Sunday, November 30, 2014

My Tangled Cake


As avid tanglers know, "anything is possible one stroke at at time®" and "no surface is safe."

That even applies to cake as evidenced by one of the desserts I made this Thanksgiving.  It is a pumpkin sponge cake roll filled with the yummiest combination of cream cheese, fresh whipped cream, pecans, and toffee chips.




Here is a close up of the cake's surface ~


Yes, it's Printemps :)

The cake is made in a jelly roll fashion, but before the batter is poured into the pan a thicker batter is used to pipe patterns that eventually bake into the finished dessert.

This photograph shows how I piped the Printemps onto parchment paper ~



This layer is frozen for 15 minutes before the rest of the batter is poured into the pan and then baked.



When I made this for the first time last year, I posted the recipe and photos on my blog.  Click here to view my step by step photographs and get the delicious recipe.

Who would have thought tangling could be so scrumptious?!







Thursday, November 27, 2014

A Little Tangled Turkey and a Happy Thanksgiving!

Tangled Turkey by Adele Bruno, CZT

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

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

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

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

Happy Thanksgiving!





Tuesday, November 25, 2014

"It's a String Thing" #68

It's Tuesday, your good news day!

This week we begin with TanglePatterns String 064 by Judi Palumbo ~

Copyrighted image used with permission by TanglePatterns.com 

In honor of Judi we will use four tangles that begin with the letters of her first name.  They include:
Jax by Vera Giesbrecht
Undling  by Susie Achter
Drip Drop by Debbie Perdue, CZT
Ixorus by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts


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!















Monday, November 24, 2014

"It's A String Thing" #67 Tiles

It is the week of Thanksgiving here in the States, but for this week's challenge, we have all taken a pause not only to tangle, but to ponder our many blessings.   The string line resembled a mobius triangle allowing the option to write in each space.  We used the patterns Crescent Moon and Cornerz.

The tiles are as beautiful as the sentiments that accompanied them.  Let's take a look ~


This tile is mine.  The first three three things that came to mind are dotted with red hearts for the greatest of gifts - love.  I added three more words that kept popping into my thoughts.  It is very fitting that tangles surround them all because I am so very grateful for Zentangle® and all of you!

I must admit that it took me quite some time to get acquainted with Cornerz.  Our first meeting did not go smoothly but time and practice helped and now I do like it very much.


From Cheryl Stocks ~
Th[is] linky ... should get to my challenge response this week. The toughest part of it was drawing out the string. I let my sleeping brain figure out what to do with it last night and this is what I got!
Thank YOU for all the work you do for the likes of all us tangly people.
Have a brilliant day!

Cheryl did a very brilliant thing here - she used Cornerz and created letters that stand for her blessings.  That is brilliant and clever as is the reference to all of us as "tangly people" ☺


Lori Byerly said ~
I so enjoyed this week's challenge. It's always a good time to be grateful for the people and things in our life. :)
You can also see my tile here 


Cornerz's lines run parallel to the string line and make a deep diamond grid.  Having struggled myself with how detailed to make this pattern, I appreciate Lori's sweet, simple, and shaded version.  When that is paired with the dark Crescent Moon the result is very dramatic.


Kirsten Bish presents her "Serengeti Sunrise ~
While I love Cresent Moon, Corners was new to me. And when I started with it, it was hard to stop. When I finally did, I played around worth a couple ideas on what to do next. I decided that to decorate the half circles would just make them too busy. So, I shaded the instead., not really knowing how it would turn out. But I got to work... And what should happen? I end up with something like an animal print. A happy surprise indeed. Then I got to thinking, ya know those Cresent moon shapes look kinda lime bamboo. Thus, the title.

The thoughts of a tangler as they create are priceless - as is the result.  Cornerz is beautifully drawn with darker lines and shading.  This is a very happy tile.


