Ideas for Storing and Displaying Oversized ATCs and Other Larger Pieces of Art

When it comes to storing and displaying standard sized ATCs I use 7 Gypsies ATC carousels but for larger pieces I use two different storage/display systems.  One I purchased and one I made. 

The one I purchased is a carousel system from Clip It Up.  You can purchase the system with one or two tiers.  The bottom tier is taller than the top tier.  I use the top tier to store my lace and the bottom tier to hang altered cabinet cards, altered postcards and oversized ATCs.  The clips that come with the product make it easy to add and remove pieces of art.  Here is a picture of my Clip It Up carousel. The top tier gives you 9 ½” hanging room (height) and the bottom tier gives you 15” hanging room (height). 

If you don’t want to use the clips that come with the system or there isn’t a good place to attach the clip, then add a small jump ring to the back of the piece and use ribbon to tie the piece to the carousel. 

Tip from Sheree Rose - I also use the Clip it Up carousel for my Altered Cabinet Cards but didn't want to have the clips damage the art work. I found packs of plastic bags at Michaels which I use to store the Cab cards and the clip only goes on the plastic.

 

You can find the Clip It Up system in scrapbook stores, online stores or buy directly from the manufacturer at http://www.clipitup.com/store/.  In addition to the carousel they sell other storage and display systems.

7 Gypsies also makes a large carousel system for ATCs and photos.   I don’t have this system so I can’t tell you how much hanging room is on each tier but I don’t think it is as much as the Clip It Up system.  If you have large and or long items the 7 Gypsies system might not work for you.   You can purchase the system from scrapbook stores, online stores or buy directly from the manufacturer at http://www.shopatron.com/products/category/ATC+%26amp%3B+Photo+Display/533.0.1.1.62667.99719.0.0.0

The second method I use for storage and display is Velcro.  First I made a post bound album.  For pages, I covered pieces of light weight chipboard with cardstock then attached strips of Velcro (the loop side) to each page (back and front).  The purpose of using chipboard is to create a stiff and sturdy page that will support the weight of the cards.  I punched holes in the pages to match the spacing of my album.

To mount cards to the page I attach a tiny piece of Velcro (the hook side) to the back of the card.  Now I can mount the card on the page. 

Using Velcro makes it easy to add, remove or reposition the art.

To keep the art on opposing sheets from rubbing together I added a sheet of vellum between each set of pages.

You don’t need to make your own album.  You could use a scrapbook album or a three ring binder.   I actually like storing even regular sized ATCs this way as you can see and touch the art without the plastic getting in the way. 

If at some point you want to remove the piece of Velcro from the back of the art you can use Un-Du which dissolves glue without harming paper, photos, embellishments etc. 

You can find Un-Du at many craft stores, scrapbooking stores and hardware stores.  You can also buy it directly from the manufacturer at https://un-du.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=53.  They don’t ship out of the US but I’m betting other countries carry a similar product.