Happy Merry to all.

This week's Diva Challenge covers a holiday theme. As I sat in my living room with its white Christmas tree with white lights (no ornaments) it seemed to become a blank canvas for the challenge so voila...

Some of you may wonder what tangle this is. There are no step-outs available for this one yet. Although...you can learn Aquafleur from your friendly neighborhood CZT! In fact, I am teaching a class at my beadstore (Bead Stash) in January (25th). I'm really looking forward to the class, as this is one of the most enjoyable tangles I've ever played with. (Thank you Maria Thomas!)

No matter what holiday you celebrate, bring all the joy you can to it!

lovies

A sweet kind of tired

A short post announcing my two new twin grandsons, Felix and Marsden...

The babies came earlier than we had expected, but everyone is doing quite well. Our new little punkins have wonderful parents and a whole slew of support and love from family and friends!

Because they were early, the boys are hanging out in the NICU where they are getting great care. They will most probably be there about month, so of course, the Tangling Nana had to do something to dress up the room a little...

These are only 5x7, but packed with love!

Quib(s)

I love the new tangle from Zentangle, Quib. My favorite tangles are usually ones that flow and connect back and forth and all around. (See my previous post with Shelly Beauch's Mak-rah-mee... another fun new tangle!)

I did the first one on a Zendala tile, and the second on a yummy new Renaissance tile. I love to play with the white on tan to give the tangles extra bits of light, like little miracles.

Thank you for an inspirational tangle, Rick and Maria. And thanks for the challenge, Laura!

funx2

Two new funs together:
The new Renaissance Tiles from Zentangle® (available from a CZT) and the new tangle, Mak-rah-mee by Shelly Beach!!

breath of fresh air

I love the Diva Challenges. Even if I don't get to do them on time to get on the peek list, I still welcome the weekly opportunity to get a great idea for a Zentangle® tile!

Today I'm posting 2 different Challenge weeks: 143 and 144.

First, Challenge 143: Cruze tangle. This was a little mind boggling for me. I found myself over-thinking it. I couldn't stop adding stuff to the ribbons.

Week 144: I chose our friend of the moment: the stinkbug. It's been a big year for these guys! I thought the stinkbug deserved a little beauty vibe, since he has many a human cussing him right now. I don't usually do representational images with Zentangle, as I tend to want to 'draw' realistically, and then I start to judge myself too much. I let myself go with the drawing part, since I haven't done that in a long time. It was really fun to mix the representational and the tangles. I had fun adding color (watercolor pencils)

So I guess you could say that our little stinkbug friend (and Laura Harms!) provided me with a breath of fresh air. Thank you both!

Pre-orders for the 2014 Tangle-a-Day Calendars are now available!

They're almost here.... Greyden Press says they should start shipping around November 15. Click the ad to the right, or here to pre-order your calendar!

If you'd like to order ten or more copies, click here.

Thank you!

Zoning in and out

This week's Diva Challenge is to push ourselves to do what is not comfortable for us.

Everyone has their own rhythm, and in practicing the art of Zentangle®, it's usually pretty clear what we personally connect to, and what we don't.

I had a black tile that I had started months ago. I never finished it for the very reason that I don't feel very comfortable with the white on black. I figured this would be my challenge: to finish the tile using at least one tangle that is outside my rhythm.

This tile was started by shaving some of the Zenstone onto the tile, then rubbing it with my finger to create a ghostly glow, which I loved. The white Jellyroll was a bit skippy over it, so I tried the Micron but I really couldn't see it against the soapstone. That's when I quit and laid it aside months ago.

Yesterday I picked up the white again to move forward through the 'discomfort'. I did some Huggins, and filled in some N'Zeppel that was there from before, and added some Hollibaugh strings. (I actually was having fun with my discomfort!) I love shading, and I could have used pencil over the white, but again, that was too comfortable. I used a grey Fabrico in small doses. (I like big doses of shade) I also remembered that going back in with the Micron after the white could tame a few blobs I left with the white Jellyroll. Funny thing, by the time I was halfway through, I was out of the discomfort zone, and simply in the zone of the Zentangle process. Cuz that's how it often works!

Thanks, Laura, for another awesome challenge.

More Tangled Jewelry

I found these great wooden bangles perfect for tangling.

It was a little weird to draw on a small round surface. I told the little perfectionist in me to go take a nap, that we had it covered, the project didn't require her input, and wiggly lines would be tons of fun. The Micron (I used .01) glides really nicely on the smooth surface. I used a regular pencil for shading, but then played with a furniture touch up marker I found in the hardware store. I used that on the smaller one, and on the larger one I played with water color pencil for a more subtle shade.

