"It's a String Thing" #92 Tiles

This week's delicious challenge produced some really yummy tiles.  We used a swirled string line and tangles with some very sweet names.  Let's take a look ~


This first tile arrived from Joanne Hawes ~

It's a very colourful one this week, I was channeling my inner ledenzer colouring technique of layering coloured pencils ( not up to her standards yet ;) ). All these tangles were new to me but I really like Kandi ribnz ( I'd kind of skipped over it before as a tangle glad I got to try it out!:) ). I couldn't work out where to put butter so the curly bits ended up on my cayke and so I thought it then looked a bit like a peacock feather. No peacock coloured pencils hence why the layering started I'm happy with that section and the ribnz not so much the other bit of cayke it seems to crowded there.... Or something.

Tangled Tidbits -
*dainty Kandy Ribnz
*clever morphing of the tangles
*just a bit of sparkle to add a pretty shine

From Sarah Antoinette ~

I must apologize for not getting this in sooner as I've had a terrible allergy season thus far. It was a hard challenge, but I learned some great tangles and played with gradation. It's not my strongest neatest piece, but being sick I am happy I was able to complete it. Always a great time! [my blog]

Tangled Tidbits - 

* kudos to you for making time to tangle - get well soon!
*inclusion of both shading and highlighting
*depth shown through various sizes of the patterns

From Brie Zobel ~

All of these tangle were new to me. I tried this challenge twice. I was unhappy with my first tangle, as it felt crowded, chaotic and flat. I was too same in scale size. I like my second version much better.
Chocobox reminds me a double cartoon dinosaur head. It was fun to do - there are couple black sheep chocoboxes who wanted to start life as figure 8s. I stumbled upon a very minimal version of it while learning it that I really like. I also had no idea that my Cayke tangle took on a life of it's own until I started looking up how to shade it when I completed the second tile.
There is something very airy and floating about this Zentangle. And I felt happy at the end, so I guess it was a great bit of relaxation.
Both this Zentangle and the Chaotic version are shown on my blog.

Tangled Tidbits -
*such a sweet reflection of the process
*curves of Cayke

*deep dark back drop for Butter


With "many greetings from Germany" Kersitn wrote ~

I loved the string you`ve chosen for us.
I think it was not so easy to combine the four patterns, but I´ve tried my very best and had a lot of fun this morning.
What do you think about the little color-accents to the choco-box? Furthermore I have added one more bubble sometimes...

Tangled Tidbits -
*very pretty patterns and lovely "little color-accents"
*weighted outline of Kandy Ribnz
*free floating Choco Box over the tangles


From Beth Broadway ~

Wonderful challenge. This one was special to me as my dad loved Christmas ribbon candy. In honor of him, I have a Christmas ribbon candy tattoo. My Kandy Ribnz tangle reflects the colors in this tattoo. As I tangled this tile, my thoughts natural drifted to memories of my father. Thank you.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*very sweet memories
*bold black and sparkled Choco Box contrast with smaller shaded ones
*ZIA of Christmas color

With "kind regards" from Ilse Lukken ~

My entry for this week is not as nice as I had hoped, but it gave the relaxed feeling I needed.
You can find it at my blog as well.

Tangled Tidbits -
*larger simply superb tangles
*shading along string lines
*bold stripe for Kandy Ribnz


With "warm greets" from Carmela ~

Thanks for this great challenge.
i loved the string and had much pleasure to fill in the sweet patterns.
On my blog.

Tangled Tidbits -  

*Choco Box corner
*arua-ed and darkened spaces of Kandy Ribnz
*layers of Cayke

From Sue Jacobs ~

Fun tangle patterns this week! I simply had to add color for this theme!
On my blog 

Tangled Tidbits -
*sweet tangles of beautiful color
*curls to finish Kandy Ribonz
*pleasing balance of black and white space

From Kylie Dinning ~

Happy to be back again this week. I really enjoyed these patterns. When finished I turned the tile 'upside down' and prefer it that way.

