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Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom



If you want to see the sunshine, 
you have to weather the storm.
                                                                                                             ~ Frank Lane


My response to IAST #212
Ok-rah, Danzer, and Wrapped
Adele Bruno, CZT



Tuesday, September 26, 2017

"It's a String Thing" #213

It's Tuesday, your good news day!

This past week, I was reminded several times of the relaxing and rejuvenating nature of tangling simple and elegant patterns - especially ones that enfold magically into something unexpectedly beautiful.

Let's take a deep breath and revisit one such tangle together:  Fassett by Lynn Mead, CZT.

We begin with this basic string ~
IAST #213 String by Adele Bruno, CZT

Feel free to divide the string sections into as many smaller triangles as you want before adding Fassett.

The step out for Fassett can be found here on Lynn's blog, A Tangler's Mind. 
In her post, Lynn displays a tile that she contributed to IAST #81 that featured Fassett and her lovely Phorz.

Linda Farmer writes about Fassett here on TanglePatterns.  The post features Lynn's step outs as well as her beautiful examples.

My Tips for Tangling Fassett can be found here.

Simply pencil in the string and enjoy your time tangling.

Here are the (Not so) Official Guidelines: 
* Challenges are posted on Tuesdays.
*Use the string posted for the week and some or all of the suggested patterns
* 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, notes, and the 'Tile for Honors' are posted on Mondays. 

Send in your photos - you will encourage and inspire fellow Zentangle® enthusiasts all over the world.  WHEN YOU SIGN YOUR NAME, PLEASE INCLUDE WHERE YOU LIVE.  
FOR EXAMPLE:   ADELE BRUNO (FLORIDA)

PLEASE NOTE: It is not necessary for you to have a blog or website to participate. 

If you do have a blog or website, I will add a link upon request. 
Please include the site specific URL. 

I look forward to your emails.

Have fun!




"It's a String Thing" #212 Tiles

We swirled and swooped our tangles this week and the tiles, once again, are uniquely beautiful.
As you read on you will discover that this challenge brought many people and things together:
*two tanglers in Tucson (Say that three times, real fast.)
*two new contributors
*two creators of tangles we used this week
*three tanglers who noted that my string resembled a hurricane (I'll admit that drawing it was a therapeutic for me 🙂)
*tiles from NINE countries
*news of a newly minted tangle from a beloved member
and
much more!

Let's take a look ~

The first tile arrived from Isabella Plappart (Graz, Austria) ~
Hello, me another time! And I am so glad to add my second tile to your project.My tile is attached for tickled to tangle.
 Tangled Tidbits -
*graceful rays of Wrapped link tangles
*darkened spaces of Danzer balance thick lines of Ok-rah


From Shirley Wohlsen (Queensland, Australia) ~
Thank you, Adele, for these fun Tangles.
Attached is my Tile for It’s A String Thing #212.
 Tangled Tidbits -
*sparkle and weighted lines accent Wrapped
*lovely Ok-rah details
*orbs featured in all three tangles



From Margarete Gilge (Germany) and here on her blog ~
this week’s challenge was very interesting for me and I enjoyed drawing very much. Your given patterns are not exactly my favorites and I would never have drawn them myself in combination.After four versions they are more familiar to me. Two of the tiles you can see on my blog under the link.
I am very curious how the other participants use the three patterns. It is fascinating to see the different ideas arise on the same topic.
Thank you for this interesting challenge!
Best wishes from Germany
Tangled Tidbits -
*such a lovely burst of tangles spinning from the center spiral
*multiple variations of Ok-rah
*Printemps accents


From Hilary (Chicago) ~
I'm so glad you came through the hurricane with only " minor" problems. Let's hope there's no repeat performance from Mother Nature!
I know once you look at my entry for this week the first thing you'll notice is that there's no sign of your string. That's definitely true, and here's my excuse.I've been stuck at home with my bathroom being remodeled, and if they're not demolishing something, they're drilling away. It's really hard to concentrate, so I took the easy way out and put this week's patterns in boxes. It's been great having just enough to keep my mind focused!

