Happy National Candy Corn Day

Adele Bruno, CZT ~ In Celebration of Candy Corn
Ahh, Amaze, Patena, and Nipa  

When I mentioned candy corn in Tuesday's "It's a String Thing" 64 - click here for all of the delightful details - I did not realize that today, October 30th is National Candy Corn Day in the United States.  Oh, how I love an excuse to celebrate!

Heike from Germany sent one of the first tiles in for the challenge (check back on Monday to see all of the results!) and she mentioned in her email that she had to research candy corn since Halloween is  a relatively new celebration in Germany.

That lead to some research of my own and here are some interesting facts about candy corn as found on the
Better Homes and Gardens website ~


The Story Behind Candy Corn

Every Halloween countless party-throwers, party-goers, and trick-or-treaters hit the streets to harvest candy corn. The little yellow, orange, and white treat is an icon among the holiday candies and has a legacy that goes back more than a century.

According to oral tradition, George Renninger, a candymaker at the Wunderlee Candy Company in Philadelphia, invented the revolutionary tri-color candy in the 1880s. The Goelitz Confectionery Company brought the candy to the masses at the turn of the 20th century. The company, now called Jelly Belly Candy Co., has the longest history in the industry of making candy corn -- although the method has changed, it still uses the original recipe.


Fun Facts About Candy Corn

When the Goelitz Confectionery Company first produced candy corn, it was called "Chicken Feed."

The boxes were illustrated with a colorful rooster logo and a tag line that read "Something worth crowing for."

You don't have to wait for Halloween to indulge in the mellow creme candies -- celebrate National Candy Corn Day on October 30.

According to the National Confectioners Association, more than 35 million pounds (or nine billion pieces) of candy corn will be produced this year.

Candy corn is one of the healthier candies of the Halloween season. It contains roughly 28 grams of sugar and only 140 calories per heaping handful -- and it's fat free!

In 1950, the price of candy corn was just 25 cents per pound.

In honor of their Goelitz roots, Jelly Belly developed a candy corn-flavor jelly bean.

Once opened, store candy corn covered and away from heat and light at room temperature; it should last approximately three to six months. If unopened, the packaged candy corn will last about nine months.


Best of all it is delicious!  
Enjoy your celebration and have a Happy Halloween!

A Wonderful Wednesday

There is much to celebrate and be grateful for everyday and today is no exception.

Congratulations are in order for the graduating CZT XVI Class! They are finishing up their seminar in Providence, Rhode Island, today - Woohoo!  Special shout out to Judy, Shea, and Lucy and all the newly minted CZTs.   Imagine the influence they will have on the world as they return home and spread the love for all things Zentangle®.

Congratulations to Joanne Fink who's Kickstarter has been a great success.  (Click here to read about it.)  With just a few days left there is more good news - It is not too late to jump on board and pledge your support.  It is also a wonderful way to reserve your copy of her new book
When You Loose Someone You Love.
A special thank you to all my readers who have supported her campaign.

And now for our Wednesday inspiration ~

Tangled Leaves by Adele Bruno, CZT

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day!
Every leaf speaks bliss to me,
Fluttering from the autumn tree...
                                                                                                  ~Emily Brontë



(Project Particulars - Zentangle white tile, Black and Brown Micron 01, Derwent colored pencils.)

"It's a String Thing" #64

It's Tuesday, your good news day!

This Friday is Halloween and along with celebrating all things spooky, candy rules the day.

TanglePatterns String 095 by Sandra Hart brings to mind some favorite sugary treats for this time of year: CANDY CORN.

I refer to them affectionately as CANNIE CORNS because that is what my children dubbed them in their adorable toddler days.

Copyrighted image used with permission from TanglePatterns

We will use four tangle patterns that make up the acronym CORN - they include:

Charlie by CZT Erin Olson of Zendala Dare
Owlz and
Roxi both by Beth Snoderly
N'Zeppel by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas

While the string and the tangles are references to candy corn, your end result is not meant to look like any one thing in particular - tangles are non-representational.  
On the other hand, Zentangle Inspired Art often is representational, so please feel free to do either.



The step outs can be found by clicking on the names of the tangles above - or by visiting Tangle Patterns.

Remember, use as few or as many of these patterns as you wish.

Simply pencil the string line onto your tile and tangle away!

Here are the (Not so) Official Guidelines:
* Challenges are posted on Tuesdays.
*Use the string posted for the week and patterns that begin or contain the letter(s) indicated
* Submit a photo of your tile saved as jpg or scan your tile (300 dpi or higher) 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.

PLEASE NOTE: I will add a link to your blog or web site with your tile photo, upon request. The site specific URL must accompany your request.

