I hope everyone is having or has had a Merry Christmas, or Chanukah, or Kwanza, or whatever holiday you celebrate. And that next week brings you a wonderful New Year; in which the worst day is no worse than the best day of this past year.

I'm trying to play catchup with my challenges. I've done some of them over the past weeks/months, but haven't posted many. I hope to remedy that in the New Year.

For now, here are some from this week that I'm actually posting before the weekend:

The challenge at Made by Joey was to use the tangle Chillon on 

Twinchies (5cm x 5cm), the same as Bijou tiles 2"x 2")

I had so much fun with it that I did 5 of them.

Click on the images for a larger view.

Take a look at joey’s site to see the other entries, 

and maybe try one yourself.
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For It's a String Thing #72, we were asked to use String #72 by CZT Rita Nikolajeva; 

and Adele Bruno's tangle Uncorked 

along with the official tangle Mooka. 

This is what I came up with; as you can see, I've inverted the string:

Be sure to check out all the entries @ Tickled to Tangle, on Monday, when Adele Bruno posts them. The vast differences that can be achieved using the same tangles on the same string are truly incredible. And, if you've a mind to try a String Thing yourself, check back on Tuesday, when she offers the new ones.

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  And lastly, at Square One, Purely Zentangle; our old friend Crescent Moon

 Check out Square One, Purely Zentangle for other artists' submissions.

Best Wishes for a Joyous Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.

K.I.S.S.

The Diva's Challenge this week is very simple, really simple: K.I.S.S.

Keep it simple, silly.

Of course, I learned it: Keep it simple, stupid.  

But any way you look at it: silly, stupid; the idea is to simplify your tile in some way. Simplify your string, simplify your tangles, whatever works for you.

So I did a little of both; simplified my string and my tangles. And I resisted the urge to shade.

That's all I was able to do this week. I hope to be able to accomplish more in the coming weeks.

Be sure to visit the Diva's site to see the other wonderful entries; it's amazing how different all the responses are. Maybe you'll be inspired to try out one of the Challenges yourself.

 

I'm Back

I've been away from blogging for a while, due to a cruise, planning for the cruise, recovering from the cruise, and just trying to get back into the groove.

Even though I haven't been posting anything here, I have been doing some of the challenges. But at this point, I'm just going to post the things I've done starting with last week's challenge at Joey's:

 The patterns are: Scrumble, Nvelope, Ojo, and Widgets. 
I think it came out all right.

Take a look at joey’s site to see the other entries, 
and maybe try one yourself.
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This week I combined the Diva's Challenge (Arukas) 
with Square One, Purely Zentangle (Gneiss) 
I did 2 versions:

I really like Arukas (Sakura spelled backwards, if you didn't notice), and will probably play around with it some more.

Be sure to visit the Diva's site, and Square One, Purely Zentangle to see the other wonderful entries; it's amazing how different all the responses are. Maybe you'll be inspired to try out one of the Challenges yourself.

That's it for this first time back, see you all next week.






 

I only managed to complete 2 challenges this week; 

It's a String Thing #59, 

and Square One: Purely Zentangle; Betweed

For the latest  "It's a String Thing" 

Adele has designed a string inspired by
CZT Michelle Beauchamp's tangle, Oke

upon which we are to use that tangle: Oke, 

along with Meringue by CZT Kelley Kelly.

I've never cared much for Oke, but I love Meringue; it has a sort of Aquafleur feel to it. When I set Meringue on Adele's string, Oke fell right into place around it. Or would it be more correct to say behind it? At any rate, they were meant for each other.

I started to add some vein lines on Oke, 

but it just seemed like overkill; 

I like it just the way it is. I hope you do, too. 

Be sure to check out all the other entries @ Tickled to Tangle, on Monday, when Adele Bruno posts them. The vast differences that can be achieved using the same tangles on the same string are truly incredible. And, if you've a mind to try a String Thing yourself, check back on Tuesday, when she offers the new ones.

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Betweed is the tangle of the week 

at Square One: Purely Zentangle. 

The premise at this site is to go back to the basics:  

Artwork created with nothing more than a 3.5" x 3.5" paper tile, pen and pencil...

no color, no eraser, no distraction. 

Betweed has always been, and remains, one of my favorite tangles. I have used it here with one of my favorite strings, #043, by Beth Snoderly

You can see all the other Square One entries, 

including previous tangles, here.

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Square One: Fescu; Diva's Challenge: Phicops/Diva Dance Duotangle; It's a String Thing #58

The Square One tangle for the week just ending is Fescu.

Here it is with Ansu:

Watch out for Dex, coming next at 
Square One, Purely Zentangle.

Check out all the Square One entries here
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 Diva's Challenge #185 is a Duotangle: 
Phicops and Diva  Dance

Diva Dance is one of my favorite tangles, any or all versions of it. And, while not necessarily a favorite, I do like using Phicops. The 2 seemed to work well together.

