ATC Binder

I trade ATC's (artist trading cards) with a couple groups of fellow crafters.  It's fun to make the cards, especially when there's a theme - it's a little snapshot of personal art.  It's even more fun to receive the cards, which are always inventive and often truly gorgeous works of art.

I have this carousel display thing in my craft room, which I got when I first started in the ATC game.  And like most things in this crazy crafting world, I quickly outgrew its capacity.  

While I love seeing the cards displayed, I needed another way to store the rest of my rapidly expanding collection.  So I finally found the time to make a binder to hold the ATC's.  

Another thing I have an embarrassingly large amount of is unused kits for craft projects.  Some of my favorites are from CLUB SCRAP, like this kit from, ahem, 2005 (!!!!).   The thing I love about all of Club Scrap's project kits are the easy-to-follow instructions with photos.  Here's the kit......

Let's get something clear from the start:  I LOVE MAKING AND BINDING BOOKS!!!  It is such a satisfying endeavor and so nice to create a book to look exactly like you want it.  And for some reason it always seems to come out great, if you follow a few key tips....

First step is to thoroughly spread a thin layer of BOOKBINDING GLUE, with a sponge brush, all over and to the edges of the bookboard.  This glue is amazing because it strongly bonds paper to paper quickly and without bubbles.  You do have to pay careful attention to lining up the edges of your cardstock cover to the bookboard, however, because the stuff is  not repositionable.  I find it easiest to lay the board down on top of the reverse side of the cover cardstock.

The next important key tip is to use your  BONE FOLDER, for every score and fold and burnish - it is a bookbinder's best friend.  Here, I have done miter cuts at the corners (prevents excess lumps of cardstock layers), then used the bone folder to score the cover stock right at the edge of the board, and then again 1/8" out from that, so the cover will wrap neatly over the thickness of the board.  

Pre-fold and crease each fold with the bone folder.  Then apply a thin continuous layer of the bookbinding glue to the cover stock, always spreading it out over the edges.  When you wrap and burnish (again with the bone folder), it adheres completely.

Here's a picture of the front cover of the binder over the back cover (they are separate panels).  For the cover stock, I chose this green cardstock with a vintage 1940's photo of a bunch of gals laughing and gabbing at a lunch counter - isn't it fun?  And so apropos for a collection of ATC's from my friends.

Next step is assembling the 3 panels of the binder with this awesomely wide and tough tape included in the kit.  It has a simple distressed design on the other side, so it will look great on the finished binder.  It's a little tricky getting the placement straight, so I love using my favorite SU grid paper, with centerlines marked, to make the lining up a breeze.

Next is lining up the front and back panels on the tape, leaving a 1/8" gap for the "hinge".  All this tape was thoroughly burnished with (you guessed it) the bone folder.

The next shot shows another piece of the wide tape, cut and ready to be applied to the inside of the binder.  Again, it will be burnished with the bone folder and will complete the "hinges" where the binder folds.

Next step is to apply patterned cardstock inside the front and back covers, using the bookbinding glue all the way to the edges.  While these inside papers aren't necessary, they definitely finish off the whole thing and make it look very professional.

Done!  

Here's a photo of the inside of the binder, with the ATC poly display pages.  

Some of you may recognize your ATC's, perhaps?

Here's the finished product.  It really didn't take very long and I love it!  It's so nice for my overflow ATC collection to finally have a proper home, like they deserve.  I really cherish every single card, because they remind me of my friends and it's a crafter's way of sharing love.

One last shot of the cover:  Instead of a typical title, I decorated a mini file folder and clipped it to the top of the cover.  Then I adhered a bunch of die-cut leaves that appear to be falling out of the folder, to the delight of the girls!

I'll post some ATC's in the future.  They're a beautiful opportunity to share our art with each other.  

I'd love to start a new ATC trading club - are you interested????

CLUB SCRAP