Tangled Tidbits -
Good for you, Hilary, for finding a way to find some tangling time amid the construction.
*two variations of Ok-rah and Danzer - great Tipple detail
*tight curls and weighted lines for Wrapped



From Ria Matheussen, CZT (Belgium) ~
Here is my entry for the challenge 212.
I tangled on a black tile but also on a piece of watercoloured paper that I have glued on the black one.
I enjoyed this challenge with the lovely new patterns very much.
Tangled Tidbits -
Layer papers - a very creative idea.
*Wrapped filled, arched, and grid based Ok-rah
*lovely shades of color and highlights


From Gabriela Garcia (Alberta, Canada) and here on her blog ~
Thank you Adele for another interesting challenge, I am so glad to see you back and that you and your family are all fine after hurricane Irma, you were all in my prayers. The three patterns in this challenge were new for me and I really didn't know how to tackle them in your beautiful spiral string, so I decided to divide the spiral into curved sections. As I was filling the sections with patterns it was looking pretty strange and without any balance at all and I almost gave up on the tile...but a voice kept telling me to keep going one step at a time. I am glad I did, it was until I added all the shading that suddenly the tile came to life and now I really like it ;-) I guess I have to learn that never know until the very end and the result might surprise you!
Greetings from Canada
Tangled Tidbits -
Thank you, Gabriela.
*beautiful shading and curved sections do give a fabulous sense of depth
*filled aura-ed spaces give Wrapped and elegant look



From Barbara Steyer (Germany) ~
after spending a horrible time in my personal life and outside in nature, I feel much better now and love to take part of your wonderful challenge.
Here is my tile:
Greetings vom Germany
Tangled Tidbits -
I do hope tangling gives you joy, glad to have you back.
*dotted detail in the centers of Ok-rah
*wonderful sparkle


A very warm welcome to Gale Sherman, CZT (Tucson, Arizona) - the creator of Wrapped, one of the three tangles that we enjoyed exploring this week.  How fun!  Gale writes:
I am the creator of WRAPPED and am thrilled you have included me in your challenge this week. I don't know how, but I had never heard of your Tickled to Tangle blog until this week when you posted the challenge. Shortly after you posted I got an email congrats from Jody Genovese, a friend from Mosaic, and a message from a Sue Agnew who lives in Tucson and saw I was also in Tucson. She tracked down my website down and sent me a lovely letter. We have now communicated several times and I think I'll be joining an art club she belongs to and I've thought about for years. The Zentangle community is an AMAZING place...
Tangled Tidbits -
I love stories like that and yes, this is an amazing tangled world we share.
*shading highlights the curls of Wrapped
*shading and sparkle make Danzer shine


Gale's website is Lost Starr Art - do stop by and visit her there.

Welcome to our community and to our Tangled Map!


From Ragged Ray (United Kingdom) ~
You were much, much missed during your hurricane-enforced absence. I'm so pleased you are through the worst of it. Welcome back!
So, this week's challenge. Wrapped was one of those tangles that I really didn't get... until I started drawing it. And then the wonder of those simple curves and curls. They became the star of my show, which demanded a lovely big Zendala tile to work on! Thick black auras and the framework of Ok-rah without the seeds. A little cream coloured pencil, a little white gel, a little graphite and there it is!
Tangled Tidbits -
*beautiful variation of Wrapped - elegant lines, thick darkened aura, white dots...
*lovely touches of cream color and shading

Cheers and a hearty congratulation to Ragged Ray (Jem) for her newly published tangle, Clob, on TanglePatterns (Link).  What absolutely exciting news!



From Aileen (Singapore) ~
Thanks for another great challenge!
Warmest regards
Rainbows and raindrops in sunny Singapore
Tangled Tidbits -
*aura and Tipple grace the string lines
*bold black and shading give a sense of layering


From Vonnie (St. Paul, Minnesota) ~
Love when I get out of my way when I tangle! When I started I kept trying to force the patterns in ways they didn't want to be. When I finally let go and just drew...wow! The end result was so much better that I could have planned. Thanks for the opportunity to remember to do this in my everyday life too!

Tangled Tidbits -
Well said, Vonnie!
*splendid scalloped edges of Ok-rah
*a Danzer spiral!


From VenaC (Whitby, Ontario, Canada) ~
I am not fond of this one. It looks a bit busy.

Tangled Tidbits - 
Looking at this now, I am sure you like it more :)
*curved Danzer and straight Ok-rah compliment and contrast
*shading and highlight add depth to pretty Wrapped


From Mariam G (Port Hueneme, California) ~
Tried out some new ballpoint pens on this one; not sure I like them for small areas, but overall they weren't bad. Always fun to explore new tools!
So glad you are getting back to normal - a slow process I am sure, but just happy you and yours did not suffer any severe damage. Let's hope things calm down a bit out there...
Tangled Tidbits - 
Thank you, we do too :)
*black, sparkled middle lines in Danzer
*rows of Wrapped - what a fun effect that creates!


