Monday, September 30, 2013

End of a Long Week

    Yes indeed!  It has been a very long week.  With lots of fun, "extra"  things going on at school, the natives kids were restless.  Then at the end of the week my schedule needed to be changed again.  I don't mind too horribly, except I won't be working as much with second or third grades and they are my favorite grades to be in.  But the new schedule once  they got it all worked out looks pretty good and maybe this will hold for a while.  I hope so.  I also hope to soon find some routine in my planning.  Today I planned from 10:30, when I got up, until 5:30 this afternoon.  True, I do enjoy planning, but hey, not quite that much!
     Template 75 from Bright Owl is a fantastic one!  I absolutely love it.  And with the rough week, I needed some quiet tangling time.  So I got all three sizes done.  The first two I really like, but number three . . . .well, I think it is too busy for my taste.  Here they all are though.





      I have some really cute tiny paper bags, so I knew immediately what I wanted my inchie for Every Inchie Monday to be.  I cut one even smaller and then filled it with "groceries".  It is rather simple, but I like it.

      I finished my fox for the facebook group, Ornation Creations.  I love the templates posted each week.  It takes me a long time to get one done.  I now have a squirrel and an elephant to do.  Anyway, here is Mr. Fox.

     I hope you all have wonderful week.  I plan on it!  I am going to get this new schedule going and hopefully get some plans done throughout the week so I can have a full weekend.   Thanks for dropping by and thanks for any sunshine you leave me.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Challenge #137

     This past week Diva asked us to use two tangles - knightbridge and tipple.  I love tipple and use it a lot.  Knightbridge is not one I use with much regularity.  So it was a challenge to put the two in one tile and be happy with it.
     It has been a challenging week.  Lots going on at school and I am glad for the quiet hours of the week end.  Hope your week is going great!  Thanks for dropping by!

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Time and Space

     Lots of goodies to share this post!  School is going great.  I absolutely love this new position.  It is more exciting and fun that I even dared hope for.  I can't think of one thing I would change - amazing!  I have had time to do some tangling in the afternoons when I get home and that helps me unwind.
      Every Inchie Monday's word for this week was "gate".  My first thought was the white gate that goes with a picket fence.  I had a great vision in my mind, but you know me, I love to be different!  So what about a Stargate (from a couple of my favorite old TV shows - Stargate and 'Startgate Atlantis?  "Engage, chevron" the journey begins . . . .
Stargate - SG1
      Is it really Dare #74 from the Bright Owl?  Seems like they just begun.  I love the templates and the challenges they provide.  I like my go at it, but admittedly it is not my favorite.  Maybe this weekend I can try another one.
Dare 74
      I have been busy working on several other goodies.  I finished the Prairie Warbler template for the Ornate Animal Zentangle group (Facebook) and my first set of ATCs for a "black with accent" swap beginning November 1st.  I was wondering what to do for strings on my ATCs - problem solved!  I took old templates that I hadn't gotten around to tangling and cut them in to ATC cards.  The templates provided the strings.  I love this idea and it got rid of several of my old printed templates I had stored away to tangle on "one day". 
Prairie Warbler
Black with Accents swap
     Thanks for dropping by!  I appreciate any sunshine you can leave me.  Have a great week!

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Challenge # 136

     For our Monday Diva challenge we were asked to use some color.  I enjoy using color every now and then, but mostly I am taken in by the simple beauty black and white provide.  I guess it depends on my mood.  Sometimes lots of color, sometimes not.  This tile really appealed to me in black and white and then I colored it and it lost its appeal to me.  Initially I thought about a watercolor wash background for my color and I wish I had gone with something less . . . colored in.
     The colors are a bit brighter in person than on the scan.  It really is a rather nice shade of blue and light green.  What happened, I do not know.  Anyway, have a great week and thanks for dropping by.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Dare #73 and Every Inchie Monday

     This morning I had early morning duty at school.  This means I am standing at the back entrance where parents drop off their children and greeting.  The air had a fall crispness.  I love this time of year.  Then as the sky began to get light (yes, I am pretty much out there in the dark) I heard the sound of geese honking.  Overhead flew a beautifully formed V.  Their sound and their flight . . . it was so grand.  I felt all inspired and uplifted.  My day held promise.  I only wish I had had the camera.
     I finished only one template this weekend, but I love Bright Owl's template this week so much I may do the others when I have time.  I just knew I better get posted.  My time is at least partially consumed with school things now.
       For Every Inchie Monday the word was road.  I had to revisit my favorite road of course - the yellow brick road.  I am a huge fan of the Wizard of Oz.  I got to see the new movie this summer and absolutely loved it. 
      I hope everyone has a wonderful week.  Thank you for dropping by.  See you!

