tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83107828722360657872024-02-19T10:17:01.229-07:00Antonine TanglesIn Celebration of Life With Zen, Tangles, Laughter and LoveAntoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-21955801527109975682019-05-01T01:26:00.000-07:002019-05-02T07:42:29.814-07:00Dips, Colors and CartoucheGentle Readers,<br />
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I come today with a slightly different focus and some steps closer to my ideal of what I want to present in terms of Zentangle and calligraphy. I also have a better relationship with the journal I received in my initial Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) class. Took me a while! Do you mull over ideas for artwork in your head to the point where you can't sleep, but then never make anything? Do you to a million little test runs but never actually take it on the road, so to speak? Do you have white page panic? That's me. It's like I keep thinking about diving into that pool, but I would need to be pushed to actually get my feet to leave solid ground.<br />
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I have been practicing my script lettering and have determined some things I like. This is thanks to the online encouragement of Lindsey Bugbee at The Postman's knock. h<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">ttps://thepostmansknock.com/ </span>Her tips and the beauty and gracefulness of her work are so inspirational. I find I enjoy using walnut ink, which gives that beautiful antique coloring to my work, but also allows for very fine lines, which just plain make me happy. I know there will be times I want a true black with waterfast qualities, but I haven't gotten to the stage where I am actually MAKING art with my lettering, just playin' for now, thanks. No thanks, I'm just looking... :-) For that super black look, I have found I love the feel and look of Ziller Soot Black. So de-e-e-e-e-p. Perhaps I should start lettering envelopes for Christmas. Only 238 days to go.<br />
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The best part is I have found my true love in a nib. While G style nibs (Nikko, Zebra and Tachikawa) are great for many purposes, I love, love, love my Leonard Principle EF nibs. Just the right amount of flexibility and lovely thin and thick line variation. They make even my clumsy beginner stuff look great.<br />
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My next challenge is to make friends with actually planning and measuring a project. Ya think? I know, that's WORK (a four letter word when you are lazy and retired).<br />
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My second goal is to incorporate subtle color. I have been playing with all kinds of watercolor and gouache, tubes, pans, metallic, water-based markers, colored inks, etc. Imagine my surprise to realize that some of the most talented Tanglers (Zen Linea, you are foremost) add color with watercolor pencils and a water brush pen. How easy is that? I have been able to work well so far with single colors, but I still need to find that sweet spot for blending the colors. How much color to apply, how much water, is there an intermediate blending step of some sort? I must persevere...<br />
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Now the plan begins to take shape. I purchased the Zentangle Project Pack #5: Cartouche. Oh, so right up my alley! I have plans to make more of the actual finished frameable product, but I am starting slowly. I did a tiny key on a 3Z Renaissance tile, and I think it turned out really well. Pretty cute if I do say so. I have a ton more vintage keys that have been waiting patiently in their storage cache to be put to some view-worthy use. Soon, soon...<br />
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What this pack did bring me to was to dive into those lovely ivory journal pages with renewed vigor and quite a lot less white page panic.<br />
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A couple months ago I started some pages dealing with embedded and illuminated letters, and the incredible pattern Icantoo by Hanny Nura, CZT. I'm in love with it, and I can't stop drawing it everywhere. Here I filled a double journal page with it, and even added a little color with the pencils.<br />
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I also revisited an old tile from my earliest tangling days and used it in Tranzending. The huge curvy shape contrasts with the tight and tiny patterns on the tile, and I'm really pleased with it.<br />
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I kind of feel I'm Tranzending in my Zentangle journey. Where I used to try every new tangle and worked on drawing them very precisely, now I gravitate to a few Tangles I really find comfort in and enjoy playing with different versions. I hope I have learned some things from other tanglers, specifically Eni Oken, Lynn Meade, Margaret Bremner and Zen Linea. They are all fabulous and inspirational. I've been tangling since about 2012, and I still find it fresh and new. I love that those I see as masters - even Rick Roberts, Maria Thomas and Molly Hollibaugh - are still evolving in their expressions of Zentangle, adding new techniques and tools that give beautiful results. I hope my journey is just beginning!<br />
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For now, Namaste.<br />
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Antonine<br />
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<br />Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-56582170476089624632018-11-05T15:07:00.001-07:002018-11-05T15:07:48.415-07:00SUUUUUCCCHHHH a long time!It's been a long time since I posted anything, but I wanted to make a quick post to add a Tangle I've been working on. <br />
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<b>123 O'LEARY</b><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b></b>I love border, or ribbon tangles, and this one seems to flow easily and works well with other tangles. Here in my example, I paired it with a combination of Dewd (official Zentangle) and Hanny Waldburger's beautiful Icantoo. (would that be Icandewd? Dewdcantoo?) and also Kuazeela from Eni Oken.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The name of the tangle is a bit of a story. I went to the dentist, and he thought I might be grinding my teeth (ewww..) at night. I realized, though, it isn't at night. I do it all day long. Music runs through my head all the time, especially when I am working on something. It could be Sousa marches, the Calypso song from Beetlejuice or the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves - whatever shows up in my head at the time. Rather than hum the tunes, I just grind out the rhythm silently. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whenever I drew this tangle, I realized I was working through that old playground song "One, Two, Three, O'Leary" as I made the strokes. Bouncing the ball, it is one, two, bounces and the third bounce you swing your leg up and over the ball. Here, do the first two S curves, and the third S curve continues down and around to the spiral. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sometimes I vary the number of S curves, as I did here, or vary the shape of the spiral into a Printemps-like spiral or open it out into more of a Mooka type end and then add some auras or echo lines there. There is a good potential for variations, I think. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hope you like it!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>ZENTANGLE ART I'VE BEEN UP TO</strong> <br /><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the long time since I've visited this blog, I've been working on bunches of stuff, but not the same challenges I was doing in the past. While I still do some Zentangle every day, on an official tile, in a sketchbook, or on the back of an envelope, I still follow all my favorite tanglers and rejoice with every new group of CZTs. With the holidays coming, I know there will be the annual Zentangle 12 days of Christmas, which I usually only manage to complete two or three. This year, my rotating holiday dinner will be Thanksgiving, so maybe I can settle down to do a few more. I have been following Eni Oken's Art Club <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EniOkenDesigns/">https://www.facebook.com/EniOkenDesigns/</a>, and have had lots of fun working on her imaginative ZIA applications.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span> </div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>LIFE STUFF GETS IN THE WAY</strong><div class="yiv7934229582ydpe0aa2a1cyahoo-style-wrap" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I had a little hiccup last year when I underwent cataract surgery in both eyes, and required a few additional procedures. My eyesight is now pretty good...BUT... where I previously was extremely nearsighted, now I am extremely farsighted. My brain is having a hard time adjusting, and I still don't have a good pair of glasses for detail work. I have ordered some, but they are not in yet - with luck, next week. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><strong>I NEED AN ADDITION ON MY HOUSE</strong><br />
<strong></strong> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Additionally, I am suffering from brain scatter with a new focus on calligraphy that is new to me - both brush and pointed pen, and watercolor. My plan is to combine the three to make lots of wonderful cards and frameable quotes, etc. That's the plan, anyway... <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Then, there is the pressure now to do a Christmas card with my newfound skills. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span id="goog_292856832"></span><span id="goog_292856833"></span><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have spent mucho dinero on supplies for both and have done some online classes, all of which have been fun, but I still feel disoriented. Probably because my brain can't handle all these separate things at once. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">So to cap that all off, I registered </span>for a two day class on painting portraits in OILS! I have done portraits in acrylic, but I have never worked in oils, so I am scrambling to do some prep work before the class, like mix up some paints and get a feel for the brushes, various fluids, caring for the canvas between sessions, etc. More supplies. Amazon just loves me. Indeed!<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><strong>LIFE BEYOND ART - WHAT?</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></strong> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">M<span style="color: black;">y husband and I have a very full SOCIAL SCHEDULE (yay, but oh boy!) over the next two months. Next week my husband will be accompanying me to his very first opera! It is a relatively short modern production and will be jazz themed, which he likes very well. Maybe next I can get him to one of the oldies but goodies, like a Mozart or Puccini production. Maybe. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;">Yesterday we attended a fabulous wine and food festival in Phoenix and had the pleasure of meeting Chef Marcus Samuelsson. What a sweet and gracious man! This event was a highlight for us, and we plan to do it again next year. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;">So, that's all I have to report for now. Maybe no one will read this, but like any journal, I write for myself as much as for others.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br /><strong>REFLECTIONS</strong></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></strong> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;">As we enter this holiday season, let us all remember we are brothers under Heaven. Peace and good will must be the hallmark of the day, and let us rejoice with possibilities as we enter the new year. But, I am getting ahead of myself. First, Americans, get out and vote tomorrow!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;">Namaste,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;">Antonine</span></span></div>
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Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-70660810832522710282016-07-13T10:01:00.001-07:002016-07-13T10:01:54.078-07:00Diva Challenge #275 - Give Peace a ChanceWelcome, Gentle Readers,<br />
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There are places on earth with higher violent death by gun rates than the United States: Swaziland, Iraq, much of Central America and Mexico. Of about 35 developed countries around the world that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United States ranks 3rd in gun violence related deaths, with Chile and Mexico topping its numbers, and Israel close behind. Japan is VERY low, due to its very tough gun control laws. Additionally, Japan's overall violent death rate by any cause is very low compared to the U.S. Also low are a number of countries in Western Europe that are classified as social democracies. I'll not comment on that - you Dear Readers can draw your own conclusions.<br />
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The OECD published statistics about a number of societal factors in their member countries. These included crime rates, perceptions of government corruption, and various economic factors. The gun violence rate was highest, in order, in Chile, Mexico, United States and Israel. Interestingly - and a sad commentary - is that economic inequality is also highest in those same four member countries. They rank, in order, as Chile, Mexico, Israel and the United States. What does that say about a possible cause and effect? Perhaps when people feel economically powerless and they have access to guns, they start shooting. I think it is not only that they lack money, because there are many places where people live with much less money and possessions. The connecting factor may have something to do with seeing a few people at the top of the heap with such unimaginable riches and then realizing that you will never have a life like theirs. Or perhaps, in a more sinister scenario, those at the top want to make sure those at the bottom have all the access to guns they want - "let them kill each other". That distracts the public from what the top tier are up to. "What a world, what a world..." <br />
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As we approach the Republican and Democratic conventions this month, we cannot help but remember the events of 1968. Racial inequality was a major issue then, just as it is today. Black lives DO matter - as do Blue lives. When we see videos of police appearing to shoot black people seemingly without cause, we are shocked and appalled. But when we understand how frightening a confrontation with an armed suspect is for a police officer, we can see the situation in another way. Police brutality against blacks and other minorities is unacceptable, but so is deliberate targeting of white officers by blacks in retaliation. I don't understand those who believe the shooter of those officers was some kind of hero. I don't understand rejoicing when a black person is acquitted even though the evidence that he committed a brutal crime is overwhelming. But then, I'm not black, so I cannot see through someone else's eyes. Of course, many people of all races don't understand how people can be pleased when a white person gets away with all kinds of corrupt behavior. But I'm from Chicago, and old enough to remember the race riots right in my grandparents' neighborhood and at the Democratic convention in 1968. Because black people wanted to buy a home "west of Ashland Avenue", because police brutality was rampant, because the government had no solutions. <br />
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This year, the Democratic Convention is to be held in Philadelphia, "The City of Brotherly Love", which also experienced riots in 1968. Our weekly guest Diva Challenge host is Suzanne Fluhr, a tangler and blogger (of a certain age) from Philadelphia. She has been moved to offer us a challenge to Give Peace a Chance. She references John Lennon, who composed the song by that name, and then was himself gunned down. So much sadness. Suzanne has asked us to reference that theme of peace in our entries. I have chosen to follow Suzanne's lead and use tangles that begin with the letters P.E.A.C.E. I used my own tangle, Paris, a reference to the horrendous terrorist attack that occurred there. I used Eye-Wa, which has such strong black/white contrast. I used Suzanne's tangle, Aloha. Wikipedia states "Aloha in the Hawaiian language means affection, peace, compassion, and mercy." That seems very relevant to me. I used Cruffle because of its yin-yang design, reminding us that every force has its opposite. Finally, I used Eddyper because somehow it reminds me of peace lilies. I chose not to soften the design with shading, but rather to leave the black and white to speak for themselves. This tile is a personal reminder to me that we must not ignore violence and hatred, but must work TOGETHER to make all our lives matter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYGA6rrtEi2jq4XZ6lWENPGWc1RGDyclFW71BjJn7VTb8OrJY4RynOuYdDP8bAko9DJP15v3KvoSRZXZIXe-QUI2T6Y7n6NnhWXMfAyRlKExOpIXTIbTJMWaEsKtiM8XYpz2gJoNtuxM/s1600/iatd+275+give+peace+a+chance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYGA6rrtEi2jq4XZ6lWENPGWc1RGDyclFW71BjJn7VTb8OrJY4RynOuYdDP8bAko9DJP15v3KvoSRZXZIXe-QUI2T6Y7n6NnhWXMfAyRlKExOpIXTIbTJMWaEsKtiM8XYpz2gJoNtuxM/s400/iatd+275+give+peace+a+chance.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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OTHER TANGLE WORK<br />