Be sure to check out all the other entries here,  
and maybe try one of the challenges.
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It's a String Thing #58

Using String #58

and any or all of the following tangles:

Gingham by Margaret Bremner, CZT
Girdy by Karl Stewart
Gothic by Mariet Lustenhouwer
Girlande by Simone Bischoff

 

I actually used all 4 tangles for a change, which surprised me; as most of them were not ones I normally use. But I think I did manage to get them to work together, more or less.

String Thing entries can be viewed at Tickled to Tangle on Mondays, and if you've a mind to try one, the new challenges are posted on Tuesdays.

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Have a wonderful day; see you all next time.

That String Thing #57

Well, I finally finished a tile for That String Thing #57. 

This is the string we were to use, by Jill Dobis:

 along with any or all of these tangles:

Drip Drop by CZT Debbie Perdue
Dekore by Kari Shultz
Dust Bunny by CZT Margaret Bremner
Drupe by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts

I've been playing around with ideas for it all week, but nothing seemed to work. In the past, other strings, or tangles, or combinations of string and tangles have not totally appealed to me, but most of the time I've been able to turn them into something. Unfortunately, this is all I was able to come up with; not terrific; but not totally terrible either? Or, is it?

Check out all the entries @ Tickled to Tangle, on Monday, when Adele Bruno posts them. The vast differences that can be achieved using the same tangles on the same string are truly incredible. And, if you've a mind to try a String Thing yourself, check back on Tuesday, when she offers the new ones.

Most of this week's Challenges: Diva, Joey, and a couple from Square One

With the new challenges I've added, 

it's turning into a busy week.

First, here are the 2 tiles I've  submitted to Square One:

This is the first one, Auraknot, always one of my favorites:

 and this is this week's Tangle, another one I really like: 

Quib, with Mak-Rah-Mee:

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The Diva's Challenge this week  is to use 

the New Official Tangle, ING, by Molly Hollibaugh. 

At first I was not too enthused about this tangle, but the more I played around with it, the more possibilities emerged. So much so that I ended up doing two tiles, each one totally different from each other:

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 Joey's Weekly Tangle Challenge is to use the tangle Leaflet,  
and she specifically mentioned Autumn

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I still have one challenge to go, but I'm no where near being done with it; so I'm posting the ones that are done, and I'll post the last one when it's finished.

Don't forget to check the Diva's and Joey's sites, as well as Square One, and see how others are responding, and perhaps try one or two yourself.

Overlapping Circles and Rectangles, and another Striped Tile

Joey's Weekly Tangle Challenge this week 

is to tangle 5 overlapping circles.

I forgot to scan the overlapping circles before I tangled them, but I'm sure you get the picture.

I used quite a few tangles and/or tangleations in this tile:

Opus, Purk, Knightsbridge, Unyun, Paushalov,  Aquafleur, Meer,  Crescent Moon, Kandy Ribnz, and Paradox

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String Thing #56 features String #57

and any or all of the following tangles:

 Tagh by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas
Telis by Chrissie Frampton
Ticking by JJ La Barbera
Trivet by CZT Nancy Newlin
Twile by Lesley Scott-Gillilan

I started out thinking I would use them all, 

but it didn't work out that way:

 As you can see, I only used Tagh, Trivet, and 2 variations of Telis. It just seemed like adding anything else would be overkill.
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Since it's the first week of the month, the Diva's Challenge  is a UMT (Use My Tangle), where the Diva offers a tangle designed by one of us. This month it's X-Did, by Annette Carlo. The step-outs are here in case you're interested in trying it out, and perhaps joining in the fun. 

This tangle is very versatile, but can be a little challenging at first (that's what a challenge is all about, n'est pas?). I admit that I played around with it all week, and only this afternoon came up with an idea for my tile. As I said last week, I love tangling stripes, so here's another striped tile:

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Be sure to visit joey’s site, Tickled to Tangle for the String Thing, and i am the Diva to see the other wonderful entries; it's amazing how different all the responses are. Maybe you'll be inspired to try out one of the Challenges yourself.

Last Week of August

It took me a while to complete this week's challenges, but here they are. Feel free to scroll down to whichever one/ones you're interested in.

The first challenge I completed was the Diva's Challenge, and I did 2. The challenge is Stripes, and I love tangled stripes. 

So without further ado, here are my Stripes:

 This was the first one:

I used (from top to bottom)

Barber Pole,

Ditto, 

Coaster,

A tangle which I thought I designed, 
but it looks a lot like Hybrid,

Meer,

Kandy Ribnz,

and one who's name I don't recall. 

And the second one:

 I used (from upper right corner down to lower left corner)
Betweed,

another one I'm not sure of, Chainging?

Printemps,

Onomato,

Z-Trik,

Unyun,

Triral,

Crescent Moon,

Dugwud,
 ?
and Paradox 

I really enjoyed doing these; 
I'll take Stripes as a challenge any time.
 
Be sure to visit the Diva's site to see the other wonderful entries; it's amazing how different all the responses are. Maybe you'll be inspired to try out one of the Challenges yourself.
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The next one I finished was It's a String Thing #55
Using String #55 by Sue Agnew



The assignment is to create a monotangle using the pattern Striping by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and the tangle enhancer Sparkle in honor of Sue.

