Thursday, March 19, 2015

Tips for Tangling Amphora

This week's "It's a String Thing" challenge (click here for all of the delightful details) features Lily Moon's pretty pattern, Amphora.

Lily's step out can be found here on her fabulous blog.

The flowing curved lines added in the early steps are soothing to draw.  They can be drawn in one pass of the pen without lifting it from the paper.  This adds, I find, much 'zen' to the experience of tangling.

In an effort to draw the initial lines and diamonds in a similar continuous manner, here are some of my "Tips for Tangling" ~


Try Amphora and perhaps send in a tile for the challenge - you may discover a few tips of your own to pass along to the rest of us.

ENJOY!

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

Zendala by Adele Bruno, CZT

God made the world round 
so we would never be able to see 
too far down the road.
                                                                     ~Isak Dinesen





Tuesday, March 17, 2015

"It's a String Thing" #84

It's Tuesday, your good news day and a Happy St. Patrick's Day at that.

Here in Florida, spring is in full swing.  The trees and flowers are blooming and everything outdoors is covered with a layer o' green.  My daughter took this photo peering over the top of her car ~


The blanket of pollen makes her blue car look green and the sky a bit hazy.
While it is not so wonderful for people with allergies, it is a  perfect time of year to celebrate St. Patrick's Day :)

If you missed yesterday's results from "It's a String Thing" #83, click here to view the festive tiles.


This week's challenge begins with TanglePatterns String 083 by Anne Marks ~


In honor of Anne, we will use four tangles that begin with the letter "A".  They include -

Antique by Kathy Barringer, CZT
Amphora by Lily Moon
Amoeba by Linda Dawson
Arrow Heads by Linda Farmer, CZT

Step outs for the patterns can be found by clicking their names above, or by visiting TanglePatterns.

Use as many or as few as you'd like.

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: 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!





Monday, March 16, 2015

"It's a String Thing" #83 Tiles

Top o' the mornin' to you!  This week's challenge was designed with St. Patrick in mind.  In honor of his great day, we used a two shamrock themed patterns and string line as well.  The results will bring a smile to your eyes, be they Irish or not.
Let's take a look ~

Joanne Hawes was the first to send a tile.  She wrote ~
Happy st. Patricks day ( from a nearly Irish person! Lol hubby is Irish so my kids are too ( well half)& I lived in Ireland for nearly 10years that counts right?).
Had a lovely time doing this one. I really enjoyed it and the sh-rocks are cool I double aura- ed them in the background pattern. And lucky got star treatment with arukas and aqua fleur making it look all pretty. A few lucky sneaked into the background too. All coloured in with my magic pencil ( from koh-i-noor it's a multi coloured thing my czt sold to me!;) ).
Have a lovely week looking forward to seeing everyone's lucky tangles :)

Tangled Tidbits - 
*star treatment for Lucky :)
*double aura-ed Sh'rock 


From Germany, Sandra said ~
here is my tile for your new challenge :-) I really liked to tangle Lucky because there are so many variations to use it.
To tangle this tile was quite relaxing!
On my blog 

Tangled Tidbits -
*great use of black to accent the tangles
*large curls in Lucky petals
*shading and sparkle

From Mississippi, Debra wrote ~
Thanks for providing a wonderful place to have fun and learn at the same time. Another set of new tangles I had no idea about. I had fun with this and also added the centers to the lucky due to a simple error and since there are no errors I improvised. I carried the grid from lucky through for the border.

Tangled Tidbits - 
*fabulous ribbon string line of Sh'rock
*bold backdrop of Lucky
*the centers are a great variation for Lucky



Carmela sent her tile from the Netherlands ~
Thanks for the challenge.
I used your string as Lucky, because they are almost similar.
Then I made in each petal a variation of Lucky and in the white spaces Sh’rock
Green is my favorite color and also the color for st Patricks day, so i coloured everything green.
On my blog


Tangled Tidbits -
*a different take on Lucky for each section of the string
*an airy background of Sh'rock


CZT Kath Gregitis said, "Though I have no Irish blood, this was a fun challenge. I put it in an acrylic frame, and mailed it off to my best Irish girlfriend!"

Tangled Tidbits -
*aura and dots around the string
*cascades of Sh'rock
*a smattering of Lucky on its grid



From Florida, Betsy said ~
When I saw the challenge and the components I could not imagine how they would all go together. So I started at the beginning with step one. By the time I drew the string, which was fun and challenging just by itself, the ideas started and my pen just kept drawing. Once I start drawing I can't stop. I just love tangling and this one was so fun! I have been wanting to add some color and Lucky Green seemed a perfect opportunity to try it.