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I have done a few other tangle works over the past couple weeks. Part of why I have not been so active on the boards and challenges is that I have been playing around with calligraphy and dipping my toe into journaling with fountain pen and water color. Getting the right pens, ink, etc., and facing that blank page with fear of "messing up" is a challenge in itself. Maybe sometime I will post some of those efforts here, but for now, it's for my eyes only. Additionally, my dearest and I have been dealing with some medical issues. We have, thankfully, been able to rule out life threatening circumstances, and now are left with "inconvenient" realities. We age, life changes, and we treasure each day together.<br />
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Here is what I have managed to complete in my Zentangle journey.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RWrWnkWiSoO88rbSClNcwQvBcx5B8MTbm43nn48tlqZX6M0iHOFxqwzAqEIx76Ze35JmKZPKWz3mbX8_sagcbYzqkezaSVoIDP4prRC5UZYQPnntLFnTCQpAGv2biJCdNldRpwdK0kA/s1600/Quandu+and+Rixty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RWrWnkWiSoO88rbSClNcwQvBcx5B8MTbm43nn48tlqZX6M0iHOFxqwzAqEIx76Ze35JmKZPKWz3mbX8_sagcbYzqkezaSVoIDP4prRC5UZYQPnntLFnTCQpAGv2biJCdNldRpwdK0kA/s400/Quandu+and+Rixty.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eni Oken's Quandu, paired with Rixty. Doesn't Quandu look like its cousin, Quib?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoV8fFDk5_aADDAUPQoMEuaLrUlQ7E9c9K0HFjowWKFJyZgSZGt5Ny_mKS9TJ5xSvl8sKkHeAx_xe4HMlJCRUBIQTabf2lY57sX_8fFxEWqe07Wxo2uyZrv0EQHxP6hWVifO_enHD3vpw/s1600/Watercolor+background+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoV8fFDk5_aADDAUPQoMEuaLrUlQ7E9c9K0HFjowWKFJyZgSZGt5Ny_mKS9TJ5xSvl8sKkHeAx_xe4HMlJCRUBIQTabf2lY57sX_8fFxEWqe07Wxo2uyZrv0EQHxP6hWVifO_enHD3vpw/s400/Watercolor+background+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watercolor wash laid on the tile first, then ink and graphite</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBytT9NGz8TGD-kihD3D1ug6zQxiLWoFGWJ9OaasITVHFYoQSNBQyBxfUS8rDsEvzKZOC2tHAE0eEWuoJ7eqdq10s1RFDM3MiyA817IV9gHQnwHi82u5VNPkgG6QuOMvFlih3F7pTKeQ/s1600/Watercolorbackground+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBytT9NGz8TGD-kihD3D1ug6zQxiLWoFGWJ9OaasITVHFYoQSNBQyBxfUS8rDsEvzKZOC2tHAE0eEWuoJ7eqdq10s1RFDM3MiyA817IV9gHQnwHi82u5VNPkgG6QuOMvFlih3F7pTKeQ/s400/Watercolorbackground+2.jpg" width="390" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another watercolor wash with added splatters</td></tr>
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So, Dear Readers, that is all I have for now. Pray for peace. Love each other and open your mind to the way your neighbor, co-worker, boss or employee sees the world. Each of us stands in our place with the entire world beneath us and the entire universe above. But each of us has a different reference point to the earth and the universe. Let us always remember and respect that.<br />
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Namaste,<br />
AntonineAntoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-46300670912509576822016-06-21T08:46:00.000-07:002016-06-21T08:46:24.186-07:00"NMeshed - A New Tangle; Sip and Tangle Party, Shading Zentangle Groovy, and Diva Challenge #272Welcome Gentle Readers,<br />
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After a coupla-three weeks off, I am back with more things to share with you. <br />
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First, I have been working on a new tangle, and I thought it was time to share. I very much love 'NZepple and the relaxing process of drawing it. I also really love tangles drawn in the Ogee grid. One of my formerly released tangles is Fichy, which uses that grid. It seems inspiration comes from all directions for new tangles, and this one took a round-about route.<br />
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On June 10, Ragged Ray posted a WONDERFUL tile for a C-Wing focus. I commented that it reminded me of those stretchy party décor streamer thingies that I have always loved.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_7PgBfgaom6vS6Lq5H-Iuatyjx4rhFaMV-7COAeXglhhOTJf58E14FC32YYB-XafMg9SyulZ2uOeWssl0pZOyJlkB9VxpCIgTvpJ-GYykKZoEdehVuKv9gaUCPWQkPnSQgHRNfNx8ck/s1600/Ragged+Ray+C-Wing+and+Ingwi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_7PgBfgaom6vS6Lq5H-Iuatyjx4rhFaMV-7COAeXglhhOTJf58E14FC32YYB-XafMg9SyulZ2uOeWssl0pZOyJlkB9VxpCIgTvpJ-GYykKZoEdehVuKv9gaUCPWQkPnSQgHRNfNx8ck/s320/Ragged+Ray+C-Wing+and+Ingwi.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C-Wing by Ragged Ray</td></tr>
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Then I started thinking about those mesh bags you get with some delicate kinds of produce. Whenever I get those, I have this little regret about throwing them out because they are just so nice, and fun to play with too! (I lead a dull life, OK?) </div>
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Right about this time, Facebook challenges started popping up that used the Ogee grid or I managed to tuck the focus tangle into that grid. Here is a little scrap paper play with Rundl. I drew shapes into some of the grid openings a la 'NZepple, and thought, "Hey, this might be a new tangle!!"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NrWR4U0IUzV8GTxXz-mQ12YzICdAMTZ3xNRKpPTrgzycsElNs2yebA6eSmvzUyNCV8MFgdLzAVhbqv1mFXEQZYXReuenRW67O89VtieDjj1rztWXmmbRb36Abk1oaKlDpmztWSAhHiY/s1600/IMG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NrWR4U0IUzV8GTxXz-mQ12YzICdAMTZ3xNRKpPTrgzycsElNs2yebA6eSmvzUyNCV8MFgdLzAVhbqv1mFXEQZYXReuenRW67O89VtieDjj1rztWXmmbRb36Abk1oaKlDpmztWSAhHiY/s320/IMG.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
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I started this tile a few days ago, but somehow it got set aside and I never finished the shading I wanted to do. Now I can't find it. Oh well, it will turn up.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDlWo9DdmQQMKWPKulr8ZKVC169mU1a5gF8FU0plO1X7xd5Pg3rbjYNn5I7wcUw1Xtk0rw2MMC9monE0DG4CXGP3ZiB5yh8w2HkxrFO9iA6MfPoMLMel-2OKJyr7Fx2Fau44VsQ0oor8/s1600/IMG_2266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDlWo9DdmQQMKWPKulr8ZKVC169mU1a5gF8FU0plO1X7xd5Pg3rbjYNn5I7wcUw1Xtk0rw2MMC9monE0DG4CXGP3ZiB5yh8w2HkxrFO9iA6MfPoMLMel-2OKJyr7Fx2Fau44VsQ0oor8/s320/IMG_2266.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>SHADING ZENTANGLE GROOVY</u><br />
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I saw another Facebook focus using the pattern Groovy. That one starts with the Ogee grid, so I just combined my new baby with the Groovy for this tile.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93nNzNVGw8Nmjm9iBdGc6KUQahQAxoZsWnJ7X2YrUUz9V7eSKLm6AWNQNhFTHSZrYlxLlpopPBMnqMKundCq9SqFLiZLBk9PfZqrfxKyn2WXZvf8REjBfnFN8O08UghUoaNw2xFzdtSc/s1600/%2527NMeshed+and+Groovy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93nNzNVGw8Nmjm9iBdGc6KUQahQAxoZsWnJ7X2YrUUz9V7eSKLm6AWNQNhFTHSZrYlxLlpopPBMnqMKundCq9SqFLiZLBk9PfZqrfxKyn2WXZvf8REjBfnFN8O08UghUoaNw2xFzdtSc/s400/%2527NMeshed+and+Groovy.jpg" width="391" /></a></div>
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<u>'NMESHED - A NEW TANGLE</u></div>
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So, without further ado, here is my new tangle 'NMESHED. Once you get the hang of the Ogee grid (takes a bit of practice), the rest is easy. Just trace the spaces as you would for "NZepple and have fun playing with the shapes. I'm kind of stuck on the wrapped in string look since it reminds me of those delicious Italian cheeses that hang in the shops. Mmmm... see, I told you EVERYTHING reminds me of food.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2JhzYKqzZjEfkCjlk11-XTyhYSXJR-HndYlp50AJgotIJo_j8j8B3tj_j2hlVoBMjAHmANmuaTsO8bOIiTdtEohF9Ua-OrvycSspPeN7PkCNVTBcRHH_0WIP7DShKnVcWvWG1_TAjSm4/s1600/NMeshed+2_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2JhzYKqzZjEfkCjlk11-XTyhYSXJR-HndYlp50AJgotIJo_j8j8B3tj_j2hlVoBMjAHmANmuaTsO8bOIiTdtEohF9Ua-OrvycSspPeN7PkCNVTBcRHH_0WIP7DShKnVcWvWG1_TAjSm4/s640/NMeshed+2_0001.jpg" width="494" /></a></div>
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<u>SIP AND TANGLE PARTY</u><br />
Remember back when we had our big "DO" party with all the wine? I posted a photo of some tiles I prepared for a Sip and Tangle party with a wine glass dipped in Cabernet and swiped with Moscato. A friend hosted a birthday party for her friend Ellie and we used those prepared tiles. I also made up some cardstock templates of 2" paper cubes and taught several tangles and had them tangle each side with one (or two). Here is what my girlies (all beginners!) did with them. Aren't they fabulous? I think they had fun!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIG3GeYSDZx8wkSbFTBVN9Rhb2DYz4qrEMy6Qsu2-BwY9YlZKntGwAaQK9M67Vt1WXtMroO56K8UIAt6w_cKPiRlxk6XJM3tehS_B8vdnZ3j_WVuk7idocAqqCdtoa6cW86rog2ogk2qc/s1600/IMG_2252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIG3GeYSDZx8wkSbFTBVN9Rhb2DYz4qrEMy6Qsu2-BwY9YlZKntGwAaQK9M67Vt1WXtMroO56K8UIAt6w_cKPiRlxk6XJM3tehS_B8vdnZ3j_WVuk7idocAqqCdtoa6cW86rog2ogk2qc/s640/IMG_2252.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtipfK1y4BQ37r_QFbN3Fu1lB2dXb8paR8LH0_q2QJcQDX8ScujjTFl64LmGyelyDe1E_4LKJ3xMhTJkqAttlmbgtg583xo7i8razOAZFZ-cFOOdztEQnpCy49DP-mT-w6LKfuDZnLOc/s1600/Sip+and+Tangle+Class.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtipfK1y4BQ37r_QFbN3Fu1lB2dXb8paR8LH0_q2QJcQDX8ScujjTFl64LmGyelyDe1E_4LKJ3xMhTJkqAttlmbgtg583xo7i8razOAZFZ-cFOOdztEQnpCy49DP-mT-w6LKfuDZnLOc/s400/Sip+and+Tangle+Class.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday girl Ellie in the center with our host Donna next to her</td></tr>
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<u>DIVA CHALLENGE #272 - WHAT'S BLACK AND WHITE AND RED ALL OVER?</u></div>
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Finally, here is my response to the latest Diva challenge. I love this one - the BWR color scheme is one I have in my home (actually cream and black and red...) and it just seems comfortable to me. Here is what I came up with:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcBZe51LYYr6GMYHUfUHgI-1dpNUChmA-gAGlvHJ7LsDwIBqq3AmSXxK_pcXR6cRGhngMOJfAThUljY2NEJykiAzBMAlLSxcJNu7U2Lcj6T7BsOCucglqCI1uF1hYO7gYSE_XKjHpJSE/s1600/Diva+272+BWR+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcBZe51LYYr6GMYHUfUHgI-1dpNUChmA-gAGlvHJ7LsDwIBqq3AmSXxK_pcXR6cRGhngMOJfAThUljY2NEJykiAzBMAlLSxcJNu7U2Lcj6T7BsOCucglqCI1uF1hYO7gYSE_XKjHpJSE/s400/Diva+272+BWR+%25282%2529.jpg" width="397" /></a></div>
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So, Gentle Readers, that is all I have for now. The summer travel season is here, so our efforts to escape the heat may mean I won't manage a post every week (what's new, lately??) I will definitely have my Zentangle tools with me and maybe even have the strength to document our getaways. I really want to pursue a journal habit, but so far the blank page of a permanent book is more intimidating than a little square tile. We'll see!<br />
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Thank you for stopping by today and know that I cherish all your thoughts and comments. <br />
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Namaste,<br />
Antonine<br />
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Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-47107549394581018412016-05-19T10:40:00.002-07:002016-05-19T10:42:17.610-07:00Diva Challenge #268 Bit-O-Black - and SQ1 Fugu - with SKYE and a Story, and Yew-Dee ShadingGentle Readers,<br />
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This week I will be brief! I have a party coming up, and if you want to know what kind, witness the fruits of our quick wine run! :-)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTF4rPZSfX-WswlTg5Prmfpm_VTZ6H0NJR9WKtzljQIKHLkNaBnZYNOvUvWW0fFvNOTe05uQSV6Q9sn8FqRyyqn7mdAoNrU4J-n6XrzFMxqd0rNfWilr69D5ERjc2nA5JqyP_FgP9PCs/s1600/wine+run.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTF4rPZSfX-WswlTg5Prmfpm_VTZ6H0NJR9WKtzljQIKHLkNaBnZYNOvUvWW0fFvNOTe05uQSV6Q9sn8FqRyyqn7mdAoNrU4J-n6XrzFMxqd0rNfWilr69D5ERjc2nA5JqyP_FgP9PCs/s640/wine+run.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Also, I spent the morning cooking up the custard for Gabrielle Hamilton's amazing brown sugar ice cream. Last time I made it, people were practically licking out the container. So good! I have shopping, patio and lawn furniture washing and cooking left to do before Saturday afternoon, so not a lot of time for tangling. <br />
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The latest buzz on the Zentangle boards is Margaret Bremner's new tangle SKYE. It is not the easiest to draw - requires focus! But every Bremner tangle involves strong blacks, so perfect for this week. Also, I was getting it ready for Eni Oken's Shading Zentangle FB page when I saw the Diva Challenge.<br />
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DIVA CHALLENGE #268 - BIT-O-BLACK, AND SQ1 FUGU AND SKYE<br />
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OK, here is the <strong>STORY/CONFESSION</strong> time for this tile... I was working on adding Fugu to the SKYE pattern I had drawn. Fugu is the feature tangle for the SQ1 FB page. I had practiced SKYE enough that I could put it on a "real" tile, and then was adding Fugu around and underneath it. Oddly, it has quite a bit in common - shapewise - with Margaret Bremner's other recent tangle, Pixioze, so I thought it would work well. Ah, relaxing Zentangle...until I fall asleep and the pen shoots across the tile leaving a very big "opportunity". CONFESSION: I decided, fie on the rules, it is my tile and I will just fix that little slip with a white gel pen just like Whiteout back in the old typewriter days! So I did, and was reasonably satisfied with that. I continued to work on the tile, and then realized, "hey, it's Monday! Diva Challenge!" I had just been thinking that my tile needed some bold black and maybe the structure of a border treatment. <br />
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Serendipity! I decided the side of my tile would look great with a black fill. I also decided my penance for disregarding the "no mistakes" rule was to add the black side-shot line back in and proceed from that point. I didn't even finish filling in the Fugu shape as I had started. This is my Amish Quilt mistake moment. <br />
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So, here is my Bit-O-Black "opportunity"!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGZ-gFQaZgdrqSB9p11pXhyphenhyphena20SmZP1QsIPIK9ZGHlCg7LkvSAYyyMFTEhfz2M07MQvOdj_tVb2mU7MpbVFgJ-ACX24fq5jPytePgBKK0O-liVBcVKuNXLMY4THMhYPjEHeLrc-nBhoU/s1600/skye+fugu+diva+challenge+268.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGZ-gFQaZgdrqSB9p11pXhyphenhyphena20SmZP1QsIPIK9ZGHlCg7LkvSAYyyMFTEhfz2M07MQvOdj_tVb2mU7MpbVFgJ-ACX24fq5jPytePgBKK0O-liVBcVKuNXLMY4THMhYPjEHeLrc-nBhoU/s400/skye+fugu+diva+challenge+268.jpg" width="395" /></a></div>
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Last week the Shading Zentangle focus was Yew-Dee. I gazed admiringly at what others were posting on Facebook, but just couldn't get my groove, as it were. Finally, I was fooling around in the sketchbook and hit on something I liked. I had fun shading both the individual elements and the bigger form.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJHO-F7mZ5W4qSFQsZI_FPgyKnCXqICM3uSV2rWADkHgjV6rHMdMOFpZcmFYqXjLlVT1hHVtURRZgRBaFZXGp2tj1rXACg29KRYpian7FN9WsjKGdW2jXTsHsfZhJfVevQhHYBQhTu2s/s1600/yewdee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJHO-F7mZ5W4qSFQsZI_FPgyKnCXqICM3uSV2rWADkHgjV6rHMdMOFpZcmFYqXjLlVT1hHVtURRZgRBaFZXGp2tj1rXACg29KRYpian7FN9WsjKGdW2jXTsHsfZhJfVevQhHYBQhTu2s/s400/yewdee.jpg" width="396" /></a></div>
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So, Dear Readers, that is it for this week. Thank you for stopping by and know that I cherish all your thoughts and comments. If I am not completely undone by the festivities this weekend ;-), I will report back next week...<br />
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Namaste,<br />
Antonine<br />
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<br />Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-26218350998165386252016-05-14T14:40:00.003-07:002016-05-14T14:40:47.667-07:00Diva Challenge #276 Duotangle (really #267, but more about that...), SQ1 Batumber-Hollyhock and A Bit of ColorWelcome Gentle Readers,<br />
<br />
I got my Diva Challenge tile finished on Monday, but have been fooling around all week trying to complete a couple other focus challenges. Bust... When the inspiration dries up and you have other things going on (good stuff, really!), you end the week with not much to show. <br />
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Just a bit of local color to start:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuGsYK6btDhXicsRXmFWV6pLJrNMGxE7h3s1avczdf3H0R55eZLSx6bWpmgLIf8aOK7feVpsIjLs-2T9eK-Ips85WYO43Dse1JT-3Il39DKLOKRfYA0sCdJKJ2MsPHrKc5jGI5giQ-Jw/s1600/01b55eb5d865ca3ee9a9d1ab60b48edc208848cc54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuGsYK6btDhXicsRXmFWV6pLJrNMGxE7h3s1avczdf3H0R55eZLSx6bWpmgLIf8aOK7feVpsIjLs-2T9eK-Ips85WYO43Dse1JT-3Il39DKLOKRfYA0sCdJKJ2MsPHrKc5jGI5giQ-Jw/s320/01b55eb5d865ca3ee9a9d1ab60b48edc208848cc54.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what you get when you throw in a $1.59 pack of seeds into a pot.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfpnbIRjJCktJCP4zyFRSDC1j21M2z2eG5LepqgHMnQk4imWeGeTJzwRQo4_hIaSb6KN3NF_4YTixxCLveUpvugK5H24Mx2fZB0tmaNysWB4adttPDbwU6X5JQQ_q2yTDVvHnr9Vm8js/s1600/01dc1d04bd1b6a63632972657c0e9435d0945dd574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfpnbIRjJCktJCP4zyFRSDC1j21M2z2eG5LepqgHMnQk4imWeGeTJzwRQo4_hIaSb6KN3NF_4YTixxCLveUpvugK5H24Mx2fZB0tmaNysWB4adttPDbwU6X5JQQ_q2yTDVvHnr9Vm8js/s320/01dc1d04bd1b6a63632972657c0e9435d0945dd574.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marigolds started from seeds from last year's blooms</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9aYNLG1ts6n8pyMUW5-bqpZR_QI09ioU7PC6GB0tIlLmk-IvCVgDKgUShBJTxGXrg_45_9O-26iNRfIvSXAdqLpDdMFafsQNuODaqANDuJEiFxUca8gpt9xQQo3PgaKLYVeyW7VEMDE/s1600/012e7f63ba6a48b2d96bb948953bd3966bb61818db.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9aYNLG1ts6n8pyMUW5-bqpZR_QI09ioU7PC6GB0tIlLmk-IvCVgDKgUShBJTxGXrg_45_9O-26iNRfIvSXAdqLpDdMFafsQNuODaqANDuJEiFxUca8gpt9xQQo3PgaKLYVeyW7VEMDE/s320/012e7f63ba6a48b2d96bb948953bd3966bb61818db.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aloe, Vinca and Hibiscus are all happy in this moderate weather. We'll see what survives the coming inferno.</td></tr>
