Quality, not quantity?

I feel like I've done a lot of tangling this week, but don't have a lot to show you! Let's see.

My gratitude for Monday focused on some nice weather, and feeling particularly energetic and "comblée", a French word that beautifully expresses the "cup runneth over" feeling that I can't find an English word for right now! (I love how every language has words that can't be conveyed in other languages.) I spent a relaxing afternoon on a card for my daughter's birthday.

Lots of fun making my daughter's birthday card

Inspired by Susie Ng, I decided to try a transparent Zenbutton on an old demo tile. More fun ensued.

Somehow, my mood had changed by Wednesday, and I had to show gratitude for ups and downs.

I played around with some graphite, and Jody Genovese's new tangle, Twilight.

All week long, I've been getting ready for my first ATC swap, through our SparkPeople Zentangle team. The theme is "Summer".

Looks like I had more to show than I remembered! Another lesson for me to take the time to be mindful and grateful whenever I feel any lack or shortage in life. And to remember my motto: "I have what I need and I need what I have."

Wishing you a mindful, grateful week! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Focus?

I miss the Diva and the focus that her challenges gave my (our?) life. I understand and endorse her need to move on. I'm trying to find a focus for this week's blog post.

Let's see.

I have been tangling every day in my gratitude journal. This is a simple pleasure. Usually, my drawing surface ends up about Bijou size, and I usually have 3 sections, where I note 3 things that I'm grateful for every day. Usually, I use my comfort tangles, but more and more, I'm trying to integrate some new things as a way of working on my memory. (I never browse or look at step-outs for this journal.) This week, I was looking for something different, and used a random number generator. 49. Diva Challenge #49!  The Red Thread Challenge from guest blogger Cris Letourneau. If you haven't done this one, I highly recommend it! I integrated the IAST #254 into the drawing on the right.

One of the members of our SparkPeople Zentangle team launched an ATC challenge this week where the theme is summer. I recently bought some Zentangle ATCs to try. (I know. I'm probably the only person in our community who hasn't done these!) Since I've been drawn to dingbatz of late (see above!), this is my first attempt. (I accidentally picked up an 08, but really like the bold line.) 3 more to come.

I picked up my art journal again on one of those hot and humid afternoons where I hunkered down inside. My prompt was "mother", and I chose the Rumi quote "We are born of love. Love is our mother." Since my dad was an avid photographer, there was only one photo in the archives with him and my mom. And a guy in a bear costume.  Before I glued the photo down, I tried some "hidden journaling" in pencil. I like that effect.

I went back to another journal page that was incomplete and filled it in with some stamping, stenciling and tangling. Thank you, Michele Wynne, for the bleeding tissue paper tip. Great for covering up and filling in! There's a teabag in there, too. And an unhappy, beet-stained ATC dingbatz.

Looks a bit out of focus, doesn't it?

How are you finding a focus sans Diva? Do you prefer having a structured challenge or do you like to find your own challenge?

Thanks for sharing. Have an inspired week!

From this morning's walk, I wish that you may "abound in well-being and peace"!

Outside the tile

(This post is a long time coming. My internet has been  s l o w  as molasses, so much so that I couldn't get pictures to upload when I started this last week. And then there are power outages. Like the one that just happened!)

My tangles have taken me "outside the tile" this week. An old sheet that I scored at last weekend's estate sale called out to me! Memories of Maria's beautiful napkins danced before me, so I ripped up the soft sheet and started tangling with a brown Identa-Pen.

After the napkin, I ventured out into envelopes. I used a template from The Postman's Knock. Then I scanned my work and saved it, so that I can use it for more envelopes.

The grand finale of the library classes this summer was sponsored by the Durham MakerLab. Another "outside the tile" experience! We tangled and produced paper fidget toys. This was a challenging project, but the high school kids were up for it and did a great job. Folding card stock can be frustrating, so I scored the folds, which made a huge difference in how it all came together.  Due to privacy laws, I didn't get any pictures of the kids and their work, but here's a demo I made.

Thursday, I taught a "lunch and learn" in an engineering firm. Funny, we stayed "inside the tile"! We used Adele Bruno's string for this week, and some celestial tangles.

Have you tangled "outside the tile" recently?

Thanks for visiting! Have an inspiring week!

