Thursday, December 12, 2013

DIVA Challenge #148 Merry Happy

This is the last DIVA challenge for the year.  We are to create a piece or tile that reflects the holidays.  I didn't have a lot of time this week to create a larger piece, so I stuck with a tile.  This is my 2nd tan tile, and I just really love the look you can achieve with them.  I will be excited to teach a class using them in 2014.  If you've followed my blog, you know that I love hearts, but I also love angels.................


Thursday, December 5, 2013

DIVA Challenge #147 Boo-Kee

As another month rolls around, the DIVA challenge is another "use my tangle" challenge.  This month the tangle is a new one from none other than the Diva herself, CZT, Laura Harms.  The tangle is called Boo-Kee and is a fun pattern with lots of possibilities for variations.   Click on the link to find the step-out instructions.  Thanks, Laura!


Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Mindfulness Postcard Swap and eBook

Earlier this year I signed up to do a mindfulness postcard swap for CZT's (certified zentangle teachers).  The swap was held by CZT, Katy Abbott.  Katy asked us to do 4 postcards (4x6) using only tangles that started with the letters in M*I*N*D*F*U*L and mail them to 4 people on the list she provided.  Then sometime along the way, CZT, Jane Dickinson asked everyone in the swap if they would like to participate in a ebook project she was doing.  She asked us to write a paragraph on what mindfulness meant to us and if she could use pictures of our postcards.  The swap was fun and easy to do, since the number of postcards we needed to create was small.  I have the postcards I received posted to my bulletin board of zentangle art from around the world. 

Here is the ebook, Tangling from the Edge, that CZT, Jane Dickinson put together.  I think she did a beautiful job, and I loved seeing all the postcards and thoughts on mindfulness. (I am on page 15)  Thank you, Katy & Jane!
Enjoy!


NOTE:  I had to remove the ebook because it was causing problems with BloggerYou can find the book by going to Jane Dickinson's site at  http://www.themindfuldrawer.com/.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

DIVA Challenge #146 Pea-nuckle & Well

This week the DIVA has us doing a duo tangle challenge (using only two tangles).  The tangles are Pea-nuckle & Well.  While these are both official zentangle tangles, to be quite frank, I am not real fond of either one so putting them together.....yep, a real challenge.  So in true zentangle fashion, I drew my string and just decided to add these two tangle patterns and let it unfold before me


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

My Student's Art

I love it when my student's stay in touch with me after they have taken a class.  I especially love it when they share their artwork with me, and give me permission to share it on my blog.  Here are some beauties I have received recently.  Wonderful work, ladies!

Pat

Pat

Catrina

Catrina

Teresa

Teresa

Teresa
Bill

Teresa


Bill
 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

DIVA challenge #145 QUIB

This week's challenge from the DIVA is to use the new official tangle, QUIB.  This is a fun, twisty line tangle, done in Hollibaugh fashion (lines drawn behind).  I just got my supply of the new tan tiles in, so I wanted to give them a try for this challenge....love them


Friday, November 15, 2013

DIVA Challenge #144 A Bug's Life

This week's challenge from the DIVA is a fun little change of pace.  CZT Samantha Taylor made this really cute video for Sakura (maker of the micron pens).  Great job, Sam!

 

Our challenge is to use this video as inspiration and in the DIVA's own words:

Use colour to bring a  Zentangle tile to life!
Camouflage a bug somewhere in the tile. (i.e. a drawing of a bug, a bug-shaped tangle pattern, etc.) Create a tile inspired by nature!
Shade your tile using some colour!

I remembered my own tangle pattern BWS (black widow spider) see the step-outs here, so I used that in the middle and then just started hiding some fun little bugs in the other spaces.  I wish I would have taken a photo prior to adding color because it was kind of hard to pick them out in black and white

Fun challenge and I am looking forward to seeing what everyone else did with this!



 



Thursday, November 7, 2013

DIVA Challenge 143 CRUZE

This week's challenge from the DIVA is to use a new tangle by CZT, Caren Mlot.  The tangle is called Cruze and you find the steps to it here.  This tangle has such a beautiful woven look and I can't wait to play with it more.  While I was practicing it, I tried curving it, but I didn't have much luck with that.  Caren has some beautiful examples on her blog post!  




Thursday, October 31, 2013

DIVA Challenge #142 Comfort/Danger Zone

In our DIVA's own words we are challenged to do the following:

This week's challenge to find your comfort zone, and to move beyond it...into...the DANGER ZONE!  Only you know what it is that makes you feel 'safe' in the zentangle world.  This week, you can either dip a toe into the waters of the Danger Zone, or you can choose to cliff dive, fully clothed into the waters!! A little or a lot, it's up to you!

