T Holtz MONTHLY ATC CHALLENGE--JUNE

This is the JUNE ATC Challenge of the Month and requires you to make an ATC card (2 1/2" x 3 1/2 inches) with a JUNE theme such as: School’s out which means Summer’s early and first flush--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, beaches, picnic then as well, searching for shells,etc.; road trips and vacations. These are merely suggestions.

BE SURE TO PUT THE NAME OF THE MONTH OR ABBREVIATION on your ATC: June, and July should fit on your ATC in full, but AUG can be used for August if you need the space. Be certain your ATC is the exact size, 2.5" x 3.5," and that it has a sturdy cardboard backing and a neatly finished back covering the back cardboard of the card. Here 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, rub on ephemera. Feel free to explore YouTube and his blog for examples of ways you may want to use some of these products. 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 correct size as explained above.

-Use 3 or more genuine, Tim Holtz products, supplies and techniques, stamps, die cuts, Distress Inks (either type), Distress markers, Distress stains and paints, stencils, etc.

-Write brief "hello" note to partner, pointing out the 3+ TH products, etc. that you used.

-The name of the month displayed as part of your ATC.

No month name= NO 5 rating!

• Receiving partners need to contact your sending partner about the missing month name and give them reasonable time to correct this. I've noticed a couple ATCs I've received without the month named and I didn't catch it when I rated, so, many of you may be forgetting to put the MONTH'S NAME ON THE ATC!

Deadline for joining swap is JUNE 15;

Sending deadline is JUNE 30.

For those who like to make sender's choice swaps in advance, these are the next few ATC Monthly Challenges:

• 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 style ideas on Pinterest to jump-start your creativity and get started with what you want to do for this month.