I always wanted to participate in a monthly ATC swap but hesitated because I didn’t know if I could commit to it all the time. I liked the idea of challenging myself to work on a small canvas, trying new things and receiving beautiful art in my mail box. This year, one of my goals with my OLW (One Little Word) is to connect with friends more. Last year, we lost one of the places that we met weekly to craft and have girl time so we have had a hard battle staying connected like we would like. I really don’t want to lose what beautiful friendships we have been building so I am always in search of a way I can help bring us together.

So in December, I kicked around the idea of approaching my crafty girlfriends and seeing how they would feel about a monthly ATC Swap. I wanted to create nothing but encouragement and present little obstacles so that I could pull them all in.  So I made up the catergories for each month which always included a few options and didn’t put any creative restrictions.  I also told people they could jump in any month they choose. So about a week before each month, I contact them all via email and find out how many will participate for the next month and then announce the number of ATCs we have to make and due date (which is the last day of the month).

The first month is January and this is the gallery of all the participants in our January swap.  I decided January’s theme would be New Years and Stars. Look at all the great interpretations everyone had for this theme. That’s what makes it wonderful. My other goal is to not make this a chore or competitive. I believe each ATC is a unique beauty and I hope the participants continue to feel happy about the process. I know I am so happy I made the leap and asked them.

Belinda