Hi crafty friends. It’s Kristine and I’m back with one last project using the beautiful “God Bless America” collection from Carta Bella. If you’re anything like me, you’ve accumulated quite a pile of scraps! After creating four projects with this collection, I had this nice, and perfectly usable, pile of scraps leftover. ATC’s, or artist trading cards, are the perfect solution for those little scraps. Personally, I have such a hard time throwing away even these small pieces because the papers are so beautiful. Instead, I keep them in a small bag for use on projects like making ATC’s! In making my ATC’s, I used paper scraps and pieces from the Ephemera pack and Frames and Tags pack, which were leftovers from my other projects.
What are ATC’s?
Artist trading cards are very small, measuring 2 1/2” x 3 1/2” in size. Each card is an individual work of art, and often they are created as a set of ATC’s. These little cards can be made with any medium, and using any technique. They’re the same size as a baseball card and many people make them to trade with other artists around the world! In fact, there are groups for people who want to make and trade ATC’s. If you make a set of 9 cards, like I did, you can also place them in a page protector and now you have the start of a pocket letter! Another option is to add them to journals as cute inserts or journaling cards.
Tips for Making an ATC
To start, I like to create a base using thin cardboard. Next, I will layer a piece of my light blue cardstock, and ink around the edges using distress ink. Once the base of the ATC’s is complete, it’s time to start layering! Starting with the ephemera and frames and tags, select some pieces for each card. Then, sort through your scrap pile and select papers to compliment the pieces selected. As you can see in the photo, I arrange all of my ATC’s together and move pieces around until I find the right combination.
Once you are satisfied, with your arrangement, you will need chipboard or foam squares/tape to give your ATC’s some dimension. Personally, I use chipboard because I have so much leftover from making mini albums and I like to use my scraps! Starting with one card, adhere the pieces to the front of the ATC. Be sure to only add dimension to some of the pieces for a layered effect. Finally, add any additional embellishments such as pearls, rhinestones, or Sprinkletz.
Check out the set of ATC’s I made with the “God Bless America” collection below. I hope you will pull out your scrap pile and make a set of ATC’s of your own! And if you don’t have enough scraps, head over to the FotoBella store and pick up some new paper today!
Happy crafting,
~Kristine, FotoBella Design Team Member