A very warm welcome to Elena (Russia) and her tile can also be found here on her Instagram ~
Good afternoon!
I'm Elena from Russia
I'm interested in zenart recently. Your marathon inspires - many interesting works, interesting assignments. I decided to take part.
Tangled Tidbits - 
*stripes and sparkle, alternating white and black, make Danzer shine
*curved lines and orbs repeat in the tight spiral

Welcome to our tangled map, Elena.  We are happy to know that Zentangle® has brought us 
together ~


From Ute Andresen (Germany) and here on her blog ~
here is my contribution for It’s a String Thing #212.
Again it was joy. I like this string and the new tangles. It was a playful experience. Thank you.
Tangled Tidbits - 
*delicate Wrapped - notice how the deep shading adds to the lightness of it
*orbs and shading pop in rows of Danzer


From Cyndee Pelley (Oklahoma) - 
Hi Adele! I'm so happy you were able to weather the storms with a minimum of discomfort (no air conditioning would be at the top of my list!).
As often happens, I wasn't able to find my zen this week. I loved the tangles but just couldn't get them to play well and my tile and my sketchpad version were both a mess. My son informed me his art teacher told him "there are always mistakes in art, and that's OK" he liked the tile so in keeping with the Zentangle ® Method, here they are. Here's hoping next week will be awesome!


Tangled Tidbits - 
There are only creative opportunities in tangling.   Thank you for the reminder Cyndee.
*glorious colors and tangles 
*top tile features an impressive blend of all three tangles



From Sue Agnew (Tucson, Arizona) ~
Welcome back! I'm glad you made it through relatively unscathed. I'm not pooh-poohing extended power outages — when I lived in Washington state a couple of times we were without power approaching a week, and the "spirit of adventure" wears off long before the power comes back on. I can't even imagine what it must be like for the people in Puerto Rico.
Here's a fun Zentangle story — when I looked up Wrapped I discovered that Gale Sherman lives in Tucson. So I went to her web site and used the "contact" form to send her a message. We've communicated back and forth and are friends on Facebook now. Her life is extremely busy, so we're not sure when we will be able to meet face-to-face. But isn't the world small when you share a passion for Zentangle!
This week's contribution feels more like a case of three tangles side-by-side rather than interacting and coordinating. I started playing with Wrapped in zigzag form thinking I could combine it with Danzer — but it was so pretty and fancy by itself I didn't want to mix it up with another. However, the bottom of the "skirts" in Danzer, with an orb in a marquise shape, reminded me of one of my favorite tangles that I can never find, because I always think it's called "String of Peas" but it's actually called "Inapod" (Carole Ohl) — so I combined Danzer with Inapod. And, being from Oklahoma, I love fried okra (we never had it at home because my parents didn't grow up in Oklahoma, but it was a favorite cafeteria choice until I learned to make it myself), so I enjoyed using Ok-rah (no cornmeal though).
Thank you for getting up and running so efficiently! We appreciate your efforts!
 Tangled Tidbits -
I assure you that my "spirit of adventure" was short lived after one week without power and my heart goes out to the people in PR.
It certainly is a small world we tangle in and I do hope you meet soon!
*dazzling Wrapped
*Inapod/Danzer variation complete with sparkle



From Karen Hertowski (Atlanta, Georgia) ~
So glad to hear your life is somewhat normal after the ravages of Irma. Thanks so much for sticking with us thru the worst of it. You are a real trouper!
This was a challenging task. Loved it! Here is my interpretation of this expression of creativity.
Tangled Tidbits -
*colorful array of tangles complete with sparkle and shading
*wonderful Wrapped features a little twist, light and dark orbs and a bit of sparkle


From Teddy G (Maryland) ~
Thanks for the challenge this week.
Tangled Tidbits -
*Wrapped spiral and dainty dots
*many detail lines of Danzer (reminiscent of the new Cob!)


From Jody Genovese, CZT (New York) ~
Hope things are getting back to normal for you. So glad you came through the storm safely.
Here is my tile for 212. Such fun tangles this week.
Tangled Tidbits -
Thank you, Jody.
*elegant curves in the spiral created with Wrapped - Wrapped graces Danzer
*finely detailed Ok-rah


From Liza Buckley, CZT (Florida) and the creator of Ok-rah.  We're on a roll today!
Before and after Irma, all my tangling involved ocean inspired and circular patterns. It's nice to move on to something new!
I enjoyed exploring the new tangles Wrapped and Danzer in combination with Ok-Rah. Thanks for the curved string line which encouraged a lovely flow of these curvy patterns. I can't wait to see what others do! Thank you for continuing to offer a wonderful way to practice and share Zentangle Adele!
Tangled Tidbits -
*Tipple filled spaces of multiple Ok-rah variations
*lovely lace look created with Wrapped


From Priscilla DeConti, CZT (Kingston, New York) ~
I almost didn't make it this week...
Not my best....had a time figuring how to use the tangles in the string...so it kinda went its own way...
Some lopsided ok-rah, henna drum with some wrapped on the side and then a small slice of danzer to complete it...Wink of Stella glitter pen highlights the whole thing giving it a bit of a glitter feel to it.
Sooooooooooooo here is my take on this week..Hope all is well
Hugs and blessings


