Artist Trading Card Swap

It's been a while since the last swap and I was wondering whether Ali would run another round this year. She usually organises four swaps per year, but taking into account how busy she has been lately, I was not sure she would do it. When I saw her announcement about the ATC swap a couple of months ago, I was really happy and could not wait to sign up. The theme for this swap is "Small Things" and it fits so perfectly with my sewing because most of all I do enjoy working on small things and adding tiny finishing touches. So here is my card for this round called "Small Things".

I believe that life (or should I say, our every day) is a collection of small things - that first cup of coffee in the morning, a new or an old favourite book that you enjoy reading, a slice of a cake or maybe a short getaway from your daily life to enjoy some warm sunshine, a warm hug from your loved one, maybe it's a chat with a friend. It's that pretty flower in your garden that you stop to smell or some craft that you enjoy working on. All the small things that together form something bigger, filling our lives with joy, happiness and content. My morning is never complete without a cup of coffee shared with my Dear Husband. It's a tradition we started without even thinking when I was working and we all were in a hurry to get ready for school and work in the morning. We started having our breakfast standing up at our breakfast table in the kitchen and slowly it became a tradition and now even our Little One brings his small step to join us to share the breakfast together while standing up. It only takes a few minutes, but fills my day with joy, happiness, inspirations and love.

I did a little bit of snooping around my partner's social media to get some ideas and a feel of what she might enjoy in life and I found the perfect inspiration for my card. I do hope that my partner will like this card and find at least one or two small things she can relate to. I used to bake a lot and cake decoration was one of the hobbies that kept me going when the times were quite hard. I used to bake cakes just for fun, for my family and my friends. The best part always was the decorating process. Playing with the sugar paste like you would with play dough. It was so much fun and most importantly it took my mind off many dark thoughts and brought joy to my family and friends! 

The rose... I simply love flowers and one day I will have a garden filled with beautiful flowers that would bloom all year round. But for now I buy flowers and enjoy just a few potted plants on our balcony. An Iceberg Rose is one of them and it's a delight to see it grow and bloom. I had a little scare just recently because the plant almost died, but it's coming back to life and bearing new buds that are going to open up soon. It makes me smile to think that we will have fresh Iceberg roses for Christmas from our balcony. I also have a Red Riding Hood plant with the most adorable pink flowers that is getting ready to bloom again after a short break.

Some time ago I bought a wonderful book on Etsy and it arrived in a simple handmade fabric envelope that the seller designed and sewed herself. I thought it was such a lovely touch and very good protection for the book. I myself made a few fabric envelopes for my books that I carry around in my bag and they are very useful, so I thought it would be nice to place the ATC inside a small envelope, not so much for protection, but to add that last tiny finishing touch. Raw edges, simple stitching in dark brown thread to match the card and a small stamp on the front. That's all. It would even make a great Christmas present wrapping, I think.

The other day I looked through my collection of Artist Trading Cards that I received over the last four years and it brought so many lovely memories of happy mail days and memories of late evenings I spent working on my cards. Ali's ATC swap was the first ever swap I joined and I was so worried, even scared stepping into this unknown world to me. I am glad I took that step as it opened up a new wonderful world to me. If you are (like me years ago) thinking of joining in any swap or sew along, I would highly recommend doing it without any hesitation. You will meet wonderful people and open a new creative world to yourself, even when you are not sure how to do certain things, there will be some one to guide you and help you along the way. It is a wonderful experience that leads to new beautiful friendships.

Happy sewing, happy inspirations and happy first steps in anything you do! Larisa xox