Hearts & Horses

I have watched my niece (by choice), Lesley deal with the physical and mental ups and downs of living with M.S. for the past 10 years.  She does it all with a grace and determination I really admire.  She is no longer able to work because of her condition, but recently she started volunteering a couple of mornings a week at Hearts & Horses which is a therapeutic riding center.  Their mission is to promote the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social well being of people with special needs through equine assisted therapy.  Lesley volunteers with the feeding and grooming of the horses, and she says the horses have given her so much more then she would have ever imagined.  What a blessing this wonderful organization is to so many people!  Lesley gave me a copy of their logo and asked if I could tangle it for her.  We were both happy with how it turned out.  Love you, Les!

Challenge #96 ZINGER!

Yay, it's official...Zinger has a name!  Yes, being the Zentangle geek that I am, I am really excited that Zinger is now an official tangle and that I had a part in naming it....how cool is that!  After a discussion started in our Facebook CZT group about this lovely little tangle and what it's name was, I sent an email to Rick & Maria at Zentangle Inc. and they officially announced it as Zinger! You can read all about this new (old) tangle on the newsletter here.  In celebration, I went a little Zinger crazy in my 1st tile and made it a Zinger party.  In the 2nd tile I used a pre-strung tile and made Zinger the string, then filled in the other tangles.  I don't normally do 2 tiles for the challenge, but like I said, I was on a little Zinger high!  Thank you, Rick & Maria for using my suggestion for Maria's Zinger, and thank you, Laura for another great challenge.

Bunzo rainbow

Playing with my Tombow markers and blender pen to create this Bunzo rainbow:

Challenge #95 Mickey Challenge

This week at I Am The Diva Blog we have a guest challenger, CZT Courtney from Texas.  Courtney wanted to pay tribute to Walt Disney, Mickey, & Minnie Mouse since their first animated short film was released on 11/18/1928.  I have always been a fan of Minnie Mouse and her polka dotted bows.  Here's my tile for the challenge......

Holiday Workshop 2012

I had 8 lovely ladies join me at my house for a Zentangle Holiday Workshop on Saturday.  I gave them lots of examples and instructions on how to make 3D stars, ceramic ornaments, and greeting cards.  They picked out their own tangle patterns and got to work making some really pretty items.  They took home several sheets of card stock and 90lb watercolor paper for the stars, blank greeting cards and envelopes (along with card stock in a couple of colors), 5 ceramic ornaments & ribbons,  and Sakura Identi Pens (red & green)  Microns (black, red & green), and Pitt pens (silver & gold).  They should have enough to keep busy for awhile! 

It was a cold snowy day, and just perfect for being inside working on Zentangle crafts.  We stayed warm with coffee, hot cider, and snacks.  I enjoyed hosting the workshop and hope all of you had a good time! 

Thank You for MaryAnn

I love creating and giving zentangle inspired art pieces to family and friends.  I made this  piece for my sister, MaryAnn.  When she was out here in Colorado this summer helping me with my first art fair, I asked her if there was anything special she would like and she said a cross would be nice.  I have really been inspired by the work of Helen William at A Little Lime and since I have been playing with color, I thought I would try her Morning Glories along with the Mooka.  If you haven't seen Helen's work yet, be sure to check out the link.  I think her work is so delicate, organic, and lovely! She is also posting some good how-to video's that I find really useful.  I was happy with how this turned out, and MaryAnn loved it. 

Challenge #94 UMT: Socc

When the first Monday of the month rolls around, so does the UMT (Use My Tangle) feature at I Am The Diva's Blog.  This month, CZT Erin Olson's tangle Socc was selected.  This is one of those tangles that I copied the instructions to when it came out, but never got around to trying it.  I seem to do that a lot these days, since tangles now come out at a fast and furious pace.  This is a great little tangle that I found very easy to do and creates a dramatic effect.  Thanks for the tangle, Erin!  Thanks, Laura for having this feature on your challenges! 

Challenge #93 New Tangle Bunzo

Rick & Maria at Zentangle, Inc. have released another new official tangle: Bunzo.  So, it's no surprise that exploring it is the weekly challenge at Laura Harms, I Am The Diva CZT blog.  The steps are posted at the challenge link and also on the lasted newsletter from Zentangle.  This is really a fun little tangle made from doing one shape (like a comma) over and over again, while it grows into a different form each time.  I started my tile with the border and string, then began Bunzo in the largest section of my tile and took it out to the very corners of the string.  After that it was just picking out the rest of my tangles and watching it unfold before me (the beauty of Zentangle).  When I turned it every which way at arm's length, all I could see is a large spider with all the webs it had spun.  Was that the first thing you saw too?  I hope you have fun with Bunzo too!

P.S.  My Purk turned into a Bunzo too...hmmm a tangleation maybe?

