"It's a String Thing" #121 Tiles

This week we tangled our way into the Christmas spirit with a triangular shaped string and filled it with Maria Thomas' elegant Auqafleur pattern.

Grab a cup of cheer and enjoy these festive tiles from around the world.

The first arrived from CZT Joan Delony (Florida) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*beautiful contrast between the thick, black lines and thinner red detail lines
*delicate touches added in sparkle, shading, and dots


From Sarah at hungarycorgistudio (Michigan) ~

Hope I did this half way decent! It's a lot to fit into a tree! It was great practice and is an amazing tangle. Thanks! 

and a few days later...

Just thought I'd 'give' you a tree I'd been practicing on on a dreary day. The green was fun.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*aura-ed spaces between lines of Aquafleur

*pretty green paper on one and green marker on the other

From smgg (Taiwan) ~

Tangled Tidbits - 

*variety of line embellishments - sparkle, stipple, dots

*soft shading

From Ilse Lukken (The Netherlands) and here on her blog ~

My tree looks quite simple, but nice to me :-)
I'm curious what other tanglers created!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*consistent tangle variation yields a gorgeous tree
*shaded background makes the white spaces pop


From Bhamathi (Bangalore, India) and here on her blog ~

Thanks for another fun challenge! This week has all been about monotangle trees. CZT Dilip Patel who is my teacher happened to host the Guest challenge on Diva's blog. It too was to create a monotangle tree..
Lovely coincidence right!! :)
Coming to my tile, I started off and drew the Aquafleur. But felt like using some color. And then before I knew it, my whole tree was colored.. And its not a monotangle tile either.. I ended up adding some Ahh, CO2 , Diva dance to make it more festive.. Also a letter 'S' border..
I got carried away and you can't blame me!!

I do love when that happens :)

 Tangled Tidbits -
*white sparkle shows up beautifully against the greens
*colors add to the festive feel


From Kathi (New Jersey) ~

I am not sure my Aquafleurs quite make the grade, but the result is festive, none the less!

Tangled Tidbits -
*Aquafleur "makes the grade" because you tangled it :)
*pops of Printemps ornaments


A very warm welcome to Hilary Merola (Chicago, Illinois) ~

...Up until this past July I never even knew what a Zentangle was. But thanks to you and so many others, I've been learning and practicing.
I know my work and my photography isn't the same quality as what I see in your weekly challenge. But I'm sending it to you anyway, just as a thank you for all the inspiration you provide.
Best wishes for a happy holiday season...

Kudos to you for joining in!  We all learn from each other and I am sure you are inspiring many tanglers to do the same.

 Tangled Tidbits -
* perfs decorate Aquafleur lines
*shading unites the individual tangles


From Joanne Faherty (United Kingdom) ~

I love aquafleur but it doesn't come out as pretty as carole's one I can see how that has been stuck in your head its beautiful. This is my second try this week wasnt to happy with how the first came out. I like this one esp with the touches of gold gel pen 

 Tangled Tidbits -
*fabulous take on the string - left as white space with an Aqufleur background
*lovely touches of gold


From Beth Gaughan (North Carolina) ~

Here is my tile for this week's challenge. I had never tried Aquafleur before. I really love the tangle, although I think mine looks more like peppermint candies. But that's fitting for the season so it all works out.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*Tippled back drop for Aquafleur
*wispy lines soften the edges


From Kate (United Kingdom) ~

My contribution to this weeks tangle challenge - I've added red and a
touch of silver to give a more festive touch!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*swirling Auquafleur
*pretty shading and red perfs


A very warm welcome to Deepti Jois (Bangalore, India) ~

I saw your challenge posted by Bhamathi Pai on the Zentangle India Facebook page.

Tangled Tidbits -
*lovely layering of the tangle
*an Aquafleur package under the tree


From Victoria (St. Petersburg, Russia) and here on her blog ~

Challenge on this week appeared to me complicated. I dearly love Aquafleur...
But a lot of this pattern in the sizes of the tiles, and even in the triangle - it's very small and hard work.
It's late, I realized that it was better to take a large sheet of paper.
In general, turned, in my opinion, very "heavy" picture.
I draw the tree first, and then decided to make the night sky around, but I turned fireworks :)

 Tangled Tidbits -
*mesmerizing orb filled spaces of Aquafleur
*superb sparkle throughout


From Cathy Cusson ~

I was not sure I could use aquafleur as a “filler”, but I loved doing it!! This is something i will try again (and again). So neat to use a tangle in a way that is not something I am used to.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*green sparkled Aquafleur
*softness added with just a touch of shading

From Sara Belmont-Kleingeld (Western Australia) ~

This was a quick and easy one so I did two!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*elegant simplicity in both variations
*shading adds roundness


