More Zentangle

Hello, everyone!  Welcome!  I hope you have gotten back to normal after the bustle of the holidays.  I'm slowly getting back to my old routine.  It had been disrupted all Fall because of renovations we were making to our house which lasted until the beginning of December.  But, since that's done and the holidays are over I think I'm ready to settle into winter. 

Unfortunately, my muse has not been seen around here since late September and so I haven't had much inspiration from her!  So, I had decided last week to start slowly getting back into Zentangle since it is a relaxing form of art and I enjoy doing it.  I thought I would start back at the beginning with a tile, pen and pencil and not try to do anything that wasn't basic.  Then on Monday Laura, The Diva, announced her weekly challenge, #250, which was going back to old school Zentangle.  She wanted everyone to use a tile, pen and pencil!  Sounds like synchronicity to me!  So, yesterday I sat down and got back to basics!  Here is the tile.

 

 

My first attempt for this year didn't turn out too badly, I used some favorite tangles and now I think I'm ready to try to wake up the Muse a little more!!  We'll see.  I'm going to link this to the Diva Challenge and be happy to have done some art!

 

That's about all I have to share for today.  Thank you for visiting.  I really appreciate having you stop by the blog!





An Exploding Box!

Hello everyone!  It's a gorgeous warm Fall day here and I wanted to share a new project with you.  Known as an exploding box, it's a project I've wanted to try for a long time.  I love boxes and these are so easy to make and so much fun to open!  My friend, Patti, is a certified Zentangle teacher and she gives classes at her shop, The Queen's Ink.  She does intro classes and follow-up classes in basic Zentangle but she also offers seasonal classes.  I'll share last year's Christmas project as we get closer to the holidays.  This year for the Fall season she taught an exploding box with Zentangle components.  Technically it's called Zentangle Inspired Art, or ZIA for short.  Whatever you want to call it, I called it fun!  Here's a picture of the box.

 

 

We started with two pieces of 12x12" cardstock for the top and bottom.  The top is made with origami folds and the bottom was folded and cut so that it would form a box.  We cut out stamped images of the leaves and acorn and then did the tangles.  I used Distress inks and a water pen to watercolor the leaves.  The acorn was stamped on kraft cardstock so I just lightly colored some shading on it.  Patti had used white gel pen highlights on her leaves and I was really impressed with the way it made the designs pop.   I did the same and it's amazing the difference.  I chose an orange CS square to create a background for the grouping of leaves and acorn and did some pen work around the edges.  I glued the leaves down and use dimensional glue dots for the acorn. 

 

But the magic happens when you open the lid!   Here is what it looks like.

 

 

 

 

 

You may be able to see that there are two levels of panels inside the box. You can add more levels if you want.   Once the lid is taken off the box falls open, or explodes, and you can attach anything you want inside.  I love when there are dimensional things in the middle.  I used acorns and some descriptive word stickers for Fall around them.  Then I used the Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves die and his small pumpkin and acorn die to cut watercolor paper for the leaves and pumpkin and acorns I used on the panels.  I did Zentangles on each one and used Distress inks to watercolor them.  I also added some shimmer to these with Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals.  They are dry shimmery pigments that I use with a water brush and then highlighted with the white gel pen.   Here are some of the panels close up.  Unfortunately, the shimmer doesn't show up in the pictures. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each panel has a leaf or the acorns or pumpkin.  I just love handing it to people and seeing their reaction when they take the lid off! 

 

 

I was so pleased to finally have a reason to make an exploding box.  It seems that right now if I don't have a reason to sit down and work on a project I don't find (or make) the time.  That has to change, for sure!

 

 

Thank you for visiting with me.  I hope you're enjoying this glorious time of year!  The leaves are starting to change into their lovely colors right now and it's delightful to see.  Have a wonderful day!







Showing the Green!

Hi everyone!  I'm a little late in my St. Patrick's Day greetings but I hope everyone enjoyed the day when "everyone is Irish"!  I have a quick post to show you what I created for the day! 

For this week's challenge over at I am the Diva, Laura chose the theme Green It Up.  Since I love the color green, I thought I would participate.  Here is my tile.

 

 

 

Working on the Zentangle tiles is a joy because the paper is so wonderful.  The surface is so receptive to the ink.  And, I love adding some color to the black and white.  I thought this turned out rather spring like.  I guess because I'm really developing a severe case of spring fever!