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Speaking of color:<br />
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I have an upcoming "Sip and Tangle" type party at a friend's home, and thought I would pre-string some tiles for the guests. Cabernet takes center stage, but I used a bit of Moscato to add an "optional" additional line. I'm anxious to see how these turn out!<br />
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DIVA CHALLENGE #276 (<em>I say it is #267 since last week was #266, but who am I?) </em>DUOTANGLE POKEROOT AND DRUPE<br />
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I have been fooling around with my watercolors and managed to come up with this. I am pleased, and now motivated to look into a watercolor class. I have avoided them because I'm not a landscape girl, but maybe...<br />
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SQ1 BATUMBER<br />
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I had just been playing around with the newly published Hollyhock by Jason Lau when the focus on Square One came up with Batumber. I think they must be related!<br />
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More stuff...<br />
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JUST PLAYING<br />
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I saw the tangle Fluxogee by Hanny Waldburger, and gave it a try. I wouldn't say this is totally perfected - the shading could be better - but I had fun, so here it is, folks!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGQUWBu05jBoFodP5M-lR1jyrnOZNSU0f9jqpgkCrhFLk0NU_8t2yxmQvSrKwslKM4IcXJznQ4YuMdaNIeu0Jw5StykDqPBGVjBp34Ln4iKFpLjbA5qU59747rPSLur1svPozUwf4E6w/s1600/IMG_2143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGQUWBu05jBoFodP5M-lR1jyrnOZNSU0f9jqpgkCrhFLk0NU_8t2yxmQvSrKwslKM4IcXJznQ4YuMdaNIeu0Jw5StykDqPBGVjBp34Ln4iKFpLjbA5qU59747rPSLur1svPozUwf4E6w/s640/IMG_2143.JPG" width="482" /></a></div>
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So, Dear Readers, that's it for this week - late again, but mostly because I was procrastinating. Thank you for stopping by and know that I cherish all your thoughts and comments.<br />
<br />
Namaste,<br />
Antonine<br />
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Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-86868371024856476362016-05-07T13:26:00.000-07:002016-05-07T13:26:14.018-07:00Diva Challenge #266 Crux, Kaleidoscopic Color, 14 Shades of Gray and Ellish...or Allish?Gentle Readers,<br />
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I appreciate your patience in waiting for my post - it seems I'm moving ever farther past Thursday to now...Saturday! I guess I get so involved with the tangling that I don't stop to record and organize. I must admit, that is one of my lifelong challenges. I used to HATE when the powers-that-be at work asked us to keep track of everything we do. That takes way longer than the doing! Thank goodness those days are gone.<br />
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Before I forget, Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful, loving, supportive, challenged, overwhelmed, affectionate but frazzled, totally human (and even the non-human!) mothers out there! May all your progeny shower you with every accolade on your special day. My own mother departed so very many years ago, just four days after her 30th birthday, and I never had the opportunity to share a Mother's Day with her. I still love you, Mommy!<br />
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On to this week's "Zentanglish" musings:<br />
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DIVA CHALLENGE #266 CRUX<br />
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Last week I promised to work in some color. I have been playing around with new watercolors and trying out various papers, stretching techniques, brushes, washes, etc. This is all new to me - I haven't really used watercolor since I painted them into my childhood coloring book pages. So much to learn! When I started working with the featured tangle Crux, I thought from the start that it cried out for color. Somehow the crystalline forms reminded me of what I saw peering through the opening of those little Kaleidoscopes I loved as a child.<br />
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I applied the color sparingly in this case, but added lots of black to simulate that feeling of the dark hole in the tube with the colored light shining through. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXaCg0-GfjbzhtlRMm6HK-iBGDWcv58O6XbDwg9tD219h5taE3WNavGZS4tdELgyy22Qbre3dkUqZxAtyS89X4KvSKvDZCzeye4I9o1QlwFomdzOaMEg1D5Kdhc7S1C_rP1Pk-Y48C7A/s1600/Kaleidoscope+Crux.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXaCg0-GfjbzhtlRMm6HK-iBGDWcv58O6XbDwg9tD219h5taE3WNavGZS4tdELgyy22Qbre3dkUqZxAtyS89X4KvSKvDZCzeye4I9o1QlwFomdzOaMEg1D5Kdhc7S1C_rP1Pk-Y48C7A/s640/Kaleidoscope+Crux.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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NO COLOR BUT BLACK, WHITE AND 14 SHADES OF GRAY<br />
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On the other end of the color spectrum, I received my 14 Shades of Gray kit from the supremely talented Sonya Yencer and Jenny Peruzzi. This kit describes a method of taking your featured tangle from black and white to a misty gray on your tile. It is such a lovely transition and way to soften the look of a bold tangle. I have lots more to learn through practice and inspiration from other 14-Shaders, but here are my two contributions to the mix.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggg0C6gWlVcWAGWG2V1l1te7M_LHRxaJUAOcO5V3yrAuHL1LgyptjdbGdGP-vMjl7m0jOmHg8tzXdSIKuRYFTkVAMuH3JfkcHCrhUIzQCMw0OGmg55RB7cJVL7oYMu3tZKIDcytjx2G0c/s1600/Ciceron+gray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggg0C6gWlVcWAGWG2V1l1te7M_LHRxaJUAOcO5V3yrAuHL1LgyptjdbGdGP-vMjl7m0jOmHg8tzXdSIKuRYFTkVAMuH3JfkcHCrhUIzQCMw0OGmg55RB7cJVL7oYMu3tZKIDcytjx2G0c/s400/Ciceron+gray.jpg" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ciceron</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUY0yP4bu3RwZpB9p5wA6wI1r_Mrm7AD4L7KIawOkIdBUeShWJ8vZ9aVhuJBG_EInCieqA5YvW2vGUoheqn4csnhVUXiBBZyO6yNIGaBdO3vsAQ8h8xpEt_VPIwfqphBFOhB65oz0DE2s/s1600/Eyewah+gray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUY0yP4bu3RwZpB9p5wA6wI1r_Mrm7AD4L7KIawOkIdBUeShWJ8vZ9aVhuJBG_EInCieqA5YvW2vGUoheqn4csnhVUXiBBZyO6yNIGaBdO3vsAQ8h8xpEt_VPIwfqphBFOhB65oz0DE2s/s400/Eyewah+gray.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eye-wah</td></tr>
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ELLISH OR...ALLISH!<br />
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I tried the new official tangle Ellish, but it kept going its own way, turning into an "A". One of the FB group commenters said "I love your Allish!", so that is what I will call it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFonhKbbFni_cLRLY8HiH6ZE4u6q1sAJsTSbjNr5CB2ZPM9rMjQNFNXWIox_TltHr7Q9CVVdOWM3VDhjBBZ4kEuQqp11K_Ff-gTvnmEufYZs7m52F3Vk5iiBLsaPtTjsK-jaMw-Clqvk/s1600/Allish+Renaissance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFonhKbbFni_cLRLY8HiH6ZE4u6q1sAJsTSbjNr5CB2ZPM9rMjQNFNXWIox_TltHr7Q9CVVdOWM3VDhjBBZ4kEuQqp11K_Ff-gTvnmEufYZs7m52F3Vk5iiBLsaPtTjsK-jaMw-Clqvk/s400/Allish+Renaissance.jpg" width="388" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allish on a Ring</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0WhIg2SQPo9PfgmpmWTnUK3E6og9HRoJ28AdXgF52ZFXsiZKfF0HLkBg4H5BrRK0aw44lN3yO4QYyVXlvDHCdk0st9LEyH12yDJRK478SKVhQChTbCegAnmpKEtcViveophPCL4SyiXE/s1600/Ruutz+and+Allish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0WhIg2SQPo9PfgmpmWTnUK3E6og9HRoJ28AdXgF52ZFXsiZKfF0HLkBg4H5BrRK0aw44lN3yO4QYyVXlvDHCdk0st9LEyH12yDJRK478SKVhQChTbCegAnmpKEtcViveophPCL4SyiXE/s400/Ruutz+and+Allish.jpg" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allish with Ruutz</td></tr>
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So, Dear Readers, thank you for stopping by today. Have a beautiful Mother's Day weekend and enjoy your families. Know that I cherish all your thoughts and comments and would love to hear from you.<br />
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Namaste,<br />
AntonineAntoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-80979607380940246702016-04-30T14:09:00.004-07:002016-04-30T14:20:20.005-07:00Diva Challenge #265 Stripes, SQ1 Snails, 14 Shades and Kitchen Gadgets GaloreGentle Readers,<br />
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This post is hitting the air late, but I didn't want to skip altogether again. I had fun this week, and want to record it all!<br />
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First up - <br />
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KITCHEN GADGETS - I am the gadget queen!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4XdEFTwJBj2fU9C7zJn_YrT8HmcllqVHcCFbD6EMXeiHz-j6Zy6ZgFatLeEvIQP_BLmKKDoMCtb344noCBwCxTN26lmqs6vpsWHQrphhMU0D5gmIgPJ4YtrRdauDC7Ec-pbhg1X5iuE/s1600/sausages.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4XdEFTwJBj2fU9C7zJn_YrT8HmcllqVHcCFbD6EMXeiHz-j6Zy6ZgFatLeEvIQP_BLmKKDoMCtb344noCBwCxTN26lmqs6vpsWHQrphhMU0D5gmIgPJ4YtrRdauDC7Ec-pbhg1X5iuE/s320/sausages.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Over the past year or so, I have been updating my storehouse of kitchen wares. Amazon LOVES me! I started by necessity - my trusty Cuisinart food processor circa 1987 jammed. The chopping blade is stuck in place and will not come off. I have tried soaking, robo-grip plyers, steam, running it with water in it, etc. As (bad)luck would have it, I had just purchased a series of new slicing and grating blades to the tune of over $100. The motor is as strong as ever, but now it is pretty useless, as I don't feel comfortable with cleaning it without being to disassemble it. So - I bought a new machine that fits the blades I just bought. It is good, but I must say I agree with all the web commenters who advised if the old one still works, hang on to it! Oh well, the new one works for me.<br />
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Next, I received a new Vitamix blender from my loving (and food loving) hubby! What a wonderful piece of equipment. Did<em> </em>I mention that both the New Cuisinart and the Vitamix are a lovely cherry red color! My favorite kitchen accent in my black and white space. Nice!<br />
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Up next, I bought an accessory kit for my other trusty friend, my 1987 Kitchen Aid stand mixer. This kit has food mill, grinder and sausage making tools. My husband was VERY anxious for me to fire those babies up!<br />
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Finally, I bought a stove-top pressure cooker. I haven't had one of those since my grandma's exploded and spewed spaghetti sauce all over the ceiling. My heart still pounds whenever I think of that day! It literally blew a hole in the top of the pot and the metal lodged in the ceiling like shrapnel! Yikes!<br />
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So...this week I finally pulled all the ingredients together, unfroze the casings and bought two pork shoulder roasts. <br />
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Not wanting to waste any of that goodness, I trimmed and cut the meat, saving the excess fat to make fresh rendered lard and cracklings. The lard is in a jar in the fridge now and the cracklings are salted and just waiting to be baked into cornbread. So decadent and yummy! I left a bit of meat on the bones I cut out of the meat and roasted them in the oven until nice and brown. Then I put them along with a little olive oil, garlic and San Marzano tomatoes and other chopped canned tomatoes into the new pressure cooker. In 40 minutes, (plus cool down time) I had the spaghetti sauce we always called "red gravy" that used to take half the day to make! I had already pulled out my hand cranked pasta machine (another fun gadget) a few days earlier and made fresh linguini, so we were set for a feast. It was...<br />
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Now, on to the most important thing. I ground all the meat twice, and reserved about two pounds for Swedish Potatis Skorv - potato sausage. I have never eaten that before, but the Mister has been clamoring for it for some time. I boiled and ground potatoes, ground a couple big onions (if you think SLICING onions makes you cry, try GRINDING them right in front of your face!) I mixed that all up with spices I would never think of for meat - allspice, nutmeg, mace, sugar, and let that rest a while in the fridge. I stuffed it into the casings - a project not for the weak-hearted. A number of online commenters said they had problems with the food pusher that came with the grinder when it came time to stuff the casings. Being a gadget queen, I dove into the cabinet and pulled out the black pusher that came with my new Vitamix. PERFECT FIT! It worked much better than the vilified white plastic Kitchen Aid pusher, and saved the day! Once the Swedish sausage was formed into links, I put a few into a container of salted water to hold them, per the online tips I found. The rest went into freezer bags immediately. The next day, I boiled the refrigerated links in some chicken broth, then sautéed them briefly in butter - again following online instructions - and WHAT A TREAT! I was an honorary Swede for a day!<br />
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The Italian sausage was very basic and done the way we did it at home years ago. Mix the meat with salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, fennel seed and some water. I had about eight pounds of meat for that, so it all went into a big bowl in the fridge to marinate over night. We have only eaten a tiny sample of that so far, but it was delicious. I am more confident about that, as I know what to expect. It all went into freezer bags awaiting future mealtimes. I have a party coming up and some will be cut into little chunks for appetizers. Can't beat that!<br />
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So now that I have bored most of you to tears - unless you share my obsession - it's time to move on to the more artistic pursuits...<br />
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DIVA CHALLENGE #265 - STRIPES<br />
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I was anticipating receipt of my 14 Shades of Gray kit when this challenge came out, so I decided to warm up the graphite in alternate stripes. Here is my tile with Paris, 3D-Room and OVY alternated with Printemps, Hibred, Zenith and I don't remember the name of the leafy on down the center. No prizes here, but it was relaxing and fun.<br />
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SQUARE ONE - SNAILS</div>
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Snails is a tangle that I just discovered a couple weeks ago when I was reviewing my Zenthology files from CZT training. I have been playing around with it a bit and think it is pretty cool. However, when I tried to feature it in a tile, I just couldn't get anything interesting to happen. Then I pulled out the sketchbook and just started making spirals in a very relaxed and loose way. I used my whole arm and went fairly quickly. That's it! I know snails are supposed to be slow, but this one was bookin'!</div>
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Here is one of the tiles I did a few days before with Snail in it as a "just because" tile. I also really love the fill for Quandary (which I stole from the Zentangle Primer book...don't tell anyone...)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTc8kt49CwglUu1EI2ndMFCofMEsWN0p5iMnzACQiNkXDeIJgfM7Zzmi9QoEQningXVa9YHfToXoN8OUGFC1kO5NTX1bQ4FPg2CvxncgGKfQA1F-QIlFgux9uXygxFURC45ytjRNwkHE/s1600/just+because+with+snail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTc8kt49CwglUu1EI2ndMFCofMEsWN0p5iMnzACQiNkXDeIJgfM7Zzmi9QoEQningXVa9YHfToXoN8OUGFC1kO5NTX1bQ4FPg2CvxncgGKfQA1F-QIlFgux9uXygxFURC45ytjRNwkHE/s400/just+because+with+snail.jpg" width="395" /></a></div>
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14 SHADES OF GRAY</div>
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Here is my first crack at this technique. I went "by the book" and followed Sonya Yencer's excellent instructions for Jetties. I am anxious to try it out on other tangles.</div>
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So, Dear Readers, that is all I have this week. Next week I hope to add a bit more color, but this week it seemed "meet and right so to do" to keep it black and white (and gray).</div>
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Thank you for stopping by, and know that I cherish all your thoughts and comments!</div>
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Namaste,</div>
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Antonine</div>
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Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-90431509560108969182016-04-14T09:13:00.001-07:002016-04-14T09:24:11.252-07:00Antiquities, Diva Challenge #263 Globular Grid, SQ1 CruzeGentle Readers,<br />
