Day 29 String Challenge

    Adele Bruno's string challenge is so much fun.  The next few weeks we are going to be using "heart" tangles.  This one was begging for some color but I just felt more traditional tonight.  Maybe next week.

      Have a blessed day!

Day 28 - Diva's Challenge

    Day 28 and here is a duo tangle for the Diva's challenge.  The two tangles are chebucto and copada.  Both are tangles I don't use very much so this really was a challenge.

     Got to hurry tonight since I have some other work (yuck) to do.  Have a blessed day!  See you tomorrow!

Day 27

     It has been almost a month of challenges - and a month of posts!  Wow!  It is amazing I have kept the pace, but I love it.  Next month though I may post a week's worth at a time. Maybe. 
     Today's post is special to me.  This was the first meeting of my new art club.  It meets after school and we just do tangles.  The students are all 3rd, 4th and 5th graders.  I never really know what the club will be like - talent or behavior.  But today's group seemed like the perfect mix.  They were so delightful to spend my afternoon with.  I wish I could post pictures of their precious faces as they concentrated on their work, but I can't.  You will have to imagine that.  Here are some shots of us at work and our first group "portrait". 

     Aren't they amazing?  Thank you for dropping by and taking a look.  You'll see more of our progress as we go along.  Have a blessed day!

Day 26

     Susy Mosh's New to Me Challenge was to use a new tangle that started with the letter U.  That was sort of hard because I didn't have a large selection of "u" tangles in my notebook.  But I chose two brand new and very interesting ones to give a try.  The flowers in the corner are Unnamed Flower by LeeAnn Denzer.  The pretty pattern down the center is Ullin by Olga.  After drawing them, I decided to use some color. 

     Thank you for dropping by and saying hello!  Have a wonderful day!

Day 23, 24 and 25!

     Oh my!  The joys and trials of learning a new computer!  I now have a new laptop.  Prior to this I posted most of my things using the laptop that is "mine" from the school.  I feel more or less comfortable on that one.  I also use my tablet.  But now I have a laptop for all my journaling and work.  I am excited about it, but I am not a fast learner! 
     Every Inchie Monday's work this week is "talk".  I found several great quotes, but they wouldn't fit on an inch.  So I went with small talk!  After all, how much smaller can you get than an inch?

      For Square One: Purely Tangled (a Facebook challenge group) we had to use the tangle "rixty".  I really like this tangle.  I decided to wrap it up with some mooka.  This meant I needed to work in pencil first.  I really prefer to work with just pen, but when there is a lot of in and out with a tangle, pencil is my choice. 

     Now.  I worked on a page for Journal52.  The prompt was "silhouette".  I was pretty pleased with it even though I felt it needed something.  I showed it to my brother for some suggestions.  He had one.  A whole different idea!  Normally I would just forget it and use this one - and I may yet, but his idea was so good.  So if I can find time this week and work on this page it may get redone.  I won't say what it will be yet, because I don't want to commit.  It truly was a much better idea though. 

     I have written the blog.  I am relatively comfortable in putting pictures in.  Can I get it posted to all the right places?  We shall see.  Have a great and blessed day! 

Hewlett-Packard Paper Review

 My first reaction when I opened my sample package of Hewlett Packard paper was just how lightweight it was.  The weight is 16 lb.  I am not sure how that compares to my other copy paper, but it definitely feels lighter.  I wasn't really sure I liked that until I tried tracing some things on it - that could come in handy.  Also because of the fact that it is 20% lighter, more paper will fit into a copier tray - aha!  Less refilling!  Also easier to carry large amounts. 

     Next let's check out some pens.  Of course the sharpie marker bled through - that is the nature of sharpies so I wasn't surprised.  My gel pens and brush markers worked just fine.  The colors were nice and bright.  When I tried to use the blender pen they worked, but  there was a lot of fibers gathering.  I probably wouldn't use it with the blenders.  It held creases nicely although again

remember it is not sturdy. 

        I would recommend this paper to someone who did a lot of typing or computer work.  I like the fact that it is lightweight.  I haven't tried it in our copier at school.  I am curious as to how it will handle a two sided copy.  You can find this product at Shoplet.  

Day 22!

     I love Adele Bruno's string challenge.  I am "forced" to use some tangles I quite often don't feel comfortable with.  This week she had three tangles to choose from - trumpits, oola and fjord.  I hadn't used any of those.  However as it often the case once I did, I discovered I really like all three.

     Thank you for dropping by.  Have a great day!

Day 21 - The Diva's Challenge

     Each year since I have been participating in the challenges by Diva, we have done a tile to help raise awareness of Mobeius Syndrome.  I had never heard of this before tangling.  But that is not unusual since there are very few cases in the world.  If you want to learn more about this and see some pictures of a mega-cutie, use the side bar to go over to Diva's site.  Artoo is precious.
     My tile has the symbol of the Mobeius Foundation on it, but it got a bit overgrown!  I wanted something different from years past and so I put it in a more organic setting.