I look forward to your emails.
HAVE FUN!

"It's a String Thing" #63 Tiles

This week's tangles began with the letter 'Q' and we used them on TanglePatterns String 066 - or as my grandmother used to say - "Schixty-Schix".☺

The challenge brought back some very warm memories of our grandmothers  -  a sweet and unexpected reward for participating.

Let's take a look ~

The first tile arrived from the Netherlands.  Carmela wrote ~

Nice tribute to your grandmother.
I like the Q patterns, but with Quandary i loose the sight,hahaha. Therfore I made only big ones in the curves.
Thanks for this challenge,
On my blog.

Carmela used a large and lovely Quandary.  The way she darkened Quiltz makes it an anchor the other tangles.

Lori Byerly wrote ~

What a sweet tribute to your grandmother. Aren't they special in the lives of little girls.
Here's my tile using string number "schixty schix" and a couple of "q" patterns.

Also posted here.

Yes, grandmothers are invaluable, especially to little girls.  Lori tangled Quib so beautifully.  It sprouts from the four sides of her tile and in the corners Quandary is shaded to make it rise off the surface of the paper.  The dimension she achieved in this is extraordinary.


Katie Booth wrote, "I've submitted 2 tiles because I couldn't choose :-) I tried to implement the string more but my mind seems fixated on this particular shape. Just had to go with it."

Katie describes a perfect Zentangle® experience - she let her lines move where her mind wanted to roam and she has two wonderful tiles to show for it.  Notice the half section of Quares in her second piece - that is a nice touch.


Ilse Lukken said ~

Thank you for another great challenge! I love Quib, Quandary is always a challenge ;-) and Quiltz was new to me. I had fun with these 3 tangles and put the tile on my blog as well. 

Isle shaded her Quiltz in an opposite way from one corner to the other.  It makes the pattern look like two different ones.  She also added little triangles to one section of Quandary - a wonderful idea for that pattern.   That very dark space continues through all of Quib and makes for a dramatic look.

Caroline Moore wrote ~

These were challenging tangles this week. Quandary and quib took lots of practice. I enjoyed learning quiltz, but didn’t find room to include it. I’ll be sure to use it in my other work though!
I have posted it on my website.
I enjoyed hearing about your Grandmother!
Thanks for another fun challenge.

Caroline included so many details - the fanning of Quare from the corners, Quandary within Quandary, darkened arua-ed spaces and lots of dots - delightful!


Sue Jacobs wrote of her tile~

Back to black and white techniques for string 66 today. The tangles used are Quandary, Quib, and Quiltz.
I was glad that the string is merely a suggestion as I found I wanted to adjust it slightly to accommodate my version of Quib. Quiltz was a challenge to draw behind the Quib. It took a little longer and more increased focus to work out which part of the tangle went were. Quandary is a tangle that hasn't grown on me as many others have, so I was glad to do it in smaller areas.

Quiltz behind Quib may have been a challenge, but look how that turned out.   It flows so effortlessly into Quandary the way Sue shaded her tangles.  Note how the scallop of her Quandary edges and how they show up so nicely along the border line.

Christine Forrester said, "I started this as a multi-tangle pattern but Quilted took over and it became a mono-tangle – I am not sure that I am totally satisfied with it."

By the time this is posted, I am sure she will be most satisfied with it.  Sometimes it takes a bit of time to appreciate ones own work.  Christine's monotangle is marvelous - from the variation of size to the variation of darkened spaces.


Annemarie wrote this sweet note ~

The String Thing of this week brought back some sweet memories about my father. Thanks for that. On my blog I wrote:

Adele's grandmother would have become 109 years this week and as a tribute to her this challenge.
My own dad, who passed away in 1971 (he was only 71 years old), would have been 105 on October 22nd. Hard to imagine, already so long ago; I was only 21 then and missed him for a very long time. Especially when 'big' things happened in my life.

What a very loving mention of her father - and her tile is a wonderful tribute complete with splendid shades and spatters of brown, intersecting Quib, and corners of Quiltz and Quare.


Ragged Ray wrote - as only she can - this wonderful reflection on her tile ~

I chose to work with such two tangles this week - as Quandary kept me entertained for ages, and it just asked to have Quib popping through those rice shapes! A few variations, and a little cross-hatching behind a couple of areas. It made me think of fabric - nibbled by the moths of time, of family ties threading their way through the generations. All apt for where the challenge started from.
Thanks as always for the fun.

I find myself reading and re- reading her glorious descriptions. It helps me to appreciate all the more, the mood she creates in her work - with word and Micron.
Note how she used multiple portals for Quib that just happen to be Quandary - that is very clever!


