My son “talked me into” joining a Smiley Face ATC swap because he “would like to get some smiley faces” in the mail. I’m a sucker for Smiley, so I joined–even though I desperately needed to use every “spare” minute to prepare for spring classes (which begin tomorrow–eek!). I’m grateful I participated in the swap because I received distressing news a few hours after joining the swap. I was sick and worried and just plain out of sorts. I needed something to defuse the stress, so I went to my son’s crafting table and crafted three smiley face ATCs–two for my partners and, of course, one for my son. The light painting, cutting, gluing, working with the crackle and deciding on placement were therapeutic enough for me to feel less like I was operating in some nightmarish space and more like I was present in the here and now. So here are my smiley faces:

These were made with acrylic paint for the background; Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” sheet music .jpg; crackle accents; and embellishments and stickers from Jolee’s Boutique (Smiley), Sticko (treble clef), and DeJa Views “Girl Talk” (word stickers). I kept them simple. After all, a smiley face has no frills–it consists of a a pair of eyes and a smile inside a simple (typically, yellow) circle. Despite its simplicity, it is capable of making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I think what draws me to the faces is that my husband, son and baby sister have gigantic smiley face smiles that warm my heart. I used to tease my hubby and sister and tell them they both have big “smiley faces.” My son, also known as “my little smileycon,” has a smile that lights up the world. It was knowing I would get another one of those smiles that made me “give in” and join the “Smiley Face ATC” swap.

Note: The colors of the treble clef match the colors of the smiley faces on each ATC, but they seem to have taken on other colors after photographing them.