Diva Challenge #125: UMT v. XVIII Birdie Feet

Was not sure what to do with this challenge. Decided to just have some fun even though it challenged my drawing skills, which are seriously lacking. Think that is why I like Zentangle® so much.  Used the tangle birdies feet as the  string and just added things after that. Could not really think of how to finish off the bird. Not sure if it is one or two. Here it is. Hope you enjoy it.

Tangle used: Birdies Feet, Ennies, Crescent Moon (variation), and Pendrills

Have not had much of a chance to look at what the other people have submitted. Plan to do sometime this weekend. Would encourage you to go to I am the Diva to look at the great images that others have come up with. 

On a totally unrelated note.  I did not use them here but picked up my first set of Tombow markers. Of all places to find them, they were at Meijer's. Usually check out the craft section of most stores that I go to and saw them for the first time last week. This week Meijer's had coupons in the paper so got $5 off the price. Got the retro group. Has 9 colors and a blender. Did not realize that a blender came with it and bought a Copic blender at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon before I got the Tombow's. Looking forward to having some fun experimenting with these over the next 2 weeks as I am taking some time off work. May even pull this back out and add some color just to see what it looks like.

Thanks for visiting. As always, comments are welcomed, encouraged, and appreciated.

Go Tangle !!

New Tangle, Tangleation, or just a pattern? : Genoa & Gingajava

When the Diva Challenge on grid seeds was done, I put out a grid seed which I could not come up with a name for.  Thanks to some comments from some visitors to my blog, I have come up with a name and developed another grid seed pattern. Katydidsworld said that it reminded her of an Italian floor tile. That was not the genesis for this tile, but I liked the possibilities. She recommended that could use the name of an Italian city such as Milan. I looked up what the word for tile was in Italian and it had possibilities. One word that it gave is piastrella. Not really sure of the pronunciation but it had potential. Then my sister reminded me that if I was thinking of using an Italian town name, we had such a name in our own background. We lived close to a town called Genoa and that was also the name of the high school that I graduated from. Hmm... What to do as I had talked with the person whose object was the original seed for the tangle. What to do. I went back and looked at the picture I had taken of the pattern and realized that while what I had done in the grid seed really was different and I actually had two different grid seeds. Problem solved. I hope.  Here is the step-out for the pattern that was in the Diva Challenge. I decided to go with the name Genoa.

Thanks to Kathy, a fellow CZT 10, for her suggestion. And thanks to all the people that commented and made such positive comments about the pattern.

As I said, I realized that the original inspiration for the tangle was similar but quite different. I decided to do a separate step-out for that one as well. I won't go into the details behind the name but it is to recognize the person who had the object that inspired the pattern.  I have decided to call this Gingajava.  Here is the step-out for this grid seed. I hope you enjoy it. 

As far as I know neither of these have been done before. If someone is aware that either of these have been posted by someone else, please let me know. 

Thanks for visiting. As always, comments are welcomed, encouraged and appreciated.

Go Tangle !!

Zendala Dare #50

Has been a while since have done a Zendala or submitted anything to the Zendala Dare. Actually, I copied and transferred the template earlier in the week and just did not get to it. Since I all ready had it on a tile could not let it go to waste. Probably was not a great idea to try and finish it during the NCAA tournament. It did keep me from yelling at the TV though. Since I had not done it for a while I kept it fairly simple. Started in the middle and just went with the first tangles that I thought would work. the result is respectable. As usual, the shading is the most difficult thing for me to address.  this was not too bad.  Here it is. Hope you like it.

Tangles used: Spiteria, Ennies, Shattuck, and Zinger.

This is a really late submission. If you have seen it I am really glad that you took the time to visit. You have probably all ready seen all the other submissions. If not, would encourage you to do so. 

As always, comments are welcomed, appreciated and encouraged.

Diva Challenge #111: "More-Mooka-Madness Monotangle-Mania

It has been some time since I have participated in any of the challenges. It seems like it has been longer than it actually has been. Finally able to get some things cleared so that I would have the time. Also helped today that the office was closed due to getting about 10" of snow last night. Fortunately it is late enough in the season that it will not stick around very long. In fact are calling for temperatures in the 50's by next weekend.

