One night next week I am getting together with a few friends  who also have young children and find it challenging to make time for all things creative.  (Although I do have to use my imagination to come up with 59 ways to explain to Benjamin that WE DO NOT TO PLAY IN THE DRAPES!)  We are going to bring whatever we happen to be working on, want to start working on, or think-we-might-want-to-work-on-but-really-we-just-want-to-hang-out-and-chat.

I thought about getting out my watercolors for the first time in nearly three years, but for some reason that seems terribly daunting.  Watercoloring is about being comfortable with spontaneity and minimal control.  With two toddlers I have enough of that in my life at the moment.  I also have a decoupage project to begin – transforming an office file sorter into a puzzle rack for the boys – but I am not going to lug that thing back and forth.

So I decided on creating some Artist Trading Cards, a concept I recently stumbled across.  ATCs are a take-off on the idea of sports/bubblegum/etc. trading cards.  Instead of purchasing them, however, you make them yourself…. using any technique and material you’d like.  Then you trade with others that have done the same – either in person or through the mail.  Essentially they are tiny, unique creations that allow artists to meet one another and get exposed to different styles/ideas/techniques. 

The only hard and fast rule (which of course is sometimes broken) is that the card size is 3.5” x 2.5.”  So it’s actually quite a portable project – I can fit the blank cards and necessary materials (oooh stamps! sharpie ultra fine point markers! glue! origami paper! stickers! scissors!) into a very small bag.

You can see some examples of ATCs on Flickr.  I’ll be posting my results next week.... and if you are interested in trading said cards, let me know!