IT IS TIME FOR BLUE MONDAY

It is Blue Monday over at Sally's today,hope to see you all there.Thank you Sally for hosting Blue Monday so we get to see lots of wonderful Blue from our blogger friends.

Here is my blue binder,I bet you are thinking not much of a Blue Monday to be looking at.Well I would like to show you what is inside of the binder,and the binder is my blue.You might see a little blue on what is inside.
Blue Binder,now to what is inside of the binder,Sorry a few pics have a glare on them.

Here they are these are called ATC Cards,Artist Trading Cards for trading with other artist that make ATC's.These are 3 1/2"x2 1/2" cards that you do art of any media that you want to try.

I have been trading for awhile now,I have cards from all over the U.S.,and Canada.It is fun to see what others like to do with their cards.Some are painted,some are hand drawn,stickers,collage,just what ever is your thing.

The cards are for trade only not to be sold,it is to share a little piece of art with others around the country.My collection is almost at 100 now and I trade two to three cards a week.

A SHORT HISTORY OF ARTIST TRADING CARDS-Artist Trading Cards have been around for less than a decade. Yet, their historical roots can be traced back to the Mail Art and Fluxus movements of the 1960s, and even earlier to the Dadaist movement of the 1920s.
Swiss artist M. Vänci Stirnemann first developed the concept of Artist Trading Cards in 1996, when he decided to document his activities with other artists by producing a catalogue of 1,200 cards he created by hand. He exhibited the cards at his bookstore gallery in Zürich in May 1997. On the last day of the exhibit, Stirnemann invited anyone who wanted a card to create their own ATC to trade during the closing reception.

Canadian artist Chuck Stake (aka Don Mable) attended Stirnemann’s exhibition that May and also participated in a Trading Session while in Zürich. Stake became very enthusiastic about ATCs and collaborated with Stirnemann to stage “The First International Biennial of Artist Trading Cards” at The New Gallery in Calgary, Canada that included 80 artists from 10 different countries. Since then, with the help of the Internet, interest in ATCs has spread around the globe.
Many artists who make ATCs use the Internet to display their cards and to locate others willing to trade cards by mail or to share ideas. However, organized face-to-face ATC sessions are, by far, the preferred means of meeting other artists and trading cards. Today, you will find ATC swap sessions happening in most major cities around the world.

Have a terrific Blue Monday and go by and visit Sally @Smiling Sally for more wonderful Blue Monday post and you will see some wonderful blue post.Everyone have a Happy Blue Monday.