Zentangle Along

Icanthis, Drawings, Noom, Waybop, Reel, Moowa, Prasima, Remo, Tumbleweed, Panzee.

Lots of new tangles to play around with.  

Thanksgiving over and now the holiday fun really rolls into gear.  Here at our FL park the first two weeks of December are really full of things to do…caroling, plays, orchestra events, cookie exchanges, and tree lighting just to name a few.  Whew.  

Pacing is everything.  AND keeping well.  

So everyone keep safe and have a good holiday season.

Zentangle Calendar 8.5

8.5 x 11

Imagine being a year ahead…in anything?  Hahaha.

We are gradually (VERY gradually) settling in Fl but as soon as we think we have one problem solved another pops up like one of those whack-a-mole games.  

So we get through Greg's battery replacement surgery and then we get home from the hospital and everything in our fridge has completely defrosted.  ARRGH.  AND it's Saturday night.  No one is coming to fix anything on Sunday.

Bless our neighbors who have come to our rescue bringing ice and coolers and offering their fridges and freezers.  

So more on that saga later.  We all have those.  They are fixable.

Voting tomorrow.  Thank heavens.

Zentangle calendar

 

I see that I forgot to add this to my posts before I headed off.

It won't be quite as clear as a scan would be as this old Generation two iPad camera is not the best.

But you can get the idea.

The Diva Challenge is Ing

The Diva's challenge this week is the tangle "Ing".

It was introduced at CZT 15.  Laura was there as a featured guest!

Ing is the tangle at the bottom right with all the triangles.

The Challenge for the Shading Tangles Facebook group is also included and it's called "Viaduct" and is the tangle right above Ing with the orange shading.  

This calendar (believe it or not) is also for a calendar tangle Facebook group but we all work on ours as the mood hits us.  I know you've seen these on this blog many times before and this still unfinished one is May 2017.  (I know, I'm nuts.)

Going Around in Circles: The Diva's Challenge

8.5 x 11 on copy paper

Despite the crazy date on the calendar…I am actually in my right mind (most of the time).  :-)

Anyway, the Diva's on vacation in the US in the west in the heat. She is apparently feeling like she's "going around in circles".  

So that is the prompt this week.  I'd already put a predominate circle in this design and I thought adding a few more would be appropriate, considering.  Onamato in a circle?  Whew.  Who would count the number of circles in THAT one!?  

Rainy in the north woods again…rained most of Wednesday.

Not to worry.  Lots of to do inside today.  And Mary Myers and I had a lovely lunch talking watercolor for hours at the Northern Gallery and Cafe in Minocqua.  Hoping for dry weather now as my daughters are coming for a "girls' weekend" Fri-Monday.  Can't wait to see them!  

Zentangle back to the future.

8.5 x 11 on copy paper
wc, ink, colored pencil

This is my 15th calendar page.

As my daughter says, "why don't you just get some gridded paper and skip the dates?"  She has a point, but somehow I just like the fact that is actually a calendar!   Back to the future?

Composites for Zentangle tangle settings...

8.5 x 11" copy paper
Ink and colored pencil graphite and acrylic paint

One of the goals and purposes of my over-zealous interest in putting together "groups" of Zentangle® patterns (regardless of the actual month it happens to be now) is to enjoy seeing new tangle patterns in a "setting" rather than just as a step out or sample. 

My goal has been to include at least 4 or 5 new tangles each month.  This month was quite extraordinary as almost ALL the tangles are new.  For some reason I have come upon a great number that caught my eye.  Only five of the tangles are familiar to me:  a version of Hollibaugh (on day 23), Black Pearl (on bright green background,  and the background behind days 17 and 18 which is Printemps in graphite.  Also Agora which is day 2 has been used before. There is also  a version of Striping in the center area that is an old friend.  

The new tangles are Puffties, Trills, Sextant Border, Side Eye, Gemma, Hamsix, Dayz-E Fleur, Banner, Funsin, and Auwacka Too.  

Diva Challenge: Black and red

Black, white and red challenge/ink and colored pencil
Veezy, Inowi, and a variation on "Well"

8.5 x 11 copy paper
Ink and  Prismacolor pencils

Whatever you do, do NOT look at the date on this calendar.

I know, I know.  2017?  January? WHAT is that?  

What has happened is that I got caught up in Tangle A Day calendars for my daily Zentangle several years back.  So after awhile you need to push out to something else and I found Tanglalendar which is a sub group of calendar nuts that is doing their calendar a different way.  Stephanie puts out the blank formats for free, we download them and do our daily Zentangles as we wish.  Posting on her Facebook group.   