I thought about this one a lot and was going to do a black tile, because working with white on black is still a little uncomfortable for me.  Then a couple of days ago, I glanced at a book that proudly sits on my coffee table.  You know that one, the best book out there on Zentangle....The Book of Zentangle by Rick and Maria



I absolutely love the tile on the cover of this book!  I look at it a lot and marvel at how the lines weave in, out, and around each other all so effortlessly.  I also love the way they wrap around the edges and have so much dimension

Well, back to my "Danger Zone"......I have always struggled with the tangle "Umble".  I can't begin to tell you how many tiles I have thrown away when I try to add that tangle.  Not sure what it is, but I just have not been able to make it work.  So, should I "dip a toe" in the waters of the danger zone and just do a monotangle of Umble, or "cliff dive, fully clothed into the Umble Danger Zone.  I decided to cliff dive

I drew some different size circles going off the corners of my tile, and then dived into Umble.  After studying Maria's tile awhile for inspiration, I knew I had no idea how to make it weave so beautifully, but I had to start somewhere, so I dived in and just kept adding lines in the "Hollibaugh fashion" (under each other) until at last my tile was filled.  It took me a long time, because I went very slow.  While it doesn't have that beautiful effortless looking weave that Maria attains, I am quite happy with it.  Some of the edges actually look like they are wrapping around...yay!  Maybe, I will try to add Umble to my work more often...maybe? 

Thanks Laura, this was truly a challenge for me!


Monday, October 21, 2013

DIVA Challenge #141 Fengle & Quandary

Yay, another Duo-Tangle this week at the DIVA's blog!  Oh, but wait Fengle (which I love) and Quandary (which isn't one of my favorites).  Well, that's what these challenges are for...to challenge you to try something new or practice a tangle that you might not be one of your favorites.  So, I jumped in with no planning and no string!  I just did a couple of Fengle's and added my Quandary around it (the best I could).  I really get out of sync with all those triangle shapes.  Instead of trying another, I am going with my first attempt.  I was out of town last week and was late with my entry, so this week I will be on time!  I hope all of you have a wonderful week


Sunday, October 20, 2013

DIVA Challenge #140 Monotangle, Pointillism Style

I am late getting this week's challenge posted, but it was a fun one.  Do a monotangle using Pointillism or Stippling, which is making your picture, or in this case tangle, using nothing but tiny dots.  You can vary the degree or volume of dots to create shading or highlights.  I used the tangle, Fife for this challenge.




I took an online Stippling class a couple of years ago from Geneviève Crabe of Tangle Harmony fame.  It was a fun class and I learned a lot.  You really have to have patience to do this type of art, but you can also really get in the "zen zone" too!  Here is the stippled rose and tulips I did from that class. 
PHOTO UNAVAILABLE



 


Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Challenge #139 "8s Parte Dos"

It's UMT (use my tangle) time at the DIVA'S this week. The tangle is "8s Parte Dos" by Jane Eileen. 

 I think Laura sums it up best when she says:

This is very reminiscent of W2, Huggins and Mi2 - they're all in a similar tangle 'family' if you will.

This tangle requires a bit more focus, and attention to detail - but it is WELL worth the effort!! I think the trick is to carefully line up your dots.

While I have W2, Huggins, and Mi2 down pat, it's going to take some practice to get 8s Parte Dos down.  Lots of concentration with this tangle, but it will be fun playing with it!  I love these tangles that go in, out, and under!  

Thanks for the great tangle, Jane Eileen


Wednesday, October 2, 2013

DIVA Challenge #138 Fun with Borders

This is a unique and fun challenge that the DIVA has going this week.  It is brought to you by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts from Zentangle, Inc.  If you follow their blog, you are aware that Maria loves borders,  and if you link to their post from Laura's post, you will see a lot of cool borders she found around their home along with her incredible tangles.  As I looked around my house, I came to realize that I don't have a lot of borders, but a lot of plain lines!  Hmmm, I need to keep my eyes open more for cooler picture frames, etc.  Then, I was walking by my dresser and saw these 3 bracelets...inspiration at last!  Here is my take on the challenge.  I am looking forward to seeing the slide show on this challenge





Sunday, September 29, 2013

Beautiful Beading

One of my students, CJ Petersen, recently shared a picture of her beautiful bead embroidery!  Can you believe this is only her 2nd attempt at bead embroidery and the first time interpreting a tangle with beads.  The tangle she used is Worms, which you can find on www.tanglepatterns.com.
Thanks CJ, for letting me share your gorgeous work


CJ and her daughter, Cara signed up to attend the
 CZT certification seminar in 2014.
I will be so thrilled to have them as fellow CZT's!