Tombow Markers & Pre-strung Tiles

I was playing with my tombow markers this weekend and decided to try them on two pre-strung tiles.  I put the color in all the areas of the pre-strung tiles.  In the first one I tangled on top of the color in each section and was ready to do the same in the second, but then decided to tangle around the outside of the color.  I just couldn't stop there for some reason, and added the Poke Leaf on the color.  I love playing with the color, and now that I am half way through my pre-strung tile pack, I can tell you that I really love the pre-strung tiles even more than I thought I would!  I think they help in getting you out of a string rut, where all of yours own strings start to feel the same.  I just might need to get another pack for myself.  :)

Another fun zentangle class

I really enjoyed sharing the art of zentangle with 5 lovely ladies and a lovely 14 year old girl!  It was so nice to meet all of you:  Judy R., Diane, Karen, Sandy, Judy W., and Alicia (Mom-Kim too).  I hope all of you enjoyed the class.  Your work was wonderful!

Challenge #92: Stripes

This week's challenge from the diva is to use stripes as your string.  A nice easy challenge that I enjoyed once again.  Thanks Laura! 

Creating Patterns with Bugs

I went to a great exhibit this week (at the Lincoln Center in Ft Collins)  that was so beautiful that I had to share this with you.  Jennifer Angus is an artist who works with the unique medium of bugs.  She is a professor in the Design Studies department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She has exhibited her work internationally and has been the recipient of numerous awards.  The brochure states: The use of a material that is often regarded as repugnant, arranged in familiar, repetitive and compelling patterns create a tension that is fascinating to experience. The bugs are all real, though dead and dried they remain in their natural color.  While she does not collect insect species that are endangered, she notes that the habitats of most of these bugs, particularly in Thailand and Malaysia where she collects her bugs, are under assault from the human demands of agriculture and urbanization. In alignment with her message of conservation, Angus notes that she collects the insects in a responsible and sustainable manner, through farmed resources when possible, repairing and reusing her bugs as long as she is able and then giving them to youth for study when they can no longer be used for exhibition.  Enjoy!

Challenge #91 Beads of Courage

This week's challenge from Laura, at I Am The Diva blog is to call our attention to a wonderful charity for children with a chronic illness or condition.  Take a moment and read all about it in the link to Laura's blog, it really is an amazing program!  I started with a small bead in the middle and just they just kept getting bigger as the string wound around.  Then I added a variation of n'Zeppel around the outside.  Happy Birthday, Artoo!

Mandala/Zendala Playing

I love mandala's/zendala's!  I love making them from scratch and doing the pre-strung zendala tiles from Zentangle, Inc.  Sooooo, when I saw that Geneviève Crabe of Tangle Harmony fame announced her mandala stencils, I knew I had to give them a try.  I love these stencils!  As Geneviève explains, when making mandala's from scratch, you always need a ruler, compass, and protractor.  Then its on to drawing circles, angles, all that math stuff, ugh.  Well, Geneviève created these stencils with lines and circles of dots (at all the intersecting points) a half inch apart, and gives you 3 different stencils, each angled at different degrees.  The first mandala pictured is one I made with these stencils, and it was so cool to make a mandala without using any tools.  That's right, I didn't even use a ruler once!  This is really a cool tool if you love making mandala's from scratch.  Check it out at this link and watch her video:  http://www.amarylliscreations.com/zentangleharmony/shop/mandala-stencils/. 

The second zendala is one of the pre-strung zendala tiles that come in that wonderful tin, from Zentangle Inc.  I was in a Paradox mood when I did this one. 

Last but not least, I got my first set of Tombow markers!  I just got the very basic color set and I can see now that I will need to order more colors.  Keep in mind, I am just learning to work with color.  I tried using the indirect approach on the first one and got the colors too dark, so I added a white gel pen on top. I did the direct approach on the second for more vivid color.  I have a ways to go learning color, but I know this is going to be fun and like I tell my students with Zentangle....practice, practice, practice, it just keeps getting better! 

the art show 2012

I was invited to attend a juried art show last night at LifePointe Church in Fort Collins.  It was a wonderful evening with 26 local artists, a wide variety of art, live music, and food.  Our booth fee was donated to benefit Kid's Hope USA.  I sold several small items and had the opportunity to let people know about Zentangle and my classes.  Thanks to everyone at the church that put this show together, and for inviting me.  Doug and I had fun attending the event! 

Challenge #90 Tangle Patterns String #01

This week's challenge from our lovely Diva, Laura Harms, is to use one of the strings from the wonderful Linda Farmer's www.tanglepatterns.com website.  If you are a student of mine, you are already aware of this website and all the wonderful information it contains.  Linda has been collecting quite a few string ideas on her site, so I am happy to finally get the opportunity to give the first one a try. 

Challenge 89: UMT-Sankegg

It's the first week of the month, so that means the challenge from our DIVA is a UMT (use my tangle) challenge.  This week the tangle is SANKEGG, from Maria Vennekens/CZT from the Netherlands.  It is a tricky little tangle that takes a bit of concentration.  I grabbed a pre-strung tile and thought it would look cool in a spiral, but it had other plans.  I just couldn't get it to go around in a curve.  What a great example of ignoring the string and just going with the tangle.  I always tell my students not to let the string inhibit you, but use it as a starting point and if your tangle finds you going outside the string...so be it!  Sometimes my zentangles look nothing like the string I start with...how fun is that!  Thanks Maria, for another fun tangle and Laura, for another fun challenge. 