CZT Sue Jacobs said ~
This was a fun challenge. Since there were only two tangles I had fun by trying out as many tangleations as I could come up with for Crescent Moon. I'll have to put this in my notebook to show students when we talk about tangleations in class! [You can view this here on] my blog .


Not one of Sue's Crescent Moons is the same - fifteen variations.  That is a wealth of information for all of us to use with many thanks to Sue.  A simple, well shaded Cornerz pops from the center and the surrounding white spaces highlight Sue's tangles.


Sandra Shon wrote ~
Thank you again for a wonderful challenge! The idea of your challenge this time is really great, because we all know that we often take things as a matter of course (is this correct in english??? I hope you know what I mean!?) and we should really be more greatful for so many things in our life...
So here is my Zentangle for this week :-) I posted it to my blog as well.

Sandra included three variations of Cornerz, added a rich red, created yellow banners for her wording over them, and a striking black and white Crescent Moon.


Eloquence from Ragged Ray ~
Thanks for the latest challenge - it was a fun one, getting me to think as well as draw!
The three words I chose because each in themselves are important to me, and coincidentally taken together they form a neat little sentiment too. I'm grateful for QUIET both inside me and outside me. I love peace, just gentle sounds of birdsong and wind-shifted leaves. I'm grateful for TIME - time to pursue the things that bring me pleasure, and time as a concept. Either the man-made kind - divided into equal portions - minutes, hours, days, years. Or the natural kind defined by the sun and moon and turning of our planet. And I'm grateful for the concept of TOGETHER - either together in myself, whole and intact in mind and body and soul, and together with precious people, those close to me or those far away bought near by shared pleasures (like right now with this Challenge!).
As for the tangling itself - I shrunk the string a bit so that all the corners of the triangle fitted in. And then I popped little quarter circles of Crescent Moon into the Cornerz grid. A bit of colour and there you have it!
She makes it sound so simple :)   Actually it is - it is simply elegant.
Shrinking the triangle a bit shading it just so make it appear to float over the sea of Crescent Moon infused Cornerz.  


Annemarie said this was a "very pleasant challenge" and she has it posted here on her blog as well.


She colored her paper with a spray of blue and then tangled.  Crescent Moon is aura-ed and then finished with Tipple - that is terrific.


A very warm welcome to brand new CZT Laura Emler who is joining in for the first time.  She said that she practiced on two previous tiles before sending in this one ~


She said that it took that long to see "Cornerz develop" - and she really did get it to flow.  Notice how she added Crescent Moon inside of the grid.  Laura also posted it here on her blog.  


Carmela said ~
Thanks for this wunderful challenge.
String 70 is lovely. I made variations from Crescent Moon, but i found Cornerz at some way difficult.
I dont know if i made it right and here i tried also to make different varaiations.
I tangled with zen
On my blog
She tangled 'with zen' and she created beautiful variations of both patterns.  That is a wonderful accomplishment.


Kathryn White managed to tangle while attending her "175th Annual Diocesan Convention where hundreds of Episcopalians from around Chicagoland gather for two days of worship, study, celebration, and deliberations on the business of the church."
It sounds wonderful and wonderfully busy and very impressive to have tangled while there.  Kathryn created some very pretty tangleations of Crescent Moon.  She also posted her tile here on her blog.


Felicity Strohfeldt wrote ~

It’s been a hectic week. End of the year functions are queuing up to be attended (South African tradition). Wonder if you have the same in the States. Anyway just finished my tile, feel it’s bit shaky, but I did enjoy crescent moon and cornerz (new to me). Great focus too, considering one’s blessings...

Felicity covered her background with a grid of Cornerz and her triangle with wonderful variations of Crescent Moon,  She finished it all with lovely shading.
(Yes, we do have many functions for the end of the year here :)


Portia Hyde, who said that she is not used to hand lettering and could have fooled me.  She filled the lovely letters in with tipple and made them pop out by adding a lighter version of the tangles to the triangle.  That is such a fabulous idea.  She wrote, "Did first about husband and children. A bit cluttered. Did second on Family, Love, Life and had some more fun...."