Tangled Tidbits - 
*free floating tangles - center sections of Ok-rah and wisps of Wrapped
*pops of color and glitter


From Sharon Fite (California) ~
Hi Adele, another great challenge! Getting these three so different tangles play nice together was tricky, and I'm not sure how successful I was. But I can't resist a spiral!
 Tangled Tidbits -
*elegant lightness of line with just a touch of shading
*aura-ed scalloped spaces of Ok-rah


From Marla Mendenhall (California) ~
Whether unconsciously drawn or by intention, Adele's string suggested the whirlwind she had just been through, at least it did to me. And so I used a single Ok-rah to symbolize the open, passive eye of the storm, followed by a row of chaotic Wrapped, a layer of pulsing Danzer and tailing outer swirls of Wrapped. Perhaps a bit simplistic, but I've been caught in one of those mother storms before, and believe me I wish it had felt more like a tangle of patterns than a tangle of nature vs nerves!
 Tangled Tidbits -
That is an excellent description of any natural disaster!
*terrific twisted ribbon variation of Wrapped
*wonderful alternating contrasts in Danzer


From Susie (St. Louis, Missouri) ~
I'm not at all happy with this one. Drawing and photo are bad. I'll have to do this again and see what I come up with. Comments welcome.
 Tangled Tidbits -
Kudos for sending in your tile.  As I mentioned to Vena, I am confident it looks better to you revisit it.
*Ok-rah free of its grid, sprinkle of  'seeds'
*double arc of aura-ed Wrapped


From Lynn G (Florida) ~
Thank you for another challenging challenge Adele. Wrapped is an interesting tangle
 Tangled Tidbits -
*beautiful arc of Wrapped
*penciled Ok-rah background
(great magnet placement!)


From Rhonda Koplin, CZT (Macon, Georgia) ~
I know I'm later, but wanted to share my commitment to get back to tangling.
Tangled Tidbits -
You are just in time!
*festive colors, five variations of Danzer
*finely fringed Ok-rah



And now...

the tile for honors this week...

was sent in by...

Lori Byerly from Washington State

 and here on her blog ~
So nice to hear that life is getting back to normal for you and others in the wake of Irma.
Here's my tile for this week's challenge. (The string looks a bit like a hurricane!)

Tangled Tidbits -
*two little seeds pop over the border (so cheeky!)
*delicate darker shade added to Danzer with detail lines
*Wrapped dances between Ok-rah and Danzer
*Ok-rah elements fill the larger arc


Congratulations, Lori!


Many thanks to everyone for sending in your precious tiles.  You inspire all of us and help build this wonderfully supportive IAST community.

Kudos to the artists behind our featured tangles:

Wrapped by Gale Sherman, CZT

Ok-rah by Liza Buckley, CZT

Danzer by Prairie Kittin


Check back Tuesday afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #213!

Friday, September 22, 2017

"It's a String Thing" # 211 Tiles ...& Life Goes On...

We celebrated the ampersand with this challenge - the fun and functional symbol that proved to be a fitting metaphor for all of the uncertainties that life has to offer. 

Thank you all for your patience for the time it took to have our electricity and Internet restored after Hurricane Irma.

We used an ampersand shaped string and in most cases, tangled with ampersand shaped tangles.  In fact, there are quite a few new ampersand inspired tangles introduced here.  It's so exciting!

Let's take a look ~

The first tile arrived from Shirley Wohlsen (Queensland, Australia) ~
I’m hoping I have read your instructions for this week’s Challenge correctly,
I have chosen five Ampersand characters to use on my tile, at least two maybe three could be used as tangles.
Tangled Tidbits -
*beautiful variations turned tangles
*large ampersand features bold lines and lovely curves



From Trudi (Woodview, Ontario, Canada) ~
Saying prayers for all in the way of hurricane Irma hope it just goes out to sea and misses everyone but I know that's not too likely. We have a friend who is leaving cottage country early to get back to Clearwater when others are leaving. If you are a visitor to the area the instinct is to leave but when it's your home you want to be there. I hope you are safely battened down and everything goes well.
(((Hugs)))
 Tangled Tidbits -
I hope your friend fared well!
*elegant ampersand
*contrasting brown background



From Mariam G (Port Hueneme, California) ~
This was an interesting challenge, as I have not intentionally tried to 'create' a pattern before. The best part is that with all the experimentation, I now have a few other patterns to revisit and work on. I don't know if what I have here is new, but I will be using it again (a set of four of the grid squares would make a nice frame for a gem...may have to try that later today!) I could not stand the thought of covering that beautiful string you created, so I went for the background - yet another challenge!
Again, your inspiration always leads us to new discoveries - THANK YOU!
(PS: as a nod to your adventures this past spring, the tile is made from Fabriano Tiziano paper)
 Tangled Tidbits -
Congratulations!
*beautiful grid based tangle
*soft shading gives a rounded look to the string lines