Tangled Tidbits -
*three large Lucky centers
*great light/dark contrast
*wonderful movement with the additional tangles



Kirsten Bish wrote ~
Enclosed,please find my newest tangle "Celtic Visions".
I had watched a demo on making Celtic knots and wanted to try it here in this tangle....Thinking I still need a little work. But I do love that style and would love to visit Ireland someday. SH'ROCK is a fun tangle and something I shall use again soon. LUCKY is great and something I will incorporate into something larger.

Tangled Tidbits -
*contrasting colorings of Sh'rock 
*bold diagonal streak of Lucky



Daniel Lamothe said ~
This was so much fun...I didn't particularly enjoy the process of drawing Sh'Rock, but the shading was fun and I loved how it looked, so I persevered. The right side was just screaming to have something a little different...and LukiLine kinda just grew out >.< Oh well, no rules in tangling, so I'm fine, right? ...Right? ^_^

Tangled Tidbits -
*wonderful white space
*softly shaded Sh'rock 
*three and four petals for Sh'rock


Magdalene Lee wrote ~
Here's my tile for this week. It's been a busy week and I didn't get a chance to practise the tangles, both new to me, before I started the tile, but I gave the tile my best shot anyway! I'll admit I got confused with where to place each clover in Lucky, but I suppose it doesn't really matter because the tangles looks good in several variations of placement.
I've also put the tile up on my blog.
And here's an Irish blessing that I found, for you :)

May your blessing outnumber 
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.


Tangled Tidbits -
*close aura of Sh'rock
*dark perfs instead of lines for Sh'rock
*gorgeous Lucky variations



From Arizona, Audrie Wiesenfelder wrote ~
It was a fun challenge; St. Patrick's Day is always fun. I took liberties with Lucky, mostly tangleations, but Sh'rock is pretty straightforward.
It's also on my blog


Tangled Tidbits -
*pretty heart swirls in a Lucky variation
*aura and shading add great depth


From Hungary, Lily Moon's tile ~



Tangled Tidbits -
*superb shading
*beautiful balance of light and dark
*clever pattern placement


Susan Theron  said, "Here is my contribution. Looking forward to see the other tiles. Also on my blog."

Tangled Tidbits -
*perfs along the string line
*cross hatches for Lucky
*single Lucky leaf in the string's "stem"



Lawrence Hyde said, "Happy St. Patrick’s Day!" ~


Tangled Tidbits -
*Lucky free of its grid
*indented petals of Sh'rock
*thick black aura-ed Sh'rock




From the Netherlands, Ingrid Coventon wrote ~
Sh'rock and Lucky were very relaxing to do, although I wasn't very attracted by Sh'rock at first sight. Much Zen for me in this challenge. Just what I needed. Happy Greetings.
Tangled Tidbits - 
*aura and dark background for Sh'rock 
*a singular, large and lovely Lucky

From a wintry Massachusetts and Sharyn Penna ~
...This tile I did with the sounds of my grandmother's brogue echoing in my mind. She left Ireland in 1910 to come to America.
I shaded Lucky to resemble cobblestones streets ... one of her first impressions of Boston.
Thank you for helping me conjure up a hidden memory.
Cheers to you an' yer's!
That is a blessed memory!
Tangled Tidbits - 
*carefully shaded sections of Lucky
*deep, rich background for the tangles



Cathy Cusson said ~
What a week! This is the first 5 day week I have worked in forever - due to weather! It is good to be back in the routine, but definitely exhausting. Loved this challenge and really loved getting to know "lucky". That is a fun tangle. One of my petals on the shamrock turned out a bit "wonky" but once I got going with it it became a bit easier.

Tangled Tidbits -
*variation in sizes of Lucky grid
*wonderfully shaded border of Sh'rock



With a "Happy St. Patrick's Day wish", Heike's tile from Germany ~


Tangled Tidbits - 
*beautiful tangleations of Lucky
*a light touch of Sh'rock




Talia Maynard said ~
This was a fun challenge. 2 more new patterns for me and I like them both.
I added the green to make the sh'rock stand out and to emphasis the occasion. It didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped but it's a fun tile.

