Let Light Shine Card

Well, as I said to my crafty friends, I knew I was jittery, in pain, and anxious Sunday, but I didn’t know I was depressed too, until this image appeared. Your art speaks for you, I guess!

My husband who is currently working for the federal government on the East Coast (I’m 3000 miles away on West Coast) told me Friday that he’d been exposed again, on the job, to Covid-19. Three strikes and you are out, I guess! Luckily, he was wearing an N95 mask... he’s been really good about that. But he felt funny with a headache and congestion. By Saturday, he had eye symptoms and was losing sense of taste. Meanwhile, I had to go off all my pain meds and was feeling poorly, in preparation for a needle injection in my neck Tuesday. I have bulging disks and radiating arm pain all the way to my fingers! Plus, I have friends who are in much distress as well for a variety of reasons. Anyways, this was the result I produced Sunday feeling all of that. Until I saw it Monday morning, I didn’t realize how dark I felt!

Anyway, I started this project with paper from a very old Love From Lizi kit and Unity’s Shine Out of Darkness kit. I first gessoed the part of the paper I’d be using. I pulled acrylic paints in white, copper, blue and black and proceeded to add color to the paper with both my fingers and a paintbrush. I then decided to tear a strip off another sheet of paper and used gel paste to attach it to the bottom. I then added more color to blend the pieces together. After pulling out the stamp, I realized it was too short for the space I had created for it. So I stamped it on tissue paper, twice, using a navy Stazon ink, allowing me to expand the height.

I cut off the excess paper and carefully added the stamped images using gel paste, aligning the posts to link up. I then added more paint to cover up the edges.

I decided to also add a platform for the lamp to sit on. I used my Gansai Tambi watercolors to add lines simulating a paved platform. Before I did anything else, I thought I’d better figure out how to add the sentiment. The kit included paper which had gold frames. I decided to try using one, and therefore added Gansai Tambi gold watercolor paint to the squares. I stamped the sentiment using black ink and then added gold pen to make the words “ shine”. I then turned back to the image and embellished the light post by darkening some areas and adding lighter colors around the light fixtures. I used both watercolors and pens.

Finally, after recovering from yesterday’s needle ordeal, texting with those same friends and seeing my husband’s symptoms are staying very mild, I’m in a much better state and was able to pull the card together! I used a variety of the papers and added a BoBunny Antique Gold TCW stencil image on one of them. I die cut the papers down and added a ribbon to complete the card.

Hope you were interested in how this one was put together. I guess, this serves as a good reason to keep an art journal as it captured a real life moment. I actually thought about putting this in a journal, but right now I think others can benefit from this card! And, if in need, I hope you do too! Things will get better! Well, till next time, happy crafting!