Ongoing ATC Swap, April 2026

:seedling: :sun_behind_rain_cloud: :seedling: April Showers of ongoing ATCs! April 2026 :seedling: :sun_behind_rain_cloud: :seedling:


ATC by @Panda, photo by @Silky_Bee

Swap name: Ongoing ATC swap April 2026
Lettuce Craft member who is organizing this swap: thanate
Sign-up date range: April 1 (ok, 2) until April 30
Send out Date: 2 weeks after the day you claim
Limited to a certain number of people? no

Restricted to people who all live in the same country? no

Additional Age requirement? no

Swap Organizer herself meets these conditions:

Has fully read the Swap Info Guide: YES
Has successfully completed two swaps as a participant: YES
Is not organizing more than three swaps right now: YES
Will recruit a co-organizer or give all details to a Swap Moderator if this swap has more than 25 participants: YES
Is at least 18 years old: YES

Swap Organizer will check each participant to make sure they meet these conditions:

Has been a member for at least one month: YES/NO
Has posted at least 15 times: YES/NO
Has completed one swap successfully before signing up for multiple swaps at a time: YES/NO
Is not currently signed up for more than five swaps: YES/NO
Does not have any negative feedback: YES/NO

Participant has agreed that he/she is at least 16 years old: YES/NO


Discussion and Gallery thread is here: Ongoing ATC swap gallery & discussion 2026
Please make sure you are Watching this thread, or check it regularly.

This is an ongoing swap with a minimum requirement of one claim for the month. Sign-ups remain open for the entire swap, so join us whenever the mood strikes! Good communication is a must, and please make sure you’re not late in any other swaps before you commit.

Tracking numbers & postal receipts are not necessary for this swap (most people send in a standard envelope) but if your card goes missing you will be asked to make and send a replacement. This swap is open to people in all countries, so if you have shipping restrictions please pay attention to the location of anyone you claim.

What is an ATC?

*An Artist Trading Card (ATC) is a unique piece of art the size of a standard collectable card (3.5" x 2.5") with at least the structural integrity of a piece of card stock. Feel free to interpret this as creatively as you wish.

*an expression of your art-- You’re welcome to use other people’s art as a jumping-off point (collage, copying a character design, embellishing a preexisting image, etc) but make it your own in some way.

*should represent your best work. All skill levels are welcome!! ATCs are technically listed as an “extra small” in the swap guidelines (defined as taking less than an hour to make) but be aware that some swappers will put in significantly more work than this. If you have a brilliant idea for a card that takes 10 minutes you’re encouraged to send it as an extra, but please commit to taking the time & effort you need to make art someone will love.

(Relatedly, we know we’re often our own harshest critics-- remember that your recipient didn’t see the vision in your head before you began & try not to stress about it or critique your work in the gallery. :green_heart:)

Some other helpful definitions:

artist’s choice: in claiming the creator chooses any theme but sticks to requests like flat cards only or hand-drawn only.

tbd: to be determined, in claiming the artist will pick from the theme list later.

bulky: are cards that will not fit in a plastic baseball card sleeve


So how does this work?

CLAIMING:
Starting April 2, you may begin claiming as soon as the organizer has approved your questionnaire. You may make as many claims as you like throughout the month so long as you have fewer than 8 claims outstanding (ie, that have not been SENT). After you make a claim, you have 2 weeks to send it; if you look at a calendar, your “due date” will be two rows down. Please keep track of your claims; the organizer will do this also, but in case of confusion it’s always easier not to have to keep scrolling back upthread in search of stuff!

New swappers: If this is your first swap, you are allowed one claim to start. Once that card has been RECEIVED, you may make up to 8 claims just like everyone else.

Claims are made chain-style:
Swap Organizer posts a list of themes.
Swapper A chooses a theme from Swap Organizer’s list, and posts their own list of themes.
Swapper B chooses a theme from Swapper A’s list, & posts their own list.
etc…
At the end of the month the Swap Organizer will make a last claim and close the swap.

Your claim should look something like this:
I claim ATC Maker for “happy theme”, due (2 weeks from today)
3/2/1 (3 claims made/2 sent/1 of those received)

Hi I’m Swapper, from Country! Please don’t send me anything 3D or with fiery death.

My themes are:
Ponies
Hearts
Sandcastles
Tomatoes

After you have claimed, please message the person you claimed to ask for their address.

Then make your card & send it! :green_heart: If your card doesn’t show up by 2 weeks after the due date, we’ll have a look at how the mail’s doing & see whether it’s time to send a replacement.

When you send or receive please be sure to message the organizer and the person you are sending to/receiving from with the following info:
*to (who is getting the card)
*from (who sent the card)
*due date
*theme chosen

this can be super simple:
I sent today!
due 8/14, from Swapper to ATC Maker for happy theme

When you get a card, post a picture to the gallery! You have 3 days from the day you receive to do this.

Feedback will be given when all your claims have been received & all the pictures you are responsible for have been posted.

Reminder to long-time swappers: Don’t forget to spruce up your theme lists between swaps to keep the inspiration flowing! :green_heart:


IF YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE, REMEMBER TO SEND YOUR INFO TO ORGANIZER VIA PRIVATE MESSAGE AND NOT TO REPLY WITH IT HERE.

Questionnaire:
*Name of swap: Ongoing ATC Swap – April 2026
*Lettuce Craft username:
*Email address:
*Your real name AND Mailing address including the country (written as it would appear on the envelope):

*Are you at least 16 years old?
*Have you read the entire swap information for this swap?
*Have you met the Participant Conditions?
*Have you checked in with the gallery/discussion thread?
*What is the exact size of an atc?
*Are you able to post pictures here of what you receive?
*Are you aware that if a card is lost in the mail, you are required to resend?
*How soon should you post pictures of the cards you receive?
*When sending sent/received messages to the swap organizer, there are four pieces of information that must be included about each swap. What are they?
*Bonus Q: Do you have a favorite sign of spring?