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Antiquities have been in my musings this week for a variety of unrelated reasons. These thoughts seemed to gel into an ongoing pattern yesterday when I saw two things. One, was a posting on the Facebook page Shading Zentangle. It was from Terry Landeck-Cardinal, and showed a beautiful tile that looked like an ancient stone with Zentangle runes carved into it. I hope you can see it from this link, as it is stunning. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/shadingzentangle/1679239092342635/?comment_id=1679277585672119&notif_t=like&notif_id=1460612946042671">https://www.facebook.com/groups/shadingzentangle/1679239092342635/?comment_id=1679277585672119&notif_t=like&notif_id=1460612946042671</a><br />
I was so taken with that piece, and of course, now must pull out the watercolors and try this technique...I digress...already...<br />
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The second was an article I read online about recent speculation that Scriptures may have been written centuries earlier than previously thought. Not that the stories are older, but that the writing down of what had been preserved by oral tradition happened sooner than scholars thought. They based these new theories on what are basically grocery lists! Apparently, they found lists issued by supply masters in early armies outlining what they requested for the troops' needs. Two jars of olive oil, flour, and most importantly :-), how many jugs of wine they required. (more about wine later in this post - surprise!) The researchers were impressed by the fact that these normal military guys - not elite scholars - were fully literate, indicating that written education must have been widespread at the time, somewhere around 600BC.<br />
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I have been exploring some larger ZIA work on 11x14 sheets of parchment. This one has a few swashes of gouache in colors straight out of the tube, which I thought had an old-world look to it. When I finished, I just kept thinking it reminded me of some Colonial era manuscript.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVfHwolmmOCXPqgAjbXCEkNN2eubOLj4ikDUSXOLZn1etIWs579JjDqNIwTfuyskMdkQzUz6lczty6LTMt14KsNEffKWjvEdDvtZ3LoyTsYC4xKdwhWFyqAQISV-jWEZMaeRIolwBSpw/s1600/Revolution+%25282%2529+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVfHwolmmOCXPqgAjbXCEkNN2eubOLj4ikDUSXOLZn1etIWs579JjDqNIwTfuyskMdkQzUz6lczty6LTMt14KsNEffKWjvEdDvtZ3LoyTsYC4xKdwhWFyqAQISV-jWEZMaeRIolwBSpw/s640/Revolution+%25282%2529+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I enjoyed playing around and learning a bit about the properties of the paper, color and ink together. I still have much to learn about all these materials that are new to me. The paper is so very nice to draw on with ink. Everything looks so delicate. The wrinkles frustrated me, but I actually think it adds to that look of antiquity. So be it.<br />
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I also have been fascinated lately with old maps. The mapmakers included delightful images of animals (LOVE the whale!) and ships in their work, along with delicate coloring that hinted at the landscape. Here is a detail from one old map of North America. I learned a new word here, which is "Septentrionalis". It denotes a northern area that is largely unexplored. Conversely, "Meridionalis" similarly refers to a southern region. Just a couple more things to add to what my daughters refer to as my vast treasure trove of useless information!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfn4AN1Xr-se_1bTHA_XZhpZnCHN7ma_jPMViDk32JGriyG7mP7X2lM9k-aVjMqFZvhenDKlBf0ks1uGNuCTq0qaUtDBdzdYEwpZ5SeyJuQP0k5P8Uf3OueZhRKyQdMuEkJweS_N-QnF4/s1600/America-North-Map-001+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfn4AN1Xr-se_1bTHA_XZhpZnCHN7ma_jPMViDk32JGriyG7mP7X2lM9k-aVjMqFZvhenDKlBf0ks1uGNuCTq0qaUtDBdzdYEwpZ5SeyJuQP0k5P8Uf3OueZhRKyQdMuEkJweS_N-QnF4/s640/America-North-Map-001+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This brings me to the Diva Challenge this week, which employs a globe grid. <br />
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DIVA CHALLENGE #263 - GLOBULAR GRID</div>
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I did my first attempt at this challenge on one of the hotel coasters I brought back from my last trip. It is slightly smaller than a Zendala tile, but it was at hand and I was too lazy to leave my comfortable chair and retrieve the official materials. Here you can see the size comparison.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBaz3asj-KuGLAOXc0bhCesRwnjOM8CcRE48OZoqdN4x6P3z-M3_UmucQ7RGa5T9p_iF52Kt5iEzhFwGpkw8H_M-LuBhh7v61uBUxqSun4MjxodcKT-aqsgTfTdslCD1QBm1hT5V1L7k/s1600/Diva+tiles+%25282%2529+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBaz3asj-KuGLAOXc0bhCesRwnjOM8CcRE48OZoqdN4x6P3z-M3_UmucQ7RGa5T9p_iF52Kt5iEzhFwGpkw8H_M-LuBhh7v61uBUxqSun4MjxodcKT-aqsgTfTdslCD1QBm1hT5V1L7k/s320/Diva+tiles+%25282%2529+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="203" /></a></div>
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I found this an opportunity to try out some of the "Reticula and Fragment" concepts I have been reading about in the new Zentangle Primer book. Once again, I learned as much about the materials as anything. Coasters do just what they are designed to do - drink up liquids! They are nice to draw on, but have an extra pen handy!</div>
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Here is a large image of that first tile. I used black and brown micron and graphite for shading. I love the concept that if you fill in the fragments in different directions, you get a new metapattern. It also was weird to squeeze some of the fragments into the distorted reticula formed by the globe. This was fun!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvORXK6fWvH6OTZaH9c4FrNBviez-IWrUP0zCGBpj3rX4EvyFfjwT44m_T-_m0Hl__N_HJ4waQZizqoZoKhlycpURA2aywLefEsXN4f7kyWb1CANQ-2v7AxFdXGImByUllCQGMoTITJRU/s1600/Coaster+world+%25282%2529+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvORXK6fWvH6OTZaH9c4FrNBviez-IWrUP0zCGBpj3rX4EvyFfjwT44m_T-_m0Hl__N_HJ4waQZizqoZoKhlycpURA2aywLefEsXN4f7kyWb1CANQ-2v7AxFdXGImByUllCQGMoTITJRU/s400/Coaster+world+%25282%2529+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The second tile brings me back to that antiquity theme. I have been wanting to do some more wine themed ZIA pieces, and I have a little book of quotes about wine. When I saw this quote: "Wine has drowned more men than the sea", I just kept thinking about those antique maps with the little images of ships. Imagine one with a wine colored sea and little sailors drowning in it!</div>
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Instead, I did my grid with blue and green micron pens on a Renaissance Zendala tile. Some of the fragments shown in the Zentangle Primer book reminded me of ships, so I went with that idea and created a fragment of my own. It is actually based on one featured in the center of the tile shown above. I just kept them all going the same direction here. I tried to add more Nautical type fragments - crashing waves and ship's wood paneling. What I like about this one is the sort of carved wood effect that the shading and highlighting gives these fragments. </div>
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SQUARE ONE FOCUS - CRUZE It was a short Cruze, but they had a fantastic pastry chef!</div>
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Once again, I end up with something that reminds me of food. I started this tile thinking of ways to enhance the pattern with shading and rounding, embellish it with border treatments, provide some visual contrast. Instead, I just ended up sooooo tempted to draw in a fork! </div>
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So, Gentle Readers, thank you for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed my ramblings and perhaps will begin to see inspiration for your work in equally random sources! Know that I cherish all your thoughts and comments.</div>
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Namaste,</div>
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Antonine</div>
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Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-89395453005996787492016-04-07T09:06:00.000-07:002016-04-07T09:06:12.248-07:00In The Pink, with Diva Challenge #262 Fassett, Square One Focus Morse, Shading "Slits", and Other Stuff...Gentle Readers,<br />
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So the porcelain bunnies and speckled artificial eggs are tucked away again for another year, and now we move forward to those days where keeping cool is the priority. In my younger days, I never bothered much with seasonal decorating. Once I had my surroundings satisfactorily arranged, I left them alone. I was never one of those people who rearranged the furniture on a weekly basis. Although, I give kudos to those who do, as they don't have much dust under their furniture!<br />
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Now, I seem to be much more attuned to cycles and seasons. Just as Picasso had his blue period, I now seem to be in a pink mode. After four-plus years in this house, we finally got our act together and chose paint colors for our rooms. Most of the colors are predictable - a muted bluish-green for the master suite (LOVE IT), deep gray for the den and a dark mushroom color for the guest room that makes it so restful. But in the main living area, I shocked everyone. We painted the ceiling and a little adjacent hallway pink! Officially, it's Mesa Rose, but it definitely is a conversation starter. I wanted to keep the neutral colors in the room but add that glow that blush does to your face. We both love it, surprisingly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjBAUjIZqhaBPkeHSLq5F-t4rTxAZHJqSAwgpYVvJM4z33R6dfN0kj5QldjwUcYnh3hsWIsfs0AHkqa9UxO7nurxwYDyQPirUP9BQisvO7IzGr46xGHeu1fm2qQMQYw95tN4JDNm0eXA8/s1600/Ceiling+pink.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjBAUjIZqhaBPkeHSLq5F-t4rTxAZHJqSAwgpYVvJM4z33R6dfN0kj5QldjwUcYnh3hsWIsfs0AHkqa9UxO7nurxwYDyQPirUP9BQisvO7IzGr46xGHeu1fm2qQMQYw95tN4JDNm0eXA8/s400/Ceiling+pink.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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With the onset of spring, I tucked away the fur-ish sofa throw and the winterberry color pillows and substituted lighter, fresher looking accents. The quilt is a long time thing that I somehow always find a spot for. The pillows, except the far left one, which I made, are my favorite "ON SALE" type. I feel renewed!<br />
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Now on a roll, I decided to pink up my own look. If you can't have fun, what good is life? I don't have an employer to placate, so I do as I please these days. Anything to distract your eye from the wrinkles, right? LOL!<br />
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You know, it amazes me to think back on my earlier life when I had all these preconceived notions about what was "right" and "proper". I have these purist tendencies that have always kept me a bit uptight and anxious. Principles, we need principles! I have this obsession with things in full "sets". My children just shake their heads and laugh. I always needed things to be "authentic" or nothing. But, as many people do, I seem to have acquired at least a little bit of wisdom in my old age. I am trying to breathe, relax and go with the flow. Enter Zentangle, I guess!</div>
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DIVA CHALLENGE #262 FASSETT</div>
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I tested this lovely tangle out a number of ways in my sketchbook, making them super straight or curved, fatter (more lines inside) or skinnier or more open (less lines). When I did a batch with a big open triangle in the middle, I saw the light, as it were! Here I have layers of openwork Fassett. I hope I achieved a bit of 3D effect.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3PzxTLgUBT0waJAPz7ILJdTtsJOlUBlYYDYdzlv-F3chGjz4Umb_oxfN-xsOW8lQbDyXPR0o15Q5LD12QpJQ9hrv_38BNzKUix6903k4UAAyhkDQkceidMD9bJLa6ALSoBbAg0zpC40/s1600/Diva+262+Fassett.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3PzxTLgUBT0waJAPz7ILJdTtsJOlUBlYYDYdzlv-F3chGjz4Umb_oxfN-xsOW8lQbDyXPR0o15Q5LD12QpJQ9hrv_38BNzKUix6903k4UAAyhkDQkceidMD9bJLa6ALSoBbAg0zpC40/s400/Diva+262+Fassett.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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ZENTANGLE SHADING "SLITS"</div>
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Eni Oken's Facebook group Shading Zentangle <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/shadingzentangle/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/shadingzentangle/</a>, has begun posting themed challenges. This week I was surprised and honored to have had one of my tiles used as inspiration for the challenge. Eni said she saw my tile (which was posted on this blog and on Zentangle Mosaic), and got to thinking about the concept of "slits" in the page created with a line and some shading. </div>
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I attempted another version using only black and white, and tried to get more "lift" to some of the slits. I traced Bijou tiles on a standard tile to make a little photo album effect, and then inserted some Zingers with Ruutz. This was fun, but I think I like my earlier, done for no good reason, one better.</div>
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SQUARE ONE FOCUS "MORSE"</div>
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Chris Titus has put the focus on Margaret Bremner's tangle "Morse". I did this tile, and then immediately started thinking about Good N Plenty candy. Why does everything make me think of FO-O-O-O-O-D?</div>
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NO REASON - SOMETIMES THE BEST REASON</div>
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I have been going through Maria and Rick's new book, Zentangle Primer, and have again been inspired to bring myself back to those original Zentangle patterns and see what I can do with them. It's amazing what those two, and Molly, do as they combine those tangles into the most beautiful, mysterious and astonishing creations. I am awestruck every time I see their work. </div>
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I had a couple of round coasters from a hotel visit that were tucked in my purse, so I pulled them out to be the round alternative to a standard tile. Smaller than a Zendala, which begs to have more complex designs, these are the small-commitment size of a regular tile. I pulled out my training materials from my CZT seminar, and started to really study some of the tangles there. I realized there are some that I may have never seen in "live production". Maria had demonstrated a new way to fill Hollibaugh, which I used as an anchor pattern, and then I added Frondous, Patena and Ambler, all new to me. I think I'll use them again! Frondous, in particular, has that strong drama effect while falling into the category of organic tangles, many of which are too ethereal for my taste. Here I made Patena very straightforward and "regular", but next time I will break free of the mold a bit. It definitely is yearning to be free... This was fun!</div>
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So, Dear Readers, thank you for stopping by. Once again, I apologize to those of you whose work I love to see but on whose blog pages I am inexplicably unable to leave comments. I just don't get it! If anyone knows why a Google ID or name and URL won't work, please let me know how to fix it. Actually, I have even had problems issuing replies to commenters on my own board, so please don't feel unappreciated. I truly love to hear from you - you make my heart sing!</div>
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Namaste,</div>
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Antonine</div>
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Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-84527279860358432512016-04-01T14:00:00.000-07:002016-04-01T14:00:50.911-07:00Diva Challenge #261 - Stacked Bijou, SQ1 Knightsbridge, Sunken TreasureGentle Readers,<br />
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It seems I have so much Zentangle inspiration flying at me from all directions! There are blogs, Facebook pages, Pinterest boards and the beautiful Mosaic app that alerts me when new tiles are posted and new comments made. If these were commercials, I'd be annoyed, but this is something I actually like to see! What a concept!<br />
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If you have the Mosaic app, check out the last two T3 entries featuring graphite applied as an under layer to tangling. Maria, Rick and Molly use it as a way to introduce an additional "color" to your tiles and give a softness to temper the sometimes stark black and white of traditional Zentangle. I haven't experimented with that yet, but I think my next few sketchbook pages may just be graphite heavy. <br />
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I love seeing how the creative minds out there interpret Zentangle patterns, stretching, combining, colorizing and applying to a diversity of surfaces - pottery, shoes, book pages, fabric, automobiles (Honest!), walls, furniture - you name it! Sometimes I just view, mouth open in awe, and sometimes I save the photos of these works for future reference. Sometimes I message my daughter in Chicago - hey, check THIS one out! It's nice to be able to share an interest with loved ones. Most often, I hop onto the platform, whatever it may be, and hit "Like" or the Love button or leave a comment. I hate when someone's website doesn't let me comment - some of the ones I admire most are blocked to me for some strange reason. If anyone knows why a blog wouldn't allow a comment even though you choose your profile and are signed in to it, please let me know how to fix it. (Of course, maybe somebody doesn't LIKE my profuse praise...Nah! Can't be!)<br />
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<u>SQUARE ONE: PURELY ZENTANGLE - KNIGHTSBRIDGE</u><br />
