The Week in Review

I hope my title won't scare you away, but this week was special. I contemplated keeping it private, but you are my Zentangle family, so I thought I'd share. That's just what we do, isn't it?!
On Tuesday, my only child, Gabrielle, married her soulmate, Drew. (Pictures will follow in a later post!) They chose a simple, very private ceremony, so that it would truly be their day. (I heartily approved, since Lar and I had done the same for our wedding day.) They will have a family celebration later this year, after Gabrielle finishes her degree in web development. (She is also busy starting her own company right now!)
Lar and I had lunch with the happy couple on Monday. I offered them a sentimental gift: a piece of stained glass that my dad had given my mom, with the inscription "Je t'aime plus qu'hier et moins que demain." ("I love you more than yesterday and less than tomorrow.") This had captivated my attention as a child every time the sun shone through it. So I took it off my window sill and wrapped it up. I wanted to give something that was part of Lar's and my wedding, so I took a button from my antique wedding dress, sewed it on a Bijou tile I had done, and slipped it into the wrapping.

On Tuesday, I was afloat somewhere in the clouds. Don't ask me what I did, other than check my phone for pictures!

Yesterday, I finally landed and decided to look at the challenges. Joey used a Roman numeral IV for the string, and suggested we use "4" tangles. The Diva requested green, in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Hmm. Challenging! I decided to combine them, and that's probably where my struggles began! Add to that the fact that I've had a hankering to use color on Renaissance tiles, after trying a blue one on Sunday.

Thus it began. Roman numeral IV, green and a Renaissance tile. I haven't used any gems for a while, so I fit in two triangular ones. I wanted some kind of metallic pattern, so I thought about the crystalline triangles of Phroz and added Fassett, then Tripoli. Then I realized I hadn't included Joey's "4" tangles! 4Mom became an edge of Phroz. Yikes. I started feeling lost, so I added some layered ink auras and white ink Tripoli. It still felt so disjunct as a whole, so I added a white aura to try to pull it all together. Still not happy, I went for the zenstone and my emery board. This morning, I was about to scan it and decided to add a third round stone, then soften it with more zenstone. Then, basta! Not "Eureka!" Just, "Basta!"

If anyone knows where I can study composition, please advise!

Perhaps the beauty of this tile for me is not in the final result, but in the adventure of trying new things on a Renaissance tile. As I worked, I noticed the really soft, fuzzy feel of the tile. I wish we had a Feel the Fuzzy app so I could share!

Thanks so much for visiting, and indulging me in this lengthy post! Have a wonderful week! And Happy Saint Patrick's Day!