News from ...

I made it back after a busy and friend-filled week! My English friend and former colleague Sonia drove up from Atlanta for a visit. An amazing teacher and artist, she caught me up on all that's going on in her home town, but also England, Canada and Jamaica, where she recently spent time with her family. In between our marathon chats--we hadn't seen each other for 4 years!--we got together with other friends, from North Carolina, but also Mexico and France. And in between those reunions, we hit the Scrap Exchange, my favorite up-cycling place to find any "scrap" you can imagine, be it textile, paper, metal, glass, plastic or wood. Sonia sews beautifully, and snagged some gorgeous fabrics. I picked up some lace, a chalkboard, some chalk, a mosaic mirror....and of course, my favorite, rubber stamps. Yesterday, we went to an estate sale in my neighborhood. More foreign flair, as the owners were selling their treasured mementos of years in China, Indonesia, India, Thailand and then some. I managed to limit myself. After all, I just downsized 2 years ago, and really don't have space! Sonia found a camel blanket to hang on the wall, since camels in Atlanta stay pretty warm, and some more fabulous hand-woven fabrics. This was so much fun!
This morning, I finished a page in my art journal for the Martha Graham quote: "Age is the acceptance of a term of years, but maturity is the glory of the years." I wanted to splatter black gesso to give it an aged look. Ha! Now I understand why artists have studios ;)

Inspired by Zentangle Project Pack 03

Thank you, Ria Mattheusen, for the string art you shared on your blog recently. Here's my first try. We'll see what this turns into! I love the technique. The shape remind me of calla lilies, a favorite flower. 

And no post would be complete without a tea bag! This one is stitched onto some fabric:

Inspired by creationscee youtube tutorials

Thanks for your visit! Wishing you a multicultural week!

Café ou thé?

While I've been continuing my gratitude journal, I haven't done a lot this week. I spent a fun four days with my daughter, while her husband was working in the Netherlands. (We figured the last mother-daughter time we had was 21 years ago!) She spoiled me with a shopping trip, pool time, a special trip to her mother-in-law's magnificent garden and a wonderful Italian restaurant among other things. And, of course, there was time with my grand-dogs! Stella, the latest addition to the family, is a 10-month old pit bull rescue. She is about the most loving dog I've ever known! So much energy for cuddles and kisses! The only time I was able to get a good picture was when she came to do yoga with me, and fell asleep on the mat!

I especially love Mary Lou's shade gardens 

When I came back home on Thursday, I decided to pick up my art journal, which has not seen a lot of action of late. I grabbed a used tea bag and a used coffee filter, and after much hesitation, applied them to the page with some medium matte. The quote came from Robin Wright.

On Friday, I grabbed another tea bag. I took an old Bijou tile and put it inside, then applied matte medium.  (I recently discovered the "Before the Landfill--Crafty Recyclers" team on sparkpeople.com. Looking forward to discovering more things to recycle!)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a lovely week.

All tangled up!

I finished it!

Project Pack 03

This was a challenge! I struggled with the "tool" for drawing ribbons, with making the "fold" in the ribbons, with filling in the space. (I considered adding some background "ghost tangles" in pencil, but  decided to hold off.) It still seems like it's missing something to "tie" it all together, as I saw in Shelly Beauch's frame and background behind the ribbons. Adding color with water color pencils was lots of fun. Time will tell if I move on to the Renaissance project. Stay tuned!

This week in our Zentangle SparkPeople Team, we've been looking at Step 5 of the Zentangle Method...tangle! This is such a personal topic, since this is where your personality and creativity really shine through. The good news? There is a plethora of patterns to choose from. The bad news? There is a plethora of patterns to choose from! You really have to hone in on your desires and needs at this point. Remember steps 2 and 3, where you spent a few moments centering? What did you find?  Need to try something new? Need to focus on your mindfulness? Need to create comfort? Need to explore the familiar with new eyes? Once you've centered yourself, you may want to consider the following options:

• For something new, there is a myriad of sites for new tangles. The latest addition is tanglelist.com.
• For focus, try a monotangle, or duotangle, with one of the basics, like crescent moon or hollibaugh, and focus on synchronizing your breath and your strokes.
• For comfort, take a favorite, or mac n' cheese tangle. (To help with this, Maria suggests making a list of your 10-20 favorite tangles.)
• For a new perspective, take a familiar tangle and tangleate, using my "What if?" approach. (For example, with a grid tangle, what if you use it as a ribbon, or a fragment, or with wonky lines, or with embellishments, or as a checkerboard, or as a string?) The possibilities are endless!
• And if you just don't know what you need? Choose a random tangle from your list of favorites. If they're numbered, you might want to use a die or a "random number generator", which you can find on tanglepatterns.com.