Lately it seems I have spent more time soaking in what others have done than what I am doing myself. I try to at least do one basic Square One: Purely Zentangle challenge on Facebook. That keeps me grounded and makes me work with the foundations of this method. It's restrictions provide a clear direction and really makes me think of how I can portray the featured tangle. <br />
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This week the feature was Knightsbridge. The most basic of tangles, it lends itself to DRAMA in your work. So many people posted fantastic undulating, pulsating and exciting works in Facebook. Wow!<br />
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For my entry (I only did one), I had been going through the materials distributed at the CZT seminar in Providence, and came across a tangle I have never used. I don't thing I have ever even seen it used, but it is pretty cool. It is Squill, and is pretty simple to draw. It has a central motif and then has bands of Betweed-like lines filling in the rest of the square. I have been inspired by some of the unusual shading techniques I've seen lately, and decided that the rows of squares could become rope-like things. Here is what I did - a big woven and wrapped dumpling thingy!<br />
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<u>DIVA CHALLENGE #261 - STACKED BIJOU</u><br />
This week the Diva challenge had a guest host, Jane Reiter. She created a series of stacked tiles from a variety of cardstock and mat board with a Bijou tile as the centerpiece. This is just the opposite of what Eni Oken has featured in her new project, "Creating 3D Art Tiles", in which she makes a shadow box effect. I ordered her instructions, but never started the project. When Jane offered up this challenge, my first thought was, "Oh, I'm ashamed of myself for not doing that 3D project yet", and my second thought was "This craftsy stuff really isn't me..."<br />
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However, isn't that what a challenge is about? You step out of your comfort zone and try something that is new to you and that you may never have even thought about. So, off I went in search of some papers to tangle. I hauled out the paper cutter and made squares up to six inches from a variety of paper and cardboard, and centered a Bijou tile on top.<br />
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I stuck them together with temporary tape and drew a string over the whole stack. Then I just tangled as if it were one big tile. When I finished, I used some blobs of sticky wall putty to hold them together and separate the layers. Then I let my own personal Bijou family member hold the result.<br />
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Here is another shot that maybe shows the layers a bit better. I'm so glad I did this!<br />
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<u>SUNKEN TREASURE</u><br />
I got a call a couple weeks ago from a member of our over-55 community art club asking if I would like to have a piece displayed in the window. They want to feature works by those of us who are resident class instructors. My big bug is hanging in the local library for a couple months, so I figured I should get busy and do something that might generate some interest for Zentangle.<br />
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The online trend lately has been to use watercolor wash and tangle over it. Then there are those oh-so-addictive gems!! I didn't even have any watercolors, but I did have some gouache I bought to use with calligraphy (another thing I had all the intention in the world of really pursuing, but to which I have paid far too little attention to ever develop some expertise. Next week...) I pulled out a few sheets of watercolor paper and added some colors. Some didn't look all that great, one looked more like a map in my seventh grade social studies book, and one just seemed to make me happy. I chose that one.<br />
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Here is what I did. I tangled on top of the gouache, which is a very new texture for me, and was a learning experience. I added some gems with colored pencil and I shaded with graphite, which worked much better than I anticipated. I thought I might need gray markers, but the pencil was really easy to use and I like the look. <br />
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The first photo shows right after the initial line work. The second one is completed and under glass. I should have done a photograph of the final one separately, but I forgot, and now it is in the display window. <br />
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Oh well. I called it "Sunken Treasure". I feel like I see bits of jewelry, glass, exotic sea creatures, sand and pebbles, all swaying in the currents on the ocean floor. What fun!<br />
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So, Gentle Readers, that's it for this week. Hope you all had a beautiful Easter or Passover celebration, if those are your traditions, and hope spring is in the air and in your minds. Renewal and rebirth are welcomed in every life.</div>
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Thank you for stopping by and know that I cherish all your thoughts and comments.</div>
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Namaste,</div>
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Antonine</div>
Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-24291538648146447002016-03-10T13:00:00.000-07:002016-03-10T13:00:13.110-07:00Diva Challenge #258 Rautyflex, SQ1 Yuma and Zonked, Zentangle Primer, and Spring has come to the Valley!Gentle Readers,<br />
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I am reminded this week that good things do take some time. We must begin with a good foundation, provide some nurture and have patience. Just when you think things are stuck at a certain level, you can get a surprise. <br />
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Five years ago we moved to the Phoenix area after living our lives in the Midwest climate of the Chicago area. We knew there that if you plant bulbs in the fall, you get tulips in the spring. If you sow grass seed or lay sod, your lawn will be green and lush by May (barring any nasty surprises like grubs, etc.) The leaves on your maple tree are green all summer, turn red in the fall, drop in winter and reappear in the spring. All these things work on an annual cycle, and you can pretty much count on that.<br />
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Here in this desert climate, nature works a bit differently. You plant something and then, with reliable irrigation systems, you hope it takes hold. Sometimes it does, sometimes you get a withered stump of whatever it was no matter how nicely you talk to it, pamper it or pray over it! Sometimes the rabbits get your lovely baby shrub and decimate it in one night. Once in a while, it can even be a Javelina who chomps away at your fresh little yucca that you bought because it was rabbit-proof. A big fat one - likely over 70 pounds - was casually strolling through our back yard two days ago! He looked pretty much like this but maybe a bit more burley. Yikes! I would have taken my own photo, but hubby wouldn't let me open the back door. Spoil sport!<br />
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If your beloved plant does take hold, it can look the same for years before anything exciting happens.<br />
Our little Mexican lime tree FINALLY seems to be filling in and is blooming like nobody's business. After five years, perhaps we will get more than the handful of pitiful looking, olive sized limes we have had so far. Our olive tree and pigmy date palm (non fruit bearing per municipal regulations!) are lush and full. Our cacti are expanding nicely and have produced a few blossoms from time to time. Yay!<br />
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Today, however, I got such a surprise! These things pop up overnight like some fairy-tale beanstalk. Our blue yucca is blooming! Big time! When I see things like this, I feel like I am on some other planet. This is no petunia, folks! It's HUGE!<br />
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The first Hibiscus blossom of the season has made an appearance.<br />
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Our bougainvillea, which was looking decidedly peaked over the winter has surged back in full, living color.<br />
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So, spring has sprung in the Valley. We must enjoy now, as soon it will be blast furnace time!<br />
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ZENTANGLE PRIMER<br />
I received my new Zentangle Primer yesterday, and was reminded again, through the gentle guidance from Rick and Maria, that we must learn to slow down, to not compare our progress to that of others, to be patient and just see what happens. "Start at the very beginning - a very good place to start..." Surprises in Zentangle happen all the time! You look back at what you did a year ago, and find that your line work is much more steady. You realize that instead of just filling in the spaces of your string with separate tangles, you now can connect and morph your tangles, or maybe you finally understand how to finish off the edges without them just ending unceremoniously at your pencil border. You fill one tangle with another one or combine variations to add interest to your design. You try a few tricks, such as tracing one tile on top of another to make your string, or draw a little "slit" in the tile and tuck your tangle into it. In this new book, Rick and Maria introduce the concept of Reticula and Fragment. They call the grid form, whether squares, triangles, circles or whatever, the "Reticula" and the filler designs - often a portion of a named tangle - are called "Fragments". Placing these Fragments within the Reticula in varying directions can produce what they call a "Metadesign", which offers up the surprise! Oh, my sketchbook is already getting a workout with all these new (and reminder) ideas!<br />
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DIVA #258 - RAUTYFLEX<br />
This was a new tangle for me, and one that I found somewhat challenging. I was tempted to stop at step four of the stepout, as I liked the lightning look to it, but decided to persevere and do the thing right. I wasn't comfortable enough to get crazy with curving the grid or making up some "fantasy" version of it, so I just drew the pattern on a straightforward, evenly spaced grid on top of my simple V-string. Then I drew the pattern variations to change right at the string line. I shaded the edges in the hopes that it would look as though each version overlapped the next one. Successful or not, I am pretty happy with how this turned out. It reminds me of straw, metal and paper. Perhaps I could have used some heavier black in the center section to give it some drama, but you know what they say about hindsight...<br />
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SQUARE ONE: PURELY ZENTANGLE - FOCUS ZONKED AND YUMA<br />
I haven't been up to date over the last few weeks, so I am including entries for two focus tangles. For Zonked, I immediately started sketching Mooka with it. I saw on Facebook that others made that same connection. What is it about those two? At any rate, here is my version.<br />
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Yuma is one of those tangles that can play many rolls. It can carry bold stripes, hold gems in its center, curve into petal shapes or take on any number of looks and play with other tangles. I approached it with simplicity. Each of my tiles is a monotangle, although the second one maybe evolves into Steps. In the first one, as I filled in lines, I found I liked the look of the white spaces. Negative can be very positive, as it were. At any rate, they have very different looks. I like Yuma!<br />
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MORE STUFF - STACKED AND TUCKED<br />
Here is one I did just for fun - different than my usual style, but I enjoyed this. I always admire when others use a mix of brown and black, and here I added a thick black border with white ink on top. This was a good reminder of why I love Zentangle - no challenge requirements, no strict guidelines about color or which tangles to use, just having fun!<br />
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So, Dear Readers, I hope you are seeing signs of spring where you live, or if it is autumn in your part of the world, I hope you are enjoying the ripeness of that golden time of year. Whichever it is, please enjoy the changing that it brings. Always look forward to your own changes, and enjoy looking back to see how far you have come. Then focus on the present moment and be one with it. <br />
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Thank you for stopping by, listening to my ramblings, and taking a look at my own humble offerings. Know that I cherish all your thoughts and look forward to your comments.<br />
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Namaste,<br />
AntonineAntoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-37760521940145053452016-03-03T14:45:00.000-07:002016-03-03T14:45:11.713-07:00Diva Challenge #257 - Shiny! and BugtanglesHello Gentle Readers,<br />
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I disappoint myself sometimes by my flagging commitment to this blog and to the Zentangle challenges that have engaged my energy and attention over the last two years. Apologies to my readers. Sometimes our hearts and bodies tell us what our minds cannot. But all is well, and I am still lurking around the edges, putting in my two cents on Facebook and other places.<br />
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One thing I want to say to those I admire on the various blogs is that I have found it impossible in quite a few cases to leave comments. I don't know why. I use my Google profile or my website link, or I sign into one of the other website accounts if I have it. Still problems. I click on the links on the Diva challenge board and once on the contributor's blog, I can admire all I see but am unable to post a comment. Guys, I still love you! Has anyone else had this problem?<br />
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That said, I think perhaps I am in a shifting mode. Where I have been dedicated to the most basic forms of Zentangle - tile with border, string, pattern, shading and sign - I am dipping my toe into some other expressions of this art form. I am trying to branch into some calligraphy, although my dedication there leaves something to be desired as well. I have slipped into my toddler span of attention in many cases. I have fallen in love with the ZenGems, so named by Eni Oken, the master of shading. My tools of choice for these gems is colored pencil and gray markers. You can see them used in my latest large work posted in this blog. And my brain is working overtime on cooking tools and techniques. My Amazon account is ready to explode with all the pans, utensils, specialty grocery items and cookbooks I have ordered or at least "wish-listed". I have been much more faithful with my yoga exercises than ever before, and am actually seeing results! What? Me, whose body has NEVER been my friend? I actually look forward to my yoga routine, no matter how baby beginner it is. That is a FIRST in my lifetime. How much can one old lady do?<br />
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Beyond that, my loving husband is on a travel kick. He feels (perhaps rightly so) that we should not let the grass grow under our feet at this stage, since in five or ten years we may not be able to pick up and go as we do now. The suitcases are dust-free these days, to say the least. I certainly can't complain about that, as we are having a ball! Just unpacked from a lovely trip to Tucson and ready to re-pack for Las Vegas. More trips in the hopper beyond that, too.<br />
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So, here I am after a month of neglect and really wanting to get a little traction back on the blog scene. <br />
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BUGTANGLE<br />
Starting a couple years ago I did a series of insect ZIAs on Renaissance tiles. The were a pleasure to do and a minor hit with my vast fan club! ;-D I have been experimenting with new types of pens and paper, and bought a few precious sheets of papyrus. I decided to continue that theme of antiquity and design a bejeweled scarab. This was a major project, and has left me limp as a dishrag after all the preliminary sketches, trials of various techniques and media on the paper, and the effort itself of working on this delicate textured paper. I used some distress inks to give the paper an aged look. I used a dip pen with calligraphy ink to draw and did shading with alcohol based markers in shades of gray. I used colored pencil for the gems. C'est finit! This guy is on a sheet of paper 25x17 inches, and is now hanging in our front entry. I'm in love with a bug!!<br />
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This week's guest blogger on the Diva website has challenged us to do something shiny, specifically metallic. I like how the metallic pens look on black, but since I am still hooked on Gems, I decided to combine the two. This tile has both gold and silver ink. I did some highlighting with white chalk pencil and shading with a black colored pencil. So far, that has been the least messy option I have tried using the metallic gel pens. Some markers work on the white pens without dissolving the ink, but on the metallic ink, I still find problems there. </div>
