Zentangle Challenge #205 - Year of the Goat

Happy Chinese New Year! This week's Diva challenge from Laura at www.iamthedivaczt.blogspot.ca is to bring some Chinese New Year to our tile. It's the year of the goat - no one in my immediate family is a goat according to the Chinese Horoscope, so I decided to use tangles that represented other Chinese symbols typical of this celebration - part of a dragon, lanterns, and firecrackers! On another note - here in Toronto it is frustratingly cold! This is looking to possibly be the coldest month of Feb. ever! I've been able to get out and do a bit of walking - totally bundled up - and we have had a lot of sun, but I'm really looking forward to spring now! I'm off to Vancouver (White Rock) for a few days and it's considerably warmer and spring-like there. Then back to Toronto for 4 days, and off to Cuba for a week! Oh, I'm so looking forward to being able to go outside without boots, hats, several layers, mega gloves…. I'm blessed to have a wonderful step-daughter who will come stay and care for our house and kitties while we're gone. It will likely be at least a couple of weeks before I post again, but I'm going to tangle while in cafe's and on beaches!

Zendala Dare #97

This is my Zendala for this week's Zendala Dare from Erin at www.thebrightowl.blogspot.com. Another challenging zendala… what to do with all those tear-drop shapes? Take a look at her blog to see the template. I'm really trying hard not to pre-plan to use certain tangles, and trying not to anticipate which tangle "goes with" another tangle. I also trying to get back to leaving white space - I used to be more comfortable with it, but seem to be getting into the habit of trying to fill everything in… In this Zendala I used the first and next tangles that crossed my mind, stopped before I really wanted to, but am glad I did, - and so, here you go!

Zendala Dare #96

This week's Zendala Dare was a challenging one, I thought. Love these dares and challenges though - they make me a bit uncomfortable, yet stimulated. I did the outside bits first, got stuck and was just about to set this particular dare aside when an inspiration came to me during a yoga class (yeah, I know I'm not supposed to let my mind wander…). And so again I'm reminded that it is best to just let the tangles just happen rather to try to plan it all out and try to find new or perfectly complimentary tangles… It doesn't show well in the scan, but the colours are a bit more intense, the printemps has a sepia tone, and there is blue between the flowers and the border. I'm quite happy with this one, and to me it feels like a bit of a rock garden….

Zentangle Challenge #204 - Valentangle

This week's Zentangle Challenge from Laura at www.iamthedivaczt.blogspot.ca is to incorporate a valentine theme. I started out with a heart string in the middle