Give Thanks

 Years ago when I started making cards I would participate in card swaps, long before the birth of the internet as we know it. Each month there would be theme and we would create as many cards as there were people that were participating in the swap (sometimes up to 12)! I have many fond memories of doing those card swaps and that was the beginning to the hundreds of swaps I would come to do once the internet for home use came into play! 

When my kids were younger I seemed to have more time to craft, make cards, scrapbook and make A WHOLE LOT of stuff for swaps. I participated in scrapbooking swaps 10 fold to my card swaps. If you have been around for awhile maybe you remember Yahoo Groups? That was the birth of swapping online groups (I believe anyway). We had a lot of fun and I STILL have A LOT of scrapbook swaps from way back then.  

Seasons come and seasons go and just like that, so did the online swap groups, my time became less for doing anything crafty and then it would be months before I would craft or scrapbook. Just this year (2020), what a strange year indeed, I reconnected with a lot of crafters on Facebook Groups. I was so happy to be a part of that actually participated in card swaps!  Needless to say I signed up and have been doing it for a few months now. Today's card was inspired for one of these swaps.  

To create the background I used watercolor paper from Arteza *and watercolor paints*, also from Arteza. I gently sprayed the paper and then used an Arteza watercolor flat brush* and brushed on my first color, took a heat tool to it then added a second color, heated it and then my third color.  After drying it for a final time I then dropped on Brutus Monoe's surface spray, Cabbage* and Jack-O-Lantern*. I made my own homemade shimmer spray (using Gum Arabic* and Pearl White Mica Powder*, also from Arteza.  I allowed this to dry overnight just to  be sure nothing would smear.

To create the words "Give Thanks" I chose an image from Design Space for my Cricut, cut that out three times on white cardstock and once on a beautiful copper matte foil vinyl from Cricut (no longer available).  I stacked the words to give it dimension with the last layer being the vinyl. I mounted the background to my Neenah 80# solar crest white paper*, added some fabric leaves as well as some old 3D embellishments I've had for quite awhile (source unknown). And that was the card I sent to 5 of my card swappers!  What do you think?

 

*Products are inked for your convenience I do not have any affiliation with these companies at this time.