What a great challenge to return to - a Mooka Monotangle. I have to admit I have not used Mooka lot. After trying to do this I realized it was not so much about doing the tangle itself, it was more about not knowing how to finish it. Usually I have used tipple near the base. Wanted to do something different. Thought about using a black tile but decided against that. Decided that I would try to do a little more shading as a way to embellish. It was fun to do and overall I am pleased with the result.  Here it is.

I am glad that you visited to view my tile. If you have not all ready been, would encourage you to visit I am the Diva to look at all the other great submissions. 

Hopefully this will be the beginning regularly participating again. As always, comments are always welcomed, encouraged and appreciated.

Adventures in Monontangles #1

This is a new challenge begun by Roy Stauffer, CZT. This is his first challenge for his Adventures in Monontangles. Go to his blog, Mindful Creations to learn more about it and to see tiles that others have done.

 It has been a couple of weeks since I have taken the time to do one of the challenges. Think I have been going through tangle challenge withdrawal.  I miss doing them and hope to get back with the Diva Challenge and the Zendala Dare no later than the end of the month. When I saw this one thought it would be an easier one to do since I still am backed up on some other things. In some ways it was.  Roy's instructions were to pick a favorite tangle, create a string, and then fill each section on the tile with the tangle but vary it somehow in each section. Actually, the hard part was picking a tangle to use. I thought of a number of them but finally settled on Cadent. I have to admit that part of my decision was based on the idea that it was easier to think of ways to vary this tangle. It is one of my favorites also.  Part of the fun in doing this was doing the shading. This is usually the part the I have the most trepidation about, but I was pretty pleased with the results on this one. The triangular section was probably the most difficult one to decide what to do. I though about not doing any shading at all but when I looked at it, that just did not look right. Here is what I came up with. Hope that you like it.

I am glad that you visited. To look at other submissions click here. As always comments are welcomed, encouraged, and appreciated. 

ZIA: Travel Mug Insert

Had seen on another CZT's blog about putting tangles on the insert of a travel mug. Had tried to do some things before and just did not get to it. Finally was able to get something done. Have been working on this instead of doing the Dare and Challenge. Has a dual purpose as these are for gifts for staff in our office and I also want to have a class on this as well as do some for the Art and Craft show later this year.

The hard part was getting the template right. The company that I got the mugs from included paper for the insert, but no template. After a few struggles and searches of the internet, and some modifications of the template, was successful in getting something that worked. Below is the result.

Tangles used: Angel Fish, Paradox, Tierso, Hybrid, Onomato, Keeko, Puf, Ahh,  Betweed, Shattuck, Crescent Moon, Cadent, and Flux 

Other than the letters, this was done in Zentangle style. After I did the letters I did a string to divide the insert into sections and then began doing tangles. This is not shaded yet. Will try to take a picture of it after shading  just to show the difference. Had a little difficulty deciding on the tangles to use, but am pleased with the results. I chose to use colored card stock rather than white. 

Have 4 more to do. Will all be different colors. Will post the results later. 

As always, comments are welcomed, encouraged and appreciated. Thanks for visiting.

Two for One: Zendala Dare #43 - Feeling like an Artist & Diva Challenge #105 - "UMT v.XIII : Dansk"- and Give away

Was not sure how much I would be able to participate in current Dares/Challenges. One thing that helped was that I have been home for the second day with what I think is the GI virus going around. Yesterday did not feel like doing anything. Today is a little better and need to get back to work tomorrow so wanted to motivate myself even though I am not 100 %. What better way to do it than tangling.

The other is that after seeing Erin's template and the tangle in Laura's UMT, felt like I could combine both challenges with only one tile. Have not done this before. The Bright Owl's dare had to do with when, and if, you felt like an artist. Anyone who has read "the about me" section of my blog knows that I did not see myself as an artist, or doing art because I could not draw "things". Most of what I saw was people that could sit down and draw people, cars, etc. Once I started doing Zentangle, I think my perspective changed. It wasn't that everything I first did I considered to be art. The earlier things I think would best be described as experimentation. I was drawing patterns. As I progressed, I began to look at actions being purposeful. This did not mean that I planned out every tangle I was going to use, but once I started doing something, I focused on what I wanted to do and not just duplicating a pattern. I think the other thing that changed was when I started to tackle the area of shading. I am still on this journey but feel that shading makes such a difference in how a Zentangle ® tile looks. I guess the easiest way to describe it is similar to what Erin said in her post. I began seeing what I was doing as creating something and just not doing something. I guess I would say that is what makes me feel like an artist. To me, that is one of the great parts of the Zentangle® art form. It allows every one to tap into that inner artist and create. Being human, it also helps when other people make encouraging and positive comments about the tiles or other items I have created. It is an additional affirmation.

