Zendala Dare #25

I'm getting down to the last minute nitty gritty here for packing up my art toys before we hit the road this week, so I'm happily getting in the final challenges and dares while I still can. Snuggled up on the couch, watching the Half Blood Prince, I worked out this response to Erin's weekly Zendala Dare #25 at the Bright Owl:

 

I adapted Helen William's beautiful scroll work after watching her video tutorial here at a Little Lime (a favorite zentangle blog to follow!) So much fun to play with. Helen's work is so inspiring and beautiful-I was thrilled to see her video and variations, and to try my hand at this wonderful, swirly pattern. I wanted to keep the rest of it simple: a basic ribbon border, the pie shape slivers demanded some angular lines, then a splash of purple--and I actually managed to leave a section open (aside from a wee bit of shading)--that's huge for me!

Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in the Diva's challenge tomorrow before I pick up my hubby at the airport Tuesday morning. I expect the rest of the week to be a whirlwind of tying up loose ends, final packing, and then that long road trip north...Then the unpacking and settling in begins--hopefully it won't take too long to get back in the swing of things so I can keep on with the weekly challenges once more!

So thanks for stopping by--hope to see you all again very soon!

Diva Challenge #88: IX

The Diva's challenge this week was to include the new tangle pattern IX (that's Roman numeral nine--not ix, like fish ich(s) but I digress...) I had already started this little triptich and had no intention of throwing IX in there--okay, I actually had no intention of doing this challenge at all since I am not, er, was not, a big fan of the pattern...until I looked at some of the other challenge responses...There are two amazing benefits of participating in the Diva's weekly challenges (and Erin's zendala dares):

 

1.) They push you to try things you ordinarily wouldn't even think about and get you out of your comfort zone, so you actually learn and grow rather than stay stagnant, and...

 

2.) Looking at all the other artists' renditions is a constant source of inspiration and encouragement, not to mention super fun seeing all the beautiful eye candy rendered up week after week!

 

So here is my IX (middle long skinny part up the middle of the top left 'tile') Michael thought it was cool and that's pretty much all the gratification I need, to impress my Bug =0) For a pattern I thought I'd never draw, I now will definitely play more with it and see where it takes me! You can check out more challenge responses here-I guarantee you won't be disappointed!

Ix, 'Nzeppel, Tipple, Fife, Pearls, Crescent Moon (sort of-more looks like Kunstler...), Printemps, Bumps, Verve

 

As for the rest of my week...I'm putting off packing my art supplies as long as I can (though the paint brushes did get tucked away the other day...*sob!*) The Great Move loometh ever closer--Squeeeee!!! I'll be squeeing all the way from Butler to New Bedford when we finally get our butts going!! (Channel the piggy from the Geico commercial...yeah, that'll be me!!) But I'll play and post as much as I can between now and then, and hopefully will be up and running online as quick as possible once settled.

 

 

Oh, oh, oh and OH!!! My dearest friend, Missy, just gifted me with my very own copy of Sherwood Forlee's Walls Notebook (major MAJOR SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) (AND a set of Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils!! AND the 2013 Song of Ice and Fire calendar!!!!!) So I sat in awe last night just flipping through the pages and pages of blank walls to color and play on, brain a-swimming in utter happiness---definitely looking forward to playing and sharing from that gorgeous piece of funtasticness!! Aaahhhhh!! Joy squeeing from my pores.....Yay!!

 

Have a great rest of the week--which is almost over, really. September is almost over!! Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you'll come back again soon!

Zendala Dare #24

Wow, I think I did this one in record time...This week's template was very square and I was so determined to NOT fill in every little space. You see how well I did with that! Haha! I even had to go outside the border and add more!! I think I might be hopeless...Plus I'm feeling very 'Sepia-ish' this weekend, be it that autumn is finally upon us and I'm channeling those hues, or maybe it was just the muddy pawprints all over my kitchen floor that inspired me...I like all of it except for that dark Umble round the middle...hmmm. Anyway, a big thanks to Erin at the Bright Owl for another wonderful weekend Zendala Dare!

