Summer is Golden...

There is something about the light in the summertime. It is golden. So that's my theme for a mixed-media postcard swap I'm taking part in at Lenna's Creative Swaps. Participants will each make three postcards representing a summer day. I think "beach" when I think of summer, and I love the vintage images in "The Boardwalk Collection" of Graphic 45 papers. That pensive pair in the card above... what are they thinking about? And the beach beauty below... she's certainly on everyone's radar in her flirty bathing costume. It took awhile to let the ideas percolate, but our postcards are not due until mid-September, so I have time.

To make these 4" x 6" postcards, I chose a fabric with a summery feel from my collection and backed it with fusible batting. Next I stenciled the diver and the starfish using a freezer paper pattern ironed onto the fabric and filled in with gold Lumiere paint. The outlines of each stenciled image are contrasted with black stitching, one by machine, and one by hand using embroidery floss. Ink stamping was added to each, and more embroidery stitches accent some of the elements. The vintage images were added using a double-stick adhesive.

The backs of the cards are printed on cardstock. And there's a layer of Peltex, a stiff interfacing, between front and back. Finally, I stitched the edges to secure the layers, using couched yarn on the design side.

All in all, a fun project. But I still need to think up one more design for the swap. hmmm.... what to make?