Happy New Year

2010 has been a year filled with a lot of changes for me.  Retirement from a 36 year career, empty nest while my youngest is in college, becoming a CZT and learning all the ins and outs of starting a home based business, starting a blog and sharing my art work.  Throw in a couple of fun trips to Wisconsin, Idaho, Massachusetts, and Mexico. Looking back it really was a whirlwind of activity, but how grateful I am that it was all possible.

I wanted to take this time to tell all of you how wonderful it has been becoming involved with the world of Zentangle!   I can't say enough about how great it was to meet Rick & Maria and attend the CZT certification.  If you ever get the chance, don't hesitate to go! I also want to thank all of you that follow my blog and have given me such positive comments.  It really means a lot to me.  I have enjoyed getting to know so many of you through this online world and I want to thank you for all of the inspiration you give.  So many times I am sitting here in awe as I gaze at your beautiful art work!  

Wishing all of you a healthy, happy, and wonderful 2011!   Take care, Sue

Challenge #2

This is my contribution to challenge #2 from Laura Harms.  This was the first time I tried doing the double pencil to make a string.  I found this challege a little harder then I thought it would be.  The first tile I did, the tangled string was pretty, but then I tangled so much around it that the string was kind of lost.   Normally when we tangle, we lose the string in the process, but with the double string it makes a beautiful place to tangle that we don't want to lose it the process.  I love the look of the double string, and have enjoyed seeing everyone's, so I will have to play with this a little more. 

Heart Series #3

This was a present made for a lovely lady, Wanda.  Seven years ago I lost my mother-in-law.  My father-in-law in his early 80's at the time, was alone in Idaho, and although he came to Colorado, and we, along with other family members, visited as often as we could it was very hard for him to be alone.  About a year later he met Wanda, who lost her husband around the same time he lost his wife of 63 years.  They have been great friends and companions since.  They go on trips, eat a lot of meals together, and help each other with the loneliness of loss. He turned 88 this year and is doing great, in large part because of Wanda.  Last summer, after taking them on a trip to Idaho's wine country, I left each of them a zentangle.  She loved them so much, she had them enlarged and put them in a 8x10 frame. (I am still trying to picture how they would look enlarged.)  So, I made her a 12x12, framed it,  and she already has it hanging it in her living room.   

Heart Series #2

This one was a Christmas present for my daughter, Lindsay.  Something for her dorm room to remind her how much she is loved and missed at home! 

Heart Series

This is the 1st post in my 3 heart series.  These were all Christmas presents. I had made a zentangle tile with these hearts that my daughter, Samantha, liked and used as the background on her cell phone.  So I made her a bigger one (12x12) that I added to and framed. 

I also made one for Sean, her significant boyfriend of 5 years.  I didn't think he'd go for hearts, but he does love the sport of snowboarding.

Merry Christmas

Wishing all of you a very blessed and Merry Christmas! 

Winter in Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park

Even though I was hoping for a white Christmas, we have not had snow here in town since Nov. 11th (the first and only so far).  Luckily, our mountains have just the reverse and have been getting hammered with snow.  We are very fortunate to live just a 40 minute drive up the canyon to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.  Yesterday we got some sub sandwiches and took a drive, so I could get my "snow fix".  Always a beautiful place to go!  Hope you enjoy it too. 

Simplicity

Laura Harms, CZT at http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/ has started a weekly Zentangle challenge that should be a lot of fun.  This 1st challenge is called, simplicity.  Well, one of my favorite books is Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban Breathnach and simplicity is one of the six principles in this book.  "Simplicity-the desire to clear out, pare down, and realize the essentials that we need to live truly well."   For me that meant clearing out my mind of what I wanted to do, just make one tangle and let the lines flow where they may and not try to make it perfect, and appreciate that every time I do a zentangle it does help me to live truly well in so many ways.  

Check out Laura's blog and join in the fun.  Thanks Laura for putting this together.  Also a great way to find new blogs to follow. 

It Just Is

A zentangle is a beautiful image that has no right or wrong, no up, down, or sideways, it just is. While working on this larger piece, I turned it many times to complete each section, and when I was done I decided that I liked it every way it was turned. Give your work a different perspective by turning it in every direction. Hmmm, you may have to add 3 more hooks to the back of your framed work! :)

                                                                   

 

  

Sailing

Every way I turned it, I was bouncing along on the waves.
Hmmm, must be missing the ocean!

New Tangle - HOPE

This tangle inspiration came from my good friend, Jody. She was going through chemo treatment this summer and wondered if I could make a tangle out of the cancer ribbon shape, so this is what I came up with. I shared this with the CZT class 4, but have now revised the instructions a little and I am finally getting around to posting them.



