Sunglasses Not Included

It's a Rambunctiously Rainbow Mandala Monday thanks to big messy smooshes of watercolor goodness from some of my most vivid Tombow Dual Brush Pens. I hope your week is off to a bright and cheerful start! ♥

I Am an ICADian

...and here are my index cards from week four of the Index Card a Day event. i hope your week has been both fun and creative, as well!

day 18: off prompt

when i started this, i *thought* it was going to be a mandala, but after i had attached the white doodle circle to the pink card, it seemed like it would be more fun to try to connect up the design outside the circle. so i did.

day 19: parallel

considering i started this card with three smallish scraps of patterned paper and NO PLAN... i'm fairly pleased with how this came out!

day 20: off prompt

this was the day i finally got to the garden center plants to go on our deck, next to the mailbox, and by the door... so obviously i needed to celebrate with big smooshy pink flowers.

day 21: mandala monday

most of the time i trade speed for accuracy when it comes to mandalas, but on this day, i used both the circle tool and a ruler to increase my symmetry; then had fun varying my line weights and embellishments!

day 22: chartreuse

flashing back to a prompt from last week, although technically i think i've used EVERY shade of green EXCEPT chartreuse, lol. 

day 23: off prompt

apparently this summer i'm going to spend several nights each week cutting random shapes out of patterned paper scraps, sticking them to an index card and sewing on them.

day 24: off prompt

it's a minimalist doodle rainbow! taking advantage of the fact that index cards have a bunch of perfectly spaced parallel lines that are almost exactly the width of a tombow's brush tip.

Go Wild!

Is it just me, or are masculine cards actually harder to make than feminine ones? Maybe it's a sign that I rely too heavily on kawaii and floral images, but I definitely have to think a bit harder to make an awesome "guy card". Luckily, Dare 2B Artzy's Slim Tropical Leaf Border die set makes it very easy to create a jungle setting in slimline form! See more pics of this "WILD" card and read about the process on The Ink Pad Blog!

"To Craft of Not to Craft...

...is NEVER the question!" a fact we know very well at The Ink Pad, and so do the fine folks at Picket Fence Studios. Happily, they decided to include exactly that sentiment (plus eleven more!) in their Crafty Lifestyle Stamp Set, which I've paired with their Oh So Many Cards set and luscious Sorbet Scoops Memento Dew Drops Inks; the result is on The Ink Pad Blog today!

"Smooshing" a Rainbow

Probably your first question is, "What in the world is SMOOSHING?" and I'll get to that in a minute, but first let me mention that today's cards were inspired by and made using Dare 2B Artzy'x Slimline Curve Borders Die Set and the Mega Box of Karin Markers, both of which can be found at The Ink Pad and will be of considerable advantage to your crafting arsenal! There's a little photo tutorial and a second card made using these same ingredients, both can be found on The Ink Pad Blog, so I hope you'll hop over to see them.