Tugging at your Heartstrings

As the submissions are coming in for this week's "It's a String Thing" Sweet #16, the compliments for Helen Williams' Heartstrings are vintage Zentangle®:  calming, relaxing, rhythmic, soothing, fun, zen-like...

If you haven't tried the tangle yet, below are my notes to help get you started.  You can find the links to Helen's own instructions as well as the link to Tangle Patterns here on Tuesday's post.


Adele Bruno, CZT  tickledtotangle.blogspot.com


Have fun tangling and have a wonderful weekend!

A Little Tangled Turkey and Many Thanks

Tangled Turkey by Adele Bruno, CZT

In the United States we are celebrating Thanksgiving Day - taking time to thank God for our many blessings - and taking time to cook and eat, and bake and eat, and watch football and eat...YUM!

In addition to the countless blessings of my family and friends, I am grateful for you.

Thank you for keeping up with my posts and special thanks to you adventurous souls that send in beautifully tangled tiles for the weekly "It's a String Thing" challenges.

I am eternally grateful to be part of the Zentangle® community - a generous, enthusiastic, loving and creative bunch of the nicest people in the whole wide world. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

 

 

 

Adele Bruno, CZT                   Heartstrings by Helen Williams

"I'ts a String Thing" Sweet #16

It's Tuesday, your good news day!

Before I write about this new challenge - I must answer a question that has come up from several readers.  How best to transfer the string line to a tile?  

What I suggest (and what I do) is to view the string, study it a bit, put pencil to tile and draw it.  The way it turns out on your tile is how you should use it.  There is no right or wrong to it - you can make your own version or interpretation of it.  Keep in mind that strings are suggestions. 
Have confidence and tangle on!

Now for this week's String Thing...

In honor of Thanksgiving here in the United States - just a few day away - and in recognition of our grateful hearts, this is a very sweet #16 challenge.

We begin with String 018 by Sandy Hunter, CZT, as posted by Linda Farmer on Tangle Patterns.

In honor of Sandy we will use a tangle that begins with the letter 'H' for Hunter -
the pattern Heartstrings by Helen Williams.

The reason for using one tangle this week is threefold:
1.  It captures the spirit of love and gratitude.
2.  It gives a unique opportunity to learn and master one tangle pattern.
3.  It provides an opportunity to tangle in the midst of the holiday season without demanding a great deal of time.  Translated, that means you can do this :)

You will find detailed instructions for Heartstrings by Helen Williams, along with a video and variations of the tangle at this link on Tangle Patterns.

To recap - use:

String 018 by Sandy Hunter on Tangle Patterns
Heartstrings by Helen Williams

If this is your first visit, welcome!  If you are new to Zentangle®, welcome! 

This exercise is for beginner and seasoned tanglers alike.  Use it as an excuse to keep up with your art work, take time for yourself, learn new patterns, share your talent...

Here are the (Not so) Official Guidelines:

     * Challenges are posted on Tuesdays.          

     *Use the string posted for the week and patterns that begin    

                  with the letter(s) indicated                 

     *Work must be completed on Zentangle tiles or on your 3.5" x 3.5" paper      

     * Submit a photo of your tile saved as jpg or         

                  scan your tile (300 dpi) and save as a jpg    

     *Email your jpg file as an attachment to -  brunoadelem@gmail.com    

     *Entries are to be submitted by Saturday evenings.     

     *Photos and 'Best of Show' are posted on Mondays.       

Send in your photos - you will encourage and inspire fellow Zentangle enthusiasts all over the world.

I look forward to your emails.

"It's a String Thing" #15 Tiles

Thanksgiving week is here and I am especially grateful for the talented tanglers who sent in their work for all of us to enjoy...

 

This first wonderful tile is from Mindy.

 

Mindy used large grids for her tangles and what a great idea.  She also mirrored Lokomotive and gave it an entirely different look.  What a lovely tile.

CZT, Brenda Urbanik said that she got carried away with Looplopp.  She found it "nice and meditative" and "could have simply done a whole time with that tangle."

Her comment is fascinating, because there were others who found that tangle frustrating.  Don't you love how the mind works - and how preferences for various tangles emerge?

Brenda also incorporated Lacy right on top of her field of Looplopp - fun!  She also added a little Lanie just for me, thank you!

Sue Jacobs said that this string was a lot more fun when she remembered what she always tells her students;  "The string is only a suggestion - and - it's not a coloring book, it's OK to go outside the lines!"
 

