Hanging ATC display using baseball card sleeves

03/07/2014 by UKMA 5 Comments

Other ATC display posts: Easy Landscape orientation version, EASY Portrait version

Trust me – the easy version is SO much easier, and uses less in the way of supplies, even if it isn’t as polished looking, that it is a compromise I bet you can live with.

 

LOL!  If you know me at all you know I can get an idea in my head and there is nothing to be done but see it thru.  One of my WOYWW mates, Robyn O, mentioned, quite idly, on her blog post that she was trying to think of a way to display them so they’re not lost in a box.  I dropped in my blog post comment with an idea that made sense to me, and as I was hopping thru the blog, it was preying on my mind.  So, of course, I had to see it thru.

That one is made from three sleeve sheets, but I also made one using just two.  Above you can see it along the side of a bookcase – it fits perfectly and a tall bookcase would accommodate a display of FOUR sleeves with ease. Here is the two-sleeve version (not decorated the top yet, and this one was the first one so perhaps slightly different.

What you will need:

• 2, 3 or 4 standard baseball sleeve protectors – they fit ATCs perfectly (but if you make ATCs, you know that!)
• Strong double-sided adhesive in a few widths, from very thin to about 1/2 inch
• clear packing tape (2 inch wide)
• a roll of washi standard width tape or ribbon (a lot, but how much will depend on the number of sleeves)
• At least two large eyelets
• cord or ribbon for hanging
• Patterned paper, embellies, etc for decorating
• Cardstock  – mine was 13.5 x 9.5 from a cardstock pack I got here in the UK (12 x 12 is fine but A4/US letter is too small)

I’ll tell you where the smaller 12 x 12 matters and suggest how you can accommodate that

Prepare:

•   Cut two 3/4 inch x the full length of your cardstock for EACH sleeve (so two sleeves, four strips/three sleeves, six strips)
• Cut one 1 1/4 inch x at least 10 inch strips for each JOIN of two sleeves + one for the bottom (two sleeves, two strips/three sleeves, three strips)

For the decorative strip at the top, you have some flexibility, so don’t cut it now.  MINE is 9 inches tall x at least 10 inches wide but depending on how precise you are you will be trimming some off one side

• put a small strip of washi tape on the FRONT of each sleeve – this is the side that allows you to access all the slits for slipping in the cards, where the ring-binder hole strip is to your LEFT.  You do NOT want to mistakenly stick one with the slip-in to the back. This will help as you move thru the steps.

Photographing clear things is hard, but I’ve tried to explain as best I can with words, so the photos make more sense.

1. Add strong, double-sided adhesive over the front of each ring binder hole strip

Don’t worry that the adhesive is sticky thru the holes, for now.  We’ll deal with that in the washi tape stage.

2. Stick one of the 3/4 inch strips over this.  Centre the strip so a bit sticks out at the top and bottom edge.  THIS is where the longer cardstock will really help.

See how much I have extending top and bottom?

3. Flip the sleeves over so you are not working on the BACK side. Lay a 3/4 inch strip RIGHT along the very EDGE of the sleeve.

Keep it all straight using the grid lines on your mat,then cover from the edge of the cardstock strip right across onto the sleeve, with the packing tape.

Note: This is to keep the BACK of your ATC on show, without anything blocking it.  You CAN use a wider strip and stick it to the BACK of the sleeve, just like you did with the ring binder strip, but it will cover part of the ATC.  Up to you.  It is easier but packing tape is cheap and double-sided adhesive is not.

4. Cut away the extra packing tape from the corner (top and bottom of sleeve and strip)

Now we will join the sleeves – this one is so long, you are not going to see the WHOLE strip, just the area we are working on.

5. Lay two sleeves one above the other, face down .  Add thin double-sided adhesive to the sleeves.  Just at the very edges, bottom of one, top of the other:

Add adhesive to the side (3/4 inch) cardstock that extends past the sleeve.  If you have used longer cardstock you can overlap these. If you only have 12 x 12 cardstock, you SHOULD have enough extending to stick those legs to the 1 1/4 inch strips. Stick the very edge of the 1 1/4 inch strip to the bottom of the first sleeve, from side edge to side edge,  then stick the other side to the top of the second sleeve.

You want a gap between them at least as wide as your washi tape. The 1 1/4 inch cardstock should be just right to allow that.

 

 

and stuck:

Trim at the side if your strip is too long – it will be.  10 inches will always be too wide but better to trim a bit than have one side too short.

Repeat this step for each join of two sleeves.

6. At the BOTTOM EDGE of the LAST SLEEVE, add your thin adhesive and stick the final 1 1/4 strip to it and trim.

Now your basic sleeve strip is complete.  Add the Washi tape (or ribbon, or even strips of patterned paper) to cover.

NOTE:  IF you used 12 x 12 cardstock, feel free to cut a small piece of cardstock to fill the gap or a longer strip to cover the gap, before you add the washi tape.

NOTE: Where you added the adhesive to stick the cardstock over the ring binder strip, the adhesive will be exposed thru the holes.  Cover this with Washi tape.

Now for the top! Have the top of the sleeve strip face up.

7. Lay your cardstock RIGHT at the edge of the FRONT layer of the sleeve.  This will leave you with a tiny strip of the BACK layer of the sleeve UNDER the cardstock.

Decide how big you want your decorative topper.  MAKE SURE your topper is AT LEAST double the height + one inch.  Score the cardstock and fold and crease.  You want to have the BACK extend past the edge of the sleeve.

My topper on the grey display was 9 inches tall x 10 inches wide.  Scored at 4 inches.  That gave me a front surface of 4 x 10 and a back of 5 x 10. Remember that 10 inch width is wiggle room for trimming to fit!

8. Add a thin strip of double-sided adhesive to the very top edge on the BACK of the sleeve – on the tiny bit that will be behind the cardstock – can you just see it there above?

Add adhesive to the extensions at the top of the sleeve.

Don’t peel off the backing.  Add adhesive to the FRONT of those extensions. Stick the topper (the smaller width, up to the score) with the edge RIGHT along the edge of the top layer of the sleeve and flip it over:

Add more adhesive then fold over at the crease and stick the larger width to sandwich the extensions.

9. Decorate the topper but keep in mind that you need to keep the top corner inch free for the eyelets to add the hanger.

I added eyelets where the sleeve-side extensions are sandwiched too.  I would suggest adding at least ONE if you have used 12 x 12 cardstock and only have a small extension.  If you don’t, be sure to add the strongest adhesive you have to sandwich the extensions inside the topper.

10. Add the eyelets and cord/ribbon/twine for the hanger

Oops.  Turns out that photo doesn’t actually show the eyelets!  But you can see them here:

That is all my WOYWW ATCs from the 4th and the 5th exchanges.  And here is the not quite done 2-sleeve one with my own ATCs in it.

 

I will probably make a 3-sleeve one that is landscape orientation – the same basic principles apply, as to the positioning of the adhesive, etc. so it should be easy peasy.  It’ll be too wide for my Ikea bookshelves, but will work on the wall just fine.

Ahhhh.  Now I can relax – until I find something else to obsess over….

{wink}