zendala

I've been feeling a little out-of-sorts this past week, and decided to try mixing things up a little, in order to "shake it off".  

Generally when I tangle, the classic, square, white tile / black pen is my go-to.  I tend to use the black and renaissance tiles, and colored pens less often, and think of them as 'treats'.  Like one might think of, say ice cream - it's oh-so-yummy and fun to have, but not as a steady diet.  (Stick with me a sec, with the ice cream analogy)

If the colored tiles are like ice-cream - then I think of the Zendala tiles like a banana split with whip cream and chocolate sauce and strawberries and . . . well, I think you get the idea (and it's not good to drool on my keyboard!)

So, to get me out of this little funk I was in, I decided a Zendala would be the best medicine.  And if I was gonna 'treat' myself, I might as well make it a black Zendala tile!  Now, I have to confess that I've been a bit intimidated by Zendalas, so I haven't done a whole lot of them.  
To go easy on myself, I used one of the pre-strung tiles from z e n t a n g l e ®.   
tangled inklings, Carol Graham, http://tangledinklings.blogspot.ca/
It was exactly what I needed!  I'm feeling a whole lot better, and fairly pleased with how it turned out.  I might just be hooked!  In fact, I stayed up WAY too late last night looking through zendala templates over at The Bright Owl where a talented CZT named Erin Koetz Olson, posts a weekly Zendala Dare.  Check it out - they have WAY less calories than a banana split!


awesome year!


I am in the midst of an Awesome Year . . . quite literally!

I am participating in Joanne Sharpe's online workshop, Draw Your Awesome Year.  I am having an absolute blast, but I have been consumed with my journal - often neglecting pretty much everything else.  You know, stuff like dusting and vacuuming, grocery shopping, and every once and awhile - eating!  

One of my goals for the month January was to lose 5 pounds.  I lost 7, and there's a real good chance that was due to drawing and painting instead of snacking!

Carol Graham, Tangled Inklings, http://tangledinklings.blogspot.ca/
Title page of my Awesome Year journal
Though I haven't been doing tiles or keeping up with the Diva's Challenge, I have been tangling.  Zentangle is an awesome part of my awesome life, and makes regular appearances on the pages of my journal.  In fact, I think my life would be considerably less awesome without it!

And speaking of awesome, there are some pretty awesome artists participating in this class, including a super-talented CZT12 classmate of mine, Kathie Gadd.  There's a fantastic Facebook group where people post their work - and the talent out there just blows me away!  It is a wee-bit intimidated, but a whole-lot inspiring.

The class is self-paced, and designed to just jump in where you are.  While I started when it kicked off in January, people can join and start anytime.  I highly recommend it.