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Better Late . . .

     than never.  Right?  I had great hopes of posting the Diva's challenge much sooner, but every time I sat down to work on it something got in my way.  I finally finished it today and thought I had better post it now or time would be up.  I also put the finishing touches on the rabbit I have been doing for the Facebook group.   Now on to other projects.  It seems as though I never have enough time to play with all the things and drawings I want to.  Ah well.
  Thanks for dropping by and leaving me some sunshine.  See you soon!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Thick and Thin, Tiny and Large

     Dare #72 was a lot of fun!  Bright Owl asked us to do her wonderful template using a size pen we don't normally use.  The micron 01 is the standard "go-to" pen for tangling - at least mine.  So for the template I used a very small 005 on one and the large 08 for one.  My only problem was that my 08 is running a bit low on ink.  Got to order another one.
Thin
Thick

Every Inchie Monday

     Now for the "tiny" part of the title.  The word for this week was car.  I love doing these inchies.  They can really challenge the brain.  First I have to try to come up with a unique idea, which I really didn't do this week.  Then I have to fit any idea I have onto a one inch square.  Yep, a challenge!  Fortunately I have a huge stash of scrapbooking papers, stamps, etc. so I have lots of stuff to use if needed.

Autumn ATC swap

     For absolutely ages I have been wanting to get involved with an ATC swap.  Several years back I bought a book on ATCs and have been hooked.  I love the small size of one piece of art - a lot the reason I fell in love with tangling, the size of the tiles.  I just didn't know how to get into a swap.  Finally I lucked onto one.  It is a Facebook group.  So now I am into an ATC swap of fall-inspired tangled cards.  Here is the selection I have ready to mail.
      I took two large pieces of watercolor paper and randomly painted fall colors onto it.  When it dried I used two leaf stamps I have and stamped over the paper, then I cut it into ATC size cards.  After that, I just tangled away.  So much fun.  But as much fun as I had making them, I can't wait to start getting them in the mail from others. 
     Now onto some lesson plans.  This is the first time I have planned for my new schedule, so I better get started.  Have a great week and thanks for dropping by. 

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Challenge #134

    The first challenge of the month over at Diva's is a "use my tangle".  This week we had to use the tangle, beamz.  I remembered putting this tangle in my notebook, but never really used it.  It's a pretty versatile tangle that I am glad I have rediscovered.

     I did these other two ATC cards when I had a few extra minutes one evening.  It's hard to tell but the blue paper had a really nice pattern on it.

     Well, it's back to working on the autumn ATC card swap.  I am having so much fun getting these cards together, and I know I will have fun receiving some beautiful art work. Hope your week is going great. Still no schedule or classes for me, but I am hopeful for classes next week.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Back in Action

     School has officially started.  Well, it officially started about a week ago, but the children are now in the building.  I love seeing all my old friends and marvel at how they have grown over the summer.  Because of my new position as an eip reading teacher, I haven't had a classroom full of children yet and that feels really strange.  That is probably the only thing I am not totally loving about the job.  I have spent the last week or so testing to qualify kids.  Not my favorite thing in the world to do.  Beginning tomorrow - fingers crossed - I will see my groups for the first time.  I hope.  While I am still working my brain around how to plan for the groups, I am very anxious to get started.
     I wanted the inchie to be different.  The word for Every Inchie Monday was night watchman.  I decided to go with nature's night watchman, the owl. 
      From inchies to dares.  I like the look of Bright Owl's template this past week-end, but I had a terrible time making it work for me.  The predetermined shapes of flowers and hearts kept interfering with my thoughts.  For the first one, I decided to just get rid of the hearts altogether and tipple right over them.  I like them both, but I like the one without the obvious hearts the best.
     I found some interesting groups on Facebook dedicated to tangling.  Yes, I know I am way behind the times and all of you knew about these wonderful tangle groups.  But at least I am here now.  The following template comes from a group called Ornate Animal Illustrations.  This is the first template.  There is also another one - a dragonfly, but I haven't gotten him done yet.  I also found a tangled ATC swap and joined it.  I have been wanting to do this for ages, but haven't known how or what to do to get started.   The moderator of the site has been very nice and helpful and I am in.  The theme of the swap is Autumn ATCs.  So look out, you will get to see a lot of the here.
Flycatcher
    This last piece is because - just because.  No dare or challenge or anything of the sort.  It is just because it is Labor Day Weekend and I have the time, lol! 
     Hope your day (and your week) is going great.  Thanks for dropping by and paying me a visit.  I love your comments and maybe I will have a few spare minutes to do some commenting myself this week-end.  Now it is time to dash over to the Diva's challenge and see what she has cooking.