Pay It Forward Challenge

A friend on the Paper Wishers Message Board sent me this small card kit - card, 3 pieces of coordinating paper (2 were 5" x 6.5" and one was more like 4" x 5" - from HOTP "Home Grown" paper set), 4 small brads (2 each of tractor & star), a piece of grosgrain ribbon (16-18" long), a couple of stamped images, and a stamped greeting - greetings and images were stamped on larger pieces of paper/card stock so that I could cut them as I chose.

This was a real challenge because I didn't want it to look too busy, but also wasn't wanting to add to the materials in the kit (except for adhesive & coloring!).  I decided to cut the sentiment apart (and add the 3 dots for elipses) so that I could have part of the greeting on the front of the card and the remainder inside.  By cutting down the focal image, I was able to get white strips that I could piece together to form the white mat.  To help it and the greeting stand out further, I used the red ribbon that was included in the kit. 

Then it was time to do the inside:

Focal was colored with Inktense pencils & a water brush.  Scraps from the other papers helped to form a bit of a frame & a separating strip between the message and the stamped image.