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I have been struggling to bridge the difference between the transparent looking cabochon type gems with the solid stones like lapis and turquoise. Here I have attempted some turquoise stones, but am not fully satisfied yet. They are better than my previous attempts, and I do like how the black tile paper works with these gems. The black gives you ready-made shadow edges and you just build up from there. It also leaves some bits of texture showing through, which is easy to convert into little fissures in the stones. There is much to be said here. I am still not sure of my color choices, though, and will keep working at this. </div>
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So, Gentle Readers, thank you for stopping by today. Know that I cherish all your thoughts and comments and would love to hear from you. Until next time...<br />
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Namaste,<br />
AntonineAntoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-73153074110362795892016-02-02T12:46:00.000-07:002016-02-02T12:46:17.496-07:00Diva Challenge #253 - Molygon, Busy Days and Kitchen AdventuresGreetings Gentle Readers,<br />
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Last week was very busy, as my sweet husband and I are doing our best to see and do pretty much everything! OK, I exaggerate, but we have been packing in a bunch of little trips and events. We attended a huge wine event where we tasted upwards of 80 Bordeaux wines direct from the wineries. (yes, we did dump!) Sometimes American perception of French people is not always so positive, but I can say these people were truly gracious and friendly. They took time to explain the wines to us, tell us about their harvesting and wine making process and made us - who have never been to France and speak ZERO French - feel very welcome. We loved it! <br />
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No throwback this week, as I didn't pull my thoughts together, but I may do that again soon.<br />
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IN THE KITCHEN<br />
The big deal for me last week was hosting my book club. Known as "Wine, Women and Wisdom", our group is generally greeted by that month's hostess with wine and nibbles and we laugh, discuss the book and whatever else comes to mind and enjoy a couple of hours of fun. My chosen book was <u>Blood, Bones and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef</u> by Gabrielle Hamilton. Besides being an entertaining read, this book speaks of the author's relationship with food and cooking on a very personal level. I bought her cookbook, <u>Prune</u>, which features recipes from her restaurant of that name, and made a variety of goodies (the easy ones) to feed my guests.<br />
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The one I wanted to make from the moment I opened the cookbook was Lamb Manti.<br />
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These little suckers had very few ingredients, but oh, what a bugger to make! You take ground lamb - no seasoning, no fillers - and make teeny-tiny meatballs the size of a level 1/4 teaspoon. No bigger or they won't fit! Then take wonton wrappers and cut them into four equal squares. Moisten the edges and press them into little purse shapes. For-ever.....this is when I wish I had a couple of pre-teen grandchildren on hand to help! It took me a couple hours to make these babies, but YUM! You freeze them, and then bake them for about 13 minutes, then when ready to serve, simmer them in regular canned beef broth (not a fancy dish). Served with a garlic infused yogurt and drizzled with cayenne butter, these were killer! <br />
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I made little bacon and marmalade sandwiches, deviled eggs, avocado and tomato topped lemon ricotta toasts and corn pound cake with Riesling and rosemary poached pears. Hungry yet?<br />
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But the showstopper was the ICE CREAM! A basic custard base made with cream, eggs and brown sugar, then enhanced with a balsamic reduction swirl. OMG, OMG! Sounds weird, I know. It makes you think at first it must be raspberry, but then...wait a minute...what is this? One lady had to leave the meeting to attend to something else, but returned to try the dessert. She definitely had the happy face when she tasted that ice cream. My husband finished it off that evening. Glad I got a couple bites!<br />
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DIVA CHALLENGE #253 - MOLYGON<br />
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The new recently released official tangle is called Molygon. I used it once before but revisited it again for this challenge. I love the story of how they got the name for this. What serendipity! I wanted to somehow enhance the spaces between the shapes, so here is what I did. A little gold on the edge, nest them on a bed of Tipple. Are they mushrooms or metal domes or...who knows? This was fun!<br />
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So, short and sweet, this is all I have this week. Slacking..... but I have still followed the boards and love the new Mosaic app on my phone. Not sure it is offered to the public yet, but as a CZT, I've had an opportunity to test drive it. Fun!</div>
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Thank you for the pleasure of your visit, and know that I treasure your thoughts and comments.</div>
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Namaste,</div>
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Antonine</div>
Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-25846064886450105302016-01-21T16:50:00.001-07:002016-01-21T16:50:29.495-07:00Diva Challenge #251 and a Big, Big ThrowbackGentle Readers,<br />
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BIG, BIG THROWBACK!<br />
Yesterday I was privileged to visit the Phoenix Art Museum where they have on display 26 of Michelangelo's drawings - they refer to them as "sacred and profane", as some have to do with religious themes and others with mythology, architecture and even weaponry. What a thrill to be nose to nose with Michelangelo! <br />
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We learned that he worked with black ink made from what is called oak gall, and that it has faded to brown over time. Also he used black and reddish charcoal for shading and white chalk for highlighting. (hello Renaissance tiles) In the drawing below, you can faintly see that originally Mary's face was looking down towards her child, but he changed the image to show her gazing away as if pondering the future. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Madonna and Child Image</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Study for Leda and the Swan - the model was male, as were all artists' models then<br />
(The final painting was stolen so the only way we know what it)looked like is from a recreation of it by Rubens, I believe.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Study for a Pieta</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plans for a library of sacred texts</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Battlement Plans - so effective, the enemy gave up and went home without fighting!</td></tr>
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So here's the Throwback part...guess what paper Michelangelo used (when it wasn't the back of an envelope or some other scrap)? You got it - it was Fabriano paper! The tour guide said you could even see their watermark on some of the sketches but I couldn't make that out. I did think it was interesting that the first drawing shown here was done with two pieces of paper glued together in the middle. So, fellow Tanglers, every time you pick up one of your exquisite Zentangle tiles made from the Fabriano Tiepolo stock, think about Michelangelo using paper from the same source. That just makes me tremble a little bit!<br />
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ZENTANGLE INSPIRED<br />
At the museum, we had lunch in a little room with very interesting walls, fellow tanglers. It appears to me as if the large round orbs were done by an artist, and then a group of children were given black markers and set free to add their own work. I can tell that some of these young artists were very familiar with Zentangle, since familiar patterns pop up here and there. Check out the Paradox in the right side of this first photo and the Printemps ice cream cone in the third one. This was so fun!<br />
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DIVA CHALLENGE #251 - MOEBIUS SYNDROME AWARENESS<br />
It's that time again, when we create Zentangle images and Zentangle Inspired Art to highlight awareness of the syndrome with which Laura Harm's son was born. Laura has been a tireless advocate of research and treatment for this syndrome, and we honor her efforts this week. Last year, I made a rare foray into the land of color when I used a purple wash to highlight my design. This year - well, it's a whole new world of color out there! We have gems, and I'm totally hooked! I can do this! So here is my entry for the challenge this week. I used a Renaissance tile (hello, Michelangelo!) with black ink, white chalk pencil and colored pencil for the gems.<br />
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So, Gentle Readers, that is all I have for this week. I have been working on a larger project, which I will unveil in good time. I have been following what our friends on Facebook and on the Mosaic app are doing, and it is all inspiring. I have no special throwback challenge for you, but hope that you will reflect on the artistry of those who have gone before and who have depicted the world in ways that for us seem obvious, but for them were revolutionary. Make your own artistic revolution!</div>
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Thank you for stopping by, and know that I cherish all your visits and your comments.</div>
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Namaste,</div>
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Antonine</div>
Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-14661967048846267402016-01-14T12:43:00.000-07:002016-01-14T12:43:48.807-07:00Diva Challenge #250 - Back to the Old School - Hey, It's a Throwback! , and SQ1 Henna DrumHello Gentle Readers,<br />
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Now that the holiday frenzy is over and we are past the sumptuous feasts with all manner of delicacies, champagne, cocktails to delight any number of your senses, it is time to settle down and begin again. Put on the pot of soup bones, chop up those old standby carrots, onions and celery and prepare for another kind of pleasure - the Old School kind!<br />
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When the house fills with the aroma of soup simmering on the back burner, you may do as I do and put the other kettle on for a lovely cup of tea. As confirmed coffee lover, I nevertheless adore the fragrance of Earl Gray or some of the spiced and orange infused herbal varieties. These piping hot sippers take me to a place of contentment and peace.<br />
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So it is with Zentangle. We rightly enjoy taking our practice of this beautiful art form in as many directions as our imagination will stretch. Color washes, 3D fold-up ornaments, vivid gems and luscious marker-colored masterpieces. But this week, we are brought back to our original story of simplicity. We focus on a small square of beautiful paper, set our boundaries with a pencil, and begin our journey with a fine line of black ink. We finish with some magic tricks with the pencil, and after a rather short time, we have a tiny masterpiece on which to reflect. We feel satisfaction and pleasure in our accomplishment, though only a small work.<br />
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DIVA CHALLENGE #250 - OLD SCHOOL - IT'S A THROWBACK!<br />
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I feel like our Diva keyed in on our Throwback idea this week! So, guess what? I will use this as my throwback theme and not bother with recreating the wheel! I started the first tile with original tangles and the original four corners, border and string. This is not a masterpiece, but a pleasurable process and outcome. I included Peanuckle, which has provoked all kinds of "ugh, I don't like this one..." reactions on the various Facebook and online groups. I must disagree - it was one of my first loves! I think it is fun to draw and is such a surprise when you move from initial construction to the finished pattern. Our old friends Mooka, Tipple, Fescu, Cadent and Huggins join the party.<br />
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The second one uses Margaret Bremner's rope string (my humble version of it, anyway). Again, I used original tangles, but the wonderful wrap of the string makes it look unusual. I had fun with this one. I used Enyshou, Vega, Punzel, Shattuck, and Jonqual. </div>
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SQUARE ONE: PURELY ZENTANGLE - HENNA DRUM</div>
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The focus this week was Henna Drum, which is one I rarely use. I don't seem to connect well with the organic, flowy garden patterns. (I don't do well with real gardens, either...) I had some vague idea in mind using Mooka, but I didn't envision the way this turned out. Somehow, these are like lady creatures bowing and curtseying to each other in some alien minuet. I kind of like it!</div>
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So, Gentle Readers, this is all I have for this week. Simple, straightforward, no stress. Just what I needed! I hope you are all finding rest, refreshment and new purpose in this new year. Thank you for stopping by and know that I cherish your reflections and your comments.</div>
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If you would like to share your throwback - of any Zentangle kind - click on the Mr. Linky below and attach your link.</div>
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Namaste,</div>
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Antonine</div>
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Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-33958931223051435032016-01-07T11:43:00.000-07:002016-01-07T11:44:25.792-07:00A New Year - Plus Diva Challenge #249, Gemstruck, Molygon and Real Throwback Moment (#8)Many Blessings of the New Year to my Gentle Readers! <br />
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We start with Trumpits heralding the news for the Square One focus. I did this in a tan sketchbook and used two different gold pens with black and white ink. I love how the dew drop/bubbles look on this paper.<br />
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And then I pulled out an old black tile with something on the other side and just had fun with the gold pen. Why not?</div>
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Our holiday decorations and celebrations took on a new minimalist look this year. No ebullient bows and boughs, no garland sparkling (and shedding) all over the house. No, we did a woodland look evoking those clear crisp nights after the leaves have fallen and all is quiet and peaceful. My husband especially really enjoyed this sort of Scandinavian look - it's the Swedish half of him, I think! Our table was set with ticking stripe linens and a rather austere Santa to preside over the feast. (and it WAS a feast!) I realized after I snapped the photo that I forgot to put the wine glasses on the table for the picture - sacrilege!! My challenge was to prepare everything gluten free to meet the needs of a beloved guest, and I must say it was all fabulous (polishing my nails on my lapel...). Our starter was a special cocktail made with Vodka, Maraschino liquor, Lilet, fresh Meyer lemon juice from our own tree, and champagne. So festive! We dined on Cornish hens stuffed with rice, a mushroom and winter squash lasagna (remember that weirdo gnarly squash I featured a few weeks ago? I froze the roasted flesh just for this dish) made with a hand made gluten free pasta and a silky Béchamel sauce, peas with prosciutto and a pear and hazelnut tart for dessert. Good thing we only do that once a year or I'd look like that guy in Big Trouble in Little China!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnXi5JWW8y6-SKW7jzCraICCWCpmBZ_JYPTmRWEDUpC7gEpvZrfftHXl7C6p9Z5kX6XrfWAqtG3cvqFSIlsbfGLnXlJ0DT_m0hGTDtefecDKvIMrw1VemqcZQvf-IbPIV9C9gMA6ljxg/s1600/Minimal+Christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnXi5JWW8y6-SKW7jzCraICCWCpmBZ_JYPTmRWEDUpC7gEpvZrfftHXl7C6p9Z5kX6XrfWAqtG3cvqFSIlsbfGLnXlJ0DT_m0hGTDtefecDKvIMrw1VemqcZQvf-IbPIV9C9gMA6ljxg/s400/Minimal+Christmas.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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THROWBACK<br />
I was washing my trusty circa 1973 saucepan when I realized the little nicks all over the bottom were from my baby Alison (now age 39) sitting on the kitchen floor banging out a tune on it with a spoon. That was a throwback moment - maybe a couple of tears to go with it! Love you, Alison!<br />
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Which brings me to the Throwback part of this post! Here is a quick sketchbook version of Pots and Pans to commemorate my sweet memory. Check out the link at the bottom of this post to add your own throwback!</div>
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DIVA CHALLENG #249<br />
For this week's Diva challenge, we were to combine Diva Dance and Auraknot. (Some are calling these "Lauraknots", which is apt, I'm sure!) I just can't quit these gems, so here is mine.<br />
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GEMSTRUCK<br />
Speaking of gems, I have been practicing on some scraps of papyrus for a larger ZIA I'm working on. The first one I like, and the second one was great until I tried to put in a "soft focus" background with gray markers. Scratch that idea, but the gems are good. I utilized the brand new Molygon for some of the bezel settings for the gems. Then I did a bug. Stay tuned for the bugs on papyrus. Having way too much fun here...<br />