Check out Crescent Moon in her tile above - wonderful!  Look more closely and you can see the letters of her words in those Crescent Moons.  That is so very clever.


Ingrid Coventon said ~
What a good opportunity to realise my blessings. In the daily rush of life most of us( of course me too) take the good things for granted. But that is not. The good things are worth it to be realised every day. With trial and error I do my best to be a grateful/ happier person. Grateful people who care about people,and animals in a sustainable healthy environment for all living creatures can save the world for our grandchildren and their next generations.
My tile is what it shows. Crescent Moon already was familiar to me, but Cornerz was new to me. I had fun with it. In advance you do not know how the pattern is to look when you finish it. Nice.
The first thing that strikes me about Ingrid's tile is the beautiful balance of light and dark.  Then there is the billowy Crescent Moon she created with her subtle shading.    Add those to her thoughtful sentiments and you have a wonderful piece!


Susan Theron wrote ~
Here is my entry for this challenge. Cornerz is a tangle that I will have to practice more. The names is my tangle is of my family: Husband and 2 very spoiled and beloved dogs.
So much fun in one tile!  Notice how Susan tangled Crescent Moon around the name Ruben and then aur-ed outward.  It makes the name float up and off the page doesn't it?  She playfully added the tangle around the border in various directions - very sweet.

A  very warm welcome to Kay Owen for her first entry ~

Kay created a fun tile here.  Notice how her aura line around Crescent Moon, since they are spaced apart, has a longer line connecting the upcurve?  She also blended the two tangles together in very ingenious ways.

Jane Glotzer said ~
What a wonderful challenge this week...always a good thing to take a moment and be grateful!!

I am very lucky!...so many more than three things popped into my head for which to be thankful--my incredible husband, children, family and friends; the amazing natural beauty of the place where I live; our warm, comfortable home; inspiring beautiful music, dance and art in the world! and my passion for creating...so when I couldn't really narrow it down to three words, I decided to go with this 3 word phrase that sums it up...life is good!

I started with Crescent Moon in the center...who doesn't love that one? I didn't think I really had the hang of Cornerz at all when I started with the "Life" section, or that I liked it very much, but as I moved onto the "is" section and finally, the "GOOD" section, it became really fun and one of those quite addictive patterns--:) Did a very quick shading with Crescent Moon and around the "ribbon" and for the overlapping parts...probably could have done a bit more with Cornerz as far as the shading goes, but it was getting kind of late, and I wanted to get my submission in to you!
The energy and gratitude that Jane tangled this with is evident when observed.  The feelings are contagious and the tangles are terrific!


From Lucy Banta, CZT ~

Three large and lovely variations of Crescent Moon surround her gifts and frame the Cornerz center.
You just have to love that pickles is one of her blessings!


Sue Agnew thoughtfully submitted this note and tile ~
Thank you so much for this. It was a nice way to spend a little time putting things into perspective. "Choices" was my first word ... trying to express the fact that we are really very fortunate in many ways ... even though we may be frustrated by certain life situations (who isn't), we really do have a lot of choices in our lives compared to many (like we can choose WHAT to eat, versus wondering if we WILL eat). So then I went with "creativity" to express both art (including Zentangle!) and music, the things I do that are my outlets. The third idea I wanted to express was family and friends, relationships, so I admit I googled "synonym" to find another "C" word, which turned out to be "companions." Including people I have never met, such as you and the rest of the "gang" on Ticked to Tangle.
Since you called it Zentangle-inspired art, I wanted something really pretty and flowery, so I experimented with Heartvine and Scrawlz, and then found one called Vigne, which I could use as a VERY modified form of Cornerz.
Freedom, artistic expression, and companions on the journey - comforting thoughts and so much to be grateful for.
Sue's use of Vigne as a fancy Cornerz is very creative - and her signature sparkle in Crescent Moon and its auras is glorious.