Challenge #88: Tangle IX

Okay, I am really late with last week's challenge, but I was out of town all week...more on the lovely vacation we took later.  I did draw both of these last week, but not being a computer geek, I had to wait until I got home to post them.  One of these days, soon, I hope to join the rest of the world with a smart phone!   Last week's DIVA challenge was to use the official tangle, IX.  I am not too sure if I care for this tangle or not yet, so I will give it some more play time to decide, but for now here is my version of IX.

Icosahedron Fun

ICOSAHEDRON:  A shape that has 20 faces.   If you have the original Zentangle kit, you have one of these!  I used mine a lot when I first got my kit and started tangling.  If I didn't know what tangle to do next, I rolled the die and did whatever tangle came up.  Quite awhile ago, I saw this on someones blog and copied the template (from MathIsFun.com), for that someday when I get around to it.  Well, the someday came and I ended up making several of these, on cardstock paper.  I put a tangle on each of the 20 sides along with the tangle name.  I had a couple of Zentangle 201 (Beyond the Basics) classes this week and gave them away to all of the students.  They absolutely loved them!  Fun, fun, fun!!!

Challenge 87: Pinwheels for Peace

This week's challenge from the DIVA is to make a pinwheel in honor of International Day of Peace on Sept 21st.  You can read all about it at the link to her blog.  This is the 2nd year her challenge has honored this day with tangled pinwheels.

Like all tangles I start out to do, I have no pre-planned idea on how they will turn out.  When I sat down to start, i was thinking about peace, and the John Lennon song "all we are saying, is give peace a chance", was going through my head.  I love listening to all kinds of music when I tangle, and sometimes none at all.  So, with no music on, I grabbed a round zendala tile and drew my pinwheel.  I started thinking about how words would look inside and for some reason John Lennon was stuck in my head, so I used a line out of his "Imagine" song, and did the words.  I am far from a lettering artist, but decided to give it a try.  Then I tangled in the other sections of the pinwheel.  I always think of pinwheels as being bright and colorful, so I added color pencils.  It looked plain, so I tangle around it.  I think it turned out to be a happy little tile, with a great message! 



TANGLES:  Baton, Zedbra, Keenees, Golven, Sanibelle

Challenge #86 Break Fee

This week's challenge from The Diva is to break free of the border.  When I teach my classes,  I always tell my students to not let the string or border restrict you.  If you want to cross over the lines, by all means do it.  Go with the flow in whatever way your tangle is calling you to do so.  I often go outside the border, so this was a fun challenge for me.  Thanks again, Laura for providing this weekly challenge for all of us! 



TANGLES:  Scroll Feather, Flourish, Angel Fish, N'Zeppel, Printemps

Zendala Dare #22-Monodala

Erin, at The Bright Owl blog posts a Zendala Dare every Friday.  I started out doing these on a regular basis, but other activities intervened and it's been awhile since I posted one.  I had to look back on my blog to see when I did the last one (gasp...#9) oh my, I didn't think I missed that many!  Anyway, I really liked this week's template and on the first Friday of the month, Erin throws in a little extra challenge.  This week's is a monodala (a word she made up, and I love it).  It describes doing the Zendala Dare using only one tangle.  It was so much fun, I did two! 

MONODALA using Hurry on one and Crescent Moon on the other. 

Challenge 85: UMT-Copada

It's the 1st of the week of the month again, and time for UMT (use my tangle) at I Am The Diva's blog.  This month we get to play with Margaret Bremner's tangle, COPADA.   This is a fun little tangle that I have used a couple of times.  I love Margaret's blog, which I have learned so much from, and her art work is beyond gorgeous!  One of the things I have always loved on her blog is the mandala's she has created with the apple peeler corer as the template.  I have made quite a few now too, and got it out again to play with Copada.  It worked well with one of the blank Zendala tiles.  I really debated on whether to use color or not, but I gave it a go with two Prismacolor water color pencils.  I still have a lot to learn with using color, but it sure is fun practicing.  Thanks, Margaret & Laura! 

Challenge 84: Blind-Sighted

Another interesting challenge from the DIVA this week....close your eyes and draw your string.  This is about letting go of control and making something pretty out of a strange blind string.  This one was a hard challenge for me because I like the illusion of control....hahaha.  I didn't want to over think it, or plan what to put where.  I just went with the flow and added one tangle at a time and was surprised with the result.  That's the true beauty of Zentangle!  Besides, I was out of town all week and I'm really late getting this one done and posted.  We enjoyed some time over on the western slope of Colorado, visiting wineries, orchards, and sightseeing.  A very restful week...aah much needed! 

New Class Schedule Posted

See the class schedule tab above for the Basic and Beyond the Basics classes posted for Sept 6th - Oct 6th.  Would love to have you join us for a class or maybe two!