 

That's my quick share for today.  I hope you have a wonderful day and that you are having some lovely spring weather.  Things are starting to wake up in the garden and I'm loving it!

 

 

 





A Late Little Valentine Project

Hello, all!  Welcome to you all on this snowy morning in the Mid-Atlantic!  Boston and New England have gotten most of the snow this year but last night and today it was our turn.  Of course, ours wasn't anything like what Boston has endured this year but we can't handle snow the way New England can.  If we ever got 90 inches of snow in a season we'd never dig out!!  Anyway, I don't mind snow if I don't have to drive in it and it certainly is pretty out my window!

Today I want to share another Zentangle project.  My friend, Patti, designed a pretty Valentine Zentangle project and showed a group of us how to make one.  It's a cornet or a tussy-mussy holder.  Here's what it looks like.

 

 

 

Patti supplied the holder and the paper, we chose the tangles we wanted to use.  I added a pop of red throughout because I've come to like the black and white and one bright color in my Zentangles.   I didn't finish it until the day after Valentine's Day but next year I'm going to fill it with chocolates. 

 

 

Here are some details.  The photos aren't very good because the weather hasn't been very cooperative with the light!

 

 

 

As you can see, I've lined it with red card stock and used a red satin ribbon for the handle and the tassel at the bottom.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out. 

Well, that's it for today.  I hope you have a wonderful day.  I'm hoping to do some beading for a change!  Thank you so much for visiting with me and leaving your wonderful comments.  I really appreciate it. 

 





It's been a while!

Hi to all of my wonderful visitors!  It's been a long time since I last posted.  But, there have been reasons.  The first one is that after the rush of the holidays my mojo went into storage along with all the decorations.  That sometime happens to me after the hustle and bustle of Fall and Christmas. My muse needs a rest I suppose!  Then I caught a horrible cold.  It wasn't the flu, just a plain old head cold but it lasted for a long time and I felt I lost about 10 days because I really didn't have much energy.  I'm happy that it's gone!  I'm not sure my mojo is back but I feel like it's beginning to come out of hibernation. 

I saw on Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's blog a challenge she's sponsoring on Instagram called #28Patterns.  Now, I have to say I'm not a hashtag kind of person!  I'm not on Facebook or Twitter, I have enough to occupy my time, I don't need any other time drains.  Sorry if I've offended anyone by calling them that but that is how I think of them.  But, I do post pictures to Instagram, usually of  my projects or flowers from my garden.  Not very interesting stuff but I do have some friends who enjoy seeing them. Anyway, I thought this might encourage the muse to return.  The idea is to get down on paper a pattern a day for the month of February.  It can be any medium.  So, I'm giving it a try.  I'm not really good at keeping up with things like this but I thought this could work because I can always practice Zentangle.  And, even if I don't do a pattern a day, I'll do some days!!!

I resisted getting involve with Zentangles for a long time.  Patti Euler, my friend who owns the wonderful local  paper arts store, The Queen's Ink, is a Certified Zentangle Teacher and she gives classes from beginner on to more advanced instruction.  Her work is beautiful and I've been drawn to the clean black and white patterning even though I'm a color fanatic.  Finally, last summer my daughter and I signed up for the beginner class.  I've enjoyed it immensely and we've taken other classes since then.  I've been trying to keep up with doing it regularly so the idea of 28Patterns was appealing.  I could always do a Zentangle.  Yesterday was the first day of this challenge so this is what I did.

 

 

There isn't much to tell you about it.  Tangles are like doodling.  When color is added to the black and white they are considered Zentangle inspired art.  Since it's February and Valentine's Day is right around the corner I'm in full heart mode!!  I love Valentine's Day, and have since I was  a child, because it's a bright spot in the midst of a gray, dull winter!  So, I've been doing a lot of heart Zentangles and this is my latest!

 

 

I probably won't post these 28 patterns, or whatever I make, everyday, but you'll probably see some of them.  At least you'll be hearing from me more often :)! 

 

For now though, thank you for visiting with me today and reading all this!  Not much eye candy today and lots of words so I'll end for now.  Have a wonderful day, I hope it's a sunny day where you are!