Sharyn Penna sent this gorgeous tile and sweet reflection~
Family is the center of all that I'm thankful for. We guide, comfort and inspire our kids, and as they've grown I've found they guide, comfort and inspire me. The circle of life.
I used black Sakura glaze for the words in the surround.
I think the surround words also apply to your blog ... So thankful for your prompts and thoughtful posts, and for all the lessons found in each tile shared on Mondays. Happy Thanksgiving week to all! 
Notice how Sharyn wrote the word "family" in the center of the triangle.  Then she created a sea - I should say sky - of Crescent Moon.  It is just magnificent to study and imagine where she began and how she managed such a feat.  
I appreciate the heartwarming sentiments.

CZT Joan Delony wrote about the process in creating her tile ~
As I sat down to draw this weeks challenge, I automatically wrote the first 3 thoughts of gratitude in the string. I drew the tile and it just didn't "speak to me". After a couple more similar tiles, I stopped and took time to think about what I was extremely grateful for at this time in my life.
Of course, I am very grateful for my family, friends, health, and home; but I wake up every day thankful that I have opportunities to create, accessibility to materials, and the means to follow through. Read more about it on my blog.  
So much to take in - and admire - yet my favorite thing is what Joan called her post about this tile - 
"Gratitude on a String".  Read more on her sea-inspired blog. (link above)


Janice Johnson said, "This is my entry for this week's challenge. It is difficult to choose just three things to be grateful for. I chose my daughter, health and life for the purposes of this challenge."

It is very difficult to narrow the focus of your appreciation to just three things, but Janice did it so well.  Notice how she lettered each one in a different style.  She added terrific tangles and a bit of color, too.


Cat Trask wrote ~
Thank you for this weeks challenge. It was yet one more reason to reflect on this past year and think about all the things that I have to be thankful for. My gratitude list is far too long to incorporate into a tangle, but as I was working on this tile I had the pleasure of thinking of so many other blessings. Please know that YOU and this weekly challenges are among the things I am thankful for.
Cat and everyone reading this post must know that I am thankful for you as well - how much fuller and wonderfully creative life is with you all!
Cat's bold letters float on her pretty patterns and the surrounding white space makes them both stand out.


Annie Buckley exclaimed ~
What fun! I had to learn both Cornerz and Crescent Moon, and enjoyed playing around with both. I'm not sure what that is in the middle; it just sort of grew there. Maybe it's something I learned a while back, and now have no name for. Alas, my Cornerz looks nothing like Didier's, but it's really interesting to play with, and I look forward to trying more variations of it in the future.

The tangle in the middle is Rick's Paradox and Annie tangled it beautifully.  She layered Crescent Moon and the aura lines are mesmerizing.


Lily Moon sent this celebration of a tile ~

She included delightful details that include the grid lines of Cornerz breaking away, spirals and dots to decorate Crescent Moon, and gorgeous accent on her red lettered words.  
It can also be found here on her blog



Peggy Kohrmann reflected ~
Thanksgiving is almost upon us and I want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. I appreciated your challenge because as a child we would make a big calendar and every day add something we were grateful for. So first thing I did was choose the three things I am most grateful for during this part of my life.

Took awhile to find my wide calligraphy pen but I was excited to write on my tile. I used variations of Crescent Moon and Onamoto and a bit of Cornerz in the corner!!
What a wonderful childhood memory that is - and something we can all practice.  
The calligraphy looks bold and beautiful against her daintier tangles.  Peggy's shading and position of Crescent Moon make the triangle pop.  


Ilse Lukken sent in these sunny thoughts ~
... This week was much more busy than I had thought, so now was just the right timing to sit down, close my eyes and think about the things I'm grateful for.
Sun maybe is an unexpected word, but it represents two things to me: I'm always more happy when the sun is shining, and I'm grateful for my sunny character, which gives me strength in hard times.
I put this tangle on my blog as well.
That is truly a gift - a sunny disposition and a humble heart to appreciate it.
Ilse shaded Crescent Moon and it emphasizes the white spaces that frame her thoughtful words.  