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

DIVA Challenge #137/Knightsbridge & Tipple

A duotangle challenge over at the DIVA'S this week, combining two tangles I really like, Knightsbridge and Tipple.  Fun challenge, thanks Laura!




Friday, September 20, 2013

DIVA Challenge #136/Color Color Everywhere

This week's challenge from the DIVA is to use color with your zentangle.  Any kind of color, a little, or a lot, whatever you choose.  This couldn't have come at a better time!  Watching all the news on the flooding that has devastated so much of the state of Colorado, and a lot of our Larimer County has been heartbreaking to say the least.  We were fortunate to escape any damage in our neighborhood, but other parts of town and the Big Thompson Canyon were not so lucky.  Seeing so much destruction and mud made me want to create something beautiful with lots of vibrant color. It will take years for the canyon to restored again, after mother nature's fury, but it will get there and will one day be a thing of beauty again! 


Monday, September 16, 2013

DIVA Challenge #135/New Official Tangle "Well" & Trip to Montana/Wyoming/Idaho

Once again,  I am late creating and posting my tile for the weekly DIVA challenge. We took a trip to Idaho last week to visit my father-in-law, Kermit (91 and going strong).  Normally, it's a one day drive, but we decided to go a different route and make it a two day trip.  We toured the Little Big Horn National Monument on the 1st day.  On the second we went over the Bear Tooth Hwy (One of America's most beautiful roads) with views of 20 peaks reaching over 12,000 feet in elevation and some of the most rugged landscapes in the country.  If you ever get the chance, this drive is incredible and I would highly recommend it!  Then we entered Yellowstone National Park (one of our favorite places) at the northeast entrance and toured the park for the day before heading to Kermit's in Idaho Falls, where we spent the rest of the week.

We got home on Saturday afternoon to a rain soaked and flooded (in parts) Larimer County, Colorado.  It rained just about the whole week we were gone, and rained again all day yesterday. We are fortunate that we are not close to any of the rivers and our home is okay.  The schools were closed on Friday and again today due to so many roads being closed.  It is so sad watching the local news and seeing how so many areas in the state of Colorado have been affected by this flood.  Please keep our state in your thoughts and prayers as the rescues continue and the clean-up begins this week!





















Thursday, September 5, 2013

DIVA Challenge #134: BEAMZ

Another 1st of the month is the UMT (use my tangle) time at the DIVA's challenge! This week we are trying out the tangle, BEAMZ by Traci F.  I used Tangle Patterns string #54.  I have never used this tangle before, but found it kind of fun to just start drawing lines and boxes in each section of my tile, turning them every which way and varying the sizes.  Then I filled in some of the boxes and around the boxes with other tangles.  I may have lost Beamz in the process, but that's the fun of zentangle...no planning and just let it unfold before your eyes! 


Monday, September 2, 2013

Fish's Pub

My brother, Steve lives in Wisconsin and has a really cool little bar, pool table, darts, and hang-out area in his basement. He DJ's on the side, and his sound system is great!  Our last name being Fischer, we all had the nickname Fish at one time or another while we were growing up.  The ceiling going down the steps has a slant to it and he asked me if I could make some kind of Zentangle poster.  Instead of a poster, I decided to use wood letters that were already painted white and had what I thought was a neat design to them.  I found them at Hobby Lobby.  I then found a beer mug shape online and my husband, Doug cut it out for me in wood.  I painted and tangled it along with all the letters (I used a Sakura IdentiPen). On our trip there, early in August, we hung it up.  I was really happy with how it turned out, and so was Steve



He also has this piece hanging behind the bar that I made him in 2010, shortly after I got out of CZT class.  Love spreading the zentangle joy with my family!