A very warm welcome to Sandra who sends her first tile in all the way from Germany.  She wrote ~

it is the first time that I send a tile to you for your string-thing-challenge and I hope, everything is correct!?
I really liked the string but I had problems with the quandary-pattern. But in the end I got it, I think ;-)
I started with Zentangle only a few weeks ago and I really love the different patterns. I have started a blog too and I would be happy, if you would visit me :-)))
I hope my english is not too bad - it is a long time ago that I learned it in school ;-)

My goodness, new to Zentangle and resurrecting English - both with such admirable results.  She turned Quandary into flowers, added a three pronged Quib, and two variations of Quare - so very impressive.  Willkommen Sandra!  (I studied German for two years and that just about all I can remember :)

Another warm welcome to first timer Karla Smith who hails from Canada ~

I am a new zentangler from Canada. Only 8 weeks, never before picking up a pen. I love your site and am so inspired by the work of the many many talented people who submit tiles to you. So attached is my first submission

What a very marvelous thing to think that Karla - as with so many others - discovered her talent through tangling.  Karla created a beautiful blend of the patterns and her shading is  is superb.


Cheryl Stocks sent three tiles along with a note guaranteed to produce a smile ~

I had fun with this one and have collected a batch of drawings, some good, some ok, some not fit for human consumption. That's how it goes while learning new tricks!
Here'are an ok one, a good one and my what I think is the best effort of the bunch. (don't know which order you'll get them) If I can, they'll be on my blog along with some of the others. If not, you see them here and nowhere else! woohoo! Don't act now, I'll throw in a set of Ginsu knives, too! OOPS, carried away again!
Glad my thoughts made your day. Have another brilliant day!

One tile is more clever than the next - just like her note :) - Quandary as shoe strings, intersecting in hues of pink, and sewn as button threads - pure fun!


A very warm welcome to my fellow CZT and Floridia Barb Burgess who wrote ~

Hi Adele. I am entering this challenge with a tile that I also used for The Diva's challenge, this week. I hope I am doing this right...first time. Hope it's okay to add another tangle.

                                      
Yes, it is OK to do all of that - especially when the results are so pretty and pink.  Barb also sent along links to both her sites:
Barbs Cards and Gifts
Tiles, Tangles and Strings (OH MY!)
Do give them a visit.

Dorothy Allison wrote ~

Thank you Adele for your welcome weekly challenge, your Wednesday Words of Wisdom and your tangle tips. Here is my entry for this week - in a Quib with Quare and a variation of Quandary
Cheers.

That is wonderful.  Great takes on the tangles and Quandary pops up everywhere! 

Another warm "willkommen" to Heike who sends her first tile in from Germany.  She said, "It was fun for ​​me to draw this tile, especially because two of the patterns - Quare and Quib - were new to me."

The tangles are lovely and the shading gives them great depth.  Note how Quandary curves and tapers to the corner.


Lily Moon sent her best wishes along with this dynamic duotangle ~

The dark Quandary is striking.  Lily managed such a pleasing balance of light and dark, large and small scale tangles, patterns and white space.  She topped it off - as she does so beautifully in her work - with just a bit of brown.  

Ingrid Coventon wrote ~

I loved to do this one. It looks like a battle between some giant jelly fishes. In dutch we call these big ones: Portugees oorlogsschip. (Portugese warships in English? perhaps?) And I had also fun with Quandary.

Yes, in English they are Portuguese man o' war.  How fun to learn sea life through tangling :)
For Ingrid to say that she had fun with Quandary is an understatement.  Look at all of those variations, one more creative than the next.


Jane Glotzer wrote ~

I always find it interesting how things in the world seem to line up in seemingly coincidental ways...this week both you and Laura the Diva, mentioned your grandmothers in your weekly challenges--:)
I went with a very light hand this week...unusual for me, since as you know, I love a lot of inky darkness, but of course, it's always good to try different (and maybe less comfortable!) approaches. I started with Quib in the middle, which is a pattern I love, and because that large center space seemed to cry out for it--:) I thought I might explore both Quandary and Quare a bit but then I chose to use only Quiltz to fill in all four corners instead, which created a "background" for Quib. I was planning to darken in the empty space around the cords of Quib, but when I tried some pencil first, just to get a sense of how it would look, I ended up liking the lighter contrast. I left everything else pretty pale, just darkened the holes where Quib emerges and shaded a little for the overlapping cords and the center of part of Quiltz. I very much like my finished piece! :)

Yes, I do love those coincidences as well, especially when they have heartwarming associations.
Jane's thought process for her tangles are a treat to read as you look at her work.  She created a very lovely piece with a lighter touch.