From Elena Müller ~

Notice how Elena wrapped the lines of Cornerz around the border of her string line.  That is a wonderful detail as is her shading.


And now, the tile for honors this week was sent in by 
Annie Taylor of Spain!

Of her work, she wrote ~
Now please don't think me shallow or without gratitude for all things I treasure...but you did say close your eyes and think of the first three things. And here on my tile are those things that just popped into my head!
Chocolate - because it always makes me feel good; Sunshine - because it's such a joy to live in a sunny place, like Andalucia. And Scrabble - because I keep in contact with my mum and my sister in the UK on a daily, competitive and fun basis by playing games online with them and I do think it keep my wits just a little bit sharper.
Not being in or from the USA, Thanksgiving isn't a usual festival for us but I wish every one of my US friends a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. And thank you for an unusual and interesting String Thing this week, Adele. I enjoyed the process very much indeed.

Annie had me at "chocolate" and then she followed it up with even sweeter thoughts and remembrances.  Her tangles are lovely, especially the lace like edge of Crescent Moon.  She added depth with shading and highlights with white.

Congratulations, Annie.  I will be sending you a little something in the mail.

From the bottom of my grateful heart, thank you to everyone who sent in their precious artwork and sentiments this week.

Many thanks to the creative minds behind our string and tangles ~

TanglePatterns String 070 and Cornerz by Didier Gervy and
Crescent Moon by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas

Check back Tuesday afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #68!

If you learned something from a particular tile, or want to share an observation of your own, please leave a comment below.  We learn from each other.







Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom


A little food for thought in this Thanksgiving season ~

Adele Bruno, CZT  













"It's a String Thing" #67

It's Tuesday, your good news day!

Looking to the week ahead and the Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States, it is a good time to pause and think about the blessings in our lives.

With that in mind, we begin this week's "It's a String Thing" with TanglePatterns String 070 by Didier Gervy.

Copyrighted image used with permission, TanglePatterns.com
Our finished tiles will be more Zentangle® Inspired Art (ZIA) than our usual traditional tiles because we will add words and/or phrases to the string.

Take a few minutes to close your eyes and think of what/who you are grateful for in your life.  What are the first three that come to mind?   Write them in each of the bands of the string's triangle.  Be as fancy or as simple as you please with your writing.

As for patterns, we will use Crescent Moon, the wonderful tangle by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts and in honor of Didier, we will use his lovely tangle Cornerz.

For Crescent Moon ~
Sandy Bartholomew published a pattern step out here on her blog.
My post that highlights variations on the pattern can be found here on my blog.

Cornerz can be found here on TanglePatterns, Linda Farmer's wonderful resource site.

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!






Monday, November 17, 2014

"It's a String Thing" #66 Tiles

This week's string was quite different than most we've used in past challenges.  The border type tangles proved a "tough combination" with the string as Katie Booth described them.
She sent in the first tile and despite the difficulties, added that she still "had fun playing around!" ~

Katie combined Eke and Eyelet & Ribbon (from this mention forward - E&R) adding twists and turns - what fun!

Colorado's Peggy Kohrmann, last week's honoree, wrote ~
I am sending in my two tiles for this week. The first one seemed to need a bit of color because of the ribbon aspect. The second tile became a duo tangle when I saw Eez going down a funnel and Echo behind.
Note how Peggy combined Eke and E&R.  She added depth to the blue ribbon area of E&R by curving the lines on either end of the blue ribbon in the same direction like so - ( ( .
It is interesting how that effects the look of the tangle, isn't it?
Here Peggy uses shading and Eez to define the string line along with an Echo back ground.

From France Juul said, "So here is my tile # 66. I love lace and tried to create a kind of lace-ribbon."  and she added, "I send you a nice piece of our lovely French autumn-sun "


Not only did she create a lovely rendition of E&R, she embellished it with scrolls and a touch of color. Notice, too, her two toned Eke border.  