This thread should contain claims only.

Please post your general questions, encouragement, and other chatting in the gallery/discussion thread. For specific questions, please message the organizer. If you have any concerns, both the organizer and the mods are here to make sure everyone has a good swap experience.

Enjoy your ATCs!

3 Likes

Swappers:
@thanate
@Mountains_and_Clouds 1/0/0
@LindyBlues 1/1/0
@MamaRhi 2/0/0

Key:
:seedling: new swapper (one claim until first card is received)
:snail: running late (with communication)
:package: sent!
:gift: received!
:rainbow: swapper is finished!

Claims:

due 4/24:
LindyBlues to thanate for TBD :package: 4/13

due 4/27:
MamaRhi to LindyBlues for TBD

due 4/27:
Mountains_and_Clouds to MamaRhi for “dancing in the sunshine”

due 4/28:
MamaRhi to Mountains_and_Clouds for volcano

1 Like

first list:

Hi! I’m Ann, currently in Maryland. I prefer kid-safe (creepy/nature is fine, profanity/R-rated is not my thing) & please seal any glitter, but otherwise have fun! :slight_smile:

*Little Good Things (something that makes you happy)

*maps that aren’t maps (infographics, draw the plot of your favorite fairy tale, map the lines on your hand, your network of grade school friends, the spiderwebs in your backyard, what goes into your favorite food or drink, the expressions you made during your day, the progression of time…)

*animals in ancient or medieval styles: (if nothing comes to mind, try searching your favorite museum’s online catalog)
*cave art or petroglyphs
*ancient animal effigies or votive figurines
*animals illustrated on ancient pottery
*animals from decorative carving traditions (pictish stones, norse horn carving, monumental buildings from Central America or SE Asia, etc)
*medieval marginalia & bestiaries
*pick an animal from one of these styles & depict it in another

*sewing/embroidery— do a little actual stitching, or draw some.
*patchwork
*process or in-progress depictions of crafts
*pattern pieces or other 2D renditions of 3D shapes
*pop-up or moving element cards (preferably that I can still store flat, tho)

*your favorite extinct animal
*your favorite invertibrate (real or imagined)

*draw the view from a window you’ve looked through recently.
*draw the view from a window that doesn’t exist.

I claim @thanate for TBD, due April 24th.

Claimed: 1
Sent: 0
Received: 0

Hey, I’m Mariana in Kingston, ON, Canada.

Please don’t send creepy crawly bugs (spiders are fine though), horror/gore, NSFW, Santa, or Easter bunny.

My themes this round:

  • Writing motivation
  • Literal interpretation of popular idioms
  • Interesting facts about your hometown or the town where you live now
  • Sea creatures, real or imagined
  • Zebras
  • Princess Bride
  • Back to the Future
  • Wolverine
  • Epic animated film (2013)

And if none of that speaks to you, anything listed in my profile is always welcome :slight_smile:

2 Likes

I claim for @LindyBlues for TBD due 27 April
1/0/0

Hi I’m MamaRhi, from New Mexico (USA)!

My themes are:

  • Cat shenanigans
  • The aftermath of crafting
  • While out walking amongst the wildflowers
  • Tea time with your favorite animal
  • Tire swings
  • Your favorite tool
  • Shapeshifter
  • What makes you feel safe?
  • What makes you happy?
  • Street art/ graffiti
  • At the end of a difficult day
  • Local (to you) historical facts
  • Your occupation seen from the point of view of your inner child
  • Your favorite childhood cartoon character
  • Your second favorite flower
  • Redesign the cover of your favorite book
  • Dancing in the sunshine
  • What does your favorite mug look like (real or imagined)?
  • Dream vacation scene
  • Draw what is pissing you off lately and then send it away in the mail
  • Artist’s Choice
    (profanity always acceptable)
2 Likes

I claim @MamaRhi for “Dancing in the Sunshine”
Due 4/27

1/0/0

Hi I’m Sara in Honolulu (USA for shipping purposes). I’m happy to receive whatever you make!
Nudity, crass language, gore, whatever, are all fine with me!

Here are my themes, happy for them to be loosely interpreted.

•Moon on a String

•Mountains and Clouds

•Green Woman

•Native and/or endemic species in your area

•Rainbow(s) and/or any object or anything with rainbow colors

•Birds in Hats

•Cozy Vibes

•Bullfrog(s)

•Chicken(s)

•Puppets

•“Jumping Jehosephats!”

•House on Hen’s Legs

•Jellyfish

•Volcano

•Killer Whale(s)

•Humpback Whale(s)

•Your interpretation of a tarot card

•Watercolor and Ink

•Gouache

•Artist’s Choice :light_blue_heart:

2 Likes

I claim for @Mountains_and_Clouds for volcano due 28 April
2/0/0

Hi I’m MamaRhi, from New Mexico (USA)!

My themes are:

  • Cat shenanigans
  • The aftermath of crafting
  • While out walking amongst the wildflowers
  • Tea time with your favorite animal
  • Tire swings
  • Your favorite tool
  • Shapeshifter
  • What makes you feel safe?
  • What makes you happy?
  • Street art/ graffiti
  • At the end of a difficult day
  • Local (to you) historical facts
  • Your occupation seen from the point of view of your inner child
  • Your favorite childhood cartoon character
  • Your second favorite flower
  • Redesign the cover of your favorite book
  • Dancing in the sunshine
  • What does your favorite mug look like (real or imagined)?
  • Dream vacation scene
  • Draw what is pissing you off lately and then send it away in the mail
  • Artist’s Choice
    (profanity always acceptable)
1 Like