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MOLYGON<br />
Finally, I tried out the latest and greatest, Molygon, which is a lot of fun! Here I have flying spearmint and what was meant to be a Zenith-like thing that looks more like angry birds!<br />
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So, Gentle Readers, I wish you all the best as we begin the journey that is 2016. May it be happy, healthy and prosperous for all of you, and may all your tangles be infused with the very best Zen!<br />
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Namaste,<br />
Antonine<br />
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Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-77550153468046727572015-12-17T17:00:00.000-07:002015-12-17T17:01:02.423-07:00Diva Challenge #248 - Gift of Zentangle, and Throwback Thursday #7 - Finally after a month off!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Gentle Readers,</div>
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I finally returned to this venue after a month-long break, a "just because" gift of down time to myself. When your passion starts to feel like work, it is time to hibernate for a while and then come back. </div>
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Two happy things prompted this return, even though I am in the throes of cookie baking, card writing and party planning (and attending - nice!) </div>
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First, Linda Farmer posted my tangle "Oybay" on the Tanglepatterns.com website. Lots of people visited my blog as a result of that, so I figured I should at least let folks know I am still alive and kicking. One of the things included in the post with the tangle step outs was the tile shown below. I did this right BEFORE the ZenGem craze started. I have no idea if anyone saw it and knew they could absolutely do better! But they certainly started posting gorgeous gems and (thank you dear artists) tutorials on how they drew the gems. </div>
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This was a perfect segue into a Throwback Thursday #7. Here I have taken my original tile and reworked the gems in the second version. I also added some amped-up shading. I don't think these are actually the best gems I have done (I'm still practicing like crazy - literally crazy!), but they are certainly improved in the second tile. I added regular Prismacolor pencil on top of the Inktense originals and topped them off with Gelly Roll highlights. What a difference! </div>
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If you have a throwback you would like to add, I'd love to see it. Click on the link at the bottom and enter your URL.</div>
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Diva Challenge - Gift of Zentangle<br />
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I am so grateful to have someone poke me in the butt sometimes and make me get something done. Usually, that someone is my husband (thank you, darling...) but this time it was our Diva. I have been wanting to make something for my granddaughter, but somehow there is always something going on. I have been taking instruction in calligraphy from a great lady in my community, Desiree Mansell. She has been working with me on the Uncial alphabet, and I really love it. I am still at the kindergarten stage, but I thought I would try something fun. I took a paper and aged it with distress inks, then used a fat pen point and lettered her name "Pemba". Unfortunately, the ink bled a bit on the paper I chose, but I forged ahead anyway. I tangled around the lettering, actually in a random sort of way, and I am pretty pleased with the result. So here is my entry for this week's Diva Challenge. I show it scanned in and then framed.<br />
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So that's all I have this week. I probably will not post again next week, so I will take this opportunity to wish all my dear readers the most Blessed Holidays and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!</div>
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Antonine</div>
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Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-35371266934134428232015-11-11T14:03:00.000-07:002015-11-11T14:17:14.008-07:00Diva Challenge #243 Just a Tiny Taste, SQ1 Cyme, and Throwback Thursday #6<b>THROWBACK THURSDAY #6 - ALL ABOUT REFLECTING - DID YOU FEEL GOOD?</b><br />
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This is the 6th Throwback I'm posting (a day early, even!), and I want to share why I am offering this to participants. One of the things we are asked to do in Zentangle is to reflect on the work we have done and how it made us feel. It is not a contest or really even a challenge. It is an invitation to reflect on not just the last tile we had in hand, but on some we did some time back. Today, I wanted to look back at something that made me feel good when I finished. It was not because I completed a "challenge" (although in this case my entry was for a challenge), but because I was just pleased with both the process of creating this piece and the final result. I recall that I was very relaxed as I added each simple element and then took my time with the shading.</div>
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I did this in the spring, hence the Easter egg look. I love the look of brown eggs, and was happy to include some in my design. Reflecting on it now, I also see that I put in some bread. Not exactly Italian Easter Bread, but close enough. I love the tan paper. This was done in my sketchbook, which is a slightly different color than the Renaissance tiles, but which I may actually like a bit better. I just had fun doing this and was really gratified when I had it finished. So here is my Zendala. I rarely do them, and I felt so good when I did this!<br />
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So I invite you to click on the link at the bottom of this post and show some Zentangle work that you remember made you feel good. That's what it's all about, really. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbSE1FZ2-4SRtJ8J3QMGqQ_WKa55jZxcTEzkgTT69V66A_Lei7VRN6HmE8Zj_p2DG7XT5RFgG8Wb8AvfIrMkEq8cmikjfVyfZhBjkdQ8lGW6ids4JkkSRBQrv_frPvP5k68QuwBIjpRE/s1600/Zendala+100+Antonine+0328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbSE1FZ2-4SRtJ8J3QMGqQ_WKa55jZxcTEzkgTT69V66A_Lei7VRN6HmE8Zj_p2DG7XT5RFgG8Wb8AvfIrMkEq8cmikjfVyfZhBjkdQ8lGW6ids4JkkSRBQrv_frPvP5k68QuwBIjpRE/s400/Zendala+100+Antonine+0328.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<strong>Diva Challenge #243 - Just a Tiny Taste</strong><br />
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This was a very enjoyable challenge for me. I tend to get carried away, not only with Zentangle, but in most areas of life. I have long conversations with friends just when it is time to go home. I always cook way too much - Honey, we really do need eight different appetizers! If one Fannie May chocolate is good, then five must be better, right? <br />
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So here we have been asked to use restraint. This time we just want that one perfect jelly bean. This is a life lesson for me. True to my form, I didn't stop at one, though. So much for lessons learned... Here are three that I did, the good Jelly Bellies, and maybe the booger flavored one as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_rD0C883w8CK1kDB_hZzBdii9RqE27t2VIC801LRqnI2qKQ5nMnGBp4YTNQds7dGyyfYUR378giKWeyiHR1dXLpsJo5jd2TV_BNvrc7KRh5dIygXtii0hnQhbFtjoUWENr9b3yXtmlw/s1600/Mooka+Tripoli_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_rD0C883w8CK1kDB_hZzBdii9RqE27t2VIC801LRqnI2qKQ5nMnGBp4YTNQds7dGyyfYUR378giKWeyiHR1dXLpsJo5jd2TV_BNvrc7KRh5dIygXtii0hnQhbFtjoUWENr9b3yXtmlw/s400/Mooka+Tripoli_0002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First one I did - maybe not the best...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Are those root beer jelly beans? Yum! I like that tiny taste!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe a taste of licorice in this one!</td></tr>
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Speaking of taste, I thought I would put in an update on last week's tasty prospect - that Gourdgeous giant squash I had. I did cook it, but the best part was the beautiful butterfly that grotesque thing became when I cut it open. Another life lesson in there, I believe...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9x8-s_J9Mom9MX9bsICvaFZwps5HOgK-cMAYC48G6xvLy60FSNOZ5TVMCrt2bR1X9RnSBOlEcl825l01K_cMmtyCnEICrNu-npBRZ6NyLcFaf953jEv4ylnT5dv0eJPkonHOA5YtfMMc/s1600/squash+butterfly.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9x8-s_J9Mom9MX9bsICvaFZwps5HOgK-cMAYC48G6xvLy60FSNOZ5TVMCrt2bR1X9RnSBOlEcl825l01K_cMmtyCnEICrNu-npBRZ6NyLcFaf953jEv4ylnT5dv0eJPkonHOA5YtfMMc/s640/squash+butterfly.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<strong>Square One - Focus Cyme</strong><br />
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What to do with those precious tiles you screw up? The ones that you can't turn into "opportunities". Well, you can cover the wrong turn with black ink and use it as part of your string! That's what I did here. Cyme is one of those "focus" tangles that I rarely use unless forced...er, directed to do so. It turned out OK, and I did have fun with the pen switching.<br />
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So that's all I have this week. Short and simple, and hopefully sweet!<br />
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Know that I cherish all your thoughts and comments, and especially your Throwback participation.<br />
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Namaste,<br />
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Antonine<br />
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Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-14441049546088622932015-11-05T11:21:00.000-07:002015-11-05T11:21:46.317-07:00Diva Challenge #242 Gourdgeous; TNTM #44 "M", SQ1 Verve and THROWBACK THURSDAY #5: MOST UNUSUAL Welcome Gentle Readers,<br />
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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).<br />
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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. <br />
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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:<br />
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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. <br />
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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!<br />
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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. <br />
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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...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKmix-UFbq2dILf1VnSMONzC6GUnaB0mjW2tT2cU6HKhuvkjpHj3vumiMo9cat7sX0OD2UxBjNEdk7JShj-sLQFTO9Chn40dCOPU7ZNfzovO2B0S5XZ6Z1OYbVCOwYxKgS7-Riwj1YeE/s1600/SQ1+Verve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKmix-UFbq2dILf1VnSMONzC6GUnaB0mjW2tT2cU6HKhuvkjpHj3vumiMo9cat7sX0OD2UxBjNEdk7JShj-sLQFTO9Chn40dCOPU7ZNfzovO2B0S5XZ6Z1OYbVCOwYxKgS7-Riwj1YeE/s400/SQ1+Verve.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<strong><u>THROWBACK THURSDAY #5 - MOST UNUSUAL</u></strong><br />
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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!<br />
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What have you done that is unusual? I'd love to see it, so click on the Mr. Linky and post it here!</div>
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Thank you for stopping by today, and know that I cherish all your thoughts and comments, and especially your participation in Throwback Thursday.</div>
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Namaste,</div>
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Antonine</div>
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Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-23797393882920027582015-10-29T10:44:00.001-07:002015-10-29T10:53:43.322-07:00Throwback Thursday #5 - Most Fun With a Tangle; Diva Challenge #241 Stones and Ceremony; TNTM #43 "U", SQ1 W2 Welcome Gentle Readers,<br />
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The snowbirds are back in Arizona from their cooler climes, and temperatures have started to moderate. What a blessed relief after a long season of heat. Mostly, I just want to wear some of my favorite cool weather clothes which were relegated to storage for about six months! Yes, I do own clothing with sleeves and legs! <br />
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The trip to San Antonio that my husband and I had really looked forward to never materialized. Even though late October is supposed to be the ideal time to visit there, dry and sunny most years, our chosen week was beset by the promise of the highest rainfall in one day ever, to be followed by a blast from Hurricane Patricia, the strongest hurricane ever recorded or some such notability. Accommodations on the river walk did not seem like the best place to be. Oh well, another vacation scuttled by Mother Nature!<br />
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This week the Diva Challenge is about Stones and Ceremony. My book club just finished reading a novel in which a history professor becomes obsessed with the Sorcerer's Stone, to the point at which he is ready to kill for it! The Apostle Peter's name is associated with a stone. Stonehenge captures our imagination, and something absolutely, positively certain is "carved in stone". One could write an entire doctoral thesis about stones, but...I won't...<br />
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I took my gray sketchbook out of its lonely hiding place and just drew a pile of stones. I tangled and shaded them with a marker, and here they are. I don't know what that one baked potato looking thing is, but I guess it's OK.<br />
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Suzy Mosh chose the letter "U", and added artist Elena Hadzijaneva. I used Unyuns and Elena's Chordin. That reminds me of those metal extending thingies. This would be a pretty cool pattern to use in a Steampunk tile if you put bolts in the center instead of the spiral design, wouldn't it? (Hmmm...file for future reference...) I really had fun with the shading on this (about two hours worth!), and it really shows up best when you tilt the tile a bit. </div>
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Square One: Purely Zentangle focus this week was W2. It looks so easy, but I will tell you I messed up twice getting started even though I practiced in my sketchbook first. From what I read on Facebook, I'm not the only one who stumbled a bit on this. My entry is plain and simple, but for some beautiful examples of what can be done with W2, check out Chris Titus's page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/squareonepurelyzentangle/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/squareonepurelyzentangle/</a>. Each week there is a new focus tangle, and participants are to create a tile using the basic Zentangle materials of white tile, black pen, and graphite pencil. It's a supportive and amazing group.</div>
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<strong>THROWBACK THURSDAY #5 - THE MOST FUN I EVER HAD WITH A TANGLE</strong></div>
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This week, I am going to be ultra lazy about this challenge and just post an oldie. No revision or new version, no sweat, just a lookback. I thought about some tangles that seemed dubious when I first tried them out. Yes, I could construct them, but what could I do with them? Sometimes a tangle is very beautiful, but so complicated that it takes all the fun out of it. Sometimes they are so simple looking (see W2 above, or consider Knightsbridge or Keeko), that you wonder what can be done with them other than fill in the background behind some other "funner" tangle.</div>
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For me, when I first learned Rixty, I had a little trouble drawing it correctly. I somehow had the shapes tapering up instead of down. Then I got it right, but just made a big string of it wandering over the paper, and figured, "So?" Then one day I spotted one of Maria's tiles in which she connected some of the shapes at the top with a curving "stem" portion. Hello!! I sat down and drew a tile that has since become a legend on my own home wall of fame. I call it "Rixty Puzzle". I keep looking at it and thinking I wonder if I could make it into a pop-up page. Wouldn't that be excellent?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xMOLRMYTPEHhpeNuN8wvkdTuSUKXDY2L1LZ0NkCgqjjQ6PPYluRAkYRJzWLJpVSLWfbi517-XrpDNMqCJJlexkq2zBF-E34ho-MginLpNcxgAr4mqGOLKkwaKQdSZa3Qg7_yUuKoNQo/s1600/rixty+puzzle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xMOLRMYTPEHhpeNuN8wvkdTuSUKXDY2L1LZ0NkCgqjjQ6PPYluRAkYRJzWLJpVSLWfbi517-XrpDNMqCJJlexkq2zBF-E34ho-MginLpNcxgAr4mqGOLKkwaKQdSZa3Qg7_yUuKoNQo/s400/rixty+puzzle.jpg" width="377" /></a></div>
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So here is the challenge: <strong>Post a photo of the most fun you have ever had with a tangle.</strong> That's it! You may want to tell about how you arrived at your personal "vision", why you initially had reservations about the tangle, but then became seduced by its charms, or whatever. Or, you don't feel you need to say one darn word because we can all see what fun you had! </div>
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Thank you for stopping by today. Know that I cherish all your thoughts and comments, and would love to see your Throwback. Have a beautiful weekend, slow down, admire, appreciate, relax and have fun.
