I’ve been searching for ages for a good idea for those pretty tissue boxes once the tissues are all gone. Well, some clever soul has come up with a brilliant idea: Cut them up to make bases for your Artist Trading Cards!!
An Artist Trading Card, also known as an ATC, is an original work of art, created using any media or technique, on a 2 1/2” x 3 1/2” cardstock base. ATCs can be dimensional, as long as they fit into a regular baseball trading card sleeve. Artist M.Vänçi Stirnemann developed the concept in 1997 and their intended purpose is for trading with other ATC artists. ATCs are NOT meant to be sold. Read all about ATCs at the official website.
Don’t limit yourself just to tissue boxes! Any cardboard packaging of a similar weight such as beer bottle packaging (those carriers that 6 bottles are packaged in), cereal and cracker boxes and the boxes you get when you buy a large quantity of canned goods at the warehouse store. If you don’t like the design on the packaging, simply flip it over and use the brown side, like on “Stephen Went,” below. “Be Authentic,” also below, incorporates the design from a beer bottle carrier.
Remember that a lot of these boxes and packaging have a bit of a slick surface, so hold steady when you’re stamping on them. Don’t rock your stamp and always use a waterproof, quick drying ink like Ancient Page from Clearsnap or India Ink Black from Stewart Superior (my favorite).
The designs on some of the tissue boxes are simply great backgrounds on their own. The following ATC was a gray tissue box with white tree branches and raindrops.
Other than the couple of rules outlined at the beginning of this article, anything goes with ATCs. Have fun with them! Make them your calling cards. When you have very little time to create something, but need to do something crafty for the sake of your mental health, try doing an ATC. Be sure to check out Yahoo Groups or any other boards you might belong to and find artists with whom you can trade your mini works of art!
To find the products mentioned in this article and shown in these layouts, check with your local scrapbook retailer. Browse our Premier Retail Stores for coupons to a store near you.