     Thank you for dropping by and saying hello!  Have a blesses day.

Day 20

        If you haven't discovered Suzy Mosh's New to Me Challenge you need to!  I am always putting new tangles into my ever growing 3 ring binder.  I put them in, but then always use the favorites.  By asking us to take a letter of the alphabet and using tangles we have never used before, this forces me to explore and think outside my (3.5) box.  This week's letter was V.  My first thought was verve!  Of course, since I use that every chance I get, I had to try to squelch that thought.
     I chose to use "vector-wec" (Cindy Angiel), "vernazz" (Marie Browning - or at least in one of her books), and "vallee" (from Suzanne McNeill's tangle books).  I wasn't too enthused about this tile.  However, once I finished I found myself loving it!

     Have a great and blessed day!

Day 19

Journal 52

      This week's prompt was "Conversation Starters".  I went with my first thought (well, really only thought).  This time of year the store is full of Valentine candies and one the favorites are those little conversation hearts.  I remember playing around with those as a kid.  I also have used them in classrooms to teach writing dialogue.  However, eating them was never an option for me.  Yuck.  Give me chocolate or something else, but not those things. 
     I thought I had a piece of scrapbook paper with the hearts on them.  I didn't.  So I painted some large candy hearts and added a few conversation quotes.  My journal seems to be turning into a "quote keeper" this year.  Oh well, I like quotes.

     Thank you for dropping by and I hope you have some great conversations today!  Blessings!

Day 17 and 18

Eighteen days in the new year and eighteen days of meeting Kelly's Creative Challenge.  Whoo-hoo!  Will I make it 365 days?  Only time will tell.  It will be easier when school is out for summer, but not by much.  I craft - to some small degree - every day.  I have to.  It gives me the peace and the energy charge I need.
     Day 17 - Over at the facebook group, Square One: Purely Tangled, we are given a tangle and that has to be the focus.  We can add other tangles but the push is to keep it basic - no color, tile size only.  This week's tangle was BB.  Although I rarely use this tangle, it was fun playing with it.

     I have all the prompts for Every Inchie Monday so I could work ahead.  Yeah, right.  Like actually being very far ahead would ever happen.  Day 18 (today) I worked on my inchie.  The prompt was (I hope it is obvious) elephant.

     Now, I plan to continue the elephant theme and work on a 3D elephant out of paper that a friend wants me to do.  I will show you that tomorrow for day 19 because I probably will be just finishing it up - hopefully.
     Hello to my new followers!  My site is growing - wow!  Thank you for dropping by and leaving me some sunshine.  Have a blessed day!

Day 16 - Tickled to Tangle string challenge

    I love this challenge.  However sometimes I only love some of the tangles.  This week we could choose from echoism, bales, ennies, and poke leaf (root).  Out of those, ennies just doesn't do much for me.  So I left it out.  I did try using bales in a bit different format.

     Thank you for stopping by and visiting.  Have a blessed day!

Day 15 Photography!

     I am not a super photographer, so there won't be many of these.   But I took my class on a field trip to a fantastic museum - Tellus Museum of Science.  It meant a bus ride of a little over an hour with 70 very excited third graders, but well worth it.  I thought I would put a few pics up from our trip.

I would love to show you more - I took 35!  However my kids are in most of them and I can't post their pictures.  Just take my word, I was busy snapping very creative pictures, making fossils out of clay and digging for dinosaur bones!  Have a great day!

Day 14

    I feel like I am going in circles so this is appropriate today!  Lots to get done this week and my head is spinning.  Lots of news to share too - but that will have to be in my next post. 

Have a great day!

Day 13 Diva Challenge Number 200!!

     Wow!  Two hundred challenges!  I wish I had been around from the very beginning but I missed a few.  Just a few actually.  I think I came in around the second year.  But it was Diva who fueled my passion for this art form.  Her site was also the reason I had to do a blog.  Had to.  I had to be able to post my challenges.  Congrats to you Diva and a huge thank you for all your hard work.

     One of my many "go-to" tangles is paradox.  I love this one.  Thank you for dropping by and saying hello.  Also a huge thank you to the new followers I have gotten recently - it still amazes me I have any followers so each one is super special to me.  Have a blessed day!

Day 12 - New to Me challenge

     For today's challenge I did my tile (again in my Tangle A Day Calendar) for the New to Me challenge.  I chose to use ciceron as my focus because it is one I don't think I ever used.  I put it in my notebook and meant to use it one day but never had.  So this was the perfect opportunity.  I also added a couple of other tangles that begin with a C that have seen limited use by me - chebucto and Charlie.

Thanks for dropping by and have a great day!

Day 9, 10 and 11!

     Day 9 is a tile I did for the Square One Challenge over at FB.  The tangle we had to use was nzeppel, which I love and use a lot!  Still trying to keep all the challenges (zentangle ones at least) in my Tangle A Day calendar.