VARATIONS: This tangle has many variations. I put some of them in the following tangle for an example, but I am sure there are many more. You can color the ribbon, or the negative space, make as many ribbons as you want, make them all different sizes to fit your space, etc...


On a happier note, Jody is now cancer free-Yea! All of our lives have been touched by cancer in some way, relatives, friends, co-workers, fellow tanglers, etc., so I am asking that when and if you use this tangle, you just take a moment to reflect, pray, or connect with spirit and/or the universe to send out some loving thoughts to those going through this fight and for their families. Thank You!

Blowin In The Wind

Going With The Flow

Monday, Monday

Enjoy the week! Smile and say hello to someone you don't know!

Free Fallin

Fun with Facets

I had to try the new tangle, Facets, by Nancy Pinke/CZT. This is a really fun and easy tangle that looks so cool. The instructions are posted on Zentangle's newsletter at http://zentangle.blogspot.com/2010/11/facets-newsletter.html
Thanks for sharing, Nancy!

Happy Tangled Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving Day!
I give thanks for so many things in my life, but wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone involved with Zentangle. Starting with Rick and Maria and continuing with all the people I have met in person and online through blogs. What a creative, inspirational, and caring group of people all of you are! Sue

Open a window

There is an Indian proverb or axiom that says that everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional, and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time, but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.

Happy Birthday, Linda!

Linda and I have been friends since our high school days in Wisconsin. We spend countless hours in the art room at school, and in a spare bedroom at her house creating many different arts and crafts. We've only seen each other a handful of times since then, because she moved to Florida and I moved to Colorado. It's one of those friendships that has stood the test of time, through Christmas cards, emails, and now blogs. I thought it only fitting that her birthday letter "L" be the first post on my newly named blog, since I discovered Zentangle last year through her blog. She is a very talented quilter and pattern designer. Check out her blog at thistledownblog.blogspot.com
Have a happy birthday, Linda!

Playing with Echo

Just a little more fun with Echo.

New Tangle-ECHO

When I retired in May, my sister-in-law, Karen (who is a very talented quilter) made me a quilt for my "lazy days". She used some strips of a material we had given her for Christmas last year. When I was curled up under the quilt, reading a good book, I noticed the pattern in those strips and I was inspired to make this tangle pattern.
Hope you enjoy it, like I enjoy my quilt! :)

Spiral Strings

The inspiration for this tangle came from Rick & Maria's blogpost http://zentangle.blogspot.com/2010/10/playing-round.html
Thanks for the fun challenge!

First Snow

Woke up this morning to the first snowfall here in town. The Colorado mountains have been getting plenty, but this is our first. The first snowfall always brings me a peaceful calming feeling. A good day to bake and curl up with a good book, and of course create a zentangle!

This is a bookmark I made and laminated awhile ago, and it just seemed right for today's post. Enjoy a good book!

Back to the 60's

In my studio I have a whole wall of my Zentangle inspired art, all of it in black and white, until now. I may have gone a little overboard with my 1st experiment with color, as it does take one back to the 60's, but it was fun!

Cheers

In CZT class, I came up with a really easy tangle that I am sharing here. I am naming it "Cheers" because I found my inspiration on the dinning room ceiling and love to enjoy a good meal and glass of wine with friends, so Cheers! Also, when I shaded it, the rounded curves look like cheerleaders megaphones. (I have not seen this in the wide world of tangles yet, but if I missed it, please let me know)

Nicknames

I made this over a month ago for my little brother, Steve, who just turned 40. Yikes-that really makes me feel old! Instead of a letter, like I've made for other family members and friends (see older posts), he wanted his nickname-FISH. It took him a little while to see that it was an actual fish.

A Lesson In Class

I have just returned from the 4th Zentangle Teacher Certification Seminar in Whitinsville, MA. and I have to tell you about what an inspirational experience it was. The creators of Zentangle, Rick Roberts & Maria Thomas, are a class act! Everything about the way they run their business is driven from their love of this wonderful art form.

