Paris ATCs

Written and Created by PaperCraftCentral Susan

Ahh, Paris ATCs! (Artist Trading Cards) What a good idea!

"Paris is always a good idea"
~The movie Sabrina

How and Why I Made my Paris ATCs

I took part in an ATC (Artist Trading Card) swap with the theme of Paris. Now Paris has always been a place I have wanted to visit. I learned French at school and continued to learn it as an adult, hoping one day I would be able to go there. So far, that hasn't happened, but what a great excuse it was to take part in a swap where I got to find Parisian images!

For this swap, I had to try to make my little cards romantic and all about Paris. Now please understand, I have no first hand knowledge of France, let alone its capital. But my swapper friend loves all things Parisian, and that along with my own interest in France was enough for me to get started.

As I live in Australia, for awhile I thought of combining an Australian koala climbing on the Eiffel Tower, but that just didn't seem romantic enough somehow. I could see it in my mind but the romance just wasn't coming with it! Lol!

Then I got an idea. Why not make some postage stamps images of Paris? The idea of receiving and sending letters to and from Paris seemed like a romantic one. Much more intimate and private than Social Media, right?And also, that was realistically the only way I was probably going to communicate with someone form Paris after all. I had no actual travel plans to go there.

So I found some free shareable images of famous places from a mixed media site, reduced them in size on my computer and printed them on cardstock.You could try searching iStock photos for mixed media images that often are free to use. They cover a wide range of places and topics too.

I used some deckle edged scissors to cut out my postage stamp images and then edged them in gold ink and Stampin' Up!'s Chocolate Chip ink (retired). Just drag the edges through an ink pad, making sure you allow each layer of ink to dry first before adding another. It is nest to start with a lighter colour of ink and gradually build up to darker colours so you don't contaminate your ink pads with other colours.

Caution: Water based inks can run when re-hydrated.

The base of each of my mixed media project cards is an ordinary playing card. I sponge-painted them directly in various blue-green shades with Radiant Rain Daubers, then used a paint brush to apply diagonal sweeps of gold acrylic paint. This also added texture to the cards.

I decorated them further by using a gauzy ribbon, a rubber ribbon, some rub ons, some printed and gold stamped words, some off-cuts from the painting process, and I also wrote and doodled on some with a fine tipped black felt journaling pen.

There are some rhinestones, a vinyl butterfly, and a transparent dome on some of them as well.

I finished the backs of the cards by partially stamping an image of a decorative teddy (as in a piece of clothing teddy, not a soft cuddly toy teddy) randomly on some Basic White cardstiock using Blackberry Bliss Ink then applying the signature stamp I found in a local craft shop.

You don't need a special stamp to do this part as all that is really required is for you to sign your work, number the series of cards, and maybe provide your contact information if you want.I just came across the ATC stamp by accident so decided to use it on my Paris ATCs.

Sidebar: Artist Trading Cards were originally meant to be given as an example of an artists' work, in the place of ordinary business cards. I wonder how many artists do this still?

Maybe it is a practise we could revive!

I finally edged the whole of my cardstock card fronts with the same ink as I used on the teddy stamp, then I adhered the finished pieces to the backs of the altered playing cards, remembering to number the series of them as well.

When I sent them overseas, I placed each one in its own small, sealable plastic bag that I found at a jewelry stand at a local market, so they would become damp or wet in their travels. I expected they would also be opened by customs on their way to their destination so the little bags helped them all stay safe during that handling.

What do you think of my Paris ATCs? I think my friend enjoyed them when they arrived.

I would love to see any Parisian themed cards YOU have made as well.

Now you may like to explore some other Artist Trading Card ideas:

• Zettiology Themed ATCS
• ATCs with sewing on them
  
• FInd out more about ATCs

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