She also added that it was the first time she really played with Lanie and she really liked it.  She added a thicker line to the edges and the result is beautiful.  She left the center open and it happily makes the other tangles stand out.  Gorgeous!

Ragged Ray said that the string made her think of a "heap of fabric swatches" and so she added "little fringes and the like on the overlapping edges."

 

 

 

The results are so very pretty - and cozy!  She said that she really liked Lanie and would be "playing with it more to see if any tangleations arise."  Please do - and send a photo in when they do!


Jenna Wheatman sent in this lovely tile with a note that many will appreciate, especially as the holidays approach...

 

She said that she has been very busy with work and tired as a result.  That left her with little motivation or inspiration to tangle.  She said of this tile - "I don't think it's my best work but it certainly helped me wind down."

Hats off to you Jenna - thank you for the inspiration and the timely reminder.  It is in taking the time to relax and tangle that is beneficial.  The end result is always a masterpiece - not only the tangled tile, but the benefit to yourself.

This next tile is from Annie.  She just discovered Zentangle® in September - across the sea in Spain! 

New to tangling and submitting her tile to the challenge - now that's inspiring!  She has great movement with the curve of her lines and very nice shading.  She even added sparkle to her Lokomotive.  Thank you Annie - and welcome!

CZT, Rhonda Koplin, last week's honoree, sent in this pretty tile:
 

  

She said that all of the tangles were new to her and would be using a few of them in the future.  She certainly did a wonderful job of learning and using them.  The curved lines of Lacy contrast well with the surrounding grids.  Her shading of Lokomotive makes the tangle stand out.  Well done.

In her signature style, Sue Agnew sent in this tile:

She said, "I know all the little lines are probably overkill, but that's what I love and find relaxing about Zentangle...drawing all those little lines."  That's what we love about seeing your Zentangle work, Sue.  The variation on Lace Curtains is elegant as well as the sparkle on Lanie - lovely!

Audrie Weisenfelder sent in two wonderful tiles:

 

In her note she said that this combination of patterns and the string line were particularly challenging.  The admirable thing here is that she pressed on and worked with it and completed these pretty pieces.  She said that completing the challenges, mine as well as the Diva's and Zendala Dare, "keeps her on her toes."  We are all benefitting from that - thank you Audrie.

 

Joan Delony sent in two photos of her tile - pre and post shading:

She said she prefers the first one as it shows the stark contrast.  It is difficult to pick a favorite, but it  a very good example of how shading changes the look of tangles.  She used Lacy in a beautifully unique way - such a nice touch.

The tile set aside for honors this week was submitted by Jackie Becker -

 

Jackie has been working on her tangles and techniques quite tirelessly.  When she first started tangling she avoided shading all together.  Now, her tiles are illuminated with shading.  The progression has been a pleasure to watch.   This tile shows really show cases her shading technique and therefore has earned honors for this week's challenge.  Congratulations, Jackie!

 

I will be sending a little something in the mail to you.

 

Thank you all for the compliments on my Lanie tangle pattern.  It was a special treat to see it used in so many lovely ways.

 

Many thanks to the creative minds behind the string and tangles used this week:

 

String 019 by Linda Selymes courtesy of Linda Farmer

Lace Curtains by CZT Suzanne McNeill

Lacy by Sandra Strait
Lokomotive by Stephanie Kukla
Longwood by J.J. La Barbera
Looplopp by Ksenija Vojisavljevic

 

Check back tomorrow for "It's a String Thing" #16!

 

Feel free to leave a comment in the space below.

If you would like a response from me, please use the email box located to the right.

Thank you!

 

 

 









Tangling With Cake Batter!

Did you ever think to tangle with cake batter?

A recipe published in the November 2013 edition of Ladies' Home Journal featured the idea of using a thickened cake batter to add scroll decorations to a jelly roll cake. Hmmm...this idea was so intriguing, I had to give it a try.

My daughter Sarah and I - after some trial and error - worked together to come up with a tangled version of this delicious pumpkin cake. 

I'll begin with a picture of the finished cake and follow it with pictures of the process and the recipe.  Despite the length of the directions, it is a simple enough cake to prepare - the results are spectacular, and the possibilities are endless!

 

 

First we lined a 10" x 15" baking sheet with

parchment paper.

 

 

We used cooking spray to lightly coat the parchment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We mixed the cake batter and set it aside.

Next, we put a scant 1/4 cup of the batter into a smaller bowl and added flour and molasses to thicken it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The thickened and darkened batter was placed into a pastry bag with a #3 tip.