Tangled Tidbits -
*wonderful example of how tiles are meant to be viewed from all angles
*super shading
*heavier outer lines of the tangles

With "hugs" from Lily Moon ~

Tangled Tidbits - 

*simply gorgeous tangles
*aura-ed Choco Box transforms the pattern
*sublime highlights and shading 

With "groetjes" from Efie and on her blog ~

Tangled Tidbits - 

*centers of Cayke continue upward
*Kandy Ribnz in Kandy Ribnz
*checkerboard of Butter


From Becky Welty~

Tangled Tidbits - 

*yummy shading
*two sizes of Butter
*horizontal dark Butter area is a lovely compliment to the diagonal lighter side of the tile

From HeidiSue ~

Here is my entry for this week's string thing challenge. I sure do like that string. I'm going to play with it some more.
For this one, chocobox was a completely new tangle for me, and I loved learning it and playing with it. When I got done with the tile, it was so girly and confectionary (just as you knew it would be, right?) I had to put pink in there. This was a really fun tile to do.

Tangled Tidbits -
*pretty pink accents
*lovely details for Cayke
*cascade of Cayke 'dusted' Choco Box


From Beth Graughan ~

Here is my entry for this week. This one was a challenge. I liked each pattern but had trouble fitting them together. I think the result looks like Christmas decorations.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*Cayke brings wedding cake to mind
*extra curls for Kandy Ribnz
*embellished single Butter


From Tabby Barnett ~

Thanks for the fun challenge again. I really enjoyed learning these patterns. All but 1 were new to me! Looking forward to the next challenge!

Tangled Tidbits -
*elegant layers of Cayke
*super shading
*graceful Kandy Ribnz


From Rhonda Roy ~

Thanks for the challenge! All four of these tangles were new to me, so I enjoyed learning them this week.
Here’s my version using all four tangles on String 098.

Tangled Tidbits -

*aura and stipple for Kandy Ribnz
*splendid balance of shaded, black, and white spaces
*splashes of sparkle


With "many greetings from Germany" Sandra wrote ~

thank you again that you chose my tile last week - I was really very happy about that :-)))
I liked the new challenge because I only knew Cayke and had fun to try new patterns :-)
I also like the string and I probably will use it again!
In my blog you can find the tile here:

Tangled Tidbits -
*bold dark spaces show off the tangles
*alternating accents for Butter
*black dots and loops added to Kandy Ribnz


From Ingrid Coventon ~

What a yummy challenge and I hope my tile is yummy too. I had to laugh out loud when I read the names of the suggested tangle patterns. LOL. All things tasty and I love them. Maybe I drew the chocobox a little too small, but it's ok.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*Yes, it is a very yummy tile!
*details, details, and more pretty details
*shading on the inside points of Kandy Ribnz and Cayke

A very warm welcome to Sally Sheldon ~

Zentangle came into my life about a year and a half ago. Often it has been free flowing without the use of a string within a square. But six weeks ago I discovered "It's a String Thing" and the challenge to stay within the square using strings and new patterns has been such fun! I have only shared my Zentange with family and friends so sending a challenge design to share with so many people is a big step for me. This turned out a little busier than expected but it seems to be a happy design. I look forward to many more challenges. Thank you.

Tangled Tidbits -
*Congratulations on taking that "big step" and welcome!
*string lines with a double serving of Cayke
*Butter sprials added to Kandy Ribnz



From Annie Taylor ~

How the weeks fly by!! By a strange coincidence, I drew this week's challenge whilst sitting in an ice-cream parlour - a new one that's just opened in our town. My daughter's friend had a birthday party and all the kids were invited for an ice cream after they'd spent a hectic few hours at the sports centre.
I thought it looked better rotated 90 degrees to the left and in the end, it doesn't looks so 'ice-creamy' but it was fun to do!

Tangled Tidbits -
*such a happy coincidence to tangle sweets in a a sweet shop
*curved grid for Butter with delightful details
*shaded sections of the tangles are sensational



With "cheers" from Sharyn Penna ~

Anticipating the string delayed me ... until I realized I was over thinking. I just took a breath and began tangling. All the tangles were new to my hand but have familiar feel and were such a blast to shade. Your prompts are truly a treat! 

