Diva Challenge #317 Picture as String

Wow! Time flies. It has been seven months since I have posted here. I have been busy and hope to share some new things with you. This year I am excited about exploring book making, Gelli printing and journaling with mixed media.

But first we will start with Diva's 317th Challenge of "picture as a string." I saw my first blue bird while down in Virginia where I was helping my sister out after she fell and broke her arm. She is well, on the mend now and I am just recently home so this tile will be a good reminder of where I was when I first spotted this lovely bird.

Eastern Blue Bird, Diva Dance, Antidots, Mooka, and Bubbles

Weekly Challenge #204 "Valentangle"

Well it is February and we are snowed under. Here in Boston we have had record amounts of snow for the year with more to come. Valentines day should be a bright spot in all this cold and confusion, but I have never bought into this holiday. My husband, thinking he is being cute says, "every day is valentines day!" We also know this is not true. I do like the idea of brightening things up with a touch of red. My red pen hardly gets much use so it was juicy with ink and a pleasure to draw with.

I did find it intriguing that the Diva used a tan Zendala tile and with the use of red made it look very pretty so I got stuck on that idea. My first tile I did on a 3.5" square tan tile and the only thing I really liked about it was how the red hearts with the highlights looked so striking.

Flux, Bumper, Rain, Dragonair, Bleeding hearts, Scribble hearts

Since I have many tan Zendala tiles and almost never use them (because I really don't know how to start), I visited my favorite artists blog  Enthusiasticartist.blogspot.com and got some inspiration from her on a post about spirals. This tile took me what seemed to be forever to finish with all its detail and Zendala space, but it was fun to do and I really like the results, hearts and all.

Mooka (sort of),  Marasu, Diva Dance Scrible hearts, red pearlz

Thank you, Margaret for letting me take your "style" out for a spin. It was a wonderful ride!

Challenge #184: ING by Molly Hollibaugh

I have been away from challenges for a couple weeks so it is nice to be back. This is the first time I have used ING and I can already see how flexible a tangle it can be. I started this tile one day and finished it over the next two. I was not liking this tile at first but, with persistence and refusing to acknowledge the little voice in my head that said "throw it out" over and over, I am submitting a tile that I think works.

Ing, Mooka, Flux, Printemps

Weekly Challenge #180: MacDee

The tangle for this week is by Anneke Van Dam and looks like classic Scottish, checkered fabric. You can she her step outs HERE.

As my father is Scottish on his dad's side, his last name being Buchanan, we have a Tartan as all Scottish Clans do. I thought I might try to incorporate some colors in this tangle but, as I am a color phobic and it looked a bit difficult to pull off I decided against it!
                           


            What I did come up with is adding a MacDee background to an existing Bijou tile:

                                                                 

And then a second one I tried intertwining the leaves and Mooka in the fabric:

I think there is a bit too much white space for me so I may go back to the drawing board, so to speak, and try this one again.

Weekly Challenge #176: "B.Y.O.B"

I really like to use stains on tiles. Maria has been doing it for some time using tea or wine for shading. Amy Broady CZT challenges us this week to "Bring Your Own Beverage" to stain a tile or tangle with the beverage of choice, or simply sit in a beverage house and create a tile. I used many different staining mediums but settled on this tile that was stained with coffee and turmeric.

Mooka in black micron, Verve in blue micron

Tomorrow would have been my son's 28th birthday and of course, he has been heavy on my mind. His ashes were set free off the coast of Maine "so he could travel the world." I always feel that he is around us in Maine especially but, we are also surrounded by water in Boston too. I didn't see this while tangling but upon reflection I see the three of us, myself, my husband and my son, Dylan in the Mookas, surrounded by the swirling ocean (Verve) that is Austin and then by the shining world. Somethings just come out on their own without a conscious thought.

Weekly Challenge #162: "String Theory - Initial String"

I have not been in the "Zen" lately but, I finally managed to complete the challenge this week to use your initials as a string. I did two drawings, neither of which I like but, both of which I learned from. So all in all not a bad week. This is the string I started with:

This is the tangle I do not like:

Bunzo, Vega, Black Pearlz

This is my second try which, again I am not fully inthralled with:

Printemps, Enyshou, Scrolled Feather, Fescu, Mooka

Thank goodness Tangle U is just around the corner to give me some inspiration.

Weekly Challenge #150 Word for the year

I posted my word for the year already but, now I am challenged to draw my intention. My word is Forgive and as my niece said "that is a big and complicated word." I would have to agree. I know I need to forgive myself and others too but, I am still unsure how to go about it. It seems so difficult.

Recently a friend posted on facebook this quote which made me see things a little clearer.

"Watch out for each other. Love everyone and forgive everyone, including yourself. Forgive your anger. Forgive your guilt. Your shame. Your sadness. Embrace and open up your love, your joy, your truth, and most especially your heart." ― Jim Henson

Ahhhh........doesn't that feel good! Leave it to Jim Henson to make me understand what it is I am searching for. So I will start with forgiving myself since that seems to be the hardest. I am right here, right now, so let the forgiveness and healing begin.

black and brown microns, white charcoal, prisma color pencil,renaissance tile

Mooka, Printemps,Pokeleaf

Challenge #115  Earth Day

So many Organic tangles, I don't have room to fit them all in.  Be kind to one another and to our Mother Earth.

Oakie, bumper, cruffle, zinger, frondous, verdigogh, mooka, fescu, cat-kin, ahh, co2, raindotty, chainlea.

More Mooka!

I just could not stop.  One more mooka.

                                    

Weekly Challenge #111: "More-Mooka-Madness Monotangle-Mania" 


That's a mouthful!  It just goes along with the weekend I just came off of.  I spent my weekend in Northampton MA at Tangle U!  Hopefully the first of many.  The group was a manageable a size and I was able to connect with most of the attendees which adds to the fun and friends on facebook!  There were many wonderful courses from color to mandala strings to meditation.  All fabulous and extremely informative.

Mooka is such a fast tangle it was easy to complete two.  I found that meditatively breathing before each tile slowed me down, relaxed my hand and helped me find my strokes more smoothly.  I thank Meredith L. Yuhas, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Zentangle Teacher, for the wonderful reminder to meditate and the exercises she guided us through this weekend.

Get Out'a Town

Early Thursday morning I dognapped my husbands dog and drove north just as the first snow flakes were falling from the sky.  This is not always a wise thing to do because usually, what Boston gets Maine will get too and visa versa.  This time I was fortunate and today we have only a dusting of snow, power, sunshine and mild temps (44ºF).

With a quiet house and a very tired and sore dog, he gets his run of the woods and is gone for hours at a time, I whiled away the morning tangling. My mind wonders occasionally to my husband who has to navigate his way through the slippery conditions to work and back, but I must say it has been a beautiful morning for me and his dog.

Auraknot, Bunzo, Mooka, BTL Joos, Marasu

Black, White and Gray Valentine

Mooka, Henna Drum, Inapod, String 039 by Jo Fletcher,