None of us makes much effort to let the # on the days even show up so it's not the kind of calendar you would actually use to track days!  Obviously we don't even stay in the squares!  It's totally fun.  (Although many people do this differently than I do.)

You can also download free blank calendars online.  

SO…I have this phobia about practicing my tangles on this format.  And since I work fairly quickly, I have done all 12 calendars for 2016 already. You can actually find them under "Zentangle calendars" on the side bar on my blog.  Crazy.  

My goal is to use at least 3-4 brand new (to me) tangle patterns on each sheet.  

Christmas in June

8.5 x 11 wc pencil and ink on copy paper

You knew this would happen eventually.  That I would flip out and post Christmas in June.  You knew it right?

Well, you saw November so what could possibly be next?

I love how I can look at this and see lots of tangles and think about other possible ways to use them!  

At present I am just putting them in plastic sheet protectors and enjoying them as a sort of flip book.  Can 2017 be far behind?

Tools of the trade...

8.5 x 11 Calendar/ink and colored pencil

As I started these calendars back in Florida as a relaxing respite from packing hassles…I am not finishing up the year with respite from the unpacking hassles.  Note: if you look closely you will find my birthday AND Thanksgiving hiding in the calendar somewhere.  

6 x 10 Log Book

I picked up a little "Camp and Cottage Log Book" at a garage sales a few years ago and stowed it in my studio up here in the north woods.  It is published by NorthWord Press here in Minocqua, WI.

I loved the empty pages AND the little "botanical" type paintings on some of the pages.  The art work is done by Laurie Caple and they are precious.  So the little maple seedling to the left is already on the page.  

The tools are my addition and were sketched while I waiting to hand tools off to my hubby during a project.  I loved the one on top which I had never seen before.  I know that it is used to cut copper pipe.  I am not sure what you call it.  

The paper is a gloss coated paper sort of slick to work on like a Bristol paper.  It takes ink fine but is not too happy with watercolor.  I may try colored pencils next time.  

Relaxing With Less Stress

8.5 x 11" on copy paper

Since all my studio stuff is either packed to go or packed to stay, I have these little down times between packing and cleaning and laundry, etc. and these Zentangle calendar pages have been a life saver.

You can just sort of "carry on" and my mind is very relaxed.

It's kind of funny to be working on October in May.  I'll be humming Christmas carols pretty soon!  :-)

Packing is stressful for me.  We leave on Tuesday for WI.  So this just relaxes me to no end.

And if a new tangle arrives while in the midst of one of these I just throw it in to see if I like it.  The one on the top left is a very new one called "Sun Sun".  I cannot remember why.  But if you look closely it is made of the number 3 printed in a column first one direction and then the other.  Very interesting.  Then over on the right side is one made up of the numeral 5 and one of 6/9.  

I expect my time to do this sort of thing to be limited soon.  

The last minute things are just that…last minute and you can't do them ahead of time.  Packing the car is a test of our marriage vows.  

Weather in central FL is HOT HOT HOT…95 again today.  Whew.  Greg is so happy to see 70s in WI.  We need a break.

Back to the Future

I know, I know.  Fall?  We haven't had summer yet.  
But look how great it makes you feel to look at YOUR calendar and, whew, what a relief…it's only May.  

In my "Back to the Future" calendar I am looking at this as just a nice excuse to make a Zentangle "collage" of tangles.  The fact that it's on a calendar is not really relevant.   Just enjoy.
I have put in several new tangles and then also gone back and enjoyed some old favorites.  

Big big storms here in central Florida this week and we have picked some 3-4" of needed rain.  But yesterday and today the winds and rain were sort of scary.  Big time winds!  Lots of lightning.  

Temps drop 15-20 degrees as the storm goes through and then rise right back up again two hours later.  With humidity added.  

Our trip count-down continues fairly smoothly. We've done this more than 10 years now so our check lists are fairly accurate although things change from year to year.

We will miss our little home here in FL but look forward to our summer adventures in WI and seeing our family again.  

Margaret's new tangle: Skye

I know it's nuts.  Now I am almost done with August.
But it really doesn't matter what month I am on as long as I am enjoying myself. Love Margaret's new tangle Skye…which I really had to work on!  I am a slow learner on that one!  But it's worth not giving up.  I dropped a few words into this one, if you can find them.  

Gorgeous hot 92 weather here in Central FL.  But weather up north is not very great at this point.  We have about two weeks until we get up there.  I am crossing my fingers on weather improvement big time!  I know the whole upper midwest and Canada is cold and wet and icy.  

