ICAD 2023 Weeks 2 & 3 (and now 4)

This month has been rather topsy-turvy for us with a lot of little things going on.  Even so, I've managed to stay up-to-date with completing these cards, I've just been neglectful in posting them here.  So let me apologize in advance for the lengthy post...... and here I go.

Day 8 - Butterfly

What does one do with beautiful gift that's full of gorgeous butterflies?  When you have the time, you fussy cut them and stash them away for possible use on a project which so happens to be this one.  I used the butterflies to make a kaleidoscopic collage.  

Day 9 - Magenta or Fuschia

Three of these things seemed to come together as I was sorting through my scraps making me think of the foil folk art under glass that my grandmother had in her kitchen.  The glass on that one was clear where the foil lay underneath and painted yellow, I think, in the area surrounding that, not like the black of mine.  I'm going to have to ask my mother if she still has that in the house.  So you see here the teal tissue paper, the brightest pink is foil from a flower pot cover, and the lighter pink is from an envelope from a card.  The design was cut out with an exacto knife (circles were punched) on the black top card and the colored pieces were glued between.

Day 10 - Sign Post

This is mostly saved package motifs, including that fairy crossing sign. The chicken is from a jar of gravy and the clouds and background are security envelopes.  I captioned this as "The snail and the rabbit were watching the parade of Things With Wings waiting for the fairy to come by. (Oh, and the "grass" was sent to me by my cousin Barb - thanks!)

Day 11 - Glyph

This is not a glyph in the true sense of the word but one that I created for myself out of my initials.

Day 12 - Moonlight

I had this full moon chart in my stash and added some other bits from my stash.

Day 13 - Superstition

That strip that's colored is the inside of a security envelope that I used to try out some new Zebra pens.  I haven't met a Zebra pen I didn't like yet.  I think this has to be one of the first superstitions you hear about as a child.  

Day 14 - Typewriter

This was a fail in my mind.  I used some tissue paper strips that had holographic bits in it that barely show up in the picture and the stickers that might be typewriter keys.  The background is a piece of pattern tissue.

Day 15 - Sea Glass

I was looking for a quote about sea glass and came across an article about the writer of this poem "I Want To Age Like Sea Glass".  Her name is Bernadette Noll and it was interesting to find out that she spent summers at the Jersey shore much like I did.  The poem is dedicated to her older sister who she lost about a decade ago, but who played a significant role in her life.  This stanza was particularly meaningful.  You can read the rest of it here.  The sea glass was created using alcohol markers, white pastel pencil, and watercolor pencils.  The writing was meant to be messy, but this is a bit too messy I'm afraid.

Day 16 - Alphabet

I had some instructions from something that we bought at IKEA which has a plethora of languages and different examples of alphabets.  I just added them to some geometric, black, gray, and white pieces.

Day 17 - Sunflower

The background is a saved envelope with some scrap paper stripes.  The sunflower is made from paint chips, a strip of pattern tissue, and a candy wrapper.

Day 18 - Xylophone

The elusive xylophone fish swimming through some tangle seaweed.  Watercolor pencils.  This was inspired by the wooden fish that GS1 painted (colored with markers) when we had him which I forgot to take a picture of.  

Day 19 - Violet

When I can't come up with something I usually revert to tangling which I did in the prompt color of violet this time.

Day 20 - Tranquility

I saw this quick demonstration on IG on how to draw those people in the circle and had to give it a try.  It is really very simple - you lightly draw the circle and then use a fat marker to make lines that touch the circle keeping them all in the same direction - up and down - which means the sides are almost on top of each other.  The heads are just dots added to the top of those lines and the lines/arms are connected by adding "v's" in a skinny marker.  The feet are skinny marker "L's and J's".  Peace is a synonym for tranquility so I made the circle a peace sign with metallic silver and gold markers.  (Make new friends, but keep the old.  One is silver and the other gold.)

Day 21 - Postage Stamp

The stamp in the corner comes on presorted advertising and I just love it and wish it was something that could be used on everyday regular mail.  I tried my hand at drawing the flowers similarly with watercolor pencils.

Day 22 - Unexpected

I was aiming for more of an iris fold but came away with this crazy quilt looking card using scrapbook paper scraps.  Very unexpected.

Day 23 - Enchanted Forest

The Frog Prince and the Swan King liked to play hide-n-seek in the enchanted Lollipop Forest.  I think this has to be one of my favorites.  The "lollipop" flower paper is actually saved from a tissue box.  The frog was stamped for some cards years ago and in the scrap box.  The swan was printed along with a bevy of 9 more for some long-forgotten project.  The water is green foil wrapping paper, the crowns gold foil wrapping paper.  The lettering was cut from a catalog.