These are just a few ideas. Tangle challenges are great, too. Although some of these are now defunct, the sites are still active, so you can easily access past challenges. (See the right side bar for a list.) Facebook has countless challenge groups, too.

How do you approach Step 5?

A quick note from the garden: no new stars this week, apart from the baby cardinals in a nest outside our window! No photo, as their mom has hidden them well! 

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be visiting my daughter next week, and a dear friend the following week. Hope to see you again soon!

Dots, border, string! And coffee, of course!

While I haven't finished my Project Pack 03 tiles, I have been exploring dots, borders and strings! In our Zentangle SparkPeople group, we focused on how we can use these simple steps of the Zentangle Method to enhance our mindfulness. For example, when I place the 4 corner dots, I always think of  a compass, and ask myself, "Where am I right now? Physically? Mentally? Emotionally?" This simple centering exercise continues when I draw my border and string. "What are my borders today? Who has drawn them? Am I comfortable jumping any of them? " (While I don't always use dots, borders and strings, I try to be conscious of where "I am" at that moment. If I feel like I really need to slow down and be more mindful, I take time to go through this process.) These steps are really important when working in my daily gratitude journal.

I continue to explore using "trash" for my Zentangle work. I recently posted a used tea bag that I put on a card for my sister. Here are two more pieces. 

Pre-strung Zendala traced onto a used coffee filter

Used tea bag with bird stamp and a bit of Cat-Kin, mounted on my handmade paper

I don't really know what I'm going to do with these! Feel free to leave me your suggestions!

My garden is getting a lot of my time and attention now that summer is here. Here are the latest blooms.

Canna

Cone flower with pollinator. See the pollen on her legs?

Crepe Myrtle

Butterfly bush

Black-eyed Susan

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you again soon. In the meantime, see the beauty around you.

Explorations and Gratitude

What a week. I've felt so discombobulated at times, so confused. Trying to stay on course--a course of mindfulness and intention--has not been easy. Gratitude focuses my racing thoughts and gives me a reason to draw. I'm grateful for my gratitude journal and the gratitude strings. The process--taking time to be mindful of 3 things I'm grateful for every day--rather than the drawings themselves is what I appreciate.
This week I've been working on the latest Project Pack from Zentangle. Although I'm happy with my progress, and have almost finished the tangling, I still have a ways to go with painting and shading.  I'm looking forward to posting the 9-tile mosaic. Maybe next week????
Prior to starting the Project Pack, I had been exploring drawing on used teabags. Here in North Carolina, we have traditionally sought refreshment from the hot, humid summers in iced tea. Even though I'm a native, I've never drunk a lot of iced tea until this summer. Inspired by some tea bag art seen on Pinterest, I decided to take my Lipton's cold brew family size tea bags and see what I could do. I made this 5 x 7 inch card for my sister. Yesterday, I prepared some used coffee filters. To be continued...

With the intense heat that has finally hit us, I've been spending time in the garden protecting and watering the plants and even harvesting some green beans, Swiss chard, mint and basil. Here are the stars of the week:

Rose of Sharon

Gardenia

Cone flowers, a pollinator favorite!

Thanks for your visit! Have a mindful week.

Gratitude String

Zentangle. A method to mindfulness. A style of process-oriented art. A community. This is what comes to mind when I ask myself, "What is Zentangle?"
This week, I began leading a group called "Zentangle SparkPeople". SparkPeople.com is a free website that exists to help users with fitness and weight loss. During January 2012, there were 10 million visitors to the website. I've been on since 2007, when I started using it to track my exercise, get support from folks who suffered from IBS, depression and asthma. Some time ago, I joined a Zentangle group, which had gone inactive until I became the group co-leader last weekend. Learning the ropes, I've been trying to "visit" different members--a phenomenal bunch!-- and get a feel for their needs.
We are reviewing the 8 steps of the Zentangle Method. Quick! Without peeking, what are they? (If you had to peek, it's okay. But ask yourself, "Am I rushing my tangling, just to get to the finished product?")  Here are the 2 sides of the bookmark I made for my beginning students.  (Feel free to use these.)