 

 

 

 

 

I piped some tangles onto the parchment.

This was so much fun!

Because the surface was misted with oil, smaller patterns tended to run together - that was part of our 'trial and error'.

We found that working in larger motions, making bigger tangles worked very well.

 

 

 

  

Think of the possibilities!! 

You can tangle away - or even write words - just be mindful that it would be a mirror image on the finished cake.

Once the tangles were finished, the pan went into the freezer for 20 minutes.

We removed the pan from the freezer and poured the batter over the tangled parchment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We carefully poured the batter and leveled it off  with the spatula.

    

This is what the baked cake looked like after we turned it onto a rack and removed the parchment.

How fun is that?!

And it smells luscious - cinnamon, molasses, pumpkin...yum!

We rolled the cake up in a tea towel and cooled it completely.

After the filling was made, we unrolled the cake, frosted it, rolled it back up, and refrigerated it.

Here is a picture of our sliced masterpiece and the recipe.

*Kudos and photo credits do to my daughter Isabella.

 Pumpkin Cake Roll with Toffee Cream Cheese Filling 
(Adapted from Ladies' Home Journal, November 2013)

Cake

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp salt

4 large eggs
1 ¼ cups sugar

¾ cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp lemon juice
Piping Mixture

 ¼ cup of cake batter
3 Tbs flour
2 Tbs molasses

Filling

6 oz cream cheese, softened
2tbs butter, softened

½ tsp vanilla
1 ¼ cups powdered sugar

¼ cup Heath Bits
¼ cup finely chopped pecans

2/3 cup heavy cream

PREPARE THE PAN:

Cut parchment to fit on the bottom of a 10 x 15” jelly roll pan and lightly grease the parchment and sides of pan.  Set aside. 

MAKE THE CAKE BATTER:

In a mixer beat the eggs and sugar on high speed until fluffy, 4 min.

Whisk together 1 cup flour with baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt.  Set aside.

Stir in the pumpkin and lemon juice, then the flour mixture, scraping the bowl to incorporate completely.

 MAKE THE PIPING BATTER:

Place ¼ cup of the batter in a small bowl and stir in 2 tbs molasses and 3 tbs. of flour.  Transfer to a piping bag, #3 tip.

Pipe designs onto parchment.

Freeze until solid – 15 to 20 minutes.

Spread the remaining pumpkin batter over the frozen designs, smoothing the surface.  Work quickly so the swirls don’t get warm.

BAKE AND ROLL THE CAKE:

Bake @ 375 in the top third of the oven.  Approx. 16 to 17 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched.Run a knife around the edges and invert onto a paper towel lined rack. 

Gently remove parchment.

Turn cake onto a tea towel – decorated side down.  Dust the surface of the cake with flour to prevent sticking.

Roll the cake (from the short side) to form a log, wrapping the towel as you roll. 
Allow the cake to cool in the towel.

MAKE THE FILLING:
In a mixer beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
Add the vanilla and sugar and mix.
Gently stir in the toffee bits and pecans.
In a separate bowl whip the cream until firm peaks form. 

Fold two mixtures together until completely mixed.

ICE THE CAKE:
Gently unroll the cooled cake, remove from the towel.

Spread with filling, stopping 1” shy of the edges.

Reroll cake and place seam-side down on a serving platter. 

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or until ready to serve.       
Can be made a day ahead.

Now you can tangle AND bake away!!

Please use the space below if you would like to leave a comment.
If you would like a response from me, please use the email box located to the right.
Thank you!

Lovely Lanie

This week's "It's a String Thing" features patterns that begin with the letter 'L'.  Click here for all the details.

In looking over my notebook I found more detailed notes about Lanie than most of the other tangles for this challenge.   Just in case you find them a helpful encouragement to participate this week (hint, hint!) - here they are:



Tangle by Adele Bruno, CZT

You can see examples of Lanie as well as the story behind it by clicking Lanie on the pink bar at the top of the page.

Keep tangling, have fun, and give the challenge a try!

Please feel free to leave a comment in the space below. 
If you would like a response from me, please use the email box located to the right.
Thank you!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

Adele Bruno, CZT

"It's a String Thing" #15

It's Tuesday, your good news day!

After last week's curvy and loopy string line we take an about face this week with a straight lined string and a group of grid based patterns.

We begin with String 019 created by Linda Selymes and published by Linda Farmer on Tangle Patterns.

In honor of Linda we will use a selection of tangles that begin with the letter 'L'.  The patterns are all grid based in keeping with the nature of Linda's string line. 

