Ongoing ATC Swap, October 2025

(ATC by @LindyBlues, photo by @trugritty)

:fallen_leaf: :jack_o_lantern: :candy: :skull: Ongoing ATCs, OCTOBER 2025! :skull: :candy: :jack_o_lantern: :leafless_tree:

Swap name: Ongoing ATC swap October 2025
Lettuce Craft member who is organizing this swap: thanate
Sign-up date range: (now!) until October 31
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 himself/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 2025
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 ā€œextra smallā€ 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 October 1, 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 ā€œdue dateā€ 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 ā€œhappy themeā€, 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.


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 – October 2025
*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: if you’ve been in an ATC swap this year, do you have at least 3 new themes on your list?


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!

6 Likes

Swappers:

@thanate 1/1/1
:seedling: @Nightlight 1/1/1
@jellybean
@geekgirl 3/2/2
@megwell 1/0/0

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 10/16:
Nightlight to thanate for ā€œimprobable houses on chicken legsā€ :package: 10/13 :gift:

due 10/17:
geekgirl to Nightlight for animals :package: 10/17 :gift:

due 10/18:
thanate to geekgirl for sarcastic flowers :package: 10/10 :gift:

due 10/29:
geekgirl to thanate for extinct animal :package: 10/17 :gift:

due 11/2:
megwell to geekgirl for artist’s choice

due 11/5:
geekgirl to megwell for Indiana

First list!

Hi! I’m Ann, currently in Maryland. I prefer kid-safe (creepy/nature is fine, profanity/R-rated not) & 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…)

*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, 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.

*Halloween:
*cats, witches, cauldrons, potions…
*haunted houses or other places
*improbable houses on chicken legs
*spooky whalefall ( Biologically Accurate Halloween Decorations — Rosemary Mosco )
*lost or wandering spirits
*skeletons/bones

*process or in-progress depictions of crafts

*your favorite extinct animal

*draw a ā€œmind horseā€ (horse optional— ie, draw an animal without looking at reference photos. Yes it will look weird.)

*draw the view from a window you’ve looked through recently.

Hello,

I claim Thanate for ā€˜improbable houses on chicken legs’ due October 16. This was a hard choice as Thanate had such incredible themes!

I’m Emily. I live in Pennsylvania. I don’t like gross, gory, horror stuff. I am not a fan of glitter.

I do like, aka my themes:

Frogs, turtles, snakes, spiders, octopus, animals in general if those options don’t appeal to the artist…

Landscapes

Haiku

Fiber arts of any kind!

All plants domestic and wild

A reproduction of a favorite book cover of the artist

Tarot card take or reproduction

Halloween themes: black cats, spiders, ravens, toads, pumpkins, witchy vibes, herbs

Thank you!

1 Like

I’m Carlee in NC. I prefer no spiders.
I claim @Nightlight for animals in general due october 17
1/0/0

My themes-
Fairy/enchanted forest/woodland animals
Richard Scarrey town
muppets
a day in the life of a hedgehog
snarky sayings
sarcastic flowers
cats
cozy kitchen/coffee vibes
Disenchantment
Star Trek, Stargate, Farscape
Discworld
artist’s choice
castles/medieval times

1 Like

I claim geekgirl for sarcastic flowers, due 10/18

Hi! I’m Ann, currently in Maryland. I prefer kid-safe (creepy/nature is fine, profanity/R-rated not) & 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…)

*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, 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.

*Halloween:
*cats, witches, cauldrons, potions…
*haunted houses or other places
*improbable houses on chicken legs
*spooky whalefall ( Biologically Accurate Halloween Decorations — Rosemary Mosco )
*lost or wandering spirits
*skeletons/bones

*process or in-progress depictions of crafts

*your favorite extinct animal

*draw a ā€œmind horseā€ (horse optional— ie, draw an animal without looking at reference photos. Yes it will look weird.)

*draw the view from a window you’ve looked through recently.