I'm not sure what to use to finish them. Because they are bracelets, I wanted to use something natural and non allergenic. I did get advice from a friend who is knowledgeable about these things, but the product she recommended, I would have to get online, and haven't gotten that far. I did, however, wonder about coconut oil. I rubbed some on, and it really looked nice. (photo taken before the coconut) I don't figure that will really seal it, but it sure looked great and smelled great too!

If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear! Thanks for visiting.

Beading Zentangle Style

For the most part, the art of bead weaving involves a lot of structure and pattern. In order for a beaded piece to stay together, the building blocks must fit together to make it work. That pretty much pertains to the beads themselves, but when it comes to the color of a project, the same holds true from a design perspective. So not only is the actual physical bead important, but the color of the bead in a particular position in that structure also matters. Sounds like fun, huh? Well, thank goodness there are people who write patterns to guide us in this part of the process.

I beaded for a long time without knowing how to read a peyote stitch chart. It seemed like it would be too mathmatical and predictable. Although once I did, I really enjoyed watching the pattern come alive in my beads. Here is an example of a peyote band created with a color chart that I followed:

I had the idea to make a very skinny peyote stitch wrap (one that would go round my wrist 3X) using the chevron pattern you see here. However, I forgot to bring my chart pattern home so I could follow it and end up with the pattern you see.

Well, well. What to do? I was really wanting to get started on it, so I decided to approach it like piece of Zentangle® art. I knew if I winged it without my written pattern, sometimes I would get the pattern right, and sometimes I wouldn't. That would just have to be ok. If one of my chevrons didn't pan out, I shrugged a "Watt-eva" and moved on. What came out was really fun for me... I love it. I love its random, yet structured nature.

Fengle in a Quandary (or vice versa)

Woo hoo! Finally got to sit down with a Diva challenge! I sort of got lost in this one. I love Fengle. Quandary can make me a little crazy, but I found if I go really slow and deliberate, that helps alot. I also feel more comfortable making the 'rice' shapes solid rather than open. But the open ones lend themselves to great tangleations.

I started another tile this morning during my quiet breakfast at Panera. It was on a tan tile, which I was excited to use. However, one of the other customers stopped by to ask about it. After a lovely 30-minute conversation about art and other things, I gave him my unfinished tile, so alas, no second tile for the post!

Thanks, Laura Harms, for always being there to present the challenge. It's often my go-to resource when I need a quick Zentangle fix.

Framing Play

A while back The Diva and Maria Thomas did some posting about borders. I messed around a little and found myself knee deep in Knightbridge. I just couldn't stop with the coloring in. It's that way sometimes.. what I do with a Zentangle tile often reflects something about me in that certain time and space. Not exactly sure what was going on right then:)

Here is another, more spacious play on a more spacious day... obviously a very different attitude!

Nothing Special

I suppose it's time to post something as it's been MONTHS!

I started this blog years ago just to see if I knew how to navigate such things online, and found out that it was lots of fun to share my experience of the art and practice of Zentangle.

In the meantime, a huge project in the form of a beadstore came my way. It's been 1-1/2 years of that, and it's time to step back and take a look at where my time goes, what are the meaningful parts of my day, and who and how am I being asked to serve? I don't think I have answers to any of those questions, but the act of stepping back to review is always appropriate. Being still with what's around you or in front of you (hold that Zentangle tile at arm's length and see what you discover!) will often bring to light the next step.

I've realized that the writing part of the blog is what trips me up and stops me from posting. I often feel like I have nothing 'special' to say these days. I've become a more of a doer than an observer lately. But, I think it's time to Breathe. Look around. Be still for a few more minutes a day than I have been.

I suppose I can post a tile with no words. I don't have to wait for something special to say. I don't wait for something special to occur to do a Zentangle, I just do them. They don't have to be wonderful to look at, or even pleasing to do every time. I just do them to do them with no expectation, no worry about what it will look like, where it will end up, who will like it and who won't. Why did that not occur to me before? Quite busy doing, not much stepping back. So until I step back again to do something different, I am going to try to take some time to post just the art. The words will be there if they are meant to be, I'm sure.

Carried Away

Oh, the plan. Sigh. Why bother?

