I’m in a monthly ATC swap group and our next swap is for “Black & White” cards. I recently came across some great old photos of ancestors I’ve never met. Included in them was this image of my great-grandmother and a 3rd cousin.

I look at ATC trading as a way of trading a little bit of yourself as an artist. For that reason I like it when I can make the card design reflect a little bit of me. That made it an easy choice to use one of the old family photos.

I made a small discovery while working on these cards. I started with a black linen card stock and with a sponge dragged white ink across it. I am really surprised by how much it looks like an old “chalk board” slate! It’s a very cool “vintage” look that I’ll have to keep in mind for future projects!