Laura's Challenge was to use the Margaret Bremner's tangle Dansk(can click on her name to see this tangle). This is where I digressed a little from Erin's Dare, in that she said to use tangles that we liked and helped us with making us feel like an artist. Dansk is a tangle that I have never used before. I had seen it and thought it interesting but had not used in anything. The other tangles that I used are ones that I have used and some of them are my favorites. 'Nzeppel is one of my favorites. I just like the way that it develops and what it becomes. The beads are ones that I think can highlight and also help separate parts of the tile. I have really grown to like the organic tangles, no pun intended. Flux and Zinger are fun to do and I think also help create an effect. Sometimes it softens a tile. Other times I will use almost all organic tiles just to create a scene/effect.

Hopefully, I was able to successfully address both the Dare and the Challenge with this endeavor. Here it is. I hope you enjoy it.

Tangles used: Dansk, Pearls, 'Nzeppel, Flux, Fescu, & Zinger

If you have not all ready done so, would strongly encourage you to visit both The Bright Owl and I Am the Diva to look at all the other great pieces submitted by some very talented artists. Almost forgot to mention that Laura at I am the Diva is also conducting a give away of a Carol Ohl's Tangle-a-Day Calendar. You can find how to participate on Laura's blog.

As always comments are welcomed, encouraged, and appreciated. Hope you are enjoying your journey with tangling and developing the artist within you.

Diva Challenge #104: String Theory v. XXIII - Tangle Patterns String #003

This was a fun Challenge to do. I knew I would not have a lot of time so I wanted to do something relatively simple. When I looked at the string started to look at all the spaces and tried to visualize different ways to use them. Did not really want to do a different tangle in each section. That seemed too disconnected/disjointed. Was thinking about a class that I am planning on using tangles as strings. Decided this was a good time to get some practice as I had not done this for a while. Thus the beads. I was a little stumped on what to do next as there were still a lot of spaces. Thought of different things that I could do and started to do Keeko. Liked the way it was looking but after I was about half way up the tile, began to think that maybe just having that would be kind of boring so I began thinking of things that I might do. I did not want to do totally different tangles. As I looked at it it began to remind me or a necklace laying on a table. I thought of other things that might be on a table and decided on the flowers. If I had thought of it sooner I would probably have added a few more.

As is usual, the most challenging part of completing the tiles is the shading. I was not sure what to do but felt I needed to do something to separate out the different elements. Some of the blending did not go as I would have preferred but overall I am pleased with the result. I though about trying to do a little more rounding of the beads but opted not to do it.

Here is the tile:

If you have not been to the Diva's blog, would encourage to head over there by clicking on the highlighted link and look at all the other great postings.

As always, comments are appreciated, welcomed and encouraged. 

Zendala Dare #42

This was an interesting endeavor for me. I really liked this template and I enjoyed doing it. The tangles seemed to flow very easily. Usually when this occurs I also like the result. This time I am not sure about it. I do not dislike it but.... Maybe I have been doing color too much lately and I did return to an earlier form in leaving little white space. It is growing on me. It also could be the shading. That is always a challenge. It is nice getting these done earlier though.

Well for what it is worth, here it is.

Tangles used. Phicops, Paradox, Mooka, and Tipple.

If you have not all ready done so, go to The Bright Owl and look at the other pieces posted. If it is early in the week, go back often as there are new postings throughout the week and you do not want to miss any of the great pieces that are posted.

This may be my last one for a while. Is a busy time of year for a lot of reasons, the biggest needing to go through things get taxes done. If I am lucky I will be able to squeeze in a little time.

Thanks for visiting. As always, comments are appreciated, welcomed and encouraged.