Susan Theron said, "I have to put a lot of practice into quandary, because it also puts me in a quandary, before I will feel satisfied with the result and therefore did not try it."

What she did try turned out very nicely.  Note the detailed Quiltz and the fun of her open ended Quib.  


LonettA wrote ~

Here is my tile for this weekly challenge! It was a wonderful challenge with a wonderful string and wonderful tangles.
After a hard week I had a lovely flow and relaxation during tangling this tile! For me Quiltz and Quare were new tangles. Especially I like Quare because of the possibilities for shading and the resulting effect of depth.
Now I´m looking forward to your post on monday. Thank you again for your wonderful challenge and your lovely comments for each tile!

This is a masterfully tangled tile.  LonettA did indeed create great depth especially in the way she shaded Quare, tucked Quib under Quiltz and continued the tube shape of Quib's points of origin.  Note, too, how she has the tangles breaking away from the grids and floating about.  That is fabulous.


Sue Agnew said this one was "fun, as always!" Her note:

Here's my #63. I really like Quandary and expected to use it, so I was surprised that I didn't. I had hoped to fit it in the corners, but it works as a 60-degree angle rather than a 90-degree angle.
Usually when I try a new tangle I like to look only at the step-out and not at anyone else's interpretation of it ... however, for Quare I couldn't quite get it to work for me, so I went back to Tanglepatterns and saw Beth's variations, including the diagonal split and the rounded lines, and then I liked the way it looked.
I enjoyed Quiltz because I like "magical" 3-D tangles.
For Quib, when I hooked the ends over the "edge" of the "hole" they suddenly turned into snakes and kind of grossed me out, but I persevered.

Persevered and and even sparkled :)  Look at the amazing amount of lines Sue managed to tangle in Quare.  The detail lines in all of her tangles are really lovely.  Yes, fun, as always!


Sharyn Penna wrote ~

While I've seen others use them, Quare and Quiltz are new tangles for my hand. With so many lines to the tangles, I used a pencil for the grid lines...I think a pencil grid sometimes lets the seed fillers pop. Quare does pop, but Quiltz on my tile got a bit dull when I started shading. Since my grid was small I probably should have just left the grid lines alone. I like both tangles...will work with them more...hopefully I'll find a balance between grid size and shading.
I just love the challenges your prompts offer...the many interpretations all together is such a great learning source for me. Always thankful for your posts!

Ditto for me as well - I learn so much from reviewing all of the submissions.  Take for instance what Sharyn has done so creatively here with the patterns.  Note how Quandary breaks away and morphs into the twist of Quib's tendrils, the rounded corners of Quare, and the pattern her coloring produced in Quiltz.

Along with a photograph of her dear grandmother, Cat Trask sent a note that said, "Except for Quiltz, which I made WAY too tiny, I had a lot of fun with this one."

Quiltz is very tiny, but look how she carried the pattern through in that minute detail.  That is determination - and hopefully it provided a bit of  'zen'.  Quiltz and Quandary provide the perfect balance to the lighter Quare with its wonderful shading.


Kathryn White returned from a recent trip to Peru where she said she learned much about the Incas.   She wrote ~

"...I believe the Inca's have it right. It takes opposites to find completion.
And so it is with our Zentangle, light and dark, straight and curved, black and white. Perhaps you remember the Monkey's: "But Today there is no day or night/Today there is no dark or light/Today there is no black or white, Only shades of gray." True, life becomes more nuanced with advancing age and wisdom, but it is still filled with glorious color, black, white, and gray among them.
This tile designed itself. It seems so obvious. I'm looking forward to what others have done. The Incas say, "One head thinks, two heads think better together."

Thoughts to ponder and a tile to admire, a gift for us all, Thank you, Kathryn.
In addition to the pretty patterns, the shading really adds depth to this tile.  Note how she used Quib two of the corners - the lines loop back around.  

Elena Müller wrote ~

Here's my take on string #66 by Melodie Hampshire. You can also see my tile here on my Pinterest Address.
Ich wünsche Ihnen einen wunderschönen Tag.

The look that Elena managed to give Quare is brilliant.  It folds and curves and stretches.  The other patterns border it and yet it still holds its own as the center focus.


Annie Taylor wrote, "Great string and super tangles - lovely idea and what a wonderful name your grandmother had!  On my blog here."

The deep dark background makes the light lines of Quib glow as they spring from pretty patterned corners and crisscross through the center.  That is terrific.

Joan Delony said that she was "in a quandary while drawing Quandary."  She found that drawing oval shapes instead of rice shapes made a difference ~

She also shaded it to create a raised look - very nice.
She also posted it here on her blog.