There are six patterns to choose from this week - use as few or as many as you would like:

Lace Curtains by CZT Suzanne McNeill
Lacy by Sandra Strait
Lanie by CZT Adele Bruno - that's me!
Lokomotive by Stephanie Kukla
Longwood by J.J. La Barbera
Looplopp by Ksenija Vojisavljevic

All of these tangles can be found here on the Tangle Patterns website.


If this is your first visit, welcome!  If you are new to Zentangle®, welcome! 

This exercise is for beginner and seasoned tanglers alike.  Use it as an excuse to keep up with your art work, take time for yourself, learn new patterns, share your talent...

Here are the (Not so) Official Guidelines:

     * Challenges are posted on Tuesdays.          

     *Use the string posted for the week and patterns that begin    

                  with the letter(s) indicated                 

     *Work must be completed on Zentangle tiles or on your 3.5" x 3.5" paper      

     * Submit a photo of your tile saved as jpg or         

                  scan your tile (300 dpi) and save as a jpg    

     *Email your jpg file as an attachment to -  brunoadelem@gmail.com    

     *Entries are to be submitted by Saturday evenings.     

     *Photos and 'Best of Show' are posted on Mondays.       

Send in your photos - you will encourage and inspire fellow Zentangle enthusiasts all over the world.

I look forward to your emails.

"It's a String Thing" #14 Tiles

Happy Monday!

I am having a grand time visiting our grand kids this weekend, so pardon the late and somewhat brief post but I have to get my hugs and kisses in while I can!

This challenge was special for many reasons - a string and tangles from Zentangle® co-founder Maria Thomas and a succession of numbers in the date:  11-12-13. 

The first tile is from Joan Delony.

She was reminded of a bird in flight when she finished her piece.  Joan used such a nice mix of light and dark and her use of shading is wonderful.

Jenna Wheatman said she was "dead chuffed with the outcome" of her work and hoped that I liked it.  After looking up what that means in the UK, I am happy to say that she really likes it and yes, so do I!

How fun that she worked her tangles into scrolls and had the tangles follow.

Vicky from Montana used several colors to tangle her tile.    The color gave Tortuca a whole new look, didn't it?  She used two very nice variations of Tripoli as well.

Marie-Therese Dubois said that when she saw this challenge her immediate thought was that it wasn't for her this time - "the string was too tiny, the tangles needed more room..."

But then after she put it aside for a day, she decided to give it a try - and what happy results!  

Turtuca as a back drop is a wonderful touch and her variation of Tripoli is grand.  Thank you for sticking with it and taking the challenge!

Ragged Ray said that she didn't pre-plan or over think this challenge and had a more "back-to-basics" Zentangle experience.   The rest of us viewing her tile greatly benefit from her just to be able to see her work.

She filled in the negative space behind Tripoli, added Tipple in little bits for just the right touch, and added a nice variation of Taugh - beautiful!

Audrie Wiesenfelder sent in this pretty tile:

She created two looks for Tripoli and they are beautiful.  She accented her string line just so!

Mindy's tile is full of movement -

Her choice of patterns in the space are so pleasing to the eye.  Add to that her crisp and neat lines and it is difficult to stop staring at - just gorgeous.

Sue Agnew used gray marker to shade her tile and the look is striking:

She used sparkle and aura, varied the size and angle of her tangles and the result is so pretty!

Rhonda Koplin was the last tangler to submit a tile this week, so she is the recipient of the special commemoration of the date and challenge:  11-12-13-14.

Rhonda added a 'tail' after her creation reminded her of a sting ray.  She added a playful green to her tile and it looks like it was fun to tangle.

Thank you to all the wonderful tanglers who submitted their work this week.

Check back tomorrow for the "It's a String Thing" #15!

Delicately Detailed ZIA Pottery

When I teach a Zentangle® class, creating a welcoming atmosphere is paramount.  This is partly achieved by the surroundings - I make sure the gallery is neat and free of clutter, tables are topped with clean white paper, music is soft and relaxing and the finishing touch is always this ZIA (Zentangle Inspired Art) vase filled with flowers: 



ZIA pottery by Su D'Alessio



This delicate and detailed vase is the creation of artist and elementary art teacher, Su D'Alessio.  Su is energetic, enthusiastic, dedicated, and madly talented!   She is shown here standing in front of her latest creations.
                                         

Su says that she has doodled with pen and ink as long as she can remember.   Several years ago she began exploring pottery and glazes about the same time she discovered Zentangle.  She combined her love for both and developed a uniquely beautiful method of painting and glazing pottery - Su's Delicate Designs.

