An ATC is a piece of art that is small & perfectly formed! It is sometimes easy to think of it as a small handmade card, you still do the same work on the trading card-just as a smaller version!

You can either have original ATC's, which means each card you swap is different, or an edition, which means all cards in your group are the same. The final category is a series, this means that the cards are based on one theme but all cards are different.

Some of you may know about the old fashioned trading cards, like footballers or cartoon figures. Well this is a very similar only it is along a crafty theme! There are two main things to remember about ATC's....

1. The ATC must measure 2.5" x 3.5"(64mm x 89mm).

2. They must never be sold, only swapped or given. To make a true trade, the cards must have the following information on the back. Your name, the date and the reference number. So for card one you put 1 of 4, card two is 2 of 4 and so on.

You can stamp on the cards, use watercolours, inks, or chalks. You can add ribbons, brads, and buckles - ANYTHING! ATC's are very similar to the cards that you normally make just smaller. Storage pockets are available to enable you to file your ATC collection in a standard ring binder!