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Monday, June 27, 2016

Index Card A Day Challenge 2016

I have wanted to do a 100 day challenge for a while now but just needed the right opportunity to start. As summer school break begins this week, what better way than to get it rolling with the ICAD 2016. If you are not familiar with the Index Card a Day Challenge hosted by Yellow Daisy, details can be found on her blog here. While the challenge there is outlined as a 61 day one starting at the beginning of June, I am making it my own for the full summer season.





Supplies: index card (Staples), cardstock (Bazzill), stencils, Nuance powders, sentiment stamp (Magenta), clear gesso (Liquitex), Tim Holtz Rock Candy Distress Stickles, Black Archival ink (Ranger), clear emboss powder (Simon Says Stamp), jewels (Flourish with a Bling), marker (Sharpie), black pen (Uniball), Signo white pen (Mitsubishi Pencil Co.), acrylic paint (Plaid), vellum (Misc.)


For my Day 1 card, I had fun experimenting with my Gelli Arts printing plate and Magenta Nuances. Nuance powder is a water soluble dye and as the Gelli plate care instructions say that dyes will stain the plate, I decided to see if I could use clear gesso (which is acrylic base) as a vehicle to applying it in a similar manner as acrylic paint. It worked wonderfully!




Supplies: Index Card (Staples), stencils and Nuance powders (Magenta), clear gesso (Liquitex)

I added about a teaspoon sized amount of Liquitex Clear Gesso onto my craft mat and then sprinkled the Nuance colour on top. I let it sit a few seconds and then mixed it with a spatula. Once, I was happy with the colour, I transferred it to the middle of the Gelli plate and rolled it out with a brayer. For each layer, I used a variety of Magenta stencils (Chicken Wire, Lines and Circle Pattern & Tulip). I started with Jade and then repeated the process for Turquoise, and Raspberry, cleaning up between each colour change.




It helped to have a bucket with water handy on the floor by my table to rinse the brayer between colours and to drop the used stencils in as gesso dries fairly quickly. It made for a super easy clean up afterwards too!

While it is supposed to be a card-a-day, I couldn't help making more as I didn't want to waste any of the colour goodness. So look for these other ones to be used in upcoming projects too.




As I love to add a little shimmery sparkle to many of my creations, I couldn't resist on this one. I brushed on some Tim Holtz Rock Candy Distress Stickles so I am entering it into Simon Says Stamp Wednesday 'Add Some Shimmer' Challenge.





For the ICAD, I decided to go with the 4x6" index card format. I am thinking the format and index base card will make it easier for me to create freely and worry less about product wastage plus as an added bonus I want to use up some of my copious stash with this challenge. So my goal is to make each completed index card into a greeting card but if not that is okay! It is about building a habit and creative play. I am thinking that as another added bonus, it will also marry well with some challenges that I like to participate in so it will be effective and efficient... my fave way to roll!

Currently I am thinking of a weekly day theme which will go like this:

Monday- Magenta
Tuesday- Tim Holtz
Wednesday- Dina Wakley
Thursday- Thirsty Thursdays (watercolour)
Friday- Freedom Friday/Prima
Saturday- Simple Stories/Heidi Swapp
Sunday- Simon Says Stamp

This way, I will be creating and thus practicing in the variety of media that I like to use as well as using the correlating day's products. We'll see if I stick with that or just go with what moves me each day. Again, I am trying to approach this in a fluid no pressure manner.

Are you participating in the challenge? Let me know so that I can check out your creations and cheer you on. If you aren't already doing the ICAD 2016, check out all the details here. So much artistic inspiration and community support!






TTFN,


2 comments:

sarascloset said...

Wow! What a plan! You have incredible discipline! I'm just a haphazard crafter; doing what comes to mind! Terrible bloggers and an intermittent crafter--this girl is. I'm going to hit that follow button, but I can assure you, I don't get around every day. I usually choose someone to catch up with. I envy those bloggers who somehow manage to check everyone out every day! My computer usage time is so limited!

Anywho, I love your beautiful backgrounds and clever idea to mix the powders with clear gesso! The end results are so pretty! Hugs!

Caryn said...

An absolute beauty of a card. I love this amazing design!
Thanks for joining in at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.
Hugs,
Caryn xxx