Thursday, November 5, 2015

Diva Challenge #242 Gourdgeous; TNTM #44 "M", SQ1 Verve and THROWBACK THURSDAY #5: MOST UNUSUAL

Welcome Gentle Readers,

It's not even Thanksgiving yet and I'm already working on my Christmas dinner menu.  That's because, for ONCE in many years, I'm not hosting Thanksgiving! Don't get me wrong, I love that turkey dinner.  I've got it pretty well in hand, although when we moved to this home I had a bit of an adjustment just getting used to the new oven, new refrigerator space, new grocery stores, etc.  But this year we are to be guests of relatives, so my thoughts are drifting to that other big day!  I'm switching from the big bird to the little ones...Cornish hens.  I'd like to think about quail but I'm a bit chicken (harharhar).

Once you have the main course in mind, then there is the big question of the sides.  I have been wanting to make my old famous mushroom lasagna with the homemade pasta and five pounds of (expensive) specialty mushrooms.  But 1.) I don't have access to the local farm in Illinois where I used to buy big sacks of mushrooms for a cheap price, and 2.) the Mr. is not a lasagna fan.  To make a dish that takes two days of preparation and then have him not love it is a waste. 

This brings me to the Diva's challenge...Gourdgeous!  I am going ahead with my lasagna with a twist this year.  I'm going to use mushrooms, some toasted ground hazelnuts (from our trip to Oregon this summer), a nice Béchamel sauce with nutmeg and....THIS bad boy:



Whoa! This is some kind of Italian variety squash that is supposed to have a drier flesh, making it especially good for pasta fillings.  I'm going to cook it this week and freeze it for my new version of lasagna. 

Which, of course, brings me to the Diva challenge.  This little image seems a dim reference to the glorious real thing, but I love this new pattern anyway!


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Suzy Mosh has asked us to use the letter "M" and patterns by Kathy Barringer.  I chose Margaret Bremner's Moving Day, Carla Jennings' Maise and Kathy Barringer's Antique. 

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The Square One: Purely Zentangle focus was Verve.  I have never used this before, but I sat there on Halloween and started playing with it.  Things got a little spooky...


Something is watching you!

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THROWBACK THURSDAY #5 - MOST UNUSUAL

As I go back over a couple of years worth of Zentangle drawings that I have done, I wondered what was the most unusual thing I have done.  When I first got the Renaissance tiles, I was very taken by their aged appearance, and I started thinking about the old drawings done in the various natural sciences.  Even the most distasteful examples of life on this planet look beautiful in the hands of these artists of old.  So I decided to draw my take on some life forms.  Looking back, I see that my techniques were rudimentary, but oh, I had fun!  I'm planning a new series using some new enhancements such as colored pencil or watercolor and marker shading, but didn't feel the need to wait for that eventuality.  Here is what I did back a while ago.  My favorite part is the high heels and high top sneakers on the grasshopper!




What have you done that is unusual?  I'd love to see it, so click on the Mr. Linky and post it here!
 
Thank you for stopping by today, and know that I cherish all your thoughts and comments, and especially your participation in Throwback Thursday.
 
Namaste,
Antonine
 
 

20 comments:

  1. I really love the way you shaded the gourds. And Kathy Barringer's "Antique" is such a great pattern. All your tiles are so lovely, and the Ren ones are incredibly imaginative.

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  2. What great pieces! All of them and I love that squash. I have to say that those renaissance tiles are my favorite. Funny, I just came across a picture of a scarab from a piece of Egyptian museum art and I thought "Man, I really want to draw that"

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  3. Beautiful work, Antonine. Your Verve eyes are impressive :-) and your Gourdgeous tile is very pretty. Well done!

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  4. I know exactly what you mean about getting used to new things when you move. The cooker was the big adjustment for me, three years later I still have not managed to make a proper Yorkshire Pudding and coming from Yorkshire that is a real failure. I used to be known for my Yorkshire's :-(

    That is the biggest, ugliest gourd I have ever seen lol. Good luck with cooking it, I hope it turns out as well as your gourds on your tile. That insect ensemble so fantastic, I love them. Is that a grey pen you use? Lovely New to Me tile, which is what brought me over here.

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    1. I'd love to get a taste of that Yorkshire Pudding, proper or otherwise! Yes, isn't that an ugly beast? As for the bug tiles, they were black and brown Micron, graphite and white chalk pencil. I do plan to use a gray pen on the new series I have in mind, though.

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  5. Love the gourd, the tile, and I would be happy to come eat your mushroom lasagna!

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  6. Beautiful shading and design on all of these tiles!

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  7. I LOVE those eyes :)
    Your Gourdeous tile is beautiful too.

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  8. All are beautiful! Especially I like your tile with Gourdgeous ... it´s fantastic!

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  9. All your tiles are just beautiful and Gourdgeous is amazing! Great gourd.

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  10. I always made lasagna for Christmas dinner when my children were young because I could make it ahead and then actually enjoy Christmas. If it were up to me, I'd order pizza, LOL! Your dinner plans sound lovely though. You have done some really nice pieces. The Gourdgeous is lovely and flowing, the Verve is playful, and the critters, well the tangling is great and I love the butterfly. Bugs, not so much HaHa!

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    1. Ha! Maybe if I make them look good, the bugs will treat me kindly!

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  11. Love the gourds, especially the one with the poke leaf on top. I can almost feel the raised glossiness of the moving day, and those eyes are creepy! Maybe that should be with your unusual too! Love the bugs... I'm digging out my unusual (shouldn't be too hard HA)!

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  12. All your tiles are exceptional, especially your "most unusual" tiles!

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  13. All this work is lovely! Thanks for being part of the TNTM challenge this week!

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  14. Oooh! The Verve tile...*shudder*...it reminds me of the imagery in Ezekiel, of the creatures around the throne of God "eyes all around"...a delightfully shivery piece. My Halloween piece is also full of eyes. I posted it here. Good work, all of it, and I especially love the insects!

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