 

International Day of Peace

Finally caught up on the week's challenges here! This week's Diva Challenge was in honor of Pinwheels for Peace, celebrating the International Day of Peace (Sept 21st)  I simply thought of Stars 'n Stripes as our troops are continually protecting our peace and striving to ensure peace around the world, and this became my pinwheel:

 

 

And this is my rendition of the week's Zendala Dare #23 from Erin over at the Bright Owl:



 

I even managed to get one more little Zia done this afternoon--String 18 from Tangle Patterns with a little Kunstler and eyeballs ala my hubby...I so wanted to draw eyelashes but decided not to...I love this tangle!

The Nest



So I'm all caught up just in time for the start of next week's challenges! And I even managed to get some packing done as well today--getting a little closer to Moving Day!! WooHoo!! Thanks for stopping by--have a great weekend!!

Where is This Month Going??

Time is simply flying through my fingers this month, which is good since that means we're that much closer to moving. Still, there's a shock to look at the date and realize that the month is three quarters of the way over?! When did that happen?? Still reminding myself to breathe...

 

So, I didn't think I'd have very much to show this week. I was couch bound most of the weekend with one of the worst migraines I've had in a while and I didn't accomplish any of what I had hoped to achieve. But, I did get a couple projects done since my last post. Neither of them are challenge related, though. My zendala for the Bright Owl is almost finished and I have the string ready for the Diva's challenge...so I'm getting there.

 

But here is what I did manage to accomplish last week:

 

String 15, 'Nzeppel, Nipa, Tripoli, Baton, Springkle, Msst

And this little number is called a Stella Octangula that I tangled for a great friend and my favorite boss ever, Becky. It went fairly quick because the sections are small and you only do one tangle per triangle. Cut it all out and glue it all together...

 And it looks like this:

 

It's all packed up and ready to go, just have to scoot it to the post office and it will be on its way south to beautiful Tennessee!

 

That's all I have artistically to offer up this week. I'll post again when I get the zendala and Diva challenges finished. But here are a few pics of Bug, Lenny, and crazy Tucker--some of the love that keeps me going every day:

This is what you see if you look in our office most afternoons-Bug at the computer playing Minecraft with Lenny on his shoulder. The two are inseparable any more. I love it!

Bug 'n his bird

Tucker's latest toy is a terra cotta planter he's been hauling around the backyard.
Look at all the leaves already!! Fall is upon us!!

There you have it. Thanks for taking a moment to stop by. Enjoy the rest of the week and come back and visit again soon!

Breaking Free on Artful Wednesday

Welcome back to another Artful Wednesday post! This week's Diva Challenge #86 is called Breaking Free. The challenge was to let loose and break past the normal Zentangle border that defines a typical tile. So I let the Pokeleaf flourish and the Hollibaugh ramble:

 

String #9, also Huggins, Barberpole, and Lampions

I posted this pic the other day on my Life in the Trenches blog, but thought most of the folks who look at this blog don't see that one, so here is my first shot at a Dangle:

Idea Journal page

And this little nametag was just done for fun after seeing one on a new favorite blog, Elvie Studio. She (Lori) hosts online lettering courses that I'd like to try after (AFTER!! How long have I been saying that now....augh!!!) the MOVE....just breathe....just breathe....so almost there....

That's all I have this week. Back to packing and cleaning. The moving guys are stopping by tomorrow for an estimate of how much it'll cost to get everything from here to there....getting closer!! Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a great rest of the week!

Monodala and Kunstler

Posting on a Saturday...why not? I slept until 5:30, which never happens and Bug actually came and kicked me out of bed. He was worried I wasn't feeling well since I was still in bed. No, fine. Just snuggying with Sweet Pea. Alas, he was having none of that. So up I was and it was just as well, I got to watch a quick thunderstorm pass through. I love listening to the rain, wind, and thunder.

