Zendala Dare #3

     I really look forward to this "dare".  I love the templates Erin provides and this week is no exception.  My first thought, when I saw it, was crisp, golden french fries from McDonalds.  Okay, I know I haven't had a french fry in over 6 years (they don't agree with my blood sugar), but it was my first thought nevertheless.  After drooling a bit, I settled in to less food oriented thoughts.  I made one copy straight up just to fill in.  Then I made another to modify a bit with the pencil transfer method she suggested.  I didn't really want a "theme" - I just got finished with the Diva's Earth Day challenge.  The only thing I was certain of was that on the pencil one, fengle had to be in the center.  Beyond that, I just had fun playing. 

 I can't wait to see the other posts.  I get such great ideas from looking.  Now, do I do one with bright red "cups" and golden fries poking out, maybe the center could be a cheese burger, onion rings around the outside . . . oops, there I go again.  Have a great weekend.  I think I will go and find some broccoli.

Earth Day (Challenge #67)

  I love the theme of this challenge!  I love organic and earthy tangles and colors.  I had just finished a favorite piece of mine for Erin Olsen's Zendala Dare that I had named La Mer (the sea).  So I decided when Diva gave us this challenge to do the "sister" tile.  I used the same template and began my search for tangles to use.  I think verdigogh looks like pine, so that was a given.  Then I went to one of my favorites - betweed.  I use that tangle a lot.  It just really appeals to me.  It also can look like a pine cone in my opinion. 

La Terre

  After that I did my routine sit and look thing.  I just couldn't decide what to use.  I said I love organic tangles, however usually I find myself using more graphic ones.  I found bauer in Totally Tangled by Sandy Bartholomew.  A little bit of pokeroot and some keeko for good measure and I feel it is complete.  Now I can't decide whether I should add more color.  I have a tiny bit of sepia, but those berries just seem to be shouting "color me red!"  What do you think?
     Check out my post - Zendala Dare #2 - to see La Terre's sister.  My brother seems to think I need two more - I have done earth and water.  He thinks to complete the group I need fire and air.  I just don't know what tangles they bring to mind.   Yet.
     Hope your week has been a great one!  Thanks for dropping by and visiting!

Zendala Dare #2

      As I mentioned, I love zendalas.  They are so relaxing to do and can be as simple or as intricate as you are in the mood to produce.  For the challenge, I found both simple and intricate to be a place I wanted to be.  I do tiles and zendalas I like, but every now and then, there is one I just really fall in love with.  One that I could sit and look at for a long time.  More often, I have that feeling when looking art work from someone else.  This first zendala has that sort of feeling for me.  I just wish I had taken the time to do it on the large size.  This summer I may have to redo it larger.
     I sat and stared at the template (so wonderfully provided by the Bright Owl) and felt a "wave" of ideas come over me.  The center had to have golven (waves) - a tangle I have fallen in love with since a previous Diva's challenge.  So sticking with the water theme, I added another new love (again thanks to a Diva challenge) - sanibelle.  I went tangle-shopping through one of my favorite resources, Yoga for the Brain by Sandy Steen Bartholomew and found ammon.  Add a few pearls, some betweed fish, and a starfish - my mental ocean voyage is complete.

La Mer

     I wasn't ready to stop playing with this template, but I did decide to simplify.  I love paradox and find myself playing with it a lot.  Some drupe for the center, tiny bits of crescent moon and now . . . what on earth to use for the outside?  I sat and sat with no inspiration.  I just couldn't think of what might look "right".  Back to flipping through my zentangle library and again to Yoga for the Brain.  Can you tell I love this book?  The tangle "cootie"  caught my eye.  Simple, but elegant.  So at last it was complete.  I like this tile, but it doesn't speak to my brain the way the first one does. 

    I love the thinking process The Bright Owl and Diva's Challenge provide me.  If you haven't checked out either of these, please do.  Even if you are not interested in trying your hand at tangle art (and why not?), you will love the wonderful art you can view of others. 
     Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will take the time to leave me a comment - they are so much fun to read!!  Have a great day!!