Diva Challenge #103: "String Theory v. XXII - Moebius Syndrome Awareness

This week's Diva Challenge is to help bring awareness, and support to those who have to contend with, Moebius Syndrome. For those of you familiar with The Diva, her youngest son has this rare congenital nerve disorder. January 24 is Moebius Syndrome Awareness Day. Laura plans to share the link for the submissions with their support group. I had hoped to get this posted before the 24th but it has been a hectic week. I was not  sure I was going to get something done at all. Due to feeling the time pressure, I opted to go with something simple. Purple is the color for MSAD and Laura suggested that could incorporate this into the tiles if we wanted to. I did use purple but it did not show up very well in the picture, I used a purple micron for the ribbon. Here is what I came up with. Hope you like it.

Tangles used: Bales, Bricks

Tried to get the "negative effect" with the twist. It turned out okay but was a challenge with the white gel pens. definitely do not cover the same way as the microns. Unfortunately they do not make a white micron.  Did get a little better with it the more I used it. Do not use the white gel pens that much and they seem to cover differently than other gel pens. I did not notice that I tend to hold the pen on an angle. Found that with the white gel pen definitely works better when you hold it more upright. That was a separate challenge in itself. As was doing was definitely thinking of the kids, and their families, with this syndrome and hoping they have access to the necessary supports and services to deal with this syndrome.

I am off to I am the Diva to check out all the other submissions. I have been so busy that have not had a chance to see many of them yet. If you have not all ready been there would encourage you to check it out.

Thanks for visiting. As always, comments are appreciated, encouraged and welcomed.

Bookmark featuring Phicops

Do not usually make multiple posts in one day but I was working on some things for an upcoming class. I try to make bookmarks and include them in their class kit. Besides being something that I can give them, it also allows me an opportunity to experiment. These are 2" x 6" strips of card stock. This one has a texture.

I photographed it horizontally as I could get a closer picture. The card stock is a very light tan. I used Sakura Metallic Gelly Roll pens to make the tangles. For the shading I used colored pencils. I layered two colors with the lighter one on the bottom. Tried to get a color that was at least in the color spectrum of the Gelly Roll pens. Not sure if the picture really brings out what it looks like but, it does have a slight two-tone effect. I was rather pleased with the results. 

Would be interested in hearing what others think of it. I am planning on doing a couple more. Not sure if I will use the metallic pens or just the Gelly Roll pens but will probably experiment a little more with this shading on other tangles. 

Zendala Dare #41

This week's template was one that I liked. It was harder though once I started to work on it. Not sure exactly why, but maybe because most of the sections were small and the tangles I chose had a lot of line work.  I guess some things just take time. This one also challenged my shading technique. Did not think about it when I chose the tangles but most of the tangles I used I do not have a lot of ideas about how to shade. It is trial and error and hoping for the  best. That being said, I was generally pleased with the results. The only thing that was not really sure about was that maybe I had too many things going in a circular direction. The shading did help break that up a little. Hope you like the result.

Tangles used: Spiteria, Scrawlz, Aura-leah, Crescent Moon, Tierso,  Exed.

Do not know if Tierso is a new tangle or pattern. It looks like something that I may have seen before but I cannot find anything in my notes. If someone knows that it has been posted before and knows  another name, let me know. It is getting really hard to remember all the patterns. 

If you have not all ready, take the time to go the The Bright Owl and look at all the other great pieces people have done. I have not looked at a lot of them, but plan to do so over the next couple of days.

Thanks for visiting and as always, comments are encouraged, appreciated and welcomed.

Diva Challenge #102: "DuoTangle v. VI: Auraknot/Bunzo"

The Diva presented another great challenge. It was doing a DuoTangle. The two tangles that she chose are both tangles that I really like but had not really thought much about doing together. I was anticipating getting started but kept delaying because I was not exactly sure what I wanted to do. I even looked at more things other people submitted than I usually do because I was just having a hard time getting started. In true Zentangle® style, I took deep breath and began. I had a vague idea that I wanted the two to intertwine so I did have to think about how I was going to begin ( remember - no erasers). Once I started though it flowed very well. Isn't that the case with a lot of things when we are unsure. We focus on all the things that might go wrong or not work out and don't get started and just deal with what happens, trusting that we have the ability to deal with what happens. We have resources to deal with a less than perfect situation. Hopefully another lesson reinforced to tuck away for later.