Is anyone having trouble with their FB account Sunday night?
I've never ever not been able to download a photo and it would not take any photos tonight…I even switched to another browser but it's FB and not the browser.  Wonder if it's over loaded on a Sunday night or something.  I'll try in the morning.  

The month to wait for in the North Woods

I am really looking forward to the month of July at the north woods cabin.
I heard that on May 14 (just two more days) it will snow an inch and temps at night go down to 29.  Okay guys…this is NOT funny…I hear you laughing.

It is 91 here in central FL and 29 there in northern WI.  
So do I need to say more?  ARRRGH.
Anyway this was a very fun calendar to do.

Diva Challenge: Drupe and Poke Leaf

All my calendars (Jan-June) are now posted on this blog.  If you are coming from the Diva challenge and are interested in seeing all the calendars Jan-June.  Click on my blog name and then scroll down.  With my limited time I decided to put the challenge right on the calendar!!

Putting Tangles in Order

8.5 x 11 copy paper
with ink and colored pencil

Why I feel compelled to carry on into the summer calendar I cannot say except that it is very relaxing to tangle and it seems more useful to carry on with the calendar than to just do more tiles.  It's a lovely way to showcase the new tangles coming out as well as pick favorites that I want to revisit.  And I like being able to see them all at once.

In Evernote on my iPad I keep the tangles organized alphabetically so the majority of these are "e", "f" and "g" tangles simply because that is where I happened to start.  

Emingle, Ellish, Eyelet, Fescu, Frostflower, Florz, Fengle, Fiore, Finery, Fishface, Gewgle, Gingham, Funf, Flux, Foxtrot, Flutterpie, Ing, Gottcha, Gourdgeous and Hurry.  

I am wondering how I will display the calendar after it is done.

Ideas?  I could just glue the pages into my journal for this year.  

Life as slowed a bit here in central FL as temps rise up into the 90s and we begin to plan our northern trip and start the bits and pieces of the closing up ritual. Things we do ahead such as making reservations at B & B's and resorts and thinking about having visits with friends once more that we won't see until October or November.   We will host company now for a few days but then after that we'll begin to get a little more serious.

It's become almost second nature with us now after doing this about 10 years now.  

May Calendar (already?)

Arukas, Knightsbrige, Angel Line, Geared, Pipes, Leather Belt, MA-VIII, Fedr, Crease, Fran, Agora, Ando, Ynix, Snail, Cathedral, 3D-room, Ellish, Facade, Eclipse and Paradox.

It's pretty compulsive to complete your May calendar BEFORE May begins.  :-)  

Well, I figure with packing, finishing up chores here in FL, company and travel time there won't really much tangling time left.  So over the course of the last 3 weeks I began tangling this one.  Addictive, of course.

88 today…time for a swim at the pool.

Playing Catch Up on Calendar

Rainy central Florida Friday afternoon so I went back and finished up by January calendar.  I started on these "new" calendars in February so I never got around to going back to finish up January.

It's kind of amazing to see how many tangles you can fit into an 8.5 x 11 calendar!  Of course I push the borders a little!  
The "faux" flowers in color are a variation of Yuma.  

If you are interested the tangles used are:
Lamar, Drua, Abundies, Auroknot, Corsace, Elven, Emingle, Sinchun, Yuma, Y-chain, Curly Bracket Feather, Brabs, Bunzo, Cadent, Chainging, Chemystery, Fiore, Flux, Footlites, Frostflower.

Looks like we'll have a wet Easter weekend here.  Warm..mid- 80s but wet.  We need the rain but it 's a shame it had to come this weekend!  In any case…Happy Easter everyone!

March Calendar and Diva's Challenge

8.5 x 11 Calendar on Copy Paper

Diva challenge this week is Shattuck and although it is suggested that it be a mono-tangle…I decided to put it into my calendar as day 23/24.  I then pushed ahead and finished the calendar as I was  feeling "on a roll" and had a little time after dinner. There were a few new tangles for me to try.

In case you at all interested the calendar tangles are 

Diva Dance, Lollywimple, Cubine, Ruffle, Shard, Squaro, Spiteria, Swags, Zonked, Printemps, Snowknot, W-2, Roscoe, 3 Loops 6, Knightsbridge, Shattuck, Jonee, Soluna, Yuma (variation), and Ping.  The one on #29 and #30 has no name yet that I know of.

Zentangle Calendar for March

I've worked a wee bit ahead to March 22 on my calendar.  With a bit green for St. Patrick and a few flowers on the first day of spring.