Peggy Kohrmann made time to tangle while traveling ~

Her tangles are lovely and the white space she left through the middle makes Quib as well as the other tangles shine.




AND now, the tile for honors this week was sent in from Germany's  Joya.

Congratulations Joya!

She wrote, "Here's my contribution for this weeks' challenge. I tangled with Quib before, but the other patterns were new to me and I totally fell in love with "Quiltz". I love stars!"

It must be love - Joya's stars in Quiltz are spectacular - as is her depth of shading in all of the patterns.
Quandary continuing on and around the border line is a playful addition.  Her deliberate lines and light and dark contrasts make this piece very special.

Congratulations Joya.  I have a little something coming in the mail to you.


Thank you to everyone who sent in a tile for the rest of us to enjoy and learn from.

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

TanglePatterns String 066 created by Melodie Hampshire

Quandary by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas
Quare  by  Beth Snoderly
Quib  by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas
Quiltz  by  Kym Barlow

Stop by Tuesday afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #64!

A Wonderful Class

This is a compilation of work from my Zentangle® Basics class this past Saturday at Sam Flax in Orlando.  It was a wonderful group of students and just look at their remarkable work ~

Thank you Lori, Pam, Gillian, Shay, and Diana for your good company and your enthusiasm for all things tangled.  I look forward to seeing where your new adventure takes you!

Tips for Tangling Quandary

There are times when I choose tangles for "It's a String Thing" because they personally challenge me.  Maria Thomas'  Quandary is one such pattern.

Despite the fact that I was introduced to the pattern at the CZT 10 Seminar where Rick Roberts and Maria demonstrated Quandary - it still left me in one :)

Just this week, after spending more time getting to know the tangle, I came up with a few helpful tips.
Keep in mind that Maria's step out as well as her (and Rick's) beautifully illustrated variations of the pattern can be found here on the Zentangle® website.

www.tickledtotangle.blogspot.com 

Try your hand at "It's a String Thing" #63 - click here for all of the delightful details - and send in your tile.

I am confident that you will get to know and love Quandary in the process.

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

October ZIA by Adele Bruno, CZT

October’s the month

When the smallest breeze

Gives us a shower

Of autumn leaves.

Bonfires and pumpkins,

Leaves sailing down -

October is red

And golden and brown.

                                                                                             ~Author Unknown

"It's a String Thing" #63

It is Tuesday, your good news day!

Today we begin with TanglePatterns String 066 created by Melodie Hampshire.

Noticing that we have paid little or no attention to tangles that begin with the letter 'Q' - I looked over string lines to see which one would be a good companion to the 'Q' tangles that I reviewed.

As it just so happened, String 066 seemed just right.  Coincidentally - and I do believe there are no coincidences in life - tomorrow is my grandmother's birthday.   Were she still here today, she would be 109 years old.  Imagine that!

As a young girl, I distinctly remember when she turned 66 years of age - "schixty schix", she used to say with a wry smile.

Here is a picture of my grandmother and me taken around 1960 ~

Her name was Guellma Gevene - a rare mouth full.  Today, we are blessed with a daughter named Elena Gevene and her daughter, Ella Gevene.  What a glorious blessing that her name lives on.


In this marvelous month of October - one that my grandmother held dear because of our birthdays  - we continue celebrating with String 066 ~

Copyrighted image used with permission from TanglePatterns.com 

The tangles for the week include:
Quandary by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas
Quare  by  Beth Snoderly
Quib  by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas
Quiltz  by  Kym Barlow

The step outs can be found by clicking on the names of the tangles above - or by visiting Tangle Patterns.

Remember, use as few or as many of these patterns as you wish.

Simply pencil the string line onto your tile and tangle away!

Here are the (Not so) Official Guidelines:
* Challenges are posted on Tuesdays.
*Use the string posted for the week and patterns that begin or contain the letter(s) indicated
* Submit a photo of your tile saved as jpg or scan your tile (300 dpi or higher) 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.

PLEASE NOTE: I will add a link to your blog or web site with your tile photo, upon request. The site specific URL must accompany your request.

I look forward to your emails.
HAVE FUN!

"It's a String Thing" #62 Tiles

This week's IAST was a celebration of birthdays. The challenge was to use my new tangle Uncorked as a monotangle for my birthday- or use Uncorked with a pattern of your choice in honor of your birthday.

The results are just phenomenal - each tile a beautifully wrapped gift.  And what fun it is to receive and give gifts for a birthday.  Let's take a look ~

The first tiles arrived from Kristen Kostelnik Killips.  She wrote ~

I hope you had a lovely birthday and thanks for another fun challenge! Our meetup group was just a duo tonight and we decided to tackle both your challenge and this week's Diva challenge on a single tile. Below are our efforts and here is the link to the blog post.