Su uses a squeeze bottle fitted with a very tiny, pin-sized steel pointed tip. She applies the glaze to her pottery using this squeeze bottle in the same way we use a Micron on a tile.  Amazing.

 

Notice how detailed her work is - the little dish she is working on as well as the two finished pieces in the background.

 





 

If you look back at the photo of Su with her work (above) you can see the little turtles in the bottom left hand corner on a doily.  Here is a close up of one, placed by a ruler for perspective.  Look at the detail - beautiful!

 

Here are a few of her pieces that I purchased this year:

 

Su says that "no two pieces are ever the same and I cannot do orders...the ideas just spill out of my head on their own!  Each has flaws because I am not perfect." 

While she doesn't take orders, she does have one more show this year.  If you are in the Orlando area on December 7, Su will be displaying and selling her wonderful work at The Orlando Pottery Festival.
Click here for details on the show.

Many thanks to you, Su, for sharing your talent and beautiful work.  I think of you every time I fill my vase with flowers and teach a class ;)


Please feel free to leave a comment in the space provided below.
If you would like a response from me, please use the email box located to the right.
Thank you! 

Tips for Tangling Tipple and Tortuca

You gotta love alliteration!

This week's "It's a String Thing" challenge uses four official Zentangle® patterns that begin with the letter 'T' :  Tagh, ,Tipple, Tortuca, and Tripoli  .  

They are all listed on Tangle Patterns with illustrations and suggestions, but Tipple and Tortuca do not have step outs posted.  These tangles are pretty self-explanatory, but just in case you need a bit more information before you try them on your own, here are my notes about them...

In this tile, I used Tipple in the negative spaces of the tangle pattern Fengle.

 

The word tortuca means, among other things, turtle.  It does resemble a turtle shell when completed.

 

By the way, these pages are from my pattern notebook.  The page is actually a free download from Tangle Patterns.   On the home page in the top pink bar, there is a tab named "Organize Your Patterns".  Linda Farmer has many suggestions there for pattern notebooks and plenty of free downloads.  Check it out sometime!

And now, since you have even more information about these pretty patterns, try your hand at this week's challenge.  Click here for more information and have fun tangling!


You are welcome to leave a comment in the space below.
If you would like to hear from me, please use the email box to the right.
Thank you!

It's a Wonderful Wednesday

A few weeks ago, Liza Buckley was featured on my blog post entitled Liza's Left Handed Tangle.  (Just in case you missed it, click here to read.)

She sent an update this week, along with a tile from last week's "It's a String Thing" challenge.  Her remarks captured the essence of Zentnagle® so beautifully that I think you will appreciate it as much as I do.

Here is Liza's beautiful tile followed by her note:

"It's a Sting Thing" #13 by Liza Buckley


 

 Hi Adele,
Thank you for creating the weekly tangle challenges.  This is my first right
handed tangle since my fracture.  When I drew the string, it's proportions were
totally off in comparison to yours.  My first impulse was to erase, but I
remembered there are no mistakes, so kept going.  I am finding that larger
drawing motions are still difficult, but the tinier motions are fine.  So I had
a great deal of fun working on this and being in the process of the moment.  I
love not knowing what the final tangle will look like until I finish.  Thanks
for providing opportunities for tangling fun!
Liza

Thank you, Liza, for reminding us of the beauty of the Zentangle method - trust the process, capitalize on the 'creative opportunities', relax, enjoy, and be pleasantly surprised by the outcome. 
Happy tangling everyone!


Feel free to leave a comment below. 
If you would like to response from me, please use the email box located to the right. 
Thank you!

    

 

"It's a String Thing" #14

Happy 11-12-13! 

Today's numbers are worth celebrating: 11th month, 12th day, 13th year, 14th challenge - how cool is that?! 

When those numbers are lined up and added like so:  11+12+13+14 their sum is 50.

To commemorate the day we will use String 050.  It was posted by Linda Farmer and created by Zentangle® co-founder Maria Thomas.  In Maria's signature style, it is graceful and loopy.

In Maria's honor we will use the four official tangles found on Tangle Patterns that begin with the letter 'T' for Thomas:

Tagh
Tipple
Tortuca
Tripoli

This treasure of Maria's tangles, along with the string, will be a treat to play with this week.

In this
11th month, on the
12th day, in the
13th year for the
14th "String Thing" - I will send the tangler who submits the
15th entry a special something to mark this momentous occasion. 