From Marjan Heemskerk (The Netherlands) ~
Congratulations for all your achievements. It is so nice to read such positive things.
For me this tile represents all the darkness and forces happening at this moment & the safety net (florz) that Zentangle brings us. Finishing a tile always brings you a happy end.
All the best and strength to everyone!
Greetings from a cold and windy Netherlands
 Tangled Tidbits -
*beautiful textures, especially in the use of Tipple
*deep, dark, star filled center


From Susan (United Kingdom) ~
I decided to start by printing this string. I thought the printer was noisy, and just managed to call a halt as it printed out copy “26 of 89”. No idea why that happened, but it means I had lots of templates to try out ideas!
Even with practice my hand doesn’t quite get drawing ampersands. I discovered a mirror image ampersand is a cursive S, which I sometimes use in my signature so that was easy. There are also sections of British Pound Symbols (hashes?) which seem to appear if I didn’t concentrate. Drawing As came much more easily.
Keep safe in the coming storm
 Tangled Tidbits -
You will have much practice!
*pretty mix of ampersand variations
*weighted lines and a touch of blue


From Ragged Ray (United Kingdom) ~
What a fun challenge for this week. I've been somewhat obsessed with symbols, letters, type and fonts since a young age. I remember subverting one of our art projects at school into a way for me to copy various type styles from newspaper headlines. I still regularly browse font sites to download new and interesting designs. I have books and magazines dedicated to the wonders of the humble letter! And yet, how tricky to tame this wild symbol into tangle form! I think I just about managed it - with lots of mirroring - forcing the brain to draw a familiar symbol in reverse takes some practice. A great lesson in focusing on the stroke and nothing more.
But more importantly, I want to send you my best wishes and thoughts and hopes for your strength and safety over the coming days as Hurricane Irma reaches you. It's so hard to comprehend such wild and damaging weather when I've lived my entire life in the UK - but the news does a fair job of informing me. I can only imagine how scary it must be, knowing it is coming, but not knowing the impact it might have. I am sure your faith helps to keep you somewhat calm. I will be thinking of you dearest Adele, and hope you and your loved ones and your home and community come through this safely and relatively intact.
 Tangled Tidbits -
You are so right in every observation you mentioned.  Thank you for thinking of all of us the the path of Irma.
*such a versatile tangle - from dainty to bold
*aura and detail lines add drama and a lovely scalloped edge
*single ampersand on a bead line, each holding a gem


From Tonia C (Rhode Island) ~
Very fun challenge!!!!! Got out my Calligraphy book and did "&" in various calligraphy styles with pens used for Zentangle. Calligraphy styles: brush, bamboo, wait, beatty, hatching, & various medieval scribes. I filled the string with #pokeleaf, #Cheesecloth, #jalousie & a fragment. If you look at the ampersand with quotes, that is my chop as well (TLC). Have a great week!
 Tangled Tidbits -
*creative ampersand chop!
*wonderful blend of calligraphy and tangling



From Margarete Gilge (Germany) and here on her blog ~
the task this week was a real challenge! First I learned the meaning of the word Ambersand and then by recherche at the PC its variety of variants in different fonts. Since I like to play with patterns, I had a lot of joy to tangle. I have drawn three versions and show two on my blog...
I send you my colored tile.
Best wishes from Germany
 Tangled Tidbits -
*lively collage of endless variations
*ampersands flow in all directions against the deep, black background


From Priscilla DeConti, CZT 28 (Kingston, New York) ~
When I saw the gold letter you did for your parents anniversary, it sparked something in me for this weeks challenge.
I just received some gold acrylic paint I've been wanting to try and I did...and I kept the tangles simple. I am sorry I did not use the AA(because I don't always read everything..bad habit LOL)
Yet I did use R2, paushalov, paradox, swim, a cruffle attempt and one I can't remember ...All in all I think it came out good...
Thanks for the challenge
 Tangled Tidbits -
*glorious gold ampersand
*tangles in black anchor the backgroun


From Sra (India) ~
Here's my entry for IAST 2011
I took a tranzending class recently and attempted that on a coloured tile. Not sure if I've tranzended :) but I like it. I loved the idea of using the ampersand.
Have a safe and good week.
 Tangled Tidbits -
*doubled ampersand, wonderful tranzending
*light and airy background of dual colored Sandswirl