This week's Diva challenge honors Earth Day. There are so many great organic tangles that conjure up wild vines and full trees, flowing rivers. I was excited to get busy on this one! I was inspired by Laura's Zendala, so I figured I would use that as the string to gather all the earthy tangles I was so excited about. I love the flowing tangles, so planned to use one to start.
   I looked at the selection of Zendala strings in front of me. Instead of choosing a more rounded version, I was drawn to one of the more linear ones. Why? Don't know. I was just in a moment and knew that's where to begin. But wait, that didn't go along with my plan! Oh well, let's go, it's Zentangle, remember.
    What came about was a big surprise to me. I worked on it so long, for one. I usually don't spend more than half an hour on a tile. But this one drew me in and asked me to do all kinds of things that I wasn't used to doing. (When you listen to a tile -- or your own intuition is more like it -- big surprises happen!) This is the photo I took when I THOUGHT it was done and ready to post...

But I kept listening and this is what it said:

Purple? Frills? Really? Earth Day? This tile carried me away to a place I'm not used to. Give me green and mud and I am happy. I probably spent at least two hours on this Zendala, all the while thinking of Earth Day, so I'm betting that my idea of what the earth really feels like to me is somewhere underneath, and it definitely includes the purples and frills.

I love how the Zentangle art form shows me parts of myself that I never knew before.

Thanks, Laura, for a really fun challenge.

Everybody is a Star

This week's Diva challenge is to use any kind of star as a string. I had just one week before posted a new profile picture to my facebook page. It's one of my favorite tiles, and I did it as soon as I learned the tangle, Betweed. When I look at it now, I really don't remember how I did it. I was only having some fun at the time. I rarely try to figure out what a tile will become. Unless I'm teaching, I don't plan any of them. But because the star challenge appeared, and I did know that this favorite tile began as a star, I set out to rediscover what I had done. That was fun for a while, and I might have come close, but sooner than later, fun got the best of me and I veeeeeeered off.
   I love to see all the different ways people respond to the same challenge. It's what I love about this art form: each person gets to play however they want, and discover whatever joy means to them specifically. I sometimes think about all the people sitting and tangling at once in the world... all those joyful lights shining. wow.

The original tile with star highlighted in yellow.

My first try at figuring it out

I think this was a little closer on the outside edges

A try at a Zendala

Then of course, I had to Puf at least one!

Frames!

Funny that the Diva and Maria would be talking frames. A few of us in the Dayton are getting some Zentangle art ready for a local exhibit in the summer. Framing can be a little challenging for most of us, so we've been talking about solutions this past week. Since so many of us work with the official Zentangle tile, we are hoping our local framer/artist will make some frames to fit them.

I had tons of fun doing the Diva Challenge this week. It's been a while since I've done one, but having had the good fortune to be in a Zentangle state of mind all the past weekend, the relaxation and floatiness has not worn off. I am finding that some things just aren't as important as they were way last week before I left. We can sometimes get ourselves on a hamster wheel of 'doing' when many times, just being is all that's required. [Thank you, CZT Hideaway (more photos by Ann Hathaway, CZT)]

Here is the challenge frame, inspired by Laura and Maria... Thanks!

Rejuvenation

When it comes to rejuvenation, the Zentangle® art form is a wonderful tool, even in small doses. Taking a little time each day (even for ten minutes) to do a little tangling can clear your mind like a little reset button.

Imagine a whole (LONG) weekend of nothing but tangling!

I was lucky enough to spend this past Thursday through Sunday at the CZT Hideaway 2013. The retreat was hosted by CZTs Leslie Scott-Gillilan and Angie Gamble, and was designed to provide a little rest, relaxation and rejuvenation to participating CZTs. Seventeen of us packed our tiles and pens and headed to Henryville, Indiana for a stay at Wooded Glen Conference and Retreat Center. This facility is truly beyond compare – peaceful, beautiful, natural, accommodating, nurturing. The owners say they want their guests to feel like they're at 'grandma's house.' And yes, there were cookies and cold milk waiting for us at bedtime. For real. On Saturday at lunch, our table got to talking (a lot) about Red Lobster cheddar biscuits. That night there were cheddar garlic biscuits on the dinner buffet. Someone from another attending group said her friend was going on about crab cakes at lunch and that night they showed up for dinner. Seriously, I can't think of anywhere else (grandma's maybe!) that would happen.

Rear view of the conference center from the path across the pond.

   Anyway, the weekend was filled with lots of fun ideas and we naturally shared little tricks and projects with each other. The schedule, or string as we called it, was a flexible mix of learning and playing, options and choices. Nothing was required, and everything allowed for. Wow. It was a living Zentangle.
   I am so grateful to everyone who participated in this lovely weekend. Angie and Lesley did a great job, and gave us a truly wonderful gift with all their hard work and planning. I can't wait to do it again.