 

 

So, I'm a little ahead of the game this week and actually finished the Bright Owl's Zendala Dare #22 last night. Erin declared this first Friday of the month dare to be a monotangle zendala (hence Monodala) so that really simplified things as I didn't have to fret over what tangles would look good with other tangles (seriously messes with my OCD...) I did an 'Nzeppel version of Ixorus, sort of...I guess it's more my twist on it. Then color, color, color--this was done with Prismacolor colored pencils--sweetness.

 

 

 And last week's Diva Challenge had us working with a tangle created by CZT Margaret Bremmer, so I was bebopping around her website, the Enthusiastic Artist, and I discovered another new pattern of hers that I instantly fell in love with, Kunstler, and this is the little Zia I did-which also shows the 'Nzeppel Ixorus version in the middle box. (string #8) I want to color the spiral centers red or something...Hubby thinks I should make them eyeballs--next time...next time, 'cuz I'll be playing with this one a lot!

 

Kunstler

 

So, I suppose I should go find some breakfast and get a little run in before the day gets under way. Have a fantastic weekend--looks like ours will be indoors since rain, rain, and more rain is the local forecast for the day! Thanks for stopping by!

Diva Challenge #85 UMT Copada

A quick post this morning for the Diva's Weekly Challenge! I had started this string (#7) over the weekend and got as far as Flux in the middle and was stuck! Then Laura came through and saved the day with this week's UMT Challenge with CZT Margaret Bremmer's Copada--the answer to my dilemma! And away I tangled....

 



I'm hoping to have some time to play with a little watercolor later today/the rest of the week...and I had to hide the forty and fifty percent off coupons that Michaels keeps showering on me! I...must...stop...shopping!!! I just have to drag all of this to MA and there's a whole new Michaels there for me to haunt--it never ends...I really need to put everything away and just finish packing. Yeah--almost there!!

More Tuesday Tangles

I'm early again this week! But the Diva's Challenge is not being posted until later today, delayed by the holiday, and as much as I have on my To Do List this morning, I rather doubt I'll have time to tangle much later on or to complete Laura's weekly challenge (today anyway). So, everything else caught up for the week, I figured I'd go ahead and post a little early again--why not?

 

First up, is The Bright Owl's Zendala Dare #21. The big feathery shapes around the border just screamed Braze to me, then the rest sort of filled itself in as flowers. I was torn about coloring it in, then decided to go with my honey's favorite Steeler colors--good old Black and Gold! So, this one's for him!

 

 

Then, the Yahoo Zia group is having a Halloween ATC swap and I just LOVE Halloween! So I quickly signed up and whipped these two out yesterday--so much fun to do! I was filling out the envelopes to pop these in the mail later today for the swap host and--I got to write our new MA address on the return envelope since we will be moved by the time the swap is done and the cards get mailed back out to everyone! Yay!

 

I love my little bat with his giant candy corn! And if only all spiders were this cute...the world would be a much happier place!!

 

So that's all the tangling I got done this week...I started another over the weekend but the string is torturing me and I'm a little stumped...Hopefully I'll get that finished later this week! But I did get to play a bit with my brandy new set of Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils (oh sweet joy!!) and this is the week's idea journal page--a bright little sunflower:

 

 AND!!! I whipped up a postcard design for our change of address/moving cards--yay!!

 

Finally this is my McBug on the first day of school (heartbreak!!) A lousy exposure--sorry--but he was so excited over his Adventure Time t-shirt and black and gold DC tennies...Fifth grade--he's growing up entirely too fast!!!

 

So that's been my week. Ooo! I discovered a couple super cool blogs just yesterday--check 'em out: Elvie Studio and for some super cute Halloween goodies: SurpriseDelightJoy! Aaahh--love them BOTH!! Thanks for stopping by--hope to see you next week!