How interesting to see two tiles together with both variations of the tangle - enclosed and open.  Each melds nicely with the surrounding tangles. The embellishments are lovely, especially the scallops and dots.

Lily Moon wrote ~

I celebrate your birthday with this tile. (On my blog) I hope you have a wonderful day full of happiness and that your wishes come true! Happy Birthday dear Adele

A beautiful bouquet of bubbling Uncorked bulging from the tile - that is a happy birthday gift!


Sara Belmont-Kleingeld said, "Firstly, a very happy birthday for yesterday... hope you had a great day.  Here's my challenge #62. I have done a monotangle using Uncorked..."

It is a marvelous monotangle - note how Sara added details to the white space of the tangle as well as the double lines of it (the thick stripes).  Uncorked springs from the string line and looks so festive with the stipple and tipple of the background.

Cheryl Stocks wrote ~

I like your new pattern and a couple weeks ago I found it the same day I found Tina/Akua-Art 'Yuma.' Sooo this is a duo tangle of the two. Your string is loosely described underneath it all. Yes, i involved my computer, as I've been known to do, but all that is disclosed on my blog entry.

To use a word from Cheryl's closing - this is brilliant.  It is brilliant in color, line, and design - yum!

Ilse Lukke wrote~

Happy belated birthday, Adele!
As a present ;-) I used your tangle Uncorked as a monotangle...
It was nice to do a monotangle, I hardly ever do that, but I like the result! I also put this tile on my blog.

Large looming light and dark legs of Uncorked overlapping and changing from space to space - this is very lovely and graceful.

Lori Byerly said ~

Happy Birthday, Adele!

I hope you have a blessed day and that you're very spoiled by your loved ones. :)
Here's my take on string #62 and uncorked (I used Laura Harms' boo*kee as my second pick). You can also see my tile here [on my blog]
How fun to celebrate everyone's birthday.

These tangles are very pretty together.  The orbs of Uncorked as Lori created them here are three dimensional - the detail lines, the shading, the thicker outline - all add to the sense of depth.  The generous white space is the perfect compliment to the tangles.


Carmela sent sweet wishes ~

At first I wish you had a beautiful and lovely birthday with all your beloved people around you.
I like your new pattern Uncorked.
Its very elegant and lovely.
In honor of all the beautiful challenges you make for us, and as a present for your birthday i made a Monotangle with Uncorked.
You can also see it on my blog.

This is a playful and pretty assortment of Uncorked - one more festive than the next.  It looks like a party, doesn't it?!


Cheryl Craver said ,"...loved uncorked the first time I saw it, it has soooo many possibilities but I just had to go with the free form shapes on their own, put 3 baby ones in the tipple !!"

Three baby ones - so very cute!  They compliment the three larger ones and they are fun to spot in the midst of the tipple.  Note how Cheryl dotted off several of the lines of Uncorked - that is a nice touch.


Lucy Banta - soon to be CZT - wrote ~

Happy Birthday Adele!! I hope you've had a good week celebrating as all birthdays deserve at least a week of parties and fun.!

Attached is my Uncorked tile where I also used Paradox. It was fun learning a new tangle, and I see Uncorked could be used to create some fun patterns.

Here's the link to my blog 

Lucy added detail lines around Uncorked that play well into the neighboring Paradox.  Note how she also carried the alternating white space and shading through both patterns.


Annemarie wrote, "I hope your birthday was a day filled with love and presents :-) Here is the link to my blog..."

This is very special - and it does only happen on a rare occasion - when two artists use a similar configuration of tangles.  Annemarie sent her tile in from Holland.  Lucy sent hers from New Jersey, here in the States.   They arrived in my inbox back-to-back.  An ocean apart - literally thousands of tangles to choose from and they both used Paradox - isn't that fun?!

A very warn welcome to Katie Booth who wrote ~

Hi :) This is my first posting to you for your challenge. I've attached a pic and included a link to my blog post. Not sure what you need for an entry, but I think I covered the bases. I really enjoyed your tangle, uncorked!

Katie created a splendidly stark contrast by creating large spaces of black and white.

Ragged Ray wrote ~

Belated birthday wishes – I hope you had a wonderful day!
What a pleasure to spend more time with your Uncorked tangle – I’ve been playing with it a lot lately and I love it. And I have more more more things I want to do with it too! It’s very versatile – the sign of a great tangle! But for now here is my tile. I stopped myself from adding more as I like the way that strange prehistoric beast looked like it was coming in to land!

