Did She Say, "ICAD" Again?!

Yes, I did say, "ICAD" and just a reminder that those letters stand for Index Card a Day, a creativity jumpstart from Tammy Garcia of the Daisy Yellow Art Blog. It runs June 1st through July 31st, and the point is to do something creative, on an index card, each day. It needn't be a finished piece; you could stamp, doodle, collage, haiku, collect quotes, practice your handlettering or... try a little bit of everything. You need only index cards and a writing implement to participate in ICAD, but if you do a bit of prep, you might find it easier to stick with the daily art habit. To that end, and because I happen to love making little books, each May I decorate a pair of chipboard covers, put them on a ring, and add index cards in various styles and colors. This year my cover features a few of my favorite StencilGirl stencils: Blooming Violet, designed by my friend Linda Edkins Wyatt, as well as Vintage Typewriter Alphabet (Lower Case) and Butterfly Journeys by Carolyn Dube which I found at The Ink Pad.

I made a collage of vintage paper, added my stenciled motifs in various Distress Oxide Inks, and outlined with a fine-tipped black Pitt Artist Pen. I added mats of BC Glitter Tape, which is super-sparkly without shedding at all, I'm really impressed with it, and excited that it comes in both Silver and Gold. Just in case you have no interest in index cards or a daily art habit, let me just say that these ingredients can also be used to make quite a pretty card; the only thing I did differently was to add a little bit of hand-stitching and then cut out around the Blooming Violet and mount it on double-sided foam adhesive.

Need a little more info on ICAD? There are daily prompts and weekly themes, which you can find on the Daisy Yellow Blog and Gypsy999's Instagram feed; they're entirely optional, and you can pick and choose. The only "rule" of ICAD is that you really should work on cheap, flimsy index cards from the office supply store, rather than 3x5" pieces of fine art watercolor paper. The point is that using inexpensive, accessible, nearly disposable supplies will encourage you to try lots of different ideas and not worry about making something lasting and perfect. Because this is about process rather than outcome. I know, it can seem wasteful of both time and supplies to sit down and work, but then you don't end up with a beautiful finished item? But trust me, the ideas you generate and the techniques you try out with no expectations attached to them, are very different to the ones that are part of an agenda. Plus... it's a lot of fun, and we all need more of that.

This will be my tenth year participating, and I can truly say I enjoy it more each time. Last year, during lockdown, my family started connecting on Zoom for an hour or two each Friday afternoon to ICAD together, and I'm looking forward to spending this June and July the same way with my niece, nephew, sister, aunt and mom... signing on from four different homes in two states! If you're hesitating, may I suggest that you commit to ONE WEEK? If you find it enjoyable and useful, you can continue; if not... you'll have given it a fair try! If you decide to participate on Instagram, be sure to use the hashtag #dyicad2021 and check out what others are posting, because you'll definitely be inspired and you might even make some friends.