I must  admit that I've not actually used Striping, although I have practiced it in my sketch book. And I definitely haven't mastered Sparkle, so I almost didn't even attempt this challenge. But I started playing around with it (in my sketchbook, not on a tile) and parts of it seemed to work. So I went on  and this is what I ended up with:

This exercise/experiment went better than I expected, 
but I still have far to go with Striping and with Sparkle. 

Be sure to check out all the entries @ Tickled to Tangle, on Monday, when Adele Bruno posts them. The vast differences that can be achieved using the same tangles on the same string are truly incredible. And, if you've a mind to try a String Thing yourself, check back on Tuesday, when she offers the new ones.
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The last challenge  I completed this week is 
Joey's Weekly  Tangle Challenge #23:

"tangle around the outside edge of a hand drawn or store
 bought calendar or date book"

 The calendar itself is a little crooked, 

but all in all I like the frame.

 

Take a look at joey’s site to see the other entries, and maybe try one yourself.

For It's a String Thing #54 this week, we have string #52,

and any or all of the following tangles:

Bilt   by Lisa Skeen, CZT
Rick's Paradox   by Rick Roberts
Bitten   by Carole Ohl, CZT
Rosewood  by Sandra Strait

I actually used all 4 this week:

and I'm pretty happy with the results.

Diva's Challenge #181, Water

Since the Diva had spent the previous 5 days in or near the water, she chose "Water" as the theme for this week's challenge. I played around with a few different ideas, and nothing worked till this one:

 And last of all, since this is Joey's 22nd weekly challenge, she suggested tangling 2 of something. So I've tangled a tangleation of Unyun, only I achieved it using one and two halves:

Be sure and check out all 3 sites:

Tickled to Tangle, on Monday, when Adele Bruno posts entries. The vast differences that can be achieved using the same tangles on the same string are truly incredible. And, if you've a mind to try a String Thing yourself, check back on Tuesday, when she offers the new ones.
 

The Diva's site to see the other wonderful entries; it's amazing how different all the responses are. Maybe you'll be inspired to try out one of the Challenges yourself.
 

 And Made by Joey. This is a relatively new challenge site, but gaining new entries weekly.

Along with working on Zentangles, and trying to finish a knitting project (I'll post that when I do finish), I did something new in my metals class; although I did most of the work at home. When the new 2" square Bijou tiles were introduced, I decided I wanted a box to keep them in. My husband gave me a very nice wooden one which he had made some time ago, and I thought that would be good for the finished tiles; but I also wanted one to keep blank tiles handy. So I came up with this little copper box, trimmed with mini glass butterflies which I created at my torch:

Now that I've finished it, I think I need one for my full sized tiles, too.

This week's challenges

From now on, I plan to post all my 
weekly challenges in one blog post. 

This first one is It's a String Thing #53, 
using string #54 by Hope Martin:

and any or all of the following tangles:

Hurray! by Agneta Landegren
Planateen by Sandra Strait   
and Onomato and Pokeleaf 
 by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts

and this is my response:

 I ended up using only Onomato and Pokeleaf. 

I started out using Onomato as the string line, expecting to fill the open spaces with the other tangles. Once I filled in the first area with Pokeleaf however, it just seemed natural to use it in the other spaces as well. And I'm quite happy with the results.

Be sure to check out all the entries @ Tickled to Tangle, on Monday, when Adele Bruno posts them. The vast differences that can be achieved using the same tangles on the same string are truly incredible. And, if you've a mind to try a String Thing yourself, check back on Tuesday, when she offers the new ones.

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This next one is for the Diva's Challenge #180. It's a UMT (Use My Tangle) challenge, and the tangle she wants us to use is MacDee by Anneke van Dam. You can see the step-outs here.
I chose to use it as a background, with Purk in the foreground:

 I'm happy with this one, too.

Be sure to visit the Diva's site to see the other wonderful entries; as I've said before, it's amazing how different all the responses are. Maybe you'll be inspired to try out 
one of the Challenges yourself.

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I only did these two challenges this week; 
perhaps next week I'll have a chance to do more.

This week's challenge at Joey's is to tangle a five pointed star.

Ergo:

and

and a Bijou/Twinchie

Take a look at joey’s site to see the other entries, and maybe try one yourself.

Bijou

On Monday, the Diva, Laura Harms, introduced us to the sweet little Parisian snail, Bijou.

You can find out all about Bijou and his new 2"X2" tiles (also called Twinchies) here.

The challenge that Laura issued was "Be like Bijou". In other words, think small. You don't need to have official Bijou tiles; just work in a small 2X2 format. Of course, working that small, it's hard to stop at one.

Lower left was done for "It's a String Thing"; upper right for "madebyjoey"; the other 3 were done specifically for this challenge. And I'm probably not through yet; this is fun.

As usual, I urge you to visit the Diva's site to see the other wonderful entries; it's amazing how different all the responses are. Maybe you'll be inspired to try out one of the Challenges yourself.