   Here are a few things I played with. Some might be finished, but then again maybe not!

Micron and White Jelly Roll on tan paper.

12 x 14 beginnings of something

We played with Genevieve Crabe's Mandala stencils. I loved them! I started Coaster on one of the 'spokes' but changed my mind. Instead of chucking it, which was my initial thought, I moved forward! I sort of like the "spirit spoke" that's stuck in there.

Snake String: Puffed-out Mooka

"This 2013 year of Snake is meant for steady progress and attention to detail. Focus and discipline will be necessary for you to achieve what you set out to create."

I found the above online after I had finished my Diva challenge yesterday. I had so much fun using the snake as a string. I hadn't worked in my Tangle-a-Day calendar for a couple weeks, so yesterday's Tangle and Tea session at the bead store was the perfect opportunity to be in a tangled flow. One of the great things about our Thursday sessions is all the people who show up! If you're stuck on a decision about what tangle to use next, you can just say "somebody say a tangle", and there you have it! I had already chosen Warped Eggs as my first filler, and was at a loss for the next. Peg Farmer said Mooka, and then I couldn't stop. It covered every remaining spot. Sometimes the tendrils went very far out, sometimes they stayed in their cocoon. This morning I allowed myself some time before my day revved up to do the shading. It was like I was having the same fun all over again! I love to shade, especially if it's very intricate. There is always something to miss, so there is always something to find! I especially love that part.
   This brings me to the above info about the year of the Snake. Some of the tanglers at yesterday's session hadn't seen how this piece started, so when they looked at it finished, a couple were a little daunted. I always say, "one stroke at a time" and with this one: "steady progress and attention to detail. Focus and discipline..."

After I did each Mooka section, I puffed it out where all the corners lined up, as I often like to do with different tangles. So much fun. I think we might do a Mooka-Fest class in the near future. There are so many possibilities with this one!

Tangled Love

Happy Valentine's Day...

Here is a little something fun to try if you are making Valentines this year. I love to tangle hearts with Fengle, Mooka and Pais, although there are tons of other tangles you can use.

1. In pencil, make some overlapping shapes. Find the intersections of the overlaps, and make a short double line at each pencil intersection. Always make your second line either inside or outside of the shapes. These are made on the inside of each shape. Don’t think too hard about what will overlap what. Part of the fun is the surprise of what you find when you connect your lines later.
2. Connect the double lines of one of the shapes.
3. Connect the double lines of one of remainder of the shapes.
4. Fill the spaces with your favorite tangles.
5. Shade the areas of intersected lines along the outer edge of the shape on top.

Dansking Together

Today I really want to write about the synchronous events that have been in my face in the last couple days. As with most of these stories, they are long and winding and very personal, so I will spare you all! Suffice it to say that even this week's Diva post led me to some really interesting signs and for that I am most grateful. Speaking of the Diva, which we often do in these Zentangle circles, this week she is giving away a Tangle-a-Day Calendar, not only on her blog, but on her Facebook page. Check it out for a chance to win one for yourself or a friend.
   Laura also presented this week's challenge, which is to use Margaret Bremner's awesome tangle, Dansk. I love every aspect of this tangle. It has a smooth rhythm, it can go behind, interweave with itself, and is a blast to shade!
   One of the little threads of my synch events is that Laura, Margaret and I all attended the third CZT seminar together. Even though we barely got to know each other at that time, I feel blessed and grateful that since then, through the magic of cyberspace and the love of Zentangle, we may 'know' each other a little better now. I love them both and am happy to be dansking with them in the same Diva post this week.

Thank you Laura, Margaret, and all the Zentangle family, which includes YOU if you are reading this.

104 Diva + Voga

I love when someone gives me a string. It's like you get to play in someone else's house: they've done all the cleaning and prep and you just have to show up and play. Not that strings are a chore, of course, but some days that's the first point of entry into the process, and my lists and left brain haven't gotten the full message that they can now take a break, and my critical side starts poking at me. That's why I love using the Zentangle prestrung tiles. I can more easily bypass the pressure of starting something new and go right to the flow.
   This week the Diva gave us a string from Linda Farmer's Tanglepatterns.com. If you've not visited, go! It's great. This string is very sectioned, which makes me want to Puf it up. So I did. Here is a photo of the string with the sections dressed in 'pre-puffed' auras:

Here is the finished tile:

In all this playing, I think a tangle may have emerged. I hesitate to say that as there are so many new ones popping up, that surely this has been done. However, if not, I went ahead and named it and provided the step-outs. You can use a straight line (left) or a curvy line (right)  "V" shape. Remember when you 'puf', resist the urge to draw a line straight through the point. Move slowly to let the line dance from one point to the next.