Day 24 -Bubble 

I watched a Youtube short that showed how to draw bubbles on a dark background.  I had this mop up card (using up the paint from the black card above) and I wanted to give it a try.  It's not as hard as it looks.  The bubbles are draw and color added with my Prismacolor pencils.  Highlights are white gel pen and a white metallic marker.  I asked HWNSNBP if he knew what they were and his answer was "crabs".  I've never been concerned with what he sees in me, but this got me a little concerned.  The next morning, after he had looked at it again, and perhaps "seen the light", he told me that he could see that they were bubbles now.  Apparently he was trying to discern was was in the bubbles and did not see them as reflections.  I have to give him the benefit of the doubt because he is, afterall, color blind.  

Day 25 - Dictionary

I used some of the folding dictionary circles that I had leftover from the ornaments that I had made from them.  I outlined them with silver marker and added some graphite pencil shading.  They are arranged on another piece of security envelope.

Day 26 - Pinball

I fell down the rabbit hole (or rat hole as HWNSNBP refers to it) recently and made one of those late- night purchases of a new "retractable" fountain pen.  I ordered the peacock blue ink with it (as it didn't come with ink.....go figure).  It took me about 20 mins to figure out how to add the ink cartridge because there weren't any instructions that came with it.  I managed to find something on Google after a bit of searching.  It works pretty well.  I think the ink will bleed through thinner paper and it does bleed a little when I added the waterbrush to the pencil highlights. Of course, the next day we were at $Tree and I found a similar pen they were calling a "calligraphy" pen that just had a larger cap and wasn't retractable (with 2 ink cartridges) for $1.25.   

Day 27 - Indigo

I have only seen an Indigo Bunting IRL once in our yard (or anywhere for that matter). I must admit when I first saw it I thought it was a bluebird with different coloring until it dawned on me that it wasn't a bluebird at all.  Maybe I'll be lucky to see one again some day.  This was done in watercolor pencils.

Day 28 - Asanoha Pattern

At least once during the 61 days of prompts Daisy Yellow throws one of these pattern prompts in there that need a little research.  This is a traditional pattern based on a hemp leaf.  I was lucky to have these hexie index cards to use as a base to follow the pattern.  Here I used some new markers that came in sets of 3 at $Tree (3 shades of blue, pink, and purple).  Admittedly this had me a little bug-eyed by the time I finished it.  

Well, there you have the last three weeks of ICAD.  I'm currently trying to work ahead a little with the holiday coming up and some family commitments. I have to catch up on my blogging friends also and see what they've been up to.  Enjoy these last few days of June.

Happy Belated Father's Day

I know it was yesterday but here are the cards that I made for Father's Day this year.  We had GS1 from Friday to Sunday so we were busy, busy, busy trying to keep him entertained and keep up with him.  His parents were on a short trip so we were lucky to spend this time with him.  

I hand-delivered Chris' card when we picked up GS1 on Friday and we hightailed it to the condo hoping to beat the rain that was in the forecast for the day.  Well, our plans for mini golf and lunch got a little changed when it started to rain on the way to the golf course.  So we decided to eat lunch first hoping the rain would pass.  The radar on my phone showed the possibility of a window of opportunity.....until......it didn't and instead I started getting Tornado warnings for the very area that we were in.  We finished out lunch and had to drive back to the mainland going right into the approaching storm front.  Luckily we got back to the condo just as the skies opened up there and didn't get too wet.  There was an F0 tornado that passed through to the northwest of us.  

Chris and Michelle had to drive through the storm on their way to the airport and they also were concerned as to our safety.  But we were all OK.  Except for there being the small development of a tooth falling out when GS1 was eating his lunch.  I put it in a little pill carrier I had with me and we discussed how the Tooth Fairy was going to know where he was.  So, it was decided that we had to make a sign.  Papa had some wood in the shed there, and I had some art supplies, and we made a short trip to the $Tree to get some battery operated lights because this sign was going outside for the tooth fairy to see at night.

Of course, we left the light on all night.

After the rain stopped the guys did a little fishing at the dock but the fish were not biting, just the giant seaweed.

Papa took him surf fishing in the morning and theyy had their hash brown tasting for breakfast - who makes the best hash browns, WaWa or Dunkin' Donuts?  The consensus was WaWa.

