The best I can suggest is to take the painting to the frame or craft shop and try it with the different mats. As others have pointed out, if you are going to use a colored mat, it should be a color that is in the painting so that it doesn't compete with the colors-- or darken the brightness in your painting. The colors you have used thus far are darker and less brilliant and suck the life out of your painting-- and the life is what makes it so special. I know this is counterintuitive, but I'd try a thin inner mat of gold-- not yellow gold but a metallic gold. It sounds like it would be too formal but I am thinking it might bring out the bright in your painting. It would have to be thin-- and still it could be an awful idea. You just need to try it. It is so hard to view and share opinions online because color and brightness are lost both in the photo process and on different monitors.. I really think you need to just try different combinations and when you have the right one, you'll just KNOW it. The painting will jump out at you and sing. Trust yourself-- as a painter, you can see and sense the right color combos. Don't be intimidated by matting.. just treat it as an extension of your painting. When the combo of mat and painting "works" you'll see your painting take on the life that you imagined when you painted it. Of course that is vague and provides no solid direction for you-- but what i am saying is to trust your artistic eye. When you have the right combo, it won't matter what any of us say because you will know it is right. :)

Dear Marg, As to the punchie swaps (punchies being the punched shapes that come out when punching) most times people will contact other scrappers and say I have the following punchies (example) teddy bear, circle, maple leaf. They list those puncheis with a list of the ones they are willing to trade for (example) I need heart, mickey mouse, square. Then if they find someone who needs what they have they set an amount to trade usually around 25 and they swap. Sometimes if they don't have a lot of punches they can buy or trade paper or sticker for some if they are REALLY in need of a certain punched shape. On the photo mat swaps, you can use card stock and cut it into the agreed upon size and either make a design out of stickers, stamps, or punches along the border of the mat, depending on what you have. I know VERY few people who have all the supplies for each craft, punches, stickers and rubber stamps and even if they do they might not come up with the same color combos, or punch or sticker designs you did. This is a photo mat swap. I have never done a card swap but I am guessing it is done in the same manner. As for worring over how many, or what kind of punches you have, hey there are always going to be people just starting out and punches are expensive when you first start, so just swap what you have. If you have a pretty regular punch, then use pretty paper. Love Penny

Here is photo #1:Tedevore and catbird Wayne and a member of ECMGA, Dortha

About half the cars that showed up