Zendala Dare #1

Whew!  I hope this makes it in time.  I love the thought of doing a zendala each week and love even better that someone else works out the geometry of it all. 

Challenge #66

I didn't realize how much I missed this (our challenges)  until it wasn't there last week!  These challenges are so much fun.  Last week, our Diva's little boy was a very sick young man.  I hope he is a lot better this week.  He has been  in my and my family's thoughts and prayers. 

This has been an "adventurous" week at school.  Don't really know why, but everyone is so restless.  Or is it me?  Maybe I got too interested in being home over spring break . . . Yup, bet that's it.

This week's challenge is to use an aura.  I use them occasionally in my tangles but I really tried to overdo it this time.  I also tried to choose tangles that would work good with an aura. 

I also have been playing with zendalas and thought I would include a few.  None of them really have auras, but I wanted to share them.  By the way if you want another challenge try out the zendala dare!  It is on the Bright Owl.  I have never tried adding a link before so I really hope this is going to work - someone try it and let me know.  :)  And here's another one . . .

Betweed Vacations

Happy Easter!

   I hope everyone has had a happy Easter.  I surely have.  What a wonderful spring break it has been - great weather.  I have really enjoyed being able to get outside with Lakota, sleep late, and tangle whenever I wanted.  Now back to reality tomorrow. 
  I have been having a blast with my tangle organizer by Genevieve Crabe.  I had been looking for an organized way to store the ideas I have gathered, so when it came on Wednesday I was super excited.  I have been transferring all the patterns I have gathered into this jewel of a book.  I love the organization it gives me.  Also by going back and looking at tangles as I transfer them, I am getting so many ideas I want to try.  I wish I knew how to do a link ( I will someday, I promise) so if you are interested go to www.amarylliscreations.com and check out this great resource.  There are four styles and a neat weekly planner.  I chose type 4.  It seemed to be more what I needed, but they are all nice.

I haven't just been organizing - I also have been tangling.  The one above I just wanted to play with some of my favorites.  Sort of looks like a squid tangled all around that.

Sticking with my ocean feel, I used tangles that have something to do with water things (in a loose sort of way).  I call this one "Nautical" in my mind.
      Hope you have a wonderful week and thanks for dropping by.  I can't wait to see Diva's challenge tomorrow morning, even if I know that with being back in school I won't get my work posted as quickly.  Ah well.     


  

Challenge #65

     Ahhh . . .  spring break and a "young" girl's heart turns to . . . okay, not love.  It turns to sleeping late, tangling my heart out, scrapbooking, plugging into the computer to play Sims3 and playing either fetch or football with Lakota.  The weather is perfect (so far) and I am feeling so relaxed. 
     Monday morning, I got to dash to the computer and check out the Diva's challenge #65. I knew it would be a UMT (use my tangle).  What would it be?  I had been playing with lots of the choices on her site - just to get ready.  I had my fingers crossed for some of them to "win".  But fate was not kind.  Diva's random number generator came up with JJ LaBarbera's Huggy Bear tangle.  Uh oh.  It isn't that I don't like that tangle, it's that it doesn't like me.  Really, I tried it.  It looks really great - when someone else does it.  Just not me.  But I had made up my mind not to miss a challenge, and I had all of spring break if I had to, so here we go!

    I took off with no plan in mind - not totally new to me.  I wanted one huge Huggy Bear and other "stuff" around it.  It turned out okay.  Not bad, but not really special.  I could quit.  I could move on to other tangles I really connected with.  But it was spring break and I have all this glorious time.  So here we go again . . .
     I  decided for round 2 to play with some variations of the tangle.  Maybe that would help.  I really got into the quiet mood with the second one.  When I sat back and looked at it, I knew I had gotten it.  While not "perfect", this tile really appeals to me.  I just may find myself looking at Huggy Bear with a new respect.  I love these challenges and the growth it makes me go through.  Also, I learn SO much from looking at the other entries. 

 

     I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and thank you for visiting my site.  I also appreciate all the comments you leave - just another phase of growing!!

Better go now - my football partner is waiting!!