DIVA Challenge #252 Tangle In a Tangle

This week's challenge from the DIVA is to tangle in a tangle!  Use one tangle as your string, in this tile I used W2 and made it kind of wonky with different size squares.  Then I tangled inside it with Crescent Moon, Printemps, and Zander.  I had to add Tipple around the border to soften it up some.  I did this on a quick 30 minute break in our clean up...read below (even a basement flood won't keep me from the DIVA challenge)!

 

It's been a crazy week here!  We woke up Monday morning with about an inch of water in our basement...Yikes!  That's where I have my studio and classroom, not to mention all of the other stuff one stores down the basement.  It turned out a water pipe in our front yard broke and when the basement pump pit filled up, it overflowed.  Doug and I have been working our tails off all week to take care of this mess.  Looking at the positive, we were home,  we were only without water for 24 hours, we had a great plumber who knew how to fix this problem, only a huge hole dug in the front yard and not the whole yard, my daughter and son-in-law live in town so I could stay there Monday night, and we were able to save the carpet in the studio and classroom!  All the other carpet remnants in the other part of the basement had to go.  A lot of cutting carpet, hauling it to the dump, moving things around to get to it all, running fans, drying things, and putting it all back again.  Did I say our backs, arms, legs are pretty sore, and that we are exhausted...yup we are!  But, as the saying goes....it could have been worse!  I kept thinking of all the people you see on TV that lose everything they own in a flood, and this doesn't compare.  We are using it as an opportunity to get rid of a lot of stuff! That makes me think of the George Carlin routine on too much stuff, remember that, LOL!

If you made it this far, I hope your week was good and uneventful! 



DIVA Challenge #251 Moebius Syndrome Awareness Day

If you been with the DIVA challenges awhile then you know about Laura's little guy, Artoo (online name).  If not, please link over to her blog to learn all about Moebius Syndrome.  To raise awareness, Laura includes this challenge every year, using the Moebius Syndrome Logo and the color purple.  I looked back through my past years tiles and I have always included a little heart in each one with Artoo's name.  So in keeping with tradition here's my tile...........
#MSAD2016

DIVA Challenge #250 Back To The Old School

This week Laura, the DIVA is challenging us to get back to the old school or basics of Zentangle!  I am also one of the old timers CZT's from class 4 in Oct 2010.  Way before there was anything but white 3.5inch tiles, black pen, and pencil shading.  After reading Laura's post, I tend to agree that sometimes it can be overwhelming with all the choices we have now. 

So, in Laura's words...This week's challenge is for us to go back to the roots of this Zentangle thing.

This week challenge is to create a piece on a WHITE 3.5" square tile, with a Black pen and pencil for shading.  To take the time to slow down and enjoy the process.  Enjoy the feel of the pen on the paper.  Create a string, and maybe use 4 or 5 tangles you really enjoy.

don't think about composition.  don't think about how you want it to look in the end.  Just put your pen to paper and begin and enjoy the process.  after all.  It's ABOUT the process.  Not the product.
I decided to take it one step further and not even think about which tangle I would use or put where.  I got out my old Zentangle kit, with the legend, and the 20 sided die (forgot name right now).  I drew my border, string and rolled the die and did whichever number came up.  No planning that way! 
I rolled Tipple, Crescent Moon, Keeko, Florz, and Flux and did them in the order they came up, without knowing what was coming next.  I slowed way down and really just enjoyed the process!
Thanks, Laura! 

Bookmarks

In early December 2015 I had a table show at our library which I wrote about in this post.  For the show I decided to try something different for bookmarks.  I made the traditional long ones, but also thought it might be neat to make some out of Zentangle tiles.  I took some pre-strung tiles and put watercolor on them.  After they were dry I tangled them.  I put my blog info on the back and laminated them.  I sold quite a few, but have quite a few left too.  I always make more then I need.  I plan to put a few around town for fun.  Who knows, maybe someone will be interested in a class! 

 

Pre-strung tiles painted with watercolor
 

After they were tangled
Wish I would have taken pic before laminating!
 

Watercolor and then tangled

Traditional black and white

 

Watercolor and then tangled



 

 







DIVA Challenge #249 Auraknot & Diva Dance

A new year of challenges is starting over at the DIVA's blog and this happens to be the 5th year of challenges!  I can't believe that I have done them all!  If you follow my blog, then you know that I talked with Laura last summer, when we met at CanTangle (a CZT retreat), and she told me that I can't stop, since she can't stop.  How long will I hold out....I guess that remains to be seen! 
Anyway, I love the DuoTangle challenges (using only 2 tangles).  So here is my entry for the beginning of the 5th year! 

Zentangle Book by Beate Winkler, CZT

I am so honored to have 2 of my tangle patterns and more artwork included in a new Zentangle book by Beate Winkler, CZT in Germany!  Five years ago when I started teaching, I would have never dreamt that my artwork would be published in books, and now this is the 6th book that has artwork of mine.  What an awesome feeling that is, and one that never gets old!   Thank you so much, Beate! I hope someday I can meet you in person!  Congrats, your book is beautiful!