The setting at Oakhurst Retreat & Conference Center is a beautiful historic building full of amazing architecture on lovely grounds. Rick and Maria welcomed us into their home, studio, and gallery, and there was something beautiful to see at every turn of your head. The seminar was filled with all the information we will need to teach Zentangle classes, but much more than that, it was filled with their passionate love for this art and the respect they have for the people they have met, taught, and how it has made such a positive impact on people's lives. To hear in person how they created this art form, why they sought out nothing but the best quality products from all over the world, how some of the tangles received their names, and the many stories they told (a lot filled with laughter) was wonderful. I applaud the fact that they will only do these seminars at home in Whitinsville, MA., and the way the involve their family. It all created such a passionate atmosphere that could only be achieved there. It was a treat to meet people who attended from all over the U.S., Canada, France, Italy, Australia, Tasmania, and Taiwan. Every time I talked or ate with a different group of people, I heard complimentary remarks about Rick & Maria, the seminar, and the Oakhurst Retreat Center. My love of Zentangle and my thoughts of this experience were echoed over and over by others.

So, if you are passionate about Zentangle and think you might be interested in teaching this wonderful art method, a trip to Whitinsville, MA is a once in a lifetime experience. I will treasure it always! Thank You, Rick & Maria!

Sue Clark/CZT!

"To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition" Samuel Johnson

Wooden Plate

Excited

Excited-That is how I am feeling! One week from today, I will be heading to Whitinsville, MA to learn from the Masters of Zentangle, Rick & Maria!!!

Nestled In

We have been having a beautiful long fall with warm temps in Colorado for the end of Sept and beginning of Oct, but the mornings have that cool feel to the air that makes you want to stay nestled in bed for just awhile longer.....

Betweed

Betweed is the latest tangle to be released from Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts at Zentangle. This is a beautiful tangle with a lot of variations, that I can't wait to try more. Check out their instructions and wonderful new video at http://zentangle.blogspot.com/2010/09/september-28-2010-newsletter-and-video.html

Vacation Tangles

So much fun to go on vacation, see new sights, experience a new sport, share a lot of laughs with family members, etc.....and also good to be back home, sleeping in your own bed, eating your own meals, and drawing at your own desk......Life is good!

Wooly Bugger

Fly fishing: My husband has always been a fisherman and I have fished with him on occasion, but never fly-fished. In the winter months (Jan-Mar) our church offers classes in a wide variety of interests as a way for people to get out of the house and meet others with similar interests. In Jan of 2009, I took a class on tying flies, which I really enjoyed and made a lot of flies that winter, much to my husband's delight. The Wooly Bugger is an easy fly to tie and one that can be used anywhere. When I expressed an interest in trying the sport of fly fishing my husband was thrilled and bought me a fly rod for Christmas. We just got back from a 10 day trip to Idaho where we spend a week with my 88 year old father-in-law, Kermit. We took him and his lady friend, Wanda on a 3 day trip to some wineries and had a wonderful time. Then we toured Yellowstone (always a favorite of ours) for 2 days and Grand Teton NP for a day. I fly fished for the 1st time and caught a brown trout on a fly (Wooly Bugger) that I tied! I have found a new sport that I love, and not just because I caught a fish, but I loved being out in the river, listening and seeing nature all around me. Also, I still made time to do a Zentangle whenever possible!

"There is certainly something in fishing that tends to produce a gentleness of spirit, a pure serenity of mind" Washington Irving

Healing Hearts

Healing hearts on the way from Loveland, Colorado to MaryAnn, CZT in NY. Check out beezinthebelfry.blogspot.com and the post dated 9/6/10, Zentangles of Healing. If you are a tangler, send a tangle and some positive healing thoughts to MaryAnn.

Procrastinate or Create?

I was recently discussing "The Power Of Now", by Eckhart Tolle with my sister and started to search thru my bookcase, when I came upon a book that I had forgotten about. I read this book probably 5-10 years ago and have been really happy to rediscover it because it is a timeless treasure. It is titled "Simple Abundance", by Sarah Ban Breathnach. The book is organized as a walk through the year, in which you read a page or two each day. The six principles of the book are: gratitude, simplicity, order, harmony, beauty, and joy. (All of the things I feel when creating a zentangle.) It is filled with wonderful quotes, and ideas on how to live a more authentic life. Good idea for a Christmas gift for yourself to start reading on Jan 1! The day in August that I found the book, the passage was all about the courage to create-hmmm. "Dare yourself to believe in your creativity, wherever it may lead you. Trust that where it leads is exactly where you are supposed to be. The word courage comes from the French word for heart, coeur. Your authentic self knows where you're headed. Don't wrestle with Spirit. Collaborate with it." A couple weeks later there was is a passage on procrastination and how it can rob us of personal pleasure. At the end of each month, she has a list of "joyful simplicities" that you can do. For August, one of the items was to treat yourself to a deluxe box of crayons or a wonderful set of colored pencils and create a poster that reads "If Not Now, Then When?" and hang it where you'll see it every day. Mine is in my spare bedroom, that I have converted into my "Zen Studio".