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Dream Catcher

I love making gifts for people that are special to me.  This ZIA (zentangle inspired art) piece is one I made for my sister, Priscilla .  She has always loved Native American Art and has some wonderful pieces in her home....painting, pottery, plates, you name it.  So I thought she would love a tangled dream catcher.  I tried some new techniques for me...a watercolor wash on the paper for the background and some watercolor pencils for color and shading, and I was really pleased with how they came out.  The rest is standard tangling with a couple of different color pens and white charcoal pencil for some of the highlights. I framed it in a beautiful frame that complemented the colors.  I made this several months ago and really wanted to tell her about it, but kept it a surprise until earlier this month when we drove to Wisconsin and was able to give it to her.  I know she loved it because she took down one of her beautiful pictures and replaced it with mine in her family room


 
P.S.  It looks so much better in person then the photo I took!  Stay tuned for my brother, Steve's gift coming soon. 

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

DIVA Challenge #133 Tipple

This week's challenge from the DIVA is to use the tangle Tipple in your tile.  I love Tipple and I teach it in every beginning Zentangle class.  Tipple is a really versatile tangle that fits in so many places.  I decided to do my tile using Flux & Betweed because they are two of my favorite tangles to put Tipple around


Friday, August 23, 2013

Zentangle Lesson With My Nephews & Sister-In-Law

On our recent trip to Wisconsin I had the opportunity to have a Zentangle lesson with my sister-in-law, Rhonda and three nephews, Owen (age 8), Evan (age 7), and Ian (age 5).  I gave them the book, "Zentangle For Kidz" by Sandy Steen Bartholomew, some apprentice tiles, pencils, blending stumps, and two pens...the Apprentice pen and the Sensei pen.  I love both of these pens, but I wanted to see which one they liked.  They all liked the Sensei pen the best because it is just a little bigger and easier for them to hold.  It was so much fun to share the art of Zentangle with them!




HARD AT WORK

AWESOME TILES



EVAN AND OWEN


IAN


EVAN IS ALL SMILES WHILE RHONDA AND OWEN COMPLETE THEIR TILES




Aren't they just the cutest little guys, and their zentangle tiles were awesome!  They also ran and got the tiles I made for them last year with each of their initials on them that they keep in their rooms. :)



This week, after we were home, I got a surprise email from Rhonda & Evan (my godchild). They sent me pictures of the tiles they made for me with my initial!  How sweet is that!!!  Once again, they did awesome work!




Thank you for such a great surprise! Love you all & miss you so much!!! Aunt Sue

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

DIVA challnege #132 Non Dominant Hand/Bales


This week the DIVA challenge is to do a monotangle of Bales, but the catch is to do it with our non-dominant hand.  For me, that's my left hand.  I learn something new each time I try tangling with my non-dominant hand.  The first and most important thing is to go really, really, really slow.  It takes a long time to complete what would be a simple tile with my right hand, but with the left that's another story.  I also discovered that if I hold my hand on the pen down close to the nip, I have a lot better control.  The size of the nib made a difference too.  The dark color was done with a Micron 05 and was easier to work with than the 01 pens for my left hand.  If you look close you will see all the shaky lines and the shading did help hide them, but the shading with my left hand leaves a lot to be desired too.  All in all, it's a fun exercise in learning to slow down and concentrate on making one line at a time


 
 

DIVA challenge #131 DEX Monotangle

Another DIVA challenge that I am catching up on!  This one is to do a monotangle of DEX. 


Diva Challenge #130 UMT: Henna Drum

I have been gone for a couple of weeks visiting my family in Wisconsin.  We attended a wonderful family reunion with about 70 people (aunts, uncles, & cousins) that I haven't seen in years, a 60th jubilee celebration for my Aunt Agnes (60 years of service as a catholic nun), and lots of great times with my brothers, sisters, nieces & nephews.  Now that I am back home, it's time to catch up on the DIVA challenges that I missed!


Thursday, August 1, 2013

Shading

When I teach zentangle classes, I always encourage my students to shade their tiles.  I also let them know that shading does take practice and the more you do the more confident you get.  It makes such a difference to the finished tile and adds so much contrast and interest.  I remember Maria Thomas telling us in  CZT class that some tangles will literally jump of the page with just a little shading, and that is so true!  The one thing I see beginner's doing (and I was guilty of this too) is not putting enough graphite on the tile.  In other words, when you look at the tile, you can barely see that it is shaded at all.  It's good to start out lightly, but when you like the look, try adding more graphite for a darker shaded area and see what a difference it makes.  The one think you want to be careful of is covering your whole tile in gray, because you still want to have the contrast between the light and darker areas.  One other way to tell if shading makes a difference in your work is to take a picture of your tile or ZIA prior to shading and then one after and you should see a noticeable difference.  I am not an expert in shading, but I think I am improving all the time with practice.  Here is a 5x7 ZIA before and after shading pictures.  Notice how much more dimension the shaded piece has.

photos unavailable

In my classes I also recommend the book Made in the Shade, by  CZT, Cris Letourneau.  This is a great workbook that is full of wonderful information on everything to do with shading zentangles.  Cris covers in depth, getting to know your tools, shading simple shapes, shading tangles, shading ZIA, and shares some new tangle patterns.  The workbook is set up for you to practice what you learn every step of the way with examples to fill in right in the book.  At the end there are a lot of samples for you to practice shading from a lot of CZT's and artists.  So if you want to get more in depth practice with shading check out Cris Letourneau's book at this link to her blog.
 