South Africa's Felicity Strohfeldt wrote ~
Wow!? My first reaction. Eke, Eke, Echoed, in my head how will I manage to Eez the Ribbon through the Eyelet on String. no 66? A Challenge! It sure was, as I’ve not used any of these tangles before. Not overly clued on “border” patterns, I mulled them over in my head, practised Eke, enjoyed that one, tried Echo, not too bad, wiggled Ribbons through lacey Eyelet, hmmmm, and thought back to school days and writing practice, using E. Came up with this. Jury’s still out on the verdict, but thanks, no. 66 was a great challenge.


The jury has rendered a verdict and it is unanimous - this is fabulous :)  Eez seems to spin off of the Eke spiral and the many variations of the tangle give it even more energy.  Echo and E&R provide a steady base.


From Massachusetts Sharyn Penna said ~
Eke was the only tangle I'd worked with before. So I practiced each tangle one evening then picked up a tile two nights later. It's always a happy surprise when the patterns finally come together. I really love Eez...it's like a ribbon/vine and it plays well with Eyelet & Ribbon. Eke made a fun picot edge. Echo is one I'm going to need to work with...I like the way some can turn it into an ogee design...
Eke on the edge of E&R - now that is a simple and elegant idea.  How many times does that appear on lace and trims and yet we see it here as 'new'?!  Fascinating.
Sparkle and shading on Eez are pretty touches as is Sharyn's shading.

From New Jersey CZT Lucy Banta said, "The string sure was tricky, but a lot of fun to figure it out... Here's the link to my blog"

Lucy's tile includes Echo without the white spaces, E&R dark and shaded, and Eke with detail lines - and they add up to a lovely piece.

Janice Johnson wrote, "I am sending in my submission for this week's challenge. I didn't use the line coming down on the string as I liked the end result the way it was."


She also sent her first attempt - that she said she didn't care for until she scanned it - 

Perhaps scanning is akin to holding the tile at arm's length - one of the keys to practicing the art of Zentangle® !  A bit of distance helps in the appreciation of one's work.  Both of Janice's tiles have a delicate look and are shaded beautifully.


The Netherlands' Natasja Rijsbergen said that this one was "more difficult" as she wondered how to combine the tangles with the string.  As a result she drew two tiles ~





And both are just wonderful.  She includes different sizes and variations of E&R and just look at how it changes when she adds aura. That is yummy!  So many details - take for instance Eke in the second tile - darkened, shaded, and aura-ed.



Ilse Lukken wrote, "Another nice challenge with new patterns to me! I decided to put some colour in it too, just for a change ;-)"

It is a pretty burst of blue.  The dark bold area plays well against the lighter lines of Echo and makes E&R stand out.


Kirsten Bish said ~
Enclosed please find my newest Tangle. Entitled, "With Ease"... I really enjoyed Eylet & Ribbon, and Eez turned out simpler and lovelier than I thought it would. I think Echo will look better in a bigger space, but I do like it.

That is a very clever title given that all the tangles begin with the letter 'E'.  To read Kirsten's words that a pattern turned out simpler and lovelier than she thought it would is a tangled treat - as is her tile.


Germany's Sandra Shon wrote ~
 I like the string very much and when I saw the suggested patterns I knew immediately that I want to use "Eyelet + Ribbon" for the string :-)
I decided to use Echo in the background and when I finished I had the idea to use a bit colour. So here is my result ;-)
It was a great fun again!
I also show the tile on my blog

That is a wonderful use of color.  This is an elegant balance of line and space.  Notice how she shaded Echo around each diamond shape.  


New CZT Caroline Moore said ~
What a great string this week! It was fun incorporating the 4 tangles ~ Eez was particularly fun, and I’ve always enjoyed the look of eyelet & ribbon.
I posted my string on my blog
An Eke border with the loops filled in, Echo on a string, and an aura-ed Eez are just a few of the delightful details Caroline included in this tile.


