T Holtz MONTHLY ATC CHALLENGE—APRIL

This is the APRIL ATC Challenge of the Month and requires you to make an ATC card (2 1/2" x 3 1/2 inches) with an April theme such as: signs of spring which has finally begun, rainy days (for those May flowers), early flowers such as daffodils, tulips, crocus, return of robins and other migratory birds in your part of the US, baby animals—domestic and wild life such as bunnies, kittens and puppies, baby ducks, chicks, and geese, and anything else you connect with April. This is sender's choice, allowing you to get started right away on this ATC if you'd like.

BE SURE TO PUT THE NAME OF THE MONTH OR ABBREVIATION: April, May, June, and July should fit on your ATC in full (Mar for March and Apr for April are OK), but others are short and have no abbreviations. Be certain your ATC is the exact size described above and that it has a sturdy cardboard backing and a neatly finished back of the card where you will put the group name, swap name, date, and your Swap-Bot name so that your partner can easily rate your ATC.

Additionally, you need to USE at LEAST 3 OFFICIAL Tim Holtz products--paper, stamps, stencils, die cuts, Distress inks, Distress Crayons, Distress Oxide inks, metal ephemera, paper ephemera, etc. Challenge yourself here if you have some products that are new to you. Check out "how-to" videos for ways of using them on YouTube and on his blog. Avoid stickers almost completely or use only Tim Holtz ones (won’t find many!). His style doesn’t really lend itself to much use of stickers. To receive a 5 rating, you must have the 3 Tim Holtz products or techniques with those products. You may want to point out the 3 things you used in your note to your partner. I like to have a short note from my sending-to-me partner--just a few sentences about the swap or what they are doing with their crafts and arts and favorite kind of swaps, etc. It needn’t be long---just a kind hello, how are you, what crafts or art have you been busy doing . . . and so on, just adding a bit of a personal touch to the swap and helping you and your partner get acquainted.

Deadline for joining swap is April 15; sending deadline is April 30. For those who like to make sender's choice swaps in advance, these are the next few ATC Monthly Challenges: *May---Those flowers brought on by April showers, full burst of blooming; Memorial Day (patriotic); Gardening, changes in nature. *June---School’s out which means Summer’s early and first flash--all is a lush, new green or in bloom or both; Reminds me of the song “June is Bursting Out All Over;” Flag Day (June 14) --Patriotic theme; Picnics, long walks or bicycle rides and then a picnic, etc.; swimming at the pools, lakes, ponds, etc.; Road trips and vacations. July--4th of July and any other ideas you may think of. If you don’t want to make several patriotic themed ATCs, you may want to hold off until July 4; road trips or vacations; swimming anywhere: pool, lake, pond, streams, etc. *August--- HOTTEST weather in much of US, Fitting in one last fling for a road trip or week at the lake, etc. before school begins. Flowers still going strong, but some uniquely fall flowers are blooming, etc.

Most importantly, have fun making these ATCs! Experiment with new products if that's a possibility for you! Check for Tim Holtz ATC Ideas on Pinterest to jump-start your creativity and get started with what you want to do for this month.