From Thekla (Berlin, Germany) ~

and here is my tile for IAST #211 with
Florz, Pok Leaf, Kuke from Katy Abbot, Krul from Maria Vennekens
Greetings from Berlin, Germany
Tangled Tidbits -
*wonderful white spaces
*wispy ampersand curves


From Lin H, CZT (Florida) ~
While we still have power, thought I'd get my IAST 211 tile off to you. I'm sure posting the challenge is low on your priority list right now. I will say that luckily I did my tile right after you posted the challenge (lucky because ever since then we have been scrambling preparing for Irma). I didn't come up with any original Ampersand tangle patterns but I had fun filling my drawn Ampersands with patterns that I really like--AA's by Judy Murphy, Braid by Blaine Liddick, Brayd by CZT Michele Beauchamp, and Rixty, a Zentangle original.
Sure hope we all make out okay with Irma hitting the whole state and more. My husband and I are staying home and have prepared as well as we can. I hope you and your families stay safe, Adele. Good luck to us all!
Tangled Tidbits -
*four fabulous ampersands on a zendala - on a Tickled to Tangle frame - not that is FUN
*shading and lightly penned and scattered ampersands fill in the background


From Susie (St. Louis, Missouri) ~
Hope everyone in the hurricane area is safely sheltered. tangles. My thoughts are with everyone. Simple tangles for a simple string.
Tangled Tidbits -
*...and simply beautiful
*delightful details - white space, shading, small detail lines


From Vonnie Schneider (St. Paul, Minnesota) ~
Thank you for the challenge! As I was creating tangle patterns, I realized that the ampersand wasn't one I normally use. I actually had to find an old journal to see which one I use! I like how the border look like little butterflies and the background are like snowflakes...kind of describing our cooler than normal temps this year in Minnesota! Hope you are staying safe !
Tangled Tidbits -
How fun to rediscover!
*twirls and chains of ampersand
*weighted lines and touches of color


From Sue Leslie, CZT 22 (Vadito, New Mexico) ~
“And” life goes on. So appropriate for the times we are in with the hurricanes etc. We will preserve & life really does go on My tile incorporated firecracker, Nexton, slalom and laced all which go with today theme of AND life goes on: firecracker to the fire of life, nexton to what may come next, slalom to the race of what we do and laced as it is all laced together no matter what happens next. To all in the storms this week stay safe and it has affected many of us including us as we have changed vacation plans from Puerto Rico to Park City this next week.
Stay safe & rock on everyone.

Tangled Tidbits -
That was beautifully expressed, thank you, Sue.  The ampersand on its side seems so appropriate for the times, too.
*weighted string lines
*pleasing mix of patterns



From Karen Buse (California) ~
I managed to create a focal, grid and border pattern using both of the common ampersand symbols…fun!
Tangled Tidbits -
*Whoa! - fabulous, flowing ampersand tangles
*elegant border, lines, and details


From Aileen (Singapore) and here on her blog ~
This is my challenge #211 contribution done predominantly with tangle Cudad that I learned from Yoga For The Brain Totally Tangled Edition Tangle Cards from CZT Sandy Steen Bartholomew and a hidden Pingline Steps penguin from the Kids Edition Tangle Cards.
Thanks for the challenge!
Rainbows and raindrops in sunny Singapore
Tangled Tidbits -
Sandy's book that you mentioned remains one of my favorite.
*ampersand woven in and around the fascinating city scape
*outlined string is shaded on the outer edges highlighting the white space


From VenaC (Whitby, Ontario, Canada) ~
I was like a kid in a candy store when I looked up images. What to choose, what to choose!! This ended up being like a sampler. I chose a different ampersand for each border, a big one and a small one in the middle. It was a fun experiment. Thinking of you and all the Floridians through hurricane Irma.

Tangled Tidbits -
*stripes & sparkle & shading
*beautiful border created with multiple styles of ampersand


From Talia Maynard (United Kingdom) ~
I'm sending this to you with much love and hope that you, your family and friends manage to stay safe in the wake of hurricane Irma. I can't believe the destruction that is being caused by it. I will be praying that it passes by quickly and quietly.
Here's my tile for this week's challenge. It's been a little while since I tangled, and this was done with my newborn asleep on my lap (he's nearly 7 weeks now).
I decided the keep the tile simple, with a ribbon design for the ampersand string, and lots of perfs for interest. It's a bit rough around the edges but it works. I hope you like it.