What fabulous imagery and fabulous tangles...she added sparkle, darkened in spaces, superb shading, and even added Printemps in the larger tangles.



Christine Forrester sent well wishes with a wonderful sense of humor ~

Many Happy returns of the day for your Birthday (was it your 21st?)
This one I intended as a Mono-tangle but while completing the lovely Uncorked, that I have just learned, it called for Diva Dance (I hope you did a lot of this on your Birthday) and N’zeppel, all surrounded by some birthday Tipple.
Regards
Christine Forrester (nearer 62 than she would like)

That is a birthday celebration in pen and ink - happy tangles with a very festive feel.


Kelly Rickert wrote~

I LOVE LOVE LOVED this week's challenge!
I started thinking I was just going to do a monotangle and play with "Uncorked," but then I looked through tangles I've used and remembered that Betweed (original Zentange by Maria and Rick) is one of my favorites! I figured "eh, I'll try it, see what happens." I didn't even realize at first how similar Betweed and Uncorked could be when played with. I ended up having a blast putting them together :)

That is a very interesting observation about the two patterns - and even more interesting is the way Kelly morphed them together.  Note the large, darkened Uncorked with Betweed - a fabulous variation.


Sharyn Penna said ~

Happy Birthday Week, Adele!
Uncorked strikes me as the fraternal twin of Mooka.
I thought I had remembered how to do you tangle...I was early to pick up my daughter yesterday, and tangled a tile relying on my memory. It wasn't until I opened my email this morning that I realized I'd omitted the outer circle. But I discovered without the circle the Uncorked pods could overlap, sit behind, unfurl outward and become swirly blades reaching up and out. I got wonderously lost in this tangle. Thank you for your birthday gift to us all! Hope your celebrations continue through the weekend. 

Uncorked without the outer circle is actually in the design of the tangle - and Sharyn's tile is a remarkable study in what it can do when it is set free of the initial circle.  Her descriptive phrases are ones I will archive with the tangle and most rewarding is that she "got wondrously lost" when tangling it.  Delightful!


Jane Glotzer's cheery note read ~

Happy, happy birthday Adele! Hope your celebrations have been wonderful and I'm sending along wishes for birthday love, happiness, peace, creativity, art, and passion!
How generous of you...for your birthday you gave all of us a gift by sharing your fun new pattern Uncorked and giving us a reason to play around with it for this week's challenge--:) I love it...in my exploration I came up with a cool little variation with a swirl as the last flourish in the center, but it didn't make it into my final piece...I've been doodling it everywhere and I'm sure it'll be in my work soon...
I started with the smaller versions and darkened the background for the negative space effect...then the large one filled the right side and I used circles in the background for the variation...the two mirror images pretty much decided where to go by themselves, and then I gave it all a positive/negative contrast by darkening/dotting the pattern "leaves" in that corner and leaving the background light...a little bit of shading (was a little unsure how to approach that here, so as usual, I will be looking at others' work to see what they tried) and I very much like my finished piece--happy Adele's birthday to me--:)

Jane's tile is a gorgeous balance of light and dark. She also added that she likes to celebrate a birth 'week' - and I agree.  These tiles are helping me accomplish that!


Susan Theron's note read, "Love your tangle."

That is an understatement based on her tile :)  Look what she did by growing it from the 'stem' of the string line.  She turned it into a very organic tangle - and adding the green really made it pop.  Note how the detail lines Susan added to the pattern compliment the tipple that surrounds it.


From Carolyn  Russell, CZT ~

I would like to submit two tangles for this week's challenge in honor of your birthday! I love "Uncorked!" Being one continuous line made it so easy to draw. I first thought of my grandmothers snake plants that she dearly loved and always had in a pot by the back kitchen door, so I had to add a touch of green. Then I thought how dramatic it would look with black leaves so I did another tile. I added Fescu and Tipple (Zentangle originals) which always seems to show up in my art work to the second tile. Thank you for this very creative pattern. And may you have a lovely year ahead and get to celebrate every day as though it were your birthday celebration!

I love the connection she made to her grandmother and to snake plants - I remember them well as house plants in the north.  

In addition to the additional tangles, Carolyn added spectacular sparkle to make this pattern shine.  

Ingrid Coventon sent "happy congratulations" along with her tile ~

In the attachment my tile for challenge # 62.
I had such fun playing with your newest tangle Uncorked. Coincidentally I celebrate my birthday ... this week as well. That's why I made a duotangle, and Aura-leah (by Carla du Preez)seemed to fit in perfectly. So here it is.....