Tangled Tidbits -
*Sh'rock bubbles up from the Lucky background
*shaded background of Lucky


Also from Germany with a "Happy St. Patrick's Day!", Joya sent this festive tile ~
Tangled Tidbits - 
*gorgeous details
*terrific Lucky tangleations
*Sh'rock pushes passed the string and border lines


Sue Agnew writes from Arizona ~
This was a fun challenge. I wanted to "Cruffle" Lucky, but the yin/yang of Cruffle didn't really work as well on the teardrop-shaped shamrock leaf, so I just "half-cruffled" it. For Sh'rock, it is really designed to be a random pattern and looks the best that way, and I am not a random person, so try as I might, the rendering of it I liked the best was my first practice one. So I stacked it in rows and overlapped it. I'd intended to fill in the negative space (another thing, besides the overlapping, that is really the essence of Sh'rock) but in the end opted for "less is more."
Tangled Tidbits -
*lovely loops in Sh'rock
*a curved look to 'Cruffled' Lucky
*elongated diamond created with two 'stems' of Lucky


Efie van Rekum-Derksen's tile is here and on her blog ~


Tangled Tidbits -
*Lucky free of a grid
*Sh'rock tangled on one side of each of the three large string sections





Also from the Netherlands, Natasja Rijsbergen wrote, " ...I love lucky. It's a nice tangle to draw. So a whole tile with lucky."

Tangled Tidbits - 
*wonderful contrasting black and white spaces
*great shading
*Sh'rock tucked into Lucky


South Africa's Felicity Strohfeldt wrote ~
Challenge 83. What shall I say? A real teaser! Have practised Lucky, but not used it before and Sh’rock was new. Strangely I found this a difficult challenge. It took several attempts. I also looked for something new to use as an border around the “shamrock” string and I chose Spupa. In the end St Patrick is quite ‘Lucky’ to be represented by my tile and I hope he thinks the shamrock tangles are ‘Spupa’ and that the tile ‘Sh’rocks’!
See this week’s tile on my blog.
Happy St Patrick’s day to you and all who participate this week.

Tangled Tidbits - 
*great play on words :)
*a feast of Lucky tangleations



And now, for sentimental reasons, the tile for honors this week was sent in form
France by Juul!

Juul took a trip down memory lane when she looked over last year's St. Patrick's Day challenge .  She wrote ~
Chère Adèle
I looked at the challenge 31 and was very amused to discover that it was my very first tile in my whole life.....made with a ballpoint.
Thank you very much and happy st patrick's day! 


Tangled Tidbits -
*a whole year of tangling for Juul - congratulations!
*lovely Lucky border
*aura-ed Sh'rock



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


Thank you to everyone for sending in your wonderful tiles this week.  I am happy to know you enjoyed my Lucky and shamrock string.

Many thanks to Diane LaChance, CZT for her pattern, Sh'rock.


Check back Tuesday afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #84!



Friday, March 13, 2015

Coming Full CIrcle

This Zendala is one I completed last fall.  It was inspired by a retired Vera Bradly fabric pattern called Happy Snails. The fabric design included round sections of white, four petaled flowers that emanated from a center point.
With that idea in mind, I drew this ~

Zendala by Adele Bruno, CZT
It wasn't until I noticed these plants growing in a friend's garden, that I made a connection to an actual flower.  It is called Ixora and isn't it lovely?

Photograph by Adele Bruno, CZT
One of my mantras in teaching is to "always have a point of reference."
I used a fabric pattern for my reference point.   The designers must have used the Ixora for theirs.

Inspiration came full circle (pun intended:).

Now, that is just plain FUN!

Have a wonderful weekend.



Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

By next Wednesday, St. Patrick's Day will have come and gone.  In advance of the great day, here is a wee blessing for you and yours ~

St. Patrick's Day Zendala by Adele Bruno, CZT







Tuesday, March 10, 2015

"It's a String Thing" #83

It's Tuesday, your good news day - and 'tis your lucky day at that!

In anticipation of St. Patrick's Day next Tuesday, we begin our challenge with as string line you may remember from last year ~

St. Patrick's Day String by Adele Bruno, CZT
Here are some tips to help you draw the shamrock in one continuous line ~


In keeping with the theme, we will use two clover type patterns ~

Sh'rock by  Diane LaChance, CZT.   Click on the tangle's name for a direct link to the Zentangle® newsletter (circa 2010) where the tangle was first featured.  The write up that accompanies it is a great read.  


Lucky by myself, Adele Bruno, CZT.  The step out can be found by clicking on the tangle's name.  Further Tips for Tangling Lucky can be found here.  
For reference, check out the results from last year's "It's a String Thing" #31.


Both tangles can also be found on TanglePatterns.

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: 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!