I *LOVE* to swap

My first challenge! I have been wanting to try my hand at a challenge, but usually don't discover them until the deadline has passed. Not so this time! The challenge (#4), from The Corrosive Challenge Blog, is "to make a card having to do with water, fish, frogs, mermaids, etc...anything that can be found in the water!!"

From the moment I signed up for Scrappy's "I Love" swap, I knew I wanted to use this gator (Sarasota Stamps). I did some browsing online to find a sketch that would accommodate her shape. Soon after, I looked at my stash of designer paper and this one literally jumped out of the basket.

I think this gator is perfect for an "I Love" swap, not just because of my feelings for this stamp, but also because she looks like she is ready for a little loving of her own..

She is colored with Prismacolor markers, with which I think I was much more successful thanks to Gabby's tutorials. I then added some texture by following this tutorial on SCS. The spots don't show up as well as in her tutorial, but now that you know they are there, can't you see them?

The dp is from SU as is the card base and the dark green cardstock. The white is from PTI. I braided the hemp fiber by hand and added this little starfish charm I happened upon at ACMoore.