This example is the curved version.

















Try it without the bars, connecting the "v" sections to each other:

Time and Space

As each day rolls on, we get a chance to feel our way to each next step. The past year has been full of intensely paying attention to where I'm being asked to step next. I had no idea this time last year that I'd be the steward of a bead store and all that comes with it. But I know without a doubt it's where I'm supposed to be, even though I can't really know all the purpose of it. It feels pretty big, though, like a huge communal pull of some kind.
   The day to day events of the store are pretty much led by what our customers ask for. We do what they want to do, and hope that it's something we also like to do! Well, they are now coming into the bead store and asking for Zentangle classes. Of course there is Zentangle all over the place in here, just because we can't help ourselves. (Our restroom is an actual gallery!) Adding Zentangle to our class schedule was an organic decision, just as stocking a new color of beads is an organic decision.

I've had a little difficulty finding the time to sit and tangle at a particular time. Just as not knowing how a Zentangle tile will develop when you sit to do one, so it is with most of my day. But as all things are in their place at all times, it just so happens that now we have enough interest in Zentangle to create a designated time (now that we have the space!) for tanglers to gather and have some fun.  Every Thursday afternoon, Stash will host Tangles and Tea at 3. No need to call ahead, just show up with your favorite tangle supplies. We'll supply the tea and coffee. It's all free.
   I'm hoping that this quiet time will be my own time to sit and be with my favorite art form.

Purple Power

The Diva Challenge #103 was to raise awareness for Moebius Syndrome. I felt like I needed to stretch out when doing the Moebius Foundation graphic, so I used a Zendala tile. Drawing the logo was a little daunting, but I actually found it a bit easier to do once I just broke it down into shapes, and stopped thinking of it as a never-ending ribbon that I might need to understand. Even if it's a little cattywampus, I like it that way. I filled the background with NZeppel, and the edges became PokeLeaf. Not sure why I chose those two tangles, but after it was there it seemed to say something about growth and connectivity. Symbols are everywhere, even though we often don't know their meaning. I added purple, which I hardly ever do, but that's the color for MSAD. Read more about it via Laura's blog.
   I loved doing this tile. It seemed to go on and on, and after that I did 3 days worth of Tangle calendar entries, and then another whole tile. I had pretty 'pencilly' hands after all that shading. Fun. Thanks, Laura, for another jumpstart for me to get tangling.

What Next?

Whether you tangle often, or just occasionally, you probably have hit a little wall wondering which tangle to use next. Now that I'm back into a semi-daily groove with tangling in my calendar, this happens to me quite a bit. Thank goodness for the community of tanglers who have come up with a variety of patterns to play with. One of my favorite go-to resources is tanglepatterns.com. Linda Farmer (CZT) has done an outstanding job at organizing and linking step outs to new tangles as they come on the scene. My favorite tool from her is the Tanglepatterns.com Tangle Guide. This is a pdf that sits on my computer desktop, staying handy for fresh ideas and challenges. Click here to find out how to get one of these jumpstart jewels! The cover alone is an inspiration, with Zentangle art by the awesome Shelly Beauch.
   This portion of my calendar began with a new tangle this week called Heartrope by Bunny Wright. As the days rolled on, I was in a Quandry so I clicked on my handy Tangle Guide 2013 and mixed a little of a lot: Basketweave, Beadlines, Onomoto, Bunzo, Betweed - all found right at my fingertips! This page in the calendar may be a little bit  busy, but that's my life right now. Taking the time to tangle this morning really helped me center. Now I think it's time to clean off my desk while I enjoy my new Starbucks concoction: Skim Misto (grande) with two shots of mocha and two shots of vanilla spice. Methinks cleaning off my desk will be fun.

