ATC - Whaaa?

ATC's, or Artist Trading Cards, was a concept that intrigued me for a long time.  Common sense told me that, obviously, Artists made and traded cards...but with who?  

When did they do this? 

Is there a super secret, invite-only, event to trade these specifically?  

How do I get in on this action?!

Luckily for me my new craft meet-up crew explained the general concept.  And no - there is no super secret event where this takes place - but wouldn't that be awesome?!

Anyway.  ATC's have 1 rule from what I've heard and researched online - they must be made in the dimensions of 2.5" x 3.5".  Basically baseball trading card size.  After that, it seems like anything goes as far as what you can put on them.  I even saw an awesome paper quilling of a robot on one.  

Say what?

Naturally....I became obsessed.  I mean - REALLY obsessed.  

Come on....How cute is it to make a tiny work of art with anything you can think of?  This opportunity reeks with experimental possibilities.  Guys, seriously.

Okay - you make these tiny cards.  Awesome.  Then what?  

You trade them!  Once you complete your card, you write the title of your tiny piece, include your contact information, etc. and then trade away.  A website I recently joined, Craftster.org, has endless boards with organized craft swaps, and one of them is specifically designated for ATC's.  Apparently this is a pretty big thing and people love to collect them.  I haven't signed up for any swaps just yet, but...soon.  

I figured this would be an awesome advertisement for myself, my style, and my Etsy shop.  Here are the cards I've created so far:

"All Stitched Up with Nowhere to Go"

"Take me Away"

"Body Snatcher Tuesday"

"B Awesome"

"Lovebot Bear"

"Classic Scaling"

"Rain"

Don't worry - I've also been rolling away with paper, working on the big paper project as well.  Just took a mini break to experiment a bit with these cards.  

Happy Crafting!

XO-

ANF