From Karin (Germany) ~

this is my entry to challenge no. 121!
I really like “Aquafleur”! I had not used it more then once per tile but it was absolutely amazing how this tile developed…
To be on the safe side I took a picture in black and white before colouring the pattern because I didn´t know if I would like colours… but I do!
I wish you a homely second sunday of Advent!
Greetings from Germany

Tangled Tidbits - 

*a wonderful opportunity to see progression in a tangle
* fine lines and color make the tangle shine

From Jennifer Sparrow (North Carolina) ~

Happy Saturday! "Work on Aquafleur" was on the top of this week's to-do list. I knew I needed a lot of practice in order to make a Christmas tree with it! Well, as you can see, I never got to practice! Instead, I dove right in this morning, not wanting to leave a string thing hanging! I promise you I'll keep working on it! I didn't really understand how Maria manages to have it swirl in on itself at the end, but upon a second look, I think I see now. Hindsight's 20/20! 

Tangled Tidbits -
*best advice for tangling is to "dive right in" - well done!
*softly shaded string lines and sparkled Aquafleur


From Juul (France) ~

Chère Adèle
Finally I send you a tile. But I know it is not finished again. The last weeks I always started but couldn't really finish so I didn't send you anything.....but that doesn't feel good so now I send you what I have...
....right now the sun is going down and I see a marvelous red sky with silhouettes of leafless trees. Beautiful!

Tangled Tidbits -
*uniquely beautiful take on the string line and tangle
*added dimension as Aquafleur wraps around the string


From Ingrid (The Netherlands) ~

Oh, how I loved every minute tangling this tile! But it's a pity the colors don't show up as they are. The baubles were drawn in dark red with a glitter gelly roll pen. The star has it's shine too, but you don't see it. I tried to make several pictures to capture the glittery effect, but sorry, I did not succeed. You have to imagine the glitters yourself.

Thank you so much for this fun moment.

Have a blessed week, with lots of love!

 Tangled Tidbits ~
*Aquafleur is shaded from the center and dots trail off at the tangle's edges
*curves of Aquafleur lines seem to hold the glittery baubles


From Sidney Kapinos (Virginia) and here on her blog ~

I loved this week's string thing challenge! Aquafleur has been one of those elusive tangles for me — a difficult one to learn how to draw. I have tried it any number of times and never felt like I had it right.Your challenge was what I needed as motivation to practice the pattern enough to make a nice Aquafleur tile. Plus I also like the Christmas tree theme.
As always, thank you so much for hosting the weekly challenges. I look forward to seeing all of the entries each week, and to reading your excellent Tangled Tidbits.
Best wishes for a joyous holiday season,

 Tangled Tidbits -
*alternating - and very festive - red and green layers of Aquafleur
*Aquafleur spaces are defined with a black line


From Wanda Amrose (Virginia) ~

Hi, from Chesapeake, Va.
With Christmas quickly approaching, this weeks challenge was a lot of fun.
It was very relaxing in between Christmas shopping, gift wrapping and decorating, to work on the Christmas Tree.
As always, a work in progress!!
Hope everyone is doing well as the holidays are busy times.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*pretty use of aura
*pops of red and deep shading


From Linda Goncalves (Pennsylvania) ~

 I had a lot of fun this week with this one.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*wonderful shapes of Aquafleur
*added details of line, perf, color, and shading


From CZT midori (Florida) ~

'though my rendition of aquafleur is short of 'fleurs', imagine them in their budding stages, still retaining the essence of its original tangle. so, my noel tree looks like a cupcake?!...frosted with snowy sugar... peace and joy

Tangled Tidbits - 

*simple and ever so elegant swaths of Aquafleur

*a touch of sparkled baubles all topped with a shining Ahh

From Audrie Weisenfelder (Tucson, Arizona) and here on her blog ~

This turned out to be an unusual but fun challenge. Aquafleur is another one of my favorites; so I really enjoyed doing it. I played around with it for a while, and finally came up with something I kind of like.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*fabulous depth created with shading and sparkle
*straight string lines contrast with graceful curves of the tangle


From Marla Mendenhall (California) ~

Zentangle. It's in my heart, it's in my brain. It's in my blood. I'm obsessed (or is it possessed). Life interrupts my daily schedule and I go for a couple days without drawing. Bingo. I wake in the middle of the night from a dream about tangling: where to put this pattern or that, which pen to choose, another line, more shading. Then I just have to draw, and the flat tire on the car can wait.
This was a wonderful challenge this week. I wish I'd had more time to perfect my stroke and play with different treatments for Aquafleur, but life happens. At least I got one tile completed, and I'm quite pleased with the result.
(And I love when numbers align, too. Maybe we're sisters of different mothers, eh?)