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Namaste,
Antonine
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Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-4248937376112032782015-10-22T11:35:00.002-07:002015-10-22T11:55:32.522-07:00Throwback Thursday #4 First Love; Diva Challenge #240 Autumn; TNTM #42 "P"Greetings Gentle Readers,<br />
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If it never rains in California, then it surely never rains in Arizona, right? How wrong! This is our fifth year in the Valley of the Sun, as the Phoenix area is known. My neighborhood is even one of the least likely to get a downpour in this area. You wouldn't know it from the nonstop series of rainy days we have had. What??? We even had hail about the size of chickpeas pounding down for about three or four minutes. The good news is, aloe plants that were really puny brown looking from the scorching summer heat are now fresh and green and turgid with all the moisture. The golf course, that was looking a bit peaked is now vibrant. My Meyer Lemon tree has perked up and the fruit should get nice and juicy for picking in another few weeks. Yay! Lemon pie time!<br />
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Which brings me to the Diva Challenge this week. Laura has highlighted the beautiful autumn leaves that are a part of this season in most of the northern hemisphere. But here in the desert, we don't have trees that color and drop. Our trees keep their tiny feathery leaves all year, only softening to a dusty green for the driest times and brightening up in spring after the respite of cooler winter temperatures. So, what to do for autumn? Well, what we do have in abundance are...GOURDS, PUMPKINS and PEPPERS! And kale and onions, but those didn't make the cut into my tile this week. I attempted a sort of "Tints on Tan" take on the subject. I'm sure I could use some firsthand instruction by Marty Deckel, but here is my offering, such as it is.<br />
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For That's New To Me, the focus was on "P" tangles plus something from Sayanitka Ray. I chose Sayanitka's Pots-n-Pans, Suzanne Fluhr's Phirst and added accents of Points and Curves by Cheryl Rotnem. I hope it has a sort of marketplace feel, as that's what was in my head, anyway. Fun!<br />
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Square One this week focused on Nymph, which starts out like 'Nzepple, but goes all flowery on you after that. I did two, and can say this is a relaxing tangle to draw.<br />
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THROWBACK THURSDAY CHALLENGE #4 - FIRST LOVE</div>
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Ah, first love...When I was 16, I had the sweetest boyfriend. He was everything a nice young man should be, and I was so happy! He wasn't at all like the bad boy I had a crush on for a couple of previous years, who never gave me a second look. I was in heaven. That love came to an abrupt halt, however, when my very traditional father decided that since my sweetheart was a grade behind me and a year younger, that the relationship was inappropriate. Gee, if that's all parents have to worry about with their daughter's boyfriends, you'd think they would be grateful! But no, it was over, and I was crushed. Sniff, sniff...</div>
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But my Zentangle first love has not dimmed, really. Way, way back in August 2012, I was still identifying my tiles by number. This was the 24th tile I ever produced, and I was totally enthralled by shiny beads. I still use them a lot, but in this tile, they were a bit of a star.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7wMzA_wKdsjUoxv13EEcfYjg0qNTCtsDlvINDiv0b8wpuzZeFKh_-yxo6DICsV1WsTfZLpGZOORuer0_HAVQTC6ThYaU1OZIrc6FyEnh8Zz0pp4YNUy9jtd4x_jMDCbY9jWprj_I2Js/s1600/Throwback+Thursday+4+Beads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7wMzA_wKdsjUoxv13EEcfYjg0qNTCtsDlvINDiv0b8wpuzZeFKh_-yxo6DICsV1WsTfZLpGZOORuer0_HAVQTC6ThYaU1OZIrc6FyEnh8Zz0pp4YNUy9jtd4x_jMDCbY9jWprj_I2Js/s400/Throwback+Thursday+4+Beads.jpg" width="396" /></a></div>
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So I decided to go full bore into a shiny bead deal. I used Akoya, which is the ultimate beaded pattern, and, gasp... I decided to color it! Well, my colors and beads kind of got messed up when I took a sharp turn, but since that's what happens in my jewelry drawer all the time, I figured it was OK anyway. I had fun with this one!</div>
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So the challenge is this: <strong>Think back to your first Zentangle crush and revisit it now.</strong> This is not a call to get better or fancier. You may want to pare it down to something Picasso-esque, or make it bigger, smaller, or simply do it again just because you love it.<br />
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Thank you for stopping by today. Know that I cherish all your thoughts and comments, and would love to see your Throwback work in the Mr. Linky list.
Namaste,
Antonine
Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-21274745256860303292015-10-15T11:37:00.000-07:002015-10-17T13:37:23.073-07:00Throwback Thursday #3 I forgot all about..., Diva Challenge #239 Munchin Play, SQ1 Pokeroot and TNTM #41 "Z"Gentle Readers,<br />
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It has been another busy week (how did I ever find time to WORK?) here in the Valley of the Sun. <br />
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In the last week:<br />
Black Tile class on Saturday went very well. We focused on techniques on black that you don't see every day. The new Fabrico marker addition opens up so many possibilities. I'm desperately seeking someone in our local art club to act as secretary. I know, a grunt job with no glory! Of course, everyone approached has politely but firmly declined. Hubby is on a kick to get new wine glasses to enhance our tasting pleasure, so we have been greeting the UPS driver with a smile and a plan for the evening on several days this week. I like my man's thinking! Baking my first batches of biscotti of the season, this time with a twist. I found a recipe using lavender and hazelnuts (I just happened to have both) instead of anise and almonds. I decided I like my base recipe better than the one I saw in the magazine that purports to test the bejezzus out of everything, so I stuck with my tried and Antonine tested. I have a recipe secret of my own... Dough is in the fridge waiting to bake later today. I can't wait to taste them! Dinner with friends this past Sunday at a really nice Scottsdale restaurant (yum!) and dinner tonight with the inlaws who have out of town friends in. Yum again! After last week's cooking class, all the nice dinners and cookie baking, I dread getting on that scale. But - life is short - enjoy every minute. Every BUSY minute.<br />
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Temperatures are beginning to moderate...the highest day this week was only 100! By the weekend, highs should only be in the upper 80's. I just can't wait for that first crisp morning when I can throw the windows and doors open! <br />
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So, on to the reason we meet today.<br />
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THROWBACK THURSDAY - I FORGOT ALL ABOUT THAT ONE!<br />
There are so many great tangles out there that sometimes in the rush to try the next best thing, we forget all about some we really enjoyed in the past. I pulled out two tiles from a while back - one in December 2012 when I was just getting started, and one a few months later - using the very unique tangle "Fungees". You can see the stepout plus a cute video featuring creator Leslie Crumpler.<br />
<a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2012/12/how-to-draw-fungees.html">http://tanglepatterns.com/2012/12/how-to-draw-fungees.html</a>.<br />
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This first tile amazes me because I did it so long ago, and I wonder if I have progressed or regressed. I really love this one (she modestly exclaims)! <br />
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This second one focuses more on Fungees as the focus, and I like the delicate look of it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4WWsh-rwB_E2HEV6p3hAwhg88niDOFlApsBooVCD0GK2bkeB28Q5ObWThyphenhyphenOTNQDezxKoPo0f_9gLyU_LjJY9fza4ScjEHP9cJJiNBk3Evl0RJ9IeXU4EWTkpL71DJlxD6W63rboiTmc/s1600/Fungees+Apr+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4WWsh-rwB_E2HEV6p3hAwhg88niDOFlApsBooVCD0GK2bkeB28Q5ObWThyphenhyphenOTNQDezxKoPo0f_9gLyU_LjJY9fza4ScjEHP9cJJiNBk3Evl0RJ9IeXU4EWTkpL71DJlxD6W63rboiTmc/s400/Fungees+Apr+2013.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So what to do for a throwback? I'm not sure I want to change or improve anything on those two tiles. So, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik...<br />
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I decided to take an entirely new approach to this tangle and try my Prismacolor pencils on black, which I may actually have never used on my tiles. I laid down a layer of Zenstone, added my Fabrico shading first and then the ink and pencil. Perhaps a clumsy first effort, but I do like the result, and I vow to try more!<br />
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So the <strong><u>Throwback Thursday challenge is to use a tangle you have forgotten.</u></strong> Make it better, use it in a new way, whatever you can imagine with a tangle from your past that you revisit.</div>
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DIVA CHALLENGE #239 - MUNCHIN PLAY<br />
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I have been working with Munchin in my black tile class, and were it not for Molly Hollibaugh's instruction with that tangle, I probably would never have used it. I will say it is very relaxing to draw and requires very little thinking - just doing. That's the best part.<br />
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Here in my first effort, I decided to get fancy and pretty much destroyed the Zen-ness of the experience because I had to keep changing pens and matching up lines and everything else that is anything but relaxing. The little gold dots were the most relaxing part, although they don't show up so well in this photo. However, I like the result and stand by it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyaKsjxmkCfrgnUavVz_caJ8khfiBxZYNUb1IJbvmBf5MiQwa7jMjR5cTRKwY02b6foJ7RAQt3SxHZ2752m4EqJuZXEmIBEmr_FMgxVhMR7tJSUnHo7-qbvzanbWdp0-5jwRm4EdIJfRE/s1600/Diva+Challenge+Munchin+1_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyaKsjxmkCfrgnUavVz_caJ8khfiBxZYNUb1IJbvmBf5MiQwa7jMjR5cTRKwY02b6foJ7RAQt3SxHZ2752m4EqJuZXEmIBEmr_FMgxVhMR7tJSUnHo7-qbvzanbWdp0-5jwRm4EdIJfRE/s400/Diva+Challenge+Munchin+1_0001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next, I picked up the Fabrico marker - I can't quit that thing! In retrospect, I could have gone with a lighter gray from another set I have, but that's OK. My goal was to show a sort of floating shadow of the pattern. This one WAS relaxing and fun.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmmoqZWzTCgW07J-ZSxiqzuzsETX_9gXK_nQrpUXSv-vSURniODE568d6UXecuyTthc7TIQqPiJV2fQCsJ50cdbVaRHqgl0QAG5lOKkv6IjKpPpCYxX2hmRlaYjE6TaXAnBCNwx06pcw/s1600/Diva+Challenge+Munchin+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmmoqZWzTCgW07J-ZSxiqzuzsETX_9gXK_nQrpUXSv-vSURniODE568d6UXecuyTthc7TIQqPiJV2fQCsJ50cdbVaRHqgl0QAG5lOKkv6IjKpPpCYxX2hmRlaYjE6TaXAnBCNwx06pcw/s400/Diva+Challenge+Munchin+2.jpg" width="378" /></a></div>
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THAT'S NEW TO ME #41 - Z AND LIVIA CHUA<br />
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I chose Zazzy by Sue Clark and Reticulated by Livia Chua. I actually had to abort my first attempt at this because, no matter how hard I tried to love all of God's creatures, I just couldn't warm up to this cold blooded baby. Sorry sweetie.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpW0mF6laHHLULOcvKe_L9_qTXZNG84V8tn2hU_y5HreiA4-OYQP3zJZ8mkT0GLpyvA_thGtXFgVxFxro8QUgCeb-dT-OlQlTBY7N16gX7fKr5GSRr0nct36OhfSweVQtjMDE9FUdKr0w/s1600/TNTM+Z+can+not+do.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpW0mF6laHHLULOcvKe_L9_qTXZNG84V8tn2hU_y5HreiA4-OYQP3zJZ8mkT0GLpyvA_thGtXFgVxFxro8QUgCeb-dT-OlQlTBY7N16gX7fKr5GSRr0nct36OhfSweVQtjMDE9FUdKr0w/s200/TNTM+Z+can+not+do.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
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So, using the same two tangles, I decided to transform the rascal into a border and soften his look. This one I can snuggle up to. Haha!<br />
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SQUARE ONE: PURELY ZENTANGLE - POKEROOT</div>
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Let me say I saw some wonderful versions on FB of this tangle. This one is my one attempt, and although I'm OK with it, that's it. Just OK. I had fun with the shading. Moving on...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHPKPGK8Ggnr9bmqK1Pwa07a5jwMGDynAqzq8KAYbHs7LpJUT9dBpGK4hp-dCO1v7-828oQ_EDDIyYK7hCi8a5QA71eq5lvstDXXMaQJxb2XDP4xM_hnu54hLnWkNKa-fvWQx_zZWdbw/s1600/SQ1+Pokeroot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHPKPGK8Ggnr9bmqK1Pwa07a5jwMGDynAqzq8KAYbHs7LpJUT9dBpGK4hp-dCO1v7-828oQ_EDDIyYK7hCi8a5QA71eq5lvstDXXMaQJxb2XDP4xM_hnu54hLnWkNKa-fvWQx_zZWdbw/s400/SQ1+Pokeroot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So another week come and gone, dear readers. Thank you for stopping by and know that I cherish all your thoughts and welcome your participation in the Throwback challenge. <br />
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Namaste,<br />
Antonine
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Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-74852810843429172612015-10-12T09:40:00.000-07:002015-10-12T09:40:13.313-07:00PATTERN: OYBAYOYBAY<br />
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Back in late 2013 when I was still fairly new to Zentangle, but already loving it, my husband asked me to do a ZIA to put in our wine bar area in the kitchen. I took a piece of parchment look paper, printed a quote from Benjamin Franklin on it and tangled a wine bottle and glass. I burned the edges and mounted it on a really cool square plate charger from Pier One. It is a favorite piece in our home.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FJSc6PBbm15RBqrq7HFOW1KR9s3CaEDt9efL17psv1ghTluOUrBxUPabDGn2SBhAeVWCdZai_ErEeqeBv7ZH9Mp0sBtbCfbdWV3Zp7KO1JVUOJaPCPbCTubhQkjsGMgzDkMHvfGvtk8/s1600/wine+quote3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FJSc6PBbm15RBqrq7HFOW1KR9s3CaEDt9efL17psv1ghTluOUrBxUPabDGn2SBhAeVWCdZai_ErEeqeBv7ZH9Mp0sBtbCfbdWV3Zp7KO1JVUOJaPCPbCTubhQkjsGMgzDkMHvfGvtk8/s400/wine+quote3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />I created a border using a "roller coaster" line and used a shell type motif on one side and filled in a variety of tangles on the opposite side of the line. I never had a name for it, but I loved it!</div>
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Much later, in 2015, I finally worked the stepout for this pattern. It is pretty easy to draw, and offers the potential for countless variations and embellishments in "the bay" part. Hope you like it too!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1t5yVAZFJTrsI7iKP3ZYP_IGPrl__Xw9i3Jo8NqKUvCuLr5KQ6qMI9F1Sfl5kv9DH0k6zvLZiqD4UO8zc-0J4Rz1MychcLCiP_Z5Os45pEzPR_XJPklH9jO1vyf0P9bovQfms9O3pdaE/s1600/oybay-antonine-koval.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1t5yVAZFJTrsI7iKP3ZYP_IGPrl__Xw9i3Jo8NqKUvCuLr5KQ6qMI9F1Sfl5kv9DH0k6zvLZiqD4UO8zc-0J4Rz1MychcLCiP_Z5Os45pEzPR_XJPklH9jO1vyf0P9bovQfms9O3pdaE/s640/oybay-antonine-koval.jpg" width="482" /></a></div>
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Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310782872236065787.post-77076888551529948792015-10-12T09:26:00.000-07:002015-10-12T09:26:16.113-07:00PATTERN: FICHYIt's a bit Fichy to me...<br />
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I always loved patterns based on the Ogee grid, but found it difficult to make my curvy lines match up at the "touch points". I saw a new pattern by Tina Hunziker called Discolea, and was inspired to try again. In the description of the pattern, Linda Farmer included a tutorial on an alternate method of constructing the grid, and that's all it took for me. <br />
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I started working the grid, and sort of flipped Tina's approach on its side. Imagine my surprise when the little swimmers came into focus! So, what else? It became FICHY! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBRGI3L2s5gbDTzIxtkC0yo_IjhM23CmVsIc7qYEpzHW-j2SkBXrtFhP8EXHW5fxIESd3kfyD2XdOHJh9r4irsXSzN3SmoomCQnESvtXTRzB99cRpC7RkehBiw7xNN0325D_4HtQywIQ/s1600/Fichy+Stepout+web+vs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBRGI3L2s5gbDTzIxtkC0yo_IjhM23CmVsIc7qYEpzHW-j2SkBXrtFhP8EXHW5fxIESd3kfyD2XdOHJh9r4irsXSzN3SmoomCQnESvtXTRzB99cRpC7RkehBiw7xNN0325D_4HtQywIQ/s640/Fichy+Stepout+web+vs.jpg" width="474" /></a></div>
Antoninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11817878979363205768noreply@blogger.com1