Tangled Tidbits -
*a great reminder to breathe and trust the process - look what Sharyn has to show for it!
*Cayke follows the curves of Kandy Ribnz and shares its little loops
*Kandy Ribnz end in Butter


With "greetings from Germany" Joya wrote ~

here's my contribution for the String Thing-challenge. I didn't have much time in the last few weeks so I couldn't tangle the challenges during the challenge-time, but this time I made it :)

Tangled Tidbits -
*perf accented Kandy Ribnz
*sparkle for Cayke

*crisp lines and deep dark spaces

From Daniel ~

Super fun as always!

Tangled Tidbits -
*light Butter
*aura-ed Choco Box
*striped arcs of Cayke


With "sunny greetings from the Baltic Sea" Henrike Bratz wrote ~

this one wasn’t easy. I struggled with”butter” which refused to work out the way it was supposed to. So I had to change it quite a lot. But when I then tangled
“kandy ribnz” I thought of Lily Moon. I think she’s a master of highlighting, which gives her work a very special and unique touch. So I tried to kind of imitate her style – first with “kandy ribnz” and then I tried to give all the other tangles a little sparkling touch as well, even the “butter”. This was fun.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*I am tickled that you took the time to write about Lily's influence on your work.  She is a master at highlighting and shading and continues to inspire all of us from week to week.  It is an incredible gift to be able to glean from other artists who submit their work.  "Imitation is the best form of flattery"  and when it comes to tangling, it can be the best way to learn.
*spectacular sparkle
*weighted down curves of Butter
*multiple sparkled stripes of Kandy Ribnz


A very warm welcome to Anna Megalakakis from Athens, Greece.  She wrote ~

...I love tangling, it is entertaining and relaxing.
I learned about your challenge from facebook (Zentangle® group) and I
participate for the first time.
thanks and let's tangle.....
FacebookGoogle+ 

Tangled Tidbits - 

*delicately detailed tangles
*zigzag embellishment for Kandy Ribnz
*neatly lined back drop for Choco Box


From Mary in Baltimore, MD ~

Here is my second time to enter your It's a String Thing challenge. I found this one to be a fun string to use, and was charmed by all 4 of the tangles, which are all new to me. I did start out drawing this right side up, but once Kandy Ribnz was in, it wanted to be turned sideways, so I did that before adding the Cayke and Butter patterns.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*a string line of Choco Box 
*elongated loops of Kandy Ribnz
*pretty shading

From Deb Jacobs ~

... Here in the Midwest we have yet another flock of rainy days. Guess that's ok - spring showers should bring lots of flowers. Kandy Ribbon was a true challenge for me. Practiced and practiced this week, I still just don't get the hang of the loops - but Echoism is the same way for me. I'll keep at it. I didn't use it initially - had about 3 false starts and ditched them. The colored tile was the first I finished and as you can see there's no hint of Kandy Ribbon in it. I'm really not an over-achiever - just working on color and shading as well. So here are my submissions. My quest will be to continue to work on the super challenging to me tangles - like Echoism and Kandy Ribbons. Thanks for your blog, challenge and many inspirations.

Tangled Tidbits -

*Your diligence resulted in beautiful tiles.  Remember "there are no mistakes in Zentangle®, so once a tile is begun, move forward one stroke at a time and follow through.  The outcome will be  pleasant surprise!
*lovely layers of tangles
*Butter in both rounded and elongated loops gives wonderful perspective



From Michele Wynne ~

This was a fun challenge. I loved all of the patterns and was determined to use them all, but just tried to let it flow. I started by filling the areas of the string with Kandy Ribnz leaving some space in the center for what ever wanted to fill it. The string eventually disappeared. I love when that happens.

Tangled Tidbits -
*a joyful way to describe tangling
*a delicious mix of black and grays
*Choco Box in Kandy Ribnz


From Donna with "cheers" ~

Thanks for another great challenge! I enjoyed both the form of the string and the energy of the new tangles.They seemed to want to fill in all the space and keep going.