Step one: Gratitude (and appreciation). Since our team goal is to "tangle with gratitude for 3 blessings every day", I've tried to think of what that might look like. Here are my thoughts:

• Use a string that divides your tile into 3 sections. Inside each section, in pencil, write a blessing. As you tangle in each section in ink, focus on your gratitude.
• Make a journal for your gratitude tiles. Cut an 8 x 4 in. cover and fill it with 10 sheets that are 3.5 x 7 1/4 inches.
• Appreciate your tools, be they paper and pen or twigs and petals. Appreciate the people who have made this possible, the time, the space, the ability. Some people take a minute to give thanks for the food they are about to eat. Why not give thanks for what we are about to experience and create?
• Divide your tile into 4 sections. The empty space is for the unexpected blessing.

There is so much to be grateful for, isn't there? But it can be so hard to stop, to step away from our crazy lives and breathe with gratitude.  For me, practicing gratitude is now like brushing my teeth. It's an important part of my mental hygiene!

How do you practice gratitude? Are you partaking in the full benefits of the Zentangle Method?

Thanks for visiting with me. I wish you a gratitude-filled week!

Drawing with your non-dominant hand

My right hand is recovering from a procedure I had done this week. (Nothing serious.) I miss drawing! This morning, I decided to draw with my left, non-dominant, hand. I'm sharing this post because this was a powerful Zen experience that made me slow down and accept my situation with gratitude and appreciation.

Thanks for your visit! Have a relaxing week.

Diva Challenge #365: Puf

Is it anticlimactic to celebrate post #201? In all my gardening frenzy, I totally forgot to mark my 200th post last week!
Puf, the tangle of the week, was one of my first, and my favorite tangles. I teach it a lot, but just call it Bales with a continuous line inner aura. (Puf would be easier for folks to remember, wouldn't it?!) I find continuous line auras  s o o o  relaxing. Since this week has been  s o o o  stressful, I enjoyed it on three different occasions: first in my 3.5 inch handmade journal and then in my art journal.

"We have 2 ears and 1 mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak." --Epictetus

Another journal page, sans Puf

"To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, today is big with blessings." --Mary Baker Eddy

After all the rain we've had, the stars of the garden this week are mostly mushrooms!

Thanks for your visit. I apologize for not getting around to see your work lately. Screen time and sitting are difficult right now. I hope to get back out and around the cybersphere soon!

Diva Challenge #364: Remake of a Classic

This week's challenge, to remake a classic, didn't really catch my fancy at first. I just didn't feel like going back through my old tiles. (Or maybe the problem was finding them! I have a stack on my desk, a mobile in my entry, a bulletin board in my closet, two albums on my shelves and "streamers" in my office.) I decided to take my demo tile from last Sunday's aura class and remake it instead.

My "streamers"

Tile #1

My remake (L) and the class tile (R)

Looking back at the challenge today, I decided I really did need to go back in time a little further than last week. I found the tile I drew in my first class with a CZT, in February 2015.  I've drawn this "tile #1" composition dozens of times now for intro classes, and enjoyed exploring other possibilities. I'm looking forward to sharing it with future students.

Spending more time in the garden has been great, but I haven't been tangling as much. I decided to follow a Kitchen Table Tangle video I had missed, with "Articulated Molygon".

First try

And an entry in my art journal

""One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."

--Shakespeare

When I wasn't drawing fantastic crawlers, I was in the dirt, pulling weeds after the generous rain. Here are the stars of the garden this week.

Aura

Japanese spirea, with a visitor

Thanks for checking in! Hope you have a beauty-filled week.

More auras for Laura!

This weekend, I'm teaching a continuing class on auras. (Pretty timely, as this week's challenge was to use auras.) This is an aura sampler I made for a demo tile. It shows the many ways to aura that I could recall. Can you think of any more? If so, leave me a comment and I'll add it to my list!!