Once again, Marla's words ring true.  I think that it is a safe bet to say that we all share the same obsession/possession!

Tangled Tidbits ~

*lush layers of Aquafleur - details just at the tips and through the centers
*perfs bubble out and into the starry sky


From Shazz (India) ~

HELLO ALL..... here is a single aqua fluer!!!...looking like a christmas tree..... i am printing this on a photopaper for my sons 2nd bday, which is on christmas....these days i have a great interest of incorporating gems and falling leaves in my zen art.
thanx for the opportunity...
have fun with zen

Tangled Tidbits - 

*Auafleur emerges from the string point downward
*a party of streamers and leaves in the background
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to your little one!

From Karina L'Estrelle (Perth, Australia) ~

Tangled Tidbits - 

*curved tangle inside a straight edged one
*little dots make a big impact

From Annie Taylor (Spain) ~

Sorry it's been a while since I took part, though I never fail to check the weekly challenge and enjoy all the lovely entries.

I really like this week's challenge and remember the incredible original tree done by Carole. I was delighted to have your instructions and am very pleased with how mine has turned out even if it doesn't reach Carole's standard. I will continue practicing and enjoying the process in true Zentangle fashion.

Getting into the Christmas spirit too, although here in sunny Spain, there's much less hype than in the US and the UK. It's busy olive picking season and not the most frivolous of times.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*shading stands out on the gorgeous gold toned paper
*highlights run the length of the tangles black lines


From Susan Theron (South Africa) and here on her blog ~

Here is my contribution. I had to add some sparkle in the form of Ahh (Zentangle)! I sometime have difficulty with Aquafleur, especially in such small spaces. 

Tangled Tidbits -

*multiple fine lines
*superb sparkle and shading

From Sharyn Penna (Massachusetts) ~

I love the ornament step out and can't wait to create one for our tree. You make it look so easy!
It's crazy how we put ideas aside and forget to return to them. This week's prompt is one I've thought of doing since I saw Carole Ohl's masterpiece and CZT Tricia Farone's beautiful Aquafleur heart here. Your prompt triggered my memory ... I borrowed Tricia's technique in the center of my tree. I love how Aquafleur takes control of the thought process. Mooka jumps out at the in-betweens along with tiny orbs.
This prompt took the pressure off of creating the card I was going to send out this year ... I'll put it away for safe keeping and will send my response to this week's prompt instead. You're the best! Cheers!

Tangled Tidbits -
*wonderful wrap around effect - and thank you for the reference
*stipple, tipple, Mooka, added line weight, and a Zinger topper - fantastic!


From Elisa (Paris, France) ~

I really loved your Christmas tree challenge, even though I still struggle to master the aquafleur pattern !
I could not refrain from adding a few shiny red decorations and a kind of star at the top !
Zen regards...

Tangled Tidbits -
*such personality for a tangle! - simply sweet
*an Aquafleur trunk, tree, and star


From Becky Welty (North Carolina) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*a beautiful Christmas Zendala
*festive touch added with color - green lines and shading


From Felicity Strohfeldt (South Africa) and here on her blog ~

Thank you for a challenging challenge this week. My attempt needed some good Aquafleur practice, before I got started.
I had an enjoyable experience with Maria’s beautiful tangle and couldn’t resist adding Xmas-red by Lin Chiu and multi-coloured Christmas lights.

Tangled Tidbits -
*a very colorful, celebratory ZIA
*billowing Aquafleur with added perfs, sparkle and shading


From Michele Wynne (California) and here on her blog ~

Thank you for another wonderful challenge. I've not used "Aquafleur" before. I love it, but it demands lots of practice. I was heavily influenced and inspired by Carol Ohl's beautiful tree and went with a little larger format. My tree's a bit lop-sided, but I guess that just adds to its whimsy;-)

Tangled Tidbits - 

*Aquafleur shines with sparkle and blue shading

*gorgeous, glassy, gem inspired perfs

This is my tile ~
I wanted to keep the tangle very light and added Gelly Roll metallic gold touches.

And now, the tile for honors this week was sent in by
 Lily from Hungary
with a "zenhug" and can also be found here on her post ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*sublime shading - notice how the tree appears to tilt up from the paper
*elegant swirls of Aquafleur
*festive strings of red perfs stand out against the subtle touches of green and brown\
*gold filled Ahh stars

Thank you all for spreading the Christmas cheer this week by sending in your precious art work.

Many thanks to Zentangle® co-founder Maria Thomas for the tangle Aquafleur.

Stop by tomorrow for "It's a String Thing" #122!