Portia Hyde said, "Four tangles I was not very familiar with and I am learning to play with them until I like them!"

It shows that she likes them now - especially E&R.  Portia carried the lines of Echo into Eez and then onto E&R and she shaded her tile beautifully.


From the Netherlands Ingrid Coventon wrote ~

When I saw the string I loved it but filling was a bit difficult. All tangle patterns were new to me and although they are not my favorites, I had a good time with them and wouldn't have missed playing with them. To let them work for me I had to keep it simple and clear, so there is a lot of white space. But that makes the tile airy and breathable I think.Thank you for this opportunity.

Ingrid added a new look to these tangles with her delicate line work.  She varied the thickness of the lines to draw her tangles and her shading makes them rise off of the paper.  That is glorious.


New CZT Judy Wanner from Pennsylvania said, "...I look forward to every one's tiles. Amazing talent and a super way to improve which is always my goal. One thing that would help is less caffeine!!!

(I read that while I sipped my second cup :)
Judy's wonderful white space shows off her tangles as does her shading and those those extra dots on Echo.


From England, Ragged Ray wrote ~
 One thing I love each week is that sometimes I immediately see and know how I want my tile to look, the way to put the tangles together seems so obvious - and I foolishly assume every one elses will look the same - but of course they never do!
This week my tile seemed obvious. A blanket of tangles. Echo darkly shaded forming the main cloth, with an Eke fringe and then that rogue ribbon of white running through, following the string line. Not the first time I've interpreted tangles as if they were fabrics and not the last. But no surprise that my thoughts turn to blankets and winter draws close.


Can't you just feel the warmth of it all from her words to her tile?  Makes me want to grab cup of tea and curl up.  Notice how she shaded the entire surface of Echo and excluded the outline of E&R.  It is a cozy piece.


Susan Theron writes from South Africa ~
Here is my tile. This string lent it to a tangle as the string - but which one? I've tried eke and eez, but decided on eez. I did not have space for echo although I like it.

Elongated Eke, an Eez string, and a lacy E&R are splendid details.  Note, too, that the tangles have a relatively similar weight to them.  It is a very pretty look.


Tonya Barlow said that she created a collage of tangles ~

Most eye catching are the many variations of Eke she created - and they appear to be layered underneath the other sections of the string line.


Cathy Cusson's joy can be felt in her words ~
 I planned on using all four of the tangles and got to having soooo much fun with these two, changed my mind.
Echo and Eez and wonderful shading make for a very happy tile - and tangler!


From Colorado, Jane Glotzer wrote ~
Brrrr...only 2 days reprieve and we are back to a cold, snowy day...the bright side? a warm burning fire by which to tangle...
Just for fun, I decided to start with a round "tile" this time before I even saw the challenge and I thought it ended up a nice contrast to the squareness of the string. I kept this one pretty simple, leaving lots of white space! and choosing only to focus on using the lacing part of Eyelet and Ribbon along the string line and then filled it in with lots of Eez...after I had colored them, I felt like the "holes" needed some outlines and then that lace took over, and it broke right out through the edges! :)
SInce I don't usually tangle along the string line, this was a new approach, but that string seemed to cry out for it! I am looking forward to seeing what others did with it. I thought I might get some Echo in there too, but it never found its place!


Arizona's Sue Agnew said ~
I had never run across Eyelet & Ribbon before, and I had so much fun with it. It took me back to my very early Zentangle days when one of my favorite tangles was the official tangle Lace. So I ended up doing the easy and obvious, using the eyelet to outline the string. Then I "cheated" because it seemed like the background HAD to be gingham because what else do you sew eyelet onto? So instead of using solid squares where the lines cross, I filled them with diagonal lines, hoping that my small homage to Echo would "count."
(Although I didn't end up using it, I also enjoyed experimenting with Eez -- although they kept coming out looking like a string of the letter S -- I guess we're best at the letters from our own names?)