Tangled Tidbits -
*your description is a treat
*Kandy Ribnz ends swirl into Butter
*very nice shading


From Christina Luis ~

Thank you for such a fun challenge this week. I really had a lot of fun with these tangles. It was nice to learn new things, here is my entry.....it's also on my blog

Tangled Tidbits - 

*lacy loops of Kandy Ribnz
*Cayke sprouts from Kandy Ribnz
*a sweet variety of Choco Box shapes and sizes


From Portia Hyde ~

I did three versions of this one and each one was very different from the others. I find it interesting that not only do interpretations vary from person to person, but also minute to minute with the same person.

Tangled Tidbits - 

* an excellent observation - tangles do capture moments.
*Cayke centers of Kandy Ribnz
*wavy grid for Butter yeilds a fabulous warping

From Emily Shelton ~

 I spent 3x as much time figuring out a basic idea than I did in actually doing it….probably looks like it, too. Seriously though, this stretched my creativity and was great fun.

Tangled Tidbits -

*corners of Cayke
*Butter along a string line
*sparkled bands of Kandy Ribnz


From Susan Theron and on her blog ~

Tangled Tidbits - 

*dense to light concentration of tangles
*cascading Cayke
*sweet shading

From Audrie Weisenfelder ~

Hope all is well, and you're enjoying some Spring weather. We've run the gamut from the 90's down to down to the 60's, and had some rain as well.
As for the challenge; once I laid out Kandy Ribnz, I really loved the flow of it, and just couldn't see it improved by adding any of the other patterns.

So I laid it aside, and started over. This time I added a little Cayke to it:

I was going to add more, but decided to quit while I was ahead, (I have a tendency to overdo when left to my own devices). Except for Cayke, or adding layers of Aura all around, which I decided against; I really couldn't come up with anything that I felt would enhance the tile. So there you have it: Kandy Ribnz with, or without Cayke. They are both featured on my blog:Purple Butterfly

Tangled Tidbits -
*absolutely wonderful thoughts about the process
*simple and elegant mono and duo tangles
*rich shading

From Cathy Cusson ~

One of my favorite tangles is Kandy ribnz. I can get lost in the swirly movement of this tangle. I also used butter, which I think could have looked better and cayke. Both are okay, but I really should have just played with kandy ribnz...

Tangled Tidbits - 

*colorful mix of patterns
*Kandy Ribnz center
*light and lovely Cayke

From Felicity Strohfeldt with wishes for a "brilliant week" ~

... “Sweet” challenge I thought at first sight, next the tangle patterns sound like confectionery delights and one look at the string reminded me of being a little girl visiting the shopkeeper with my Mom. After the shopkeeper had made up her order, he would invite me to choose my own sweet pick from a row of glass, sweet containers, while he twisted a paper cone as a container.
Now it was “choice,choices” once again for me. KR, ChocoBox, C, Butter, KR OR C, KR, KR, Choco Box, Butter...? Decision,decisions. Eventually three “Sweet Cones”swirled up the tile. Kandy Ribnz flanked Cayke with Buttery butterflies flying out in honour of the young artist, Danae, creator of Butter, all this accompanied by a spill of chocos from ChocoBox. Deconstruct of all the patterns to use to decorate the cones of ideas. Perfs and shading were the final touches. Hope its “sweet” enough. Also on my blog

Tangled Tidbits -
*a sweet stroll down memory lane
*beautiful Butter butterflies - and some with just two swirls

*playful pieces of the tangles floating about

And now, the tile for honors this week was sent in by

Tabitha Bedoukian of Montreal, Quebec, Canada ~

Turns out that I struggle with Cayke, so I gave up and took the centre element "off-grid". :)

Tangled Tidbits - 

*Cayke infused Kandy Ribnz
*free floating Cayke loops
*spirals from Butter fill in the background for the tangle
*Kandy Ribnz and Butter ara-ed and sparkled following the curve of the patterns

Congratulations, Tabitha! 

I have a little something coming in the mail for you.

This was such a sweet challenge - each tile more delicious to behold than the next.  Thank you all for sharing your work so generously with the rest of the tangling community.

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

TanglePatterns String 098 by Beth Snoderly 
ChocoBox  by Didier Gervy

Cayke by Rose Brown

Butter by Danae Triantafyllopoulou

Kandy Ribnz by Cheryl Wilson

Check back Tuesday afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #93!