How fun!


If this is your first visit, welcome!  If you are new to Zentangle®, welcome! 

This exercise is for beginner and seasoned tanglers alike.  Use it as an excuse to keep up with your art work, take time for yourself, learn new patterns, share your talent...

Here are the (Not so) Official Guidelines:

     * Challenges are posted on Tuesdays.          

     *Use the string posted for the week and patterns that begin    

                  with the letter(s) indicated                 

     *Work must be completed on Zentangle tiles or on your 3.5" x 3.5" paper      

     * Submit a photo of your tile saved as jpg or         

                  scan your tile (300 dpi) and save as a jpg    

     *Email your jpg file as an attachment to -  brunoadelem@gmail.com    

     *Entries are to be submitted by Saturday evenings.     

     *Photos and 'Best of Show' are posted on Mondays.       

Send in your photos - you never know who you will encourage and inspire -
or if you'll be lucky #15!

I look forward to your emails.

"It's a String Thing" #13 Tiles

Happy Monday and Happy Veterans Day!

"It's a String Thing" #13, despite the number's unlucky reputation, turned out to be a lucky endeavor because the results are just beautiful!

Vicky from Montana sent in two tiles.  She completed the first one in black and white, but "really felt a calling for color and the purple passion emerged!"

She used water color pencils blended with a bit of water for her second tile.  Vicky's Angel Fish has pretty curved edges and Antidots has a nice layered look and the darkened background makes it seem to burst off of the paper.

Jenna Wheatman from the UK said that the tangle were "fun to play with".  She mentioned that it was hard fitting them to a string:
 

 

But that is good to keep in mind...one of the magical qualities of a string is that it can change, be pushed, ignored even.  It is a suggestion, simply an idea of where to place your tangles.  Once you begin, if a pattern takes you through, under, over, or in a different direction that the string line - great!  Just follow where your tangle leads. 

 

And Jenna's tile is gorgeous.  Her variations of Antidots are striking, especially with the added sparkle.

 

Florida's Joan Delony said that she loved both Antidots and Angel Fish so much that she did five tiles using them and had "a grand time!"  Her is a lovely one:



 Antidots has a beautiful lacey feel here.  It's light and pretty and a perfect compliment to her Angel Fish. 

Marie-Therese Dubois (another happy and proud Grandmother :) sent this in from Alabama:

They way she tangled this tile is reminiscent of an ocean scene - flowing and layered and moving, and very calming.  The enhancements to Angel Fish and the variaions on Antidots are all very thoughtful details.

UK's Ragged Ray submitted this lovely tile:

It is very impressive how she used Angel Fish along the string line.  It effortlessly flows and bends and overlaps - amazing.  Antidots appears teaming with life -  a beautiful tile.

 

 Mindy, also from Florida, said this one was fun for her.  She wrote, "While enjoying drawing the patterns, the string disappeared!" 

Mindy's use and direction of Angel Fish make her tile team with movement, as though the tangles are bubbling up from the middle and spilling into the corners - spectacular!

Washington state's Jackie Becker wrote to say that she really liked this string and would use it again in the future.

 

 What a very pretty look she achieved with the variations of Angel Fish, her use of light and dark space, aura, and (yes!) shading.  

Sue Jacobs, CZT from Illinois,  said that it was difficult to start this tile faced with so many sections in the string and just two patterns but she "ended up just going for it."

And her plunge benefitted us - what a happy tile.  She said she added color because it was too busy.  She adds, "It's still busy, but now I think it's a fun busy."  It is!

The tile set aside for honors this week was sent in by Sue Agnew.  Not only is this a wonderful tile, but her determination to tangle also stands out as an inspiration.

Sue said that she didn't get as much time to play with the tangles as she would have liked.  She was at a work related retreat and said, "...taking 'tangle time' for me was really important!" 

This is striking.  The lines in her Angel Fish are as pleasing and relaxing to look at as they must have been to draw.  The strings of Antidots are very graceful. 

Sue made the time to tangle and that is inspiration for the rest of us especially in the face of the happy holidays ahead!

 

Thank you, Sue, I have a little some thing coming in the mail for you.

 

Many thanks to:

Linda Farmer and Anne Marks for String 010

Anita Roby-Lavery, CZT for Antidots

Marizaan van Beek, CZT for Angel Fish

 

Check back tomorrow for a very special "It's a String Thing" challenge.

 

Please feel free to leave a comment in the space below.

If you would like a response from me, please use the email box located to the right.

Thank you!