Tina
22nd October 2009, 01:50 PM
An ATC is a small piece of original art work measuring 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches, originally devised by Artists as business cards they are now swapped and collected in their own right. They are always swapped or traded, never sold.
On the back of your ATC you put your name and your forum name. You also put the date that you made the card and the title or theme of the swap it is intended for. If you have room you can also add some comments on the techniques used.
ATC can be made from any material, card,fabric,acetate, metal etc, as long as it is able to support the decoration put on to it and is thin enough to fit into the little cellophane sleeve protectors that are available.
Most ATCs are however made from card, originally poker cards were used as the base card and decorated and embellished, this is where the 2.5 inch by 3.5 inch rule on size evolved. You can cut your own cards from card stock, using up scraps and off cuts or you can cut 9 ATCs from a sheet of A4 card with very little waste.
A 1 - 1 swap is pretty simple and like it says 1 person swaps an atc directly with another. You can put an ATC you have made up for swap by putting a picture in your gallery or just offer a surprise swap in which you make an ATC of your own design choice.
A Themed Swap is a swap where one person, The Hostess organises a swap and sets out the particular rules for the swap, this may be a subject, for example "Snow Men" or it may be a technique for example "Collage". The Hostess also sets a deadline for when the ATCs should reach her and sets any limit on the number of participants and the number of ATCs they should send.If you join in a swap you must remember to include a SAE along with your ATC's and make sure the postage is enough to cover, usually a large letter stamp and the envelope is big enough. When the deadline is reached the Hostess sends out ATCs to each participant in the swap.
The little clear ATC protectors are widely available, as are the trading card sleeves which fit in a A4 folder and is a good way of storing your received ATC's and easy to look at.I have bought them through E-Bay.
Other useful Info
RAK is a random act of kindness,an atc which is sent with out the need for a swap in return,if you send one of these them remember to add RAK on the back.
BRAK is as above but the B stands for birthday.
CRAK again as above but the C stands for Christmas.
On the back of your ATC you put your name and your forum name. You also put the date that you made the card and the title or theme of the swap it is intended for. If you have room you can also add some comments on the techniques used.
ATC can be made from any material, card,fabric,acetate, metal etc, as long as it is able to support the decoration put on to it and is thin enough to fit into the little cellophane sleeve protectors that are available.
Most ATCs are however made from card, originally poker cards were used as the base card and decorated and embellished, this is where the 2.5 inch by 3.5 inch rule on size evolved. You can cut your own cards from card stock, using up scraps and off cuts or you can cut 9 ATCs from a sheet of A4 card with very little waste.
A 1 - 1 swap is pretty simple and like it says 1 person swaps an atc directly with another. You can put an ATC you have made up for swap by putting a picture in your gallery or just offer a surprise swap in which you make an ATC of your own design choice.
A Themed Swap is a swap where one person, The Hostess organises a swap and sets out the particular rules for the swap, this may be a subject, for example "Snow Men" or it may be a technique for example "Collage". The Hostess also sets a deadline for when the ATCs should reach her and sets any limit on the number of participants and the number of ATCs they should send.If you join in a swap you must remember to include a SAE along with your ATC's and make sure the postage is enough to cover, usually a large letter stamp and the envelope is big enough. When the deadline is reached the Hostess sends out ATCs to each participant in the swap.
The little clear ATC protectors are widely available, as are the trading card sleeves which fit in a A4 folder and is a good way of storing your received ATC's and easy to look at.I have bought them through E-Bay.
Other useful Info
RAK is a random act of kindness,an atc which is sent with out the need for a swap in return,if you send one of these them remember to add RAK on the back.
BRAK is as above but the B stands for birthday.
CRAK again as above but the C stands for Christmas.