As Rick & Maria from Zentangle Inc. say, "Not everything in life is black and white, but all shades in between". 
 
(Note:  If you made it to the bottom of this post and know how to show pictures side by side in Blogger, let me know.  They are side by side when I am writing my post, but not when it is published????  Thanks) 

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Diva Challenge #129/Tangle Patterns String #4

This week at the DIVA's challenge, Laura has us trying out another of the growing string collection from www.tanglepatterns.com.  This challenge is to use string #4.  I added an additional challenge for myself and used only tangle patterns I never tried before.  I went on to tangle patterns.com and randomly hit the letter "D" and found so many that I never tried that I used all tangles starting with that letter.  


Tangles:  Diamond Drops, Dugwud, Dyzzee, Dooleedo, Dancet

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Diva Challenge #128 Two Pencil String

This week over at the DIVA challenge, Laura has brought back a challenge we did a long time ago, but one that I love...the two pencil string.  If you haven't tried this yet, it's a lot of fun.  Take 2 pencils and put the together with a rubber band and draw your string.  In the first one, I made a very simple string and used 3 different shades of brown/sepia Micron pens.  I had to do another because I love the ribbon effect you can get with this two pencil string.  Thanks, Laura!



 
 
 

Friday, July 19, 2013

Organized

I finally did it....I got my DIVA challenges organized!  Normally, I am an organization freak, so I am surprised that it took me this long to get it together....127 challenges later. Ah,  maybe retirement has mellowed me out some!  Awhile back I bought some of the plastic sleeves made especially for Zentangle tiles from cropstop.com and I had put some of my DIVA challenge tiles in with other tiles I had done off and on.  I also had a stack of challenge tiles in the kitchen after photographing them for my blog, and some more downstairs in my classroom on display.

I decided it was time they had a binder of their own!  With the help of my blog, I started way back at the beginning December of 2010...really, I have been doing this challenge for 2 1/2 years!  Some of my tiles had the challenge name on the back but not the number, or vice-versa, or worse yet some had neither.  That's where the DIVA's blog came in handy because she has them all numbered and named on tabs on the top of her home page.  Unfortunately, a few of the actual tiles were lost, and some were gone because I mailed them to the guess authors of the challenge, but I had them on my blog, so I was able to take and resize the pictures, print, and put them in my new binder.  Also, some of the challenges I did on the round zendala tiles, which are too big to fit in the plastic sleeves, so I printed pictures of those too and put the pictures in the sleeves.  The actual round zendala's I put in the front pocket of the binder (hopefully there will be sleeves for them someday).  The plastic sleeves hold 12 tiles (front & back) and have a little area off to the right that I used to write the number and name of the challenge. On some challenges I did 2-3 tiles

It will now be easy to just add the tiles to my new binder each week, and I can display it at classes.  It's a fun way to look back at your work and to see how much you've done.  I love my new binder!











Thursday, July 18, 2013

Diva Challenge #127 Duo Tangle/Cirquital & Opus

Our challenge this week from The DIVA is a duo tangle (only 2) Cirquital & Opus. I love the duo tangle challenges because often they are 2 tangles that you wouldn't normally use together, or don't use often.  Cirquital is one that I don't use often, but I really like it and need to keep in mind for those rounded strings.  Opus is one of my favorites (or at least the variation of Opus) and I use it a lot because it goes with everything.