We did get to get the mini golf in on Saturday morning and in the afternoon they went into the pool.  

Papa took him back to the dock on Saturday morning and they did some crabbing.  They caught 4 but threw them all back in.

We had lunch at Stewart's before heading home.  He couldly hardly keep his eyes open in the restaurant but only "slept" for less than 10 mins. in the 2-hr. ride to his other grandparents' house.  He'll be there until his parents get back on Tuesday.  We came home and took it easy the rest of the day.  I've got some ICAD's to catch up on and it looks like the possibility of rain most days this week, so we'll be taking it slow as Spring turns into Summer.

Turtle Hunting and More

I've had my daughter's brand new, unused wedding dress stored at the condo since 2020 when they were supposed to have their wedding ceremony and since it is finally going to be happening this summer (they got married in July of that year but weren't able to have anyone present except their parents during the lockdown) it was time to retrieve the dress and bring it to her to be altered.  So on Saturday we got a fairly early start to go to the condo to collect it to take to DE on Sunday.  

On the way there we got behind this vehicle pulling a trailer that had glitter on the floor and each time they stopped and then pulled away, the glitter would fly up behind it.  I wish I could have gotten a picture to show the sparkle.  I don't know if you can see the pile of glitter on the right side.

We had some time in the afternoon to wander after we returned a gardening implement that HWNSNBP accidentally brought home last weekend after helping some friends do some planting.  It's turtle crossing season so we decided to take a drive down 7 Bridges Road (aka Great Bay Blvd.) in Tuckerton to see if we could see any turtles crossing the road.

As we started down the road we should have realized that it would be a challenge with the line of cars that were also going in our direction.  But HWNSNBP pulled over so that those who wanted to move faster could get around us.  The only problem with that was this one car in front of us who was also watching out for the turtles and getting out of her car to help them across the road - so we didn't see any in that direction.  (Note: They tell you it's okay to help them across the road as long as you put them on the side that they were going to and not back where they came from.)  

When we got to the "end" of the road I looked up to this nest atop the utility pole there and thought that I saw something peering out.

And I knew it was more than just an errant stick when I got the full profile.

The osprey decided to stretch it's legs.

Or so I thought until it lifted it's tail and, if you look to the left you will see that it was talking a bathroom break.  I'll call this the "Poop Shot".  So glad we weren't on that side of the pole.

After we turned around we both commented that there weren't a lot of "white" birds in view.  This one was the only one close enough to the road to get a somewhat decent capture.

But we did get lucky on our turtle hunt on the way back and saw 4 of them.  This one was just entering a little parking area where some launch their boats.  We watched it for a while go towards the water and a young boy picked it up and put it in the weeds by the water to hopefully keep it safe from cars pulling in there.

You see the pictures that I could get were of their backsides because these guys move faster than you think.  They also have a tendency to stop and pull into their shell if they see/hear you coming so I wasn't able to capture any from the front.

There are seven bridges on this road (thus the name) and two of them are one lane and situated on a curve so you can't see from one side to the other and have to stop at a stop light and wait for it to turn green to make sure that there aren't any cars coming in your diretion.  There are signs on both ends of these bridges that clearly say No Fishing, Crabbing, Swimming but as you can see from this photo below the rules apparently don't apply to everyone.  Down aways you can see people sitting in chairs and as if that wasn't enough of an obstacle, they had their poles propped up agains the rail across from them so you not only had to worry about running over their toes, but also knocking over their poles.  And they just look at you like it's a dare.  We barely made over that bridge before the light on the other side turned green - the driver that was waiting there was already beginning to move.....and they do give you a decent amount of time to get over it.  

The smoke from the Canadian fires had dissipated by Saturday but there were some local forest fires that still kept the sky a little hazy.  This was the best that I could do with the sunset that night.

ICAD 2023 Begins

So with the beginning of June comes the start of ICAD (Index Card A Day) and yes, I'm going to try to complete it again this year.  There will be 61 days of optional prompts with the only "rule" being that you have to use an index or rolodex card.  I like using the heavy duty 4x6 index cards that someone turned me onto from Amazon and I went looking for them at the end of May but only found a pack of the real cheap ones that I had from school......or so I thought, because just after I went online to order more of the good ones I did find the ones that I had stashed away.  Needless to say, I am well supplied for this challenge and probably a couple years' more.

