What in the World is "ICAD"?!

ICAD stands for Index Card a Day and it's a fantastic yearly event to help us creative types establish, re-establish, or re-ignite a daily art practice. As you know, we're all about finding new ways to create at The Ink Pad, especially in these tumultuous times.

So what does one actually DO with an Index Card a Day? Literally anything creative, once a day, from June 1st to July 31st! You can try out all your stamps and stencils, test your paints and inks, draw, collage, hand-letter, write haiku or short stories... or do a little bit of everything. The event was devised by Tammy Garcia of the Daisy Yellow Art Blog, and you literally do not need anything besides a favorite pen and some index cards in order to participate, but part of my tradition is that I've made myself a little ring-bound book in which to keep my cards each year. I like to do that before the challenge gets started, because it spurs me on to keep going and complete an index card each day to fill up the book! Also... frankly... I just happen to love making tiny books.

This one has covers which are 4x6" made from the cardboard backer of a writing tablet. I covered it with a collage of book paper and used my Picket Fence Studio Blender Brushes to apply Distress Oxide Ink in Spun Sugar and Picked Raspberry, through StencilGirl's Marakech Mix Stencil. I outlined the moorish tiles of the stencil with a Pigma Micron Pen and shadowed with a grey brush marker. I added a strip of the most beautiful White Lace Tape from Pavilio and built my title from uber-sparkly Meri Meri Glitter Alphabet Stickers grounded with a description in old-school label tape. I traced a few extra icons from the stencil on a piece of gel-printed paper backed with cardstock which I cut out and mounted on foam tape at the upper right hand corner to give it a little extra color and texture. Finally I punched holes in the covers and a few dozen index cards using my Crop-a-Dile, and gathered up a bunch of my favorite pens so I am ready to roll on June first.

I hope you take time to do something creative every day, whether you participate in ICAD, make cards for your friends, keep a Travelers Notebook, or try new recipes. And remember that The Ink Pad has everything you need to be inspired when your projects involve stamps, paper, ink, stickers, embellishments and more! ♥