Tangled Tidbits -
Congratulations! Enjoy that peaceful time with your new little one.
*aura along the ampersand lined string lends a laced edge
*tone of Tipple - can imagine how relaxing that was to draw


From Denise Fairbank (Concord, New Hampshire) ~
Hello Adele, I hope you are safe and have been spared devastating damage of Irma. I loved this week's challenge--the ampersand! Love symbols and their beauty. I chose to do a curvy ampersand that had "natural" mookas where the pen starts and stops. Looking forward to viewing the many versions.....
Tangled Tidbits -
*lovely, lovely ampersand - light, dark, sparkled, shaded
*elegant curves and weighted lines


From Gabriela Garcia (Alberta, Canada) and here on her blog ~
I was very inspired by Adele's words about thinking positive thoughts, and was thinking on them while I tried different things with Ampersand, suddenly by echoing some of it's lines a pattern with some kind of nice mystical seeds and angels appeared! I added little dots and circles around them as the seeds of happy positive thoughts they are spreading everywhere. I hope you all like it and if you wish to try it you can find the step outs by visiting my blog post. Maybe we can all join together spreading some positive thoughts full of love, compassion, kindness and joy! ;-)

Tangled Tidbits -
This pattern is as charming as the thoughts behind it - just beautiful.  Be sure to visit Gabriela's blog for the step out.
*ampersand inspired angels - wonderfully creative
*sparkle and touches of color and soft shading


From Sharon Fite (California) ~
Hello Adele, I'm hoping that you and yours have weathered Irma without incident. We're wishing the best for everyone in Florida and Texas!
Regarding Ampersand, I didn't give it much hope. The string alone was a bit dicey, and creating my own tangles? Wait, what? I thought this might be the week I take a pass. Trying to accept the challenge, I let it percolate a bit, and I came up with a number of viable, usable tangles. Wahoo! Here's my tile with 5 newbies. Can't wait to see all the contributions!
Tangled Tidbits -
You pushed through your hesitation and look what you accomplished!  Congratulations!
*one variation flows in to the next
*soft shading and white space highlight the tangles


From Karen Herstowski (Atlanta, Georgia) ~
So glad to hear you came thru the rough visit from Irma. Best of luck with the clean-up. Being in Atlanta, we survived the storm fairly well but the mess remains. The inconvenience of loss of power always makes me so forever grateful when it is restored. Oh! the things we take for granted! I wish you the best.
While studying Calligraphy a couple decades ago, I learned this style Ampersand. Love its rhythmic flow, and try to use it whenever I can. Ampersand # 211:
Tangled Tidbits -
*ribbon lines of a lovely, loopy ampersand
*fine lined background - vertical and horizontal - bring the ampersand to the foreground


From Anita A Westin (Dalarna, Sweden) and here on her blog ~ 
Happy to hear that IRMA didn´t carry you away from us! So my Ampersand is a very happy one!

Tangled Tidbits -
*scalloped string lines
*Stripes gives wonderful dimension to the inner string spaces


From Ute Andresen (Germany) and here on her blog ~
I hope you are well and you and your family have overcome the storm Irma in healthy condition. For me this name is a little bit strange, because this is the name of my mother. In Northern Germany we also had a big storm yesterday (called Sebastian). Two big trees broke down across the way leading to our house. What a pity! They are completely uprooted. Half an hour before that I went right there with my car. Oh my God. ...
Well.
The Ampersand. It is the first time, that I read that name. I’ve heard “Ampersand” but never saw it. In German we don’t have a name for that. We just call it “Und-Zeichen” (what means “and sign”)
What do you think of this pattern that I created with the ampersand? (Might this be my first tangle pattern?)
I think it may be a nice, airy and delicate border. It is also possible to oppose it, if this is the right word in this case.
I call it Upers, the U is standing for Ute and the pers is standing for the ampersand.
Here is a special tile with this. The string was a 17, because, when I draw it yesterday, September 13., I celebrated my 17th anniversary of my Atelier. With Upers I made the lateral lines of the number. Flux had to be there too, Fleavy and Tipple.

But also another (official) tile with the ampersand as a string again. Upers, Pearls and Tipple and many Auras. Thank you so much for you inspiration!


Tangled Tidbits -
Congratulations to you, Ute, on a beautiful new tangle in Upers!
Be sure to visit Ute's blog for more on her new tangle, including the step out.
*wave-like movement created with Upers
*awesome aura and tremendous Tipple


From Robin Bort (Nevada) ~
I was so glad to hear that you and yours made it through Irma!
For this week’s challenge I did two tiles. Being a graphic designer, I am a fontaholic. I love ampersands and had such fun finding just the right ones!
The top tile contains a pattern that I drew based on the swooshy loop in the upper right of the ampersand I drew in the foreground. I just repeated that simple loopy swoosh on the interior of all squares on a grid. It was intimidating to create a new pattern, but ultimately fun!
For the bottom tile, my 12-year-old son wanted to try his hand at creating a pattern for me to use, and he did such a nice job! This one starts out with drawing a hexagonal grid (and he came up with a clever way to do that with parallel zig zag lines,) with overlapping half circles on the interior of each hexagon. He even named it Belooop and drew a step out for me with colored pens! He created it with such enthusiasm, it was a joy to create the tile and it made him so happy!