That makes me smile to think we have the same birthday week.  It makes me smile too, to see that Ingrid thought of a plant as Carolyn and others did.  Notice how she used tipple in the middle of her Uncorked orbs - it adds to the organic feel.



LonettA sent best wishes ~

...first belated happy birthday to you! I wish you all the best and I hope you had a wonderful day on your birthday.
I´m really glad that I have managed your "It´s a String Thing" challenge this week. This tile is my little present for you!
I hope you like it! I used your tangle "Uncorked" only ... and a little bit of "Tipple"!

To say that I like it would be an understatement.  This is a splendid study of Uncorked.  The grey paper makes both the shading and highlighting shine and plays so well with the red.  LonettA added great depth with her shading as well.


Another soon-to-be CZT, Judy Wanner sent along happy wishes as she prepares for the upcoming seminar - so exciting!

She added that she loves Uncorked and it shows in her work.  She created a beautiful bouquet in the center with wonderful variations of light, dark, shading, and sparkle.  The circular shapes in the center with the angular back drop of Florz  creates an interesting contrast.



CZT Joan Delony wrote ~

Love Uncorked! I drew it with Flora and embellished with a couple Iza leaves. Uncorked reminds me of an onion sliced down the middle or a bud waiting to burst open. I hope I drew it right!
I hope you like your Birthday Gift! I have also posted this on my blog.

Yes, I do like it very much!

And after playing with it a bit more, Joan created a seascape with this tile ~

I love this - at first, I pictured an underwater seascape, but then the more I studied it, the more I imagine this drawn in the sand with the bubbles from a wave floating across it.  It makes me relax just looking at it :)

From Caren Mlot, CZT ~

I’m attaching 2 tiles I did this week for It’s a string thing. I had not used Uncorked yet, but I love it! My first tile, the white one, I used the string, but it totally disappeared in my design. The 2nd one, the black Zendala... I showed both these tiles in my blog and talked about them here.
Can’t wait to use Uncorked again. Thanks for a great tangle.

Many thanks for the kind compliment, Caren.  Her tile is light and lovely and graceful ~

Her zendala is just gorgeous ~ the pattern glows against the dark paper.   

A very warm welcome to Elena Müller who wrote ~

Hello,
first I want to congratulate birthday.
This is my first participation of your challenge and I realize... I send my Tile you with a warm "Happy Birthday" (subsequently).
For errors I apologize, I do not speak english, I use a online translator.
Für meine Tile habe ich benutzt:
Tangle Patterns string #062, Pattern "Uncorked" by A. Bruno and "Swarm" by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas.

I admire what it must take to communicate in a language you don't know.  That is another reason Zentangle® is so remarkable - it ties us all together through its own language.
Elena created a tropical feel to her tile and the touch of red is very pretty.

Peggy Kohrmann wrote ~

Happy birthday Adele,
Since I had followed your instructions for Uncorked when you posted it, I was excited to know the tangle for this week. I selected Bilt by Lisa Skeen as my other tangle.
I understand that your tangle closes but my large tangle went off the page and so is open. Love the variations.
I like Hibred but picked Bilt instead since I like the scale effect. Enjoying the white space and shading too.

That is the most wonderful effect - to have the tangle run off through the border and leave it open.  Ditto on the white space and shading!


Annie Taylor said ~

I was so pleased to have the chance to use this lovely new tangle of yours - and I always enjoy a mono or duo tangle challenge. But I actually found it really difficult to do. Yours are so lovely and work so well....and I have practiced and practiced but in the end, I haven't managed to pull off what I wanted to achieve. However, here are my Uncorked Melons, together with a little Yuma, which is another new tangle I've enjoyed playing with.

But these are lovely!  Annie layered the tangles, added delightful detail and splendid shading, too.


Kirsten Bish wrote ~

Here is my tangle "Nature Study". As you can see, I did a monotangle of Uncorked.
I love this tangle and will be using it again.

The details may be difficult to detect in the photo, but her delicate lines are really lovely.  The contrast of her light and dark spaces are as well.

Janice L. Johnson wrote ~

Happy Birthday.
Here is my entry for this week's challenge...I originally did only Uncorked, but decided to add Dragonair as this reminded me of an eye. I have titled it Dragon Awakening. I also did another tile that I posted on my blog here.

A dragon's eye - that is fabulous - as is Janice's choice of the two tangles together.  Her sparkle and shading are really spectacular.

And finally, this is my thank you ZIA for all of the talented tanglers
who got to know Uncorked this week,
who shared their fun with the rest of us, and
who sent along the best of birthday wishes.
It was such a special treat.

I am ever so grateful.

Stop by tomorrow for "It's a String Thing" #63 !