What can be added to her own description but that this is a gorgeous tile - simple and sweet.



Cat Trask sent this from Oregon ~


She said. "Thanks again for these wonderful weekly challenges. They are so helpful for me to learn new tangles and practice, practice, practice!"  She added that she felt rushed with this tile, but wanted to get something sent in.
Cat tangled along the string line using all four of the given tangles and then shaded - a wonderful idea.


From Connecticut, Brooke Provost wrote ~
This was a tricky one for me... So many border and string patterns, I wasn't sure what to make of it. Finally, I just plunged in and before I knew it, this tile was done.
Fun!
She described the best of a Zentangle experience - to dive right in and surprise yourself with the result.
There were many border tangles, as we have mentioned, and Brooke used them well here.  They also play so well against the Echo back drop.


From the Netherlands, Annemarie wrote this on her blog post~
I came very close to throwing this tile in the bin. I have seldom worked longer on a tile as now, but it just became 'nothing'. The only thing I could do to make it better, was giving it some color, but .... it's still 'nothing'. Yet I decided to send it in, just because I think that I should do that and not only those tiles that are successful in my opinion. But .... to be honest, I would have liked it in the bin better.
The string (nr. 66 by Anne Marks) was a hard one, but fitting the tangles in it, was (for me) almost impossible. I used Echo, Eez and Eylet & Ribbon.
Yet I want to thank Adele and Anne because this will teach me what I say so often, that it's not about the result.
Yes, it truly is about the process - although the result is very beautiful.  Annemarie created a zig-zag edge to E&R and that must be anew tangleation.  Eez along the string line and a flurry of Echo finish off her tile.


Also from the Netherlands, Carmela wrote, "Thanks for this challenge with much border patterns. It was a real challenge to make this one to a nice result "
She also posted it here on her blog.

Carmela created a wonderful mix of tangles and white space, light and shade, dark and airy line work.


A warm "Hallo Frau Bruno" arrived from Germany's Elena Müller ~
This is my contribution to your challenge this week. The result looks a bit dark as I wished and the shading is not perfect, but I'm satisfied.
Here's the link.
To be satisfied with your work is a wonderful goal - as is this tile.  The dark center of Eke plays well beside Echo and that in turn works well with the bold E&R and it is all wrapped up in pretty pink.


From Illinois, Kathryn White said ~
I had a difficult time with this challenge. I thought my results looked like intestines. yuck! I tried several tiles. Time's up. Looking forward to seeing what others drew.

Intestines?!  That is funny.  The very lacy E&R counters that image.  Notice how she placed bows in the corners and how she incorporated Eke on the outside of the tangle.  Shading the entire background made the patterns stand out.


Kristen Kostelnik Killips sent in this tile ~

She also used a large and lovely white space that shows off her tangles.  Note Eez in each of the lower corners.



And now, the tile for honors this week was sent in by 
Lily Moon of Hungary ~


She wrote, "...this is my tile for your weekly challenge. I don't know why but this challenge was hardest for me. Maybe about many of the same type tangle. But eventually I'm pleased with it."
"Pleased as punch" as they say - what a fabulous tile!  With a daring dark side and superb details, Lily's tile shines.  Note the way she tangled Eke.  She aura-ed the inside sections, added stripes and sparkle and a touch of brown to the little loops.

Congratulations, Lily!  I have a little something coming in the mail for you.


Thank you to everyone who sent in a tile this week.  
If you learned something from a particular tile, or want to share an observation of your own, please leave a comment below.  We learn from each other.

Thank you to the creative minds behind the string and tangles used this week ~

TanglePatterns String 063 by Anne Marks
Echo by CZT Sue Clark
Eez by CZT Judy Burkett
Eke a Zentangle® pattern
Eyelet & Ribbon by Lori Howe



Stop back Tuesday afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #67!