Daisy Yellow № 131
Is there magic, some sort of invisible pixie dust, trapped inside index cards?
Hi everyone, it’s Tammy, welcome to issue № 131. Daisy Yellow is a long-running creative project; thanks for subscribing.
For almost two decades I’ve kept Daisy Yellow an independent project free of ads or sponsorships. Please consider becoming an annual subscriber! As a thank you for keeping this creative ecosystem 🪸 going, your support instantly unlocks 🔓 extra goodies like the 10-part Creative Gazette series, the upcoming Curious Tangents series, and whatever else I dream up (hint: printable ICAD 2026 Tracker & ICAD Guided Look-Back).
My daughters both visited this past week! 💗 We had a nice, chilled-out smoothie fueled week trying to avoid the wicked Texas summer heat. Indigo was beyond happy. We watched soccer, played board games, lots of music, drew/wrote at the coffee shop, and also saw Project Hail Mary 🌌🔭 which was great! And yes, I squeezed in time to paint flowers.
Here are some of my flowery ICADs from this past month. As a plot twist, I’ve decided that gardens & flowers will continue indefinitely! The original plan (gouache/June + collage/July) has been scrapped. You know, do the kind of art that is resonating at this moment of your life! Current plan is to paint thru July then collage my way thru August and wind up with a makeshift ICAD/100 day project mash-up.
At this point I think about index cards as I would a small sketchbook.
They’re as integral to my creative practice as pens, gouache, ink, sketchbooks, brushes, and watercolor paper. Also my camera, ephemera, and sewing machine. Where would I draw the line? What is not integral at this point? I have no idea. 😂
I try to embrace the idiosyncratic characteristics of this imperfect paper. I’m not trying to emulate the perfect substrate or use index cards instead of 100% cotton 300gsm watercolor paper. It’s not either/or. It’s not a swap. It’s simply a different substrate.
This is where “aha” moments happen and discoveries materialize.
Today you’ll make something on an index card. You will stretch your creative muscles. It’s the ultimate CREATIVE_CROSS_TRAINING! You will explore something that sparks your curiosity. And you’ll put that finished card on top of the stack. The hardest part is starting and now you are on your way.
As you know, this challenge is quite open-ended. There are almost no rules other than a) index cards, and b) daily. Unlike other challenges the prompts have always been optional. Plus if you choose to interpret them, you can do so mysteriously, botanically, figuratively, logistically, mechanically, zoologically, or algebraically. You choose how to navigate your own unique 61-day experience.
We are approaching week six, folks!
Wow! You are rocking the challenge! You’re working on your cards every single day. Don’t forget to celebrate what you have accomplished. While your mileage may vary, the middle of the challenge (weeks 4-5) can often be a lull, a plateau, a slower phase, one with less adrenalin. But I think this is where you can find motivation and engagement in the work itself. By the possibilities and experiments ahead. Stay curious.
Our theme for Week Six is MAPS & CARTOGRAPHY. Which reminds me:
What if you run out of ideas?
If you’ve done a long creative series or ICAD or the 100 Day Project, you know that the more you make, the more ideas materialize1. A maze, labyrinth, or flowchart with alternative paths/routes/options. With bonus multipliers.
The later phases
are when “aha” moments happen
and discoveries materialize.
We are iterating and making small discoveries that loop back into the work. The path is serpentine; it’s a game of twister intersecting a dance step diagram. There are no concrete instructions.
There’s magic, some sort of invisible pixie dust, trapped inside index cards. Set your destination on Waze or Google Earth to 61 cards. Aren’t you curious to find out where you’ll wind up?
We’re doing a free two-month index card art challenge 🌈🗂📇 that goes thru July 31. You’re welcome to join any time with your own [
ICAD #01]. Start with the welcome post. It’s a make-your-own-adventure kind of thing. Here are the 100% optional 2026 Index-Card-a-Day Challenge weekly themes & daily prompts 01-30 and daily prompts 31-61.
At Daisy Yellow
Creative Gazette 10: Creative Cross-Pollination
ICAD home base and How ICAD 2026 works
Prompts 31-61 & themes for weeks 1-9 🆕
Sending hugs out to you over the invisible internet airwaves 🌀📻 because these are difficult times and nothing makes sense. I will continue to share words & art in the hopes of brightening your day. ❌⭕️❌⭕️
Cheers,
Tammy
PS. If the newsletter is no longer your thing, no worries, you can unsubscribe at the link below.
Ideas for those out of ideas:
a) make a vertical striped collage
b) invent a portmanteau and stamp w/ alphabet stamps
c) illustrate one of the world cup ⚽️🏟️🏆 stadiums