First of all, congratulations to you for your lovely tangle and to your son for his creativity in coming up with Beloop. Way to go!  
Tangled Tidbits - 
*light and dark ampersands feature graceful ampersands
*beautiful backgrounds and shading
"Fontaholic" - I think many of us can relate to that :)


From Marla Mendenhall (California) ~
National Ampersand Day? Go figure. To whom does one apply to have such as a logogram recognized so? And who would have thought I would have had such fun tangling the same, and found myriad ways to do so? Not I!

Tile #1 is a graphic rendition with Linda Farmers Chard (pronounced 'Shard') underlay. Tile #2 was inspired by my husband's "What about one with...", colored and textured by Photoshop. For tile #3 I've included the original pen rendering with the ampersand shaded (the rest of the design is a combination of upside-downs and backwards) because when I showed my husband the Prismacolored one he said, "I don't see it."
Tile #4 is one of those "it just evolved" moments, thinking how I might create a mandalla-ish design, with a touch of pen coloring, and tile #5 is again one with an ampersand right-side up and one upside-down and backward with a bit of a Jacobean-ish flower pattern hued with pencil.
And (&) while I didn't choose the epsilon rendition as an option, the final tile does pay homage to the endless possibilities this celebrated symbol has to offer ... & on & on & on!
My prayers go out to all those who have suffered through recent natural disasters.

 Tangled Tidbits -
Oh my goodness, Marla!  These could be a post all to their own.  Brilliant work.

 *intertwining ampersands in a continuous line
 *ampersands begin on a ring and interlock moving outward
*"Jacobean-ish" embellished, mirrored ampersands - whew!

*a high honor and homage for the beloved ampersand


From Beth Gaughan (North Carolina) ~
I was so glad to read that you and your family came through the hurricane safely! After the path took a western turn, we were minimally impacted here in central NC.
Here's my tile for this weeks challenge. (I am pretty confident that this is not what you had in mind using the ampersand string, but it's the only thing my brain could come up with.) I used Wist, Mooka, Flux, Cadent, and Paradox.
 Tangled Tidbits -
It's what you had in mind, so it is just right :)
*variety of rounded tangles are pretty compliments to the string
*touch of aura and shading


From Teddy G (Maryland) ~
Adele, I'm so glad that you and your family got through Hurricane Irma safely. Attached is my tile for the challenge. It was fun trying different variations of the ampersand to come up with a tangle. I'm looking forward to seeing the other tiles.

Tangled Tidbits -
*flower-like mirrored ampersand - so pretty!
*ampersand line with loops darkened in and sparkled aura


These are my tiles ~
The first I completed early in the week, while the anticipation of Irma was building.  It provided a much needed sense of accomplishment.
I used acrylic medium and paint to gild the ampersand, trimmed it in a continuous line of ampersands, added aura, shading and penciled in larger symbols in the background.
Our family spent last Sunday huddled in our home together awaiting Irma.  It was an anxious time.  (Once all the preparations are complete, the waiting can be really unnerving.)  My mother, daughter, and granddaughter sat together at the kitchen table for some drawing time.  It provided some calm and an excuse to share a glass of wine and "appa juice", of course.
With a love for continuous line, I tangled this mirrored version of the ampersand, filled the string line with it, and then added it to a square grid in the background.  Weighted lines, sparkle, and shading finished it off.

In the wake of Irma on Monday morning, we were grateful our home was intact despite the loss of electricity and a yard full of debris.  A city curfew was in effect to stay indoors until the heaviest winds ceased.
Again, we sat around the kitchen table and drew.  It provided a distraction from the temporary inconveniences we faced as well as a quiet time to take in just how fortunate we were that they were minor in the grand scheme of things.
When I outlined the string and then doubled it, my lines were so wonky (must have been nerves) that I was compelled to thicken in the lines.  It was much too bold for my taste though, so I added Primtemps and some shading to soften it a bit.
My favorite is the ampersand/Pokleaf combination - a simple but happy combination.
Msst reminded me of the constant rain and so it graced the top of the tile.


Thank you all for your prayers, concern, good wishes, beautiful tiles, creative tangles, endless inspiration.  I know our prayers continue for those still facing other hurricanes and natural disasters.

Be sure to visit the links to the blogs listed in this post.  There are many new tangles to add to your repertoire.

Thank you for your patience while waiting to view these results.  It was worth the wait, wasn't it?!

Check out the details of "It's a String Thing" #212 (link) and send in your tile!


Have a wonderful weekend!