My thoughts are a little heavy though as think of this and a family that I know, and their extended family, grieving the death a their 19 year old nephew, cousin, son, and brother. He was killed when his car hydroplaned, flipped over into a ditch filled with 4 to 5 feet of water and could not be freed soon enough to revive him. He was returning to college at Ball State. As I think of this I am mindful of what David wrote in Psalms 28:7, The Lord is my strength and my shield: in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped. We try so hard to arrange/control things in the way that we think is best and take care of people that are dear to us. We need to do what we can, but we still need to trust, because we are not in control. We can only "trust and be helped". I hope that is what his family is experiencing now.

For this Challenge, I chose to return to the basics and did a traditional Zentangle® style tile. It is on a square tile and only in black and white with shading. As hard as it was for me to get started I am pleased with the result. I tried some different things with the shading and for a first effort feel it turned out well. Not sure that it shows up as well in the picture as the real tile. Here it is. I hope you enjoy it.

If you have not all ready, I strongly encourage you to go to I am the Diva to look at the other great pieces that people have done. The variety and talent amazes me every week.

Almost forgot to mention a self-proclaimed benchmark for my blog as I surpassed 5,000 views this week. I appreciate all the Challenge, Dare, and Flickr participants, friends and family, and followers and other visitors for making it possible to reach this number in what I consider to be a short time since I only began this blog in August 2012. A big THANK YOU to you all.

I am glad that you visited. As always comments are encouraged, welcomed, and appreciated.

Zendala Dare #40

Erin came up with another great template for the Zendala Dare even though she was not pleased with it. I am not sure if she is aware what she may have unleashed with last week's Dare. I am not sure that I look at the templates quite the same way as before. I do look for other possibilities and not follow the template exactly. I also continued another "don't" from last week in that I experimented with color a little more. I have always been fascinated by some of the color that I have seen. If I used color before, it was usually just using a color micron. One person whose color is usually phenomenal is LeeAnn's at Lee Ann's Zentangle-ing Fun. She has a tutorial on her coloring technique. I read it and decided to try something different. To see her tutorial and the vibrant Zendala that she did, click on the highlighted blog name above. What I did in no way compares with what she is able to do but it was an interesting endeavor for me. Not sure how much I will use in the future, but is definitely something that I want to work more on.

I was pleased with the result. Here it is. I hope you enjoy it.

Tangles used: Auraknot, Knightsbridge, Finery, Kisses

If you have not all ready done so would encourage you to go to The Bright Owl and look at the other great Zendalas that others have done. The variety and presentations are awesome.

As always, thanks for visiting and I hope it was enjoyable. Comments are always welcome, encouraged and appreciated.

Diva Challenge #101 UMT v.XI: Phicops

What a great challenge to begin the New Year. Phicops, the Diva's husband tangle, is very versatile. When I saw it, it made me think of sea shells. That lead to my first tile. Here is what that looks like

Tangles used: Phicops, Boing, 

It was okay but it left me not quite feeling satisfied and I was a little surprised with the difficulty I had with some of the variations. So I decided to do another tile. I figured what better way to work on a new tangle than by doing a monotangle. So that is what I did. Here is what that looks like.

Tangles used: Phicops, Orlique  

Part of the fun in doing this tile was thinking of different variations on completing the tangle. Was fun and I liked most of them. I decided to fill in the background as I did not like the way that it looked just plain. Had a couple of different ideas but decided to go this route. Hope that you like it.

As always, comments are encouraged and welcomed. I appreciate you taking the time to visit my blog. If you have not already, go to I am the Diva and look at all the other great tiles that people have done. There is a lot of amazing talent out there participating in the Diva Challenge. 

Zendala Dare #39 - ZenDon't

Well this week's challenge was different and definitely a challenge. Basically it was to no do what you usually do when doing a Zendala. (Not sure how that would work for someone if this was their first dare.) After some initial consternation and a little hesitation, or procrastination if you like, I was able to get started and did enjoy it. Some of the things that were different began from the very beginning. I usually only make one copy of the template, but this time, I made 2 because I was not sure how many I might need. I did only use one. Second, I usually copy the template as it is and fill in the spaces. This time I left quite a few of the lines out. It dramatically changed the template and the end result. Oh well, just following instructions. Next, I used color which I rarely do for the dares and actually most of my work. I did use tangles I liked but not ones that I have used a lot. I do not think I have ever used any "organic" tangles, maybe except for Zinger, in any of my Zendalas. This one is about half organic looking tangles. The next thing I did different is that I deconstructed a pattern that I saw while I was out shopping and included it in the Zendala. Have not checked much to see if it has been used before. I do not remember seeing it. Lastly, I do not think I  have ever gotten a Dare done on a Saturday. Maybe once before I got it done on a Sunday.  There Erin, I hope that suffices as enough "Don'ts".  The only thing that plan on DOING  like I have before is going to The Bright Owl frequently to look at all the other great Zendalas. Hope you enjoy it.