    Day 10 - The journal 52 prompt was "Just Be".  This gave me a mental fit!  I could not come up with any idea.  So off to google to find a quote to center the page around.  I found several I really liked and then narrowed it down to one.  One of my pet peeves is to be talking to someone and they start looking around or change their focus.  I get so upset.  Unfortunately some people I really like and have to deal with daily are very bad about this.  Eye contact people!  Come on! 

Day 11 - Every Inchie Monday's word is giraffe.  I got to play with my new set of markers I got for Christmas and had some fun. 

     Ta-Da!  I have done eleven days of this challenge without missing one!!  Woohoo!  It has been a struggle - not to create, but to get them posted.  I am getting pretty quick about it.  Thanks for dropping by and leaving me some sunshine.  Now off to get creative with some lessons for this week - maybe I need to do an art project focusing on fossils!  or division!  Then again maybe not. 

Day 8 - Creative?

     My creative juices this afternoon had to be put on hold a bit.   Tonight I had to work on lesson plans for the next week.  That involves a lot of creativity (at least to my way of thinking).  I make notes all over this piece of paper then from there I get to typing them into my favorite on line plan book - Lessonplan.com.  This is a fantastic resource, if you teach.  I would love to take time and draw and paint or something more relaxing, but duty calls!

    See you tomorrow or perhaps on Sunday with a few days post!

Day 7 - Tickled to Tangle challenge

    Okay the hard part is not the creative part of the challenge, it is trying to post everyday.  I can see this not happening.  If I could get my pinterest board to connect to the linky machine . . .  but I need help with that.  Oh well here goes.
     This piece was done for Adele Bruno's string challenge.

Have a great day!

Day 6 -Diva's Challenge

    For the challenge over at Diva's - number 199, can you believe it! - we had to use the tangle "hitched".  It was in my notebook, but not one I had really used.  Lots of time I put new tangles into my notebook and then never get back to working with them.  I have my tried and true favorites.
     I also am using this for my day 6 challenge over at Whimsy and Zen.  I am trying something different this year and putting all my tiles into my tangle calendar.  Just because it keeps them together.  We'll see if I keep that up.

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a very blessed day!

Create Each Day - Day 5

     I am participating in Suzy Mosh's "New to Me" challenge.  (Yes, I know I desperately needed another challenge!).  Her challenge yesterday was to use a tangle - or tangles - that begin with the letter T.  We were asked to choose ones we used less often, ones more new to us.  Here is my entry and also completes day 5 of the other challenge.

Now it is off to work on some more school work tonight! 

Create Each Day Challenge - Days 1-4

     I really want to be able to link up my pinterest board set up for this challenge.  But I cannot figure out how - yet.  I will.  I have learned a lot with this blog and I know I will persevere.  But if anyone can help me link a pinterest blog to a "linky" machine, I would love to know.  I have asked several but no response. 
     Here are days 1-4:

Jan. 1 - working in my Tangle A Day calendar

Jan. 2 - Square One FB challenge

Jan. 3 - Finished up my calendar page

Jan. 4 - January ATC challenge for Blue Twig Studio, "Circles"

      I seem to have done nothing but posts today, so far, now I have to really get creative and get some lesson plans done for this week - aargh! 

Every Inchie Monday - Egg

      I don't like eggs.  I will eat them fixed only certain ways, but I am not going to rush out and fix them.  Maybe it is in part that I really don't like breakfast.  I seem to be able to do eggs better for a supper meal.  I remember at Easter being with my grandparents and Papa used to tell me that I could not open my Easter basket until I had eaten an egg - or the Easter Bunny would take it back!  Now what sort of sense does that make?!  None.  But to a little girl dying to get to chocolate eggs and such, it was a way to get some nutrition in me, I suppose.  Either way, I never saw that "rascally wabbit" come around to reclaim anything!

     Thanks for dropping by.  I hope you have a very blessed day!  For me, it is back to working with my kiddos tomorrow!  Oh I have enjoyed this wonderful time off. 

Journal 52 - 2015!

     I am certain this wonderful feeling of being "on time" will not last.  Life will get in the way.  It always does.  But for now - I am finished with a journal prompt on time.  Yahoo!
     I found a Bible quote I liked with the word "path" in it.  I fancy lettered that on my paper and colored it in.  Then I searched for a maze on the internet (found a really cool site that I bookmarked for use in my classroom).  After printing several copies, I tore them into pieces to fit on my quote.  Chalked a bit over it to get rid of the bold white and voila!  I am done!  What do you think?

Journal 52 - 2014

      Since I am still playing catch up here are two more pages I finished this week.  Week 43 was "Stencil It".  I love the quote, but honestly the page leaves me wishing I could've done more.  For the prompt on week 44 - "Skyline" - I watercolored a skyline (I never claimed to be a painter) and then just added a quote.  Simple, but finished.

    Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a wonderful day!