Saturday, March 31, 2012

Diva's Challenge - String Theory VIII - "Fortuneteller"

In preparation for a "white on black" Zentangle class I have coming up, I decided to use this week's Diva Challenge (see link button at right) to experiment with different patterns on the black tiles. It didn't take me long to know my fortune...I see LOTS more practice for my class in my future!




Monday, March 26, 2012

Sometimes you just gotta tangle!

On my break at work this morning, I decided to take a quick peek at this week's Diva Challenge (see button at the right).  It looked like a fun challenge (are they ever not fun?) so I grabbed my purse to pull out my little Zentangle "travel kit."  I reached in and...oh, no!  I forgot to put it in my purse today! I desparately looked around my desk for something to tangle on when my eyes fell on a pad of Post-It notes.  Why not? They're square and almost the right size.  Just a few minutes later, with the help of a fine point rollerball pen, I had my fix; I could return to work relaxed and happy knowing that I had accomplished at least one thing at work this morning.
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Saturday, March 24, 2012

"Fengle" Tangles - Challenge #63

I can always count on the Diva to get my behind in gear to work on and work out a new tangle pattern.  She came through again with this week's Diva Challenge (see link at the right).  Our Challenge is to use "Fengle."  Even though Rick and Maria gave us this new pattern before Christmas, I had not really tried it.  I can see that this opens up all sorts of possibilities for "tangle-ations" and expect to have lots of fun Fengle-ing!




My first try was a 6" x 6" ZIA just to get the hang of it.  I really prefer the second one (which is an "official Zentangle" on the white tile) that just came out in about 15 minutes.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Carole's Coaster - a little late

About a year ago, a group of us gathered at Oakwood Retreat Center in Selma, IN, just outside of Muncie, for the Float Fest Retreat, organized by Carole Ohl with classes taught by Carole and my sister, Peg Farmer.  I knew about Zentangle from Peg (thanks, big sis!), had played around with it a little, but had never had a class or any kind formal introduction to it.  That long weekend really made a change in my life - I met some new friends, learned lots of new tangles, and most of all, finally "got" what Zentangle is about; I was hooked. I had always admired (coveted?) Carole's tangles and techniques and there I was, learning them from her - shading and negative space and combining patterns (and how to start a zendala without math!)  I'm not doing this to embarrass Carole, just to thank her.

As is typical for me, I started this ZIA in February in honor of Carole's birthday with all good intentions of posting it for her on the 20th and...well....I just finished it today. I used one of my favorite Carole tangles, Coaster, with a little Paradox thrown in.  Happy birthday a little late, Carole. You really are an inspiration for so many of us!
See some of Carole's work at www.OpenSeedArts.blogspot.com.



Friday, March 16, 2012

The Diva's Challenge #62 - Spirals vs. Paradox

This week's Diva Challenge (see button to the right) is from the creative mind of guest Challenger, Marizaan van Beek, from South Africa.  Our challenge is to use both spirals and Paradox by using a spiral string filled in with favorite tangle Paradox.  This one has been WAY fun for me!


Thursday, March 8, 2012

Diva Challenge #61 UMT (Use My Tangle)

I had such a good time with last week's DuoTangle Challenge that I found myself solving this week's challenge using only 2 tangle patterns again. Mariet's "wavey" pattern called Golven (Dutch for waves) paired beautifully with my latest favorite pattern, Hi-Cs, from Anita Roby-Lavery. Mike says it looks like just one corner of a larger piece - maybe that's because I just finished an ensemble set I've been working on. Whatever the reason, I really enjoyed doing this week's challenge - thanks, Laura, Mariet, and Anita!

Saturday, March 3, 2012

The Diva's Challenge #60

Wow! Challenge #60 - how time flies....all good intentions....starting over again....blah, blah, blah...
Yes, I've beat myself up about this blog long enough.  Today I'm posting this week's Diva Challenge which uses a favorite pattern, Munchin, and a not-so-favorite, Cirquital.  Thank you, Laura, for always giving me a weekly topic that I can count on!