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.....