgal)]

Awesome cards!!!!! This swap the designers was so darn fun!

[Susy]

Some really cool cards. I love that the two of you did the swap. it's great to see with people can do with different products.

[riasegau]

Oh, I'd love to be inside your brain whenever I sit and create cards. Some of my best ideas come from inspiration like the cards on this blog. Thank you!!

[Kurtis]

Well, I want to win some stamps!
Now, I'm heading to check out Julie's cards!

-Kurtis

[Katie]

Just kill me now! Those cards are soooo stinkin' cute!! Ack! I'm dying here!!!

What a fun challenge!! Great idea, gals!

[mary doak]

I see alot of great ideas for cards. Thanks for sharing your creativity with us Lisa. :) I need to know what flower stamp Julie used for the Hi There Card over on Hero Arts Blog. I love that stamp!

[Julie Bowman]

Glad you guys did the designer swap. I knew about the Hero Arts blog but not the Amuse one. I love these blogs by the stamp companies. So many good ideas.