I’m Carlee in NC. I prefer no spiders.
I claim @thanate for extinct animal due october 29
2/0/0

My themes-
Fairy/enchanted forest/woodland animals
Richard Scarrey town
muppets
a day in the life of a hedgehog
snarky sayings
sarcastic flowers
cats
cozy kitchen/coffee vibes
Disenchantment
Star Trek, Stargate, Farscape
Discworld
artist’s choice
castles/medieval times

1 Like

I claim geekgirl for artist’s choice due 11/2.

Claims (total for the month): 1
Sent (in transit): 0
Received: 0
Outstanding: 1

I’m Megan in Indiana, USA. I welcome cards from all skill/experience levels! Nothing political, preachy, Covid-related, or shedding glitter, please. I’m not a fan of vulgarity for vulgarity’s sake, but if you’ve got a great quotation you want to use with a swear word or something in it, go for it. (Except the c-word; no time for that.) If you aren’t sure whether something will fly, please don’t hesitate to ask. I keep my cards in sleeves in a binder, so I appreciate low bulk, but that’s not a deal-breaker.

Here are my themes this month:
-Something for my TV Sleuths collection! Send me your fave, or I can provide a list of some of mine.
-artist’s choice
-Reimagined Clue character (game version or movie version). Change their traditional gender, give 'em a theme, make 'em half dinosaur – interpret however you like.
-The state of Indiana
-Jelle’s Marble League. If it helps, my teams are the Midnight Wisps (esp. the old Wispy/Wespy/etc. lineup), the Pinkies, and the Crazy Cats Eyes.
-My Animal Crossing Pocket Camp avatar. I’ll send photos if you want to go this route.
-found poetry/found caption
-Your favorite old movie (or mine, which is The Thin Man)
-Zombie Bob Ross
-You were a Halloween-denier of the second degree
-You’re not a ghost; I’m not afraid of you
-Skating skeleton
-Something that embodies fall/autumn to you

1 Like

I’m Carlee in NC. I prefer no spiders.
I claim @megwell for Indiana due 11/5
1/2/0

My themes-
Fairy/enchanted forest/woodland animals
Richard Scarrey town
muppets
a day in the life of a hedgehog
snarky sayings
sarcastic flowers
cats
cozy kitchen/coffee vibes
Disenchantment
Star Trek, Stargate, Farscape
Discworld
artist’s choice
castles/medieval times

1 Like

I claim @geekgirl for a ā€˜day in the life of a hedgehog’ due on 11/12
2/1/1

I’m Emily. I live in Pennsylvania. I don’t like gross, gory, horror stuff. I am not a fan of glitter.

I do like:

Frogs, turtles, snakes, spiders, octopus, animals in general if those options don’t appeal to the artist…

Landscapes

Haiku

Fiber arts of any kind!

All plants domestic and wild

A reproduction of a favorite book cover of the artist

Tarot card take or reproduction

Halloween themes: black cats, spiders, ravens, toads, pumpkins, witchy vibes, herbs

Thank you!

I claim @Nightlight for something Halloween, due 11/12.

1/0/0

Hi, I’m Jamie from Michigan, USA. No blood/gore or loose glitter please. Any medium is fine!

My themes:
-a book you like
-animals (especially tuxedo cats, but all are welcome, real or imaginary)
-space travel
-Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation
-Bob’s Burgers, especially Louise
-Nancy Drew (books or games)
-women in history
-altered playing card
-dinosaurs
-good things
-cute monsters
-Winnie the Pooh (any character)
-inspirobot (https://inspirobot.me/, https://www.instagram.com/inspirobot.me/)
-Halloween :jack_o_lantern:
-cat memes
-little free library
-’this is fine’ dog (can be turned into any other animal)
-rubber duck
-skeleton (any creature)
-artist’s choice

I’m Carlee in NC. I prefer no spiders.
I claim @jellybean for artist choice (I’ll pick a lited theme but can’t decide just yet) due 11/12
2/0/2

My themes-
Fairy/enchanted forest/woodland animals
Richard Scarrey town
muppets
a day in the life of a hedgehog
snarky sayings
sarcastic flowers
cats
cozy kitchen/coffee vibes
Disenchantment
Star Trek, Stargate, Farscape
Discworld
artist’s choice
castles/medieval times

1 Like