My first ICAD Challenge

This summer I tried a new (to me) creative challenge: the Index Card a Day (ICAD) Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to create something on an index card every day during the months of June and July, so 61 days total. Using an index card -- just a regular 3" x 5" or 4" x 6" office supply index card -- keeps your creative projects small, approachable, and less intimidating. You don't have to make something fancy or perfect or frame-able; you could practice lettering, make a collage of magazine cut-outs, scribble/draw with markers, whatever speaks to you.

The challenge includes daily prompts (a word or words to jump-start your creativity each day) and weekly themes (a big-picture concept, theme, or medium/material to explore for several days). You can use the prompt and theme together, pick one of them, or skip them altogether and do something completely different.

I didn't make it the whole 61 days of the ICAD Challenge. I got through all of June and the first few days July and then lost focus. I loved the idea and practice of making something every day, and some days I knew exactly what I wanted to do and it was great. Other days I would stare at my blank index card and feel stuck because I didn't know where to start. I thought about jumping back in a few times toward the end of July, but by then I'd lost my momentum.

I am proud of myself for making it through more than half of the challenge, though, especially since it was my first try. Maybe next year I'll try again and be more prepared. This year I learned about the challenge literally a day or two before it started and decided to do it on a whim. (Luckily, my sister had some index cards on hand.) Next year it might be fun to have a basket specifically for ICAD Challenge supplies so I can focus on using those items.

I also might reconsider posting my index cards on Instagram next year. I posted them this year, and while it's fun to share them and feel like part of a community, I always focus too much on the number of likes or comments I get or worry that what I make isn't good enough compared to what other people post. It's silly, I know, since the challenge isn't any sort of competition, but these are things I struggle with in general, not just in relation to the ICAD Challenge.

I couldn't talk about the ICAD Challenge and not share some of my creations. So here is a sampling of my index cards from the challenge (in no particular order):

Day 9. Prompt: Found. Theme: Collage, found paper, acrylics. I cut up gel prints to make this collage, and I love how the darker spots on the "water" look like reflections of the sun and trees. The sentiment was made with alphabet stamps.

Day 33. Prompt: Quatrefoil or ogee. I painted the index card with Ultra Gloss Air Dry Enamel, die cut the shapes from various gel prints and used a white paint pen to add accents.

Day 30. Prompt: Magical. I played around with a lot of different supplies for this card: Gelatos, Micron pens, white paint pen, silver Pearl Pen, stamps, ink, and silver foil card stock.

Day 22. Prompt: Pineapple. Theme: Patterns, murals, motifs, and/or wallpaper. I created this index card in a waiting room, so I couldn't do anything multi-media. I used markers to create a pattern inspired by the outside of a pineapple.

Day 34. I didn't use the prompt or theme for this card. I lightly sprinkled Color Burst powders on an index card and then spritzed it with water. When it was dry (I did have to blot some of the excess water) I used a paint pen to make the border and added two white butterflies. It's hard to see in the photo, but the little embellishments on the butterflies are perfect -- the colors match up, and the design in them even looks like the center of a butterfly.

Day 20. Another one with no prompt or theme. The strips that look like washi tape are made with Distress Crayons and a retired stamp set. The sentiment is stamped, and I used a Micron pen to draw the circles and dotted border.

Day 35. Prompt: Yellow. The background is made with stamps, and I punched the lemons and leaves out of gel prints. This was the last index card I made for the challenge.

Day 14. Prompt: Mood board. I think this is my favorite of all my index cards. I hadn't ever made or really used a mood board before, so I looked up some examples online, chose a theme and colors, and jumped in. I used five stamp sets (I think), and I added a little texture with burlap trim, a paper/bead flower, and a bit of washi tape.

Day 21. Prompt: Solstice. Theme: Typography, found text, lyrics, poetry, lists. The purple background and sun are made with gel prints. The light blue pieces are bits of newsprint-style patterned paper that I painted with acrylic paint. The words are cut from magazines, and I added a tiny bit of gold doily in the corner and yellow dots (Pearl Pen) with the rays of the sun.

 

 

 

Well, there you have it. I did enjoy playing along with this challenge. I tried and learned new things, had fun, and got new ideas for card-making. I even ended up making a set of cards based on the tropical mood board index card to give to a friend. :) And maybe next year I'll be able to make even more!

Thanks for stopping by!