So here is my Title card.  This background was created when I decided to check the pens and markers in the pouches I was going through looking for those cards to glean out the ones that didn't work.  I also found some tags that I had set aside for a forgotten project and used those adding the lettering by cutting up a birthday sticker that I had saved from an envelope.  The little citrus sequins were added to cover up a smudge.  And the white tags were adhered to the black one with some SU brads that have been too long in their hiding place.

Day 1 - Sapling 

 I have a couple few many boxes of paper scraps and bits that I've decided to try to do something with rather than just collect, so everything you see here on this card comes from that stash, including the paint chips and twine.

Day 2 - Polka Dots

The background is from the inside of a security envelope and the circles are various motifs from a book, wrapping paper, a stamped bag, a vinyl folder, and the labels from spools of thread that no longer stick.

 

Day 3 - Map (or not)

I thought afterward that I should have left the hexies blank spelling out MAP, but it took a while to complete this so I let it go as is. Used all shades of blue and green Stabilo markers and a different pattern for each.  Yes, there are index cards that are printed with the hexies to begin with and of course I had to have them so you'll see them again in the future.  They are very thin though, so I'll have to watch what I use on them.

Day 4 - Espresso (Yourself!)  

You know those cardboard sleeves you get for hot coffee have a name - they're called zarfs and I usually try to save mine, if not for the printed pattern on them, just for the corrugated cardboard they're made out of which can be used in many ways.  I also unwrapped a length of raffia for this background and added a saved kraft hangtag for the top of her hat.  The flower was a tag from something old and the center of it another circle from a vinyl folder.  As I was working on this I was reminded of my uncle's wedding, which I was in back in the very early 70's.  It was very "mod" - the girls wore lime green dresses with white polka dots and big white buttons down the front.  It was a long straight dress with short sleeves and a u-shaped neckline - and my mother and grandmother made them for all the girls.  Oh yes, and we all wore white, wide-brimmed, floppy white hats.  (I guess it was the band on this hat that sent me down that rabbit hole.)

Day 5 - Zebra

I used the zebra motifs from some Zebra pen packaging I had saved along with various strips of black and white security envies.  The quote was written on black cardstock with a white gel pen and I fussy cut around the words.

Day 6 - Wildflowers

I made a mistake when I copied the prompts into my notebook and left off the (s) and didn't realize it until after I had glued down all those little paper dots so here I have a single wildflower.  But one should note that one year there may be only one of that flower and next year there may be hundreds. The quote is from Lady Bird Johnson.  The flowers, leaves, and dots are all saved die cut extras from card making.

Day 7 - Treble Clef

I drew the treble clef hoping to make it look ribbon-like.  Then I added the ruffles.  I found the quote in one of my notebooks when I was looking for the flower quote and played around with it in pencil until I made it fit withing the clef.  I added the color with General's Watercolor pencils.  

I pulled out the yearly pouches I have of all the previous ICAD's I have done - 4x6's (with the exception of the first two that are in a little 3x5 recipe box.  I found these polka-dotted pencil cases at the $Tree many moons ago and stocked up on them because I like the fact that they are mostly see-through and I can tell what's in them without having to unzip them to check.

You know what else falls on June 1st?  This year it happened to be the 50th anniversary of HWNSNBP and my first date back in 1973.  He took me to the movies and we went to McDonald's afterwards because the restaurant he wanted to go to across the street was closed, so we celebrated by having McDonalds for lunch that day. (Oh, and we went to the nursery and bought more plants too, putting us well over the planting budget for the year, but these were celebratory plants.)

And you know what the first Friday of June is - Donut Day!  This little guy decided to forego his usual chocolate donut and tried a strawberry one and I'm told that he liked it.  I think he's more willing to try different things that he's seen his friends at daycare eat.  We got him to eat watermelon when we were watching him, and Rachel said she was told he will now eat hotdogs although she hasn't witnessed it yet.  But he will jump at the opportunity to put Chick-Fil-A sauce on almost anything and not just the nuggets.  

I've been trying to catch up on the weeding but haven't been out of the house much in the last couple of days because even thought the temps are comfortable, we're getting the smoke from the fires in Canada.  So much so that the levels are in the hazardous range and many, if not all outdoor activities have been cancelled/postponed and we've been warned to stay indoors and use a mask if you go out.  The red dot in the window was the moon the other night around 1 a.m.

And this is the eerie smoke that is moving slowly through giving everything a orangy tint.  You can smell it as soon as you open the door.

This is the sun at 1 p.m. this afternoon looking like the same red dot the moon made but through the brown sky.

We could have a couple more days of this, unfortunately.