Tangles used: Betweed, Scroll feather, Diva Dance 

Thanks for visiting and as always, comments are welcomed and encouraged. Hope the New Year has gotten off to a great start for you. I have enjoyed some time off over the holidays, including teaching 2 Basic Zentangle classes with really great students, but Monday it is back to my grown-up job.

Hope you will take the time to go to The Bright Owl and look at the other Zendalas

Zendala Dare #38

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

First challenge of the new year and the first zentangle/zendala of the year. Looking forward to a year full of tangling and teaching.

You would think after doing these a couple of months that I would have learned a few things. I guess I have but I am still a slow learner on a few things. There must be something about zendalas that make it harder for me to imagine the outcome. This was one I had a hard time deciding what to do. Rather than over thinking I just started and let it happen. Again though, I was not really seeing it until I was near the end and the shading also added a dimension that helped complete the piece. I need to keep working on being patient.

I thought about starting over but am glad that I did not. I am satisfied with the end result.


Could not decide on which picture I liked best, so just decided to post them both. Both were taken without a flash but the first was with manual settings and the second was with auto setting.

Tangles used: Florz, Indy-rella, Inapod, Wist, Zander, & Allium(variation)

Thanks for visiting. If you have not all ready been to The Bright Owl would encourage you to click on the blog name and look at the other submissions. 

Hope you all had a Happy New Year and wish great tangling adventures throughout the year.

Creating artists one stroke at a time - Kokomo Perspective: Home

This is an article that ran today. Was publicizing an upcoming class that I am doing. Is not a bad article but not sure why they did not include Rick and Maria's names. I used them a couple of times. Anyone who is local and available would love to have you come and join us at this class.


Creating artists one stroke at a time - Kokomo Perspective: Home: Kokomo’s Don Wilka always considered himself a doodler rather than an artist. However, after being introduced to an art form that allowed him …

Zendala Dare #37

Was not sure that I would get this finished. This is another one of those that I grew to like the further I went. The shading made a lot of difference. Helped break it up a little and did not get as dizzy looking at it.
I had a lot of things that I was thinking about doing, but decided to keep it simple. Overall I am pleased with the result, a statement I do not make often. Hope you enjoy it.

Tangles used: Fearcles, Knightsbridge, Indy-rella, Birds on a Wire, Hybrid (variation)

If you have not visited The Bright Owl to look at the other entries, would encourage you to so by clicking here. 

I am glad that you took the time to visit, particularly during such a busy time of the year. Here's wishing a very Merry and safe Christmas to you and your family. 

CZT Loves Heal Event: Additional Tiles

Got the first tile done for the CZT Love Heals Event for the people in Newtown CT. Really wanted to try to do more but was not sure if I would have time. I was finally able to complete two more. The first one is similar to the first one I did in that the first letter of each tangle spells out a word. This one is HOPE. My wish is that the people impacted by this event be able to regain a sense of hope, particularly the children. Hope for the future. My wish is also that they have a sense and belief that there is hope in the arms of their Savior whose birth, is the focus of our celebration at this time of year. If they do not currently have this, my hope is that this is something they can achieve as the days go by. Such acts have no understandable explanation. Our hope is that our Lord and Savior is faithful and as he promises will never leave us. He is with us always. A fellow tangler and blogger, Barbara Geer posted the poem Footprints along with a beautiful ZIA. Would encourage you to click here to view what she posted. Here is my second tile.

Tangles used (from upper left across) : Huggins, Onomato, Paradox, and Eenies  

The second is different in that I tried to express a sentiment through the tile. I do not think it needs much explanation. 

Tangles used: 'Nzeppel, Diva Dance, Flukes, Triangles, and Shattuck.

My hope is that they know that they remain in our thoughts and prayers as they go through the process of healing.