Let's Flamin-GO!

Where do card ideas come from? EVERYWHERE!  In this case, a friend sent me a Star Trek meme (see below) that I realized would make a very fast and easy card featuring an Eyelet Outlet Flamingo Brad, a Sandcastle, Tall Palm and our Sun and Cloud Brads with an accent of Sequins and a mat of Pink and White Dot Tape: 

The sentiment is formatted in a font called In Your Face Joffrey, which was free at DaFont.com; all I had to do was print it out, add brads and embellies et voila!

Whatever joke, quote, saying or motto YOU would like to re-create in card form, I'm pretty confident that the Eyelet Outlet Online Store has all the Brads and Washi you'll need to make it work!

It's ICAD Time Again

Thursday is June first which means the Index Card a day Challenge, devised and hosted by Tammy Garcia, will kick off its thirteenth season! You don't need ANYTHING special to participate, just some index cards and a way of making marks of some description upon them. This is my twelfth year participating and since I happen to enjoy making little books (and having a dedicated little book for each year's index card art has kept me motivated!) I converted my favorite ever Wendy Vecchi card into a cover; admittedly mostly so I could keep the card for myself! :)

Let me address one really common question right up front: YES, the index cards you work on really should be the cheap, flimsy kind from the office supply store and not high-quality watercolor paper trimmed down to the correct size. This event is about showing up for yourself and doing SOMETHING creative every day, to establish or re-boot your daily art practice. This is about PROCESS more than OUTCOME... and a big part of the point is that you really truly do not need fancy supplies to participate. You also don't need to achieve a finished, polished piece of art each day. Think mark-making, think ink-swatching, think random collage; consider trying a new technique, or getting out those watercolor pens, or inking up those stamps that are still in their packages. Visit the ICAD Base page at Daisy Yellow Art for lots of pre-season activities as well as tips, techniques, badges, ideas and (once we kick off) there will be (100% OPTIONAL) weekly themes and daily prompts for those days when you don't have something in mind. One of the pre-season activities is to make a title card, and here's mine:

Another excellent idea is to assemble a little group of supplies that can sit in a basket or box or tray that you can easily access each day. Because, if you're anything like me, when you suddenly remember ICAD at 9:30pm and you have to go and find your index cards, your pens and your adhesive... that's going to seriously take the wind out of your sails. Since my niece, nephew, sister and mom have all participated in ICAD for the last few years, we've amassed and shared quite a few styles of index cards and dividers, so I have choices! Some years I've focused on one style or technique: collage, lettering, doodles, etc; but mostly I go with the flow. I use the prompts when they appeal to me, though generally not on their specific day; if I really love a prompt I might do it a few times... some I don't do at all.

If you're thinking about joining the fun (it IS fun, I promise!) you really should visit the ICAD Base at Daisy Yellow, and I also humbly recommend this "tips and advice" post that I wrote a couple of years ago. You might like to follow Tammy G on Instagram (she's @gypsy999) for lots of inspiration and for advance peeks at the prompts. If you post on IG, the best hashtag is #dyicad2023 and I think you'll be delighted at the sense of community and camaraderie that surrounds this inspiring event. Oh and yes, I post my cards daily on IG (I'm llaurenb) and then do a weekly round up here on the blog.

Splish Splash (Again!)

It's a Multicolored Memorial Day Mandala Monday, featuring another super-splashy array of Tombow Dual Brush Pens (nearly 100 colors of which are available at Paper Anthology!) and Posca highlights!

 

(Still) No Stamping

It's the second week of our No Stamping Christmas challenge at Jingle Belles and this time I've approached the assignment with patterned paper:

This card has four different patterns (including TWO red and green plaids!) as well as a journal card that I diecut into an oval and matted to give it a little more visual weight. I'd love to take credit for the dynamic placement of elements, but in fact, I used an ancient (circa 2012, I think!) but very inspiring layout from the late great Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge:

I'd love for you to visit Jingle Belles and see Stephanie's fabulous card, then start thinking what YOU will make... without stamps... to link up with us.

Suits You to a T(-Shirt!)

Eyelet Outlet Brads work beautifully with lots of different stamps, dies, stickers, papers and of course diecuts! These cute little shirts are the second smallest in Hero Arts' T-Shirt Infinity Die Set; each one has been cut from a different EO Washi Tape Style and the pairings are as follows: Sky Tape with a Flamingo Brad; Orange Fan Tape with a Beach Umbrella; Green Sprinkles Tape with a Chick; Green Dot Washi and the blue gecko from our Reptile Set; Rainbow Tape with a Sun Brad; Heart Tape and a Heart Brad; Star Night Star Bright Tape with a Unicorn; Chicken Washi with a Lady Bug; and Blue and White Dot Tape with a Monster Brad.

Visit the Eyelet Outlet Online Store to shop our amazing selection of fabulous brads, tapes and embellies; then check out the Tradeshow Schedule to see when the EO Booth will be coming to your town!

Hello, Sweetie!

This fortnight's challenge at Shopping Our Stash (#497) is called "You're So Sweet" and, as you may have guessed, we'd like to see cards and projects featuring sweets and treats, like ice cream, candy, fruit or maybe CUPCAKES?!

Several years ago, I was given this beautiful set of Stephanie Barnard oversized cupcake "Fold It" dies (the finished cards are just a hair under A2-sized) which I'm ashamed to say had not been used or even opened until now. Not sure HOW such a glaring oversight could've occurred... but I've made up for it by making THREE delicious cupcake cards using nothing but ancient patterned paper scraps, sparkly Eyelet Outlet Sequins and 1.5 sheets of kraft cardstock.

Head on over to SOS to see what the rest of the crew have made to inspire you; then take a little stroll through your stash of older goodies to see what unused treasures might be lurking there!

Splish, Splash!

It's a wet and wild watercolor Mandala Monday, featuring one of my favorite color combos (orange and pink!) applied by picking up color from my Tombow Dual Brush pens with a waterbrush. And adding LOTS of splattered color and plain water on top. Hope your week will be bright and beautiful!