 

Monday, July 15, 2013

Zen Habits: 6 Steps To Being More Creative

I subscribe to the free emails from Zen Habits and find they are always full of great information.  I really liked this this one so I am sharing it with you.....enjoy! 

zen habits: 6 Steps To Being More Creative


Posted: 07 Jun 2013 08:00 AM PDT
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Marc Lesser, CEO of SIYLI, Zen priest, and author of Know Yourself, Forget Yourself.
For most of my life I did not think of myself as creative at all. Then, many years ago, I started a greeting card company, despite that I had rarely purchased or sent greetings cards. My motivation was combining business with taking care of the environment, by making products from recycled paper. I found myself in a role where I needed to be very creative – in developing new products as well as how to distribute products. I also found that the act of leadership – my perspective about my role and the company’s strategy required tremendous creativity.
Creativity is important for many reasons. It is a path and process for not getting stuck in old habits and ineffective ways of seeing yourself and the world. Creativity can help with problem solving, with creating healthier relationships, and with having a healthier and happier life.
What I learned is that creativity isn’t something that you have or don’t have. It is something that you can nurture and develop. Most importantly, creativity can be a practice. This is especially true for me in my current role (as the CEO of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute) of helping business leaders to be both more effective and happy.
Here are the 6 steps that I began using, and find I’m using every day, not only in my work but especially in my relationships and my life outside of work These practices can be used to support the changing of habits and creating new habits. I’d suggest making the practice of creativity a habit that can support other habits. Here are some guidelines:
  1. Believe in your creativity – This is the first practice and probably most important. You might begin by thinking about or writing down three creative things you’ve done – something you have written or said or completed. Notice an area in which you feel creative; perhaps cooking, drawing, fixing things, gardening. Creativity can show itself in lots of small ways, such as the gifts we give, or the clothes we wear, or how we set the table. Just begin noticing and recognizing your own creativity.
  2. Know your voice of judgment – Everyone I’ve ever known has an inner judge. It can be difficult to accept that having an inner critic is part of the human condition. The good news is that this inner voice just wants to protect us and keep us safe, and that you don’t need to be stuck with or thrown by these inner voices. Knowing this, try relaxing your inner judge. Give it a name. Be playful. Experiment. Despite your judgments, you have the ability to be creative.
  3. Pay attention to details – By entering into the practice of creativity, you can begin to notice more of the details of everyday life. By paying more attention to details, you can become more present; your world can become more alive. It is in this presence and aliveness that creativity takes place. When you put your shoes on, which shoe do you put on first? What’s the color of your front door? How many emails do you receive and send each day? Or play with giving things different names. Look at a paper clip or a strawberry, as though seeing them for the first time. What might you call them? These types of details and experiments can open doors to seeing the world differently.
  4. Ask dumb questions – Our desire to look good and smart can get in the way of creativity. Instead, ask questions, especially those that may seem obvious, or even dumb. Risk looking awkward. Be curious about your feelings and your motivations. Let yourself wonder how things work and why you and others talk and act the way you do. Let go of the need to look good, and allow yourself to be curious and at times awkward. This is another door to creativity. There are no dumb questions.
  5. Practice Mindfulness – Mindfulness is a fancy word for paying attention and for being in the present moment – not ruminating about the past, nor worrying about the future. Mindfulness is a simple and powerful practice. Of course, reviewing the past and preparing for the future are important. And, being creative, happens in this moment. The practice of mindfulness is to over and over notice when your mind is wandering and to bring your attention back to the present. In this way we build our capacity for presence, and for creativity. Mindfulness can also mean to allow your attention to open, to consciously not focus on any one thing. This space, of intentionally expanding your attention can be a creative process.
  6. Embrace Paradox – It seems that nearly everything about being a human being is a paradox. In my own life, I’m an introvert and I enjoy speaking in front of groups; I can be indecisive and make decisions quickly; I’m confident and vulnerable. What are some of your paradoxes? Instead of ignoring or pushing these contradictions away, try acknowledging them, and embracing them. An example of a paradox I find myself embracing and practicing with is – fight for change and accept what is. These appear to be completely opposed, yet, the starting point for changing habits is to notice the habits that we actually have.
Being more creative is a practice, a habit, and a process. A good way to begin is to notice how creative babies and young children are. Just the act of crawling, walking, and exploring can be enormously creative. Creativity is easy – just let yourself be more childlike, curious, open, and start by exploring any of the six practices I’ve outlined.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Diva Challenge #126/Stencil Fun

This week's challenge from the DIVA is to dig through your stencil stash and try tangling with the stencil as your sting.  I have some stencils made just for tangling zendala's on a regular size tiles, and on the 4 1/2" round tiles that I hadn't tried yet.  These stencils are made by Julie Evans, CZT in Hawaii.  They come in packs of 5 really neat designs and you can find them here at her ETSY shop.  Thanks, Laura for the challenge which gave me the opportunity to try them out.  Thanks, Julie your stencils are great!