Allowing the Time

The last eight months for me have been a whirlwind of ramped up activity, mountains of details, and lifestyle adjustments. It's all been a ton of fun, and lots of hard work, but there is a flow that I feel that helps me know I'm exactly where I belong for the moment. One of my prominent lessons is letting go of the lists, and allowing time for what is being called for at the moment. That might mean lunch with a friend, even though I may have a pile of other things to do. It might mean I forego lunch with a friend because of the piles of things to do. Each moment asks me to participate in its own way, regardless of the rules I hold about it. There are many "shoulds" to follow, but we get a chance to move beyond those and do what is intuitively "right" for that moment.
   In the past couple of weeks I've made a real effort to allow for my intuition to take a real front and center. As it turns out, I had one day that began with a breakfast with a friend at 8:30 and by 11:10 I realized I might be late for my lunch date with my mom. Now that's a great morning! I set my lists aside, and what transpired was a really meaningful morning with deep conversation and swirling insights.
   By the time Monday came, I really "should" have gotten more checks of the list on my desk. But Peg Farmer was having a Zentangle class at the bead store. And even though I could have sat in the computer corner and finished lots of the items on my list, I knew what was really being asked is that I sit down with the class and become a student of Zentangle. Later that evening I "should" have helped my son peel wallpaper off my dining room wall, but something else was calling: another dinner conversation full of meaningful twists and turns and aha moments. My son was cool with that:)
   The flow is a wonderful thing. Sitting down with Zentangle always reminds me of that. The more I do, the more I see the experience of flow with Zentangle helps me float my way to each appropriate moment in the rest of my day.
   Thanks universe. I am one lucky girl.

Below is a combination of what I did on my calendar in Peg's class plus this week's Diva Challenge. I then did a tile just with the Diva Challenge. Flowin' Fun.

 

Happy New Day

The Diva Challenge has returned after a short and well deserved holiday break. The challenge is a bright spot in my Monday, even if I don't get to tangle the challenge. But a new year has begun, and as many of us settle into a new "improved" routine, one of mine is to allow more tangle time. I don't really like the thought of one whole year being new, as it can be very overwhelming to think I have to keep up with any of the changes I've set up for myself.
   For the past 5 or 6 years my creative friends and I gather on New Year's Day to start the year with a creative community. This year we held our party at our new bead store. We invited the general public to gather and do whatever it is they love to do. There was a little beading, scrapbooking, quilting, tangling. Great fun. One of our partiers greeted each person with "Happy New Day" rather than the customary "new year". We liked that and decided it really took the pressure off of trying to have a whole new happy year. One day at a time, we can handle. Even if I have a bumpy start to a day, it can often work itself out.
    This week's Diva Challenge was a new tangle created by Laura's husband, Brad. (Happy birthday today, Brad!) I had a bumpy start with this one. I started it directly in my Tangle-a-Day calendar, which is always a leap everyday. Each day I make a dedicated attempt to take apart my tendencies to "make it pretty." Calendars and journals can be tricky that way.
   

I had already started January 7 with a little bit of Tripoli, left over from a conversation with Peg Farmer. I began the Phicops challenge tangle in the larger space, and added a couple more in the leftover spaces. It took me a few tries to get the rhythm and direction going, so I pulled out a prestrung Zentangle tile and tried again once I 'got' it. The rhythm of Phicops called to mind the Flux tangle, so the dance went in that step. I finished it off with a little Fescu.

Thanks Laura and Brad! Have a great week, everyone.

The tentacles of tangling

The art of Zentangle® is a far reaching organism. Its tentacles are long and lanky, and they tend to curl around and get into places that naturally ask for its wild, yet orderly nature.

I'm trying my hand at a new technique called soutache embroidery. I have much to learn! It involves beads, yes, but it has such a Zentangle quality in that you can do it without planning. Many people do plan with this technique, and one of these days I might have to. But right now while I'm playing, I am grateful for the open door that Zentangle brings to this new endeavor. The 'what-ifs' collide with the 'can-it-be-dones' and often there is frustration. But one thing Zentangle reminds me is that there is only moving forward. In this case, one can take out the thread, but that is even more bothersome, so one finds ways to keep going with the learning/creative process. I did find a tutorial that helped me on the technical side of this technique. I have to give a shout out to Amy Sweet-McNamara for a great tutorial!

I've also been keeping up with my Tangle-a-Day Calendar. I've fallen in love with Peppermint Mocha coffee, so on my cold car trip to the shop each day, I stop and get a nice hot treat, sit down with my calendar and begin the day in peace and quiet. There is so much online these days with so many tangles everywhere you look, that it will be easy to find at least 365 of them to fill my daily pages. I'm looking forward to what the year will bring to this little bound pile of papers. Looking forward to seeing what others do with theirs. I've been lucky enough to live near Peg Famer (CZT) and love to see what she does with her calendar pages. I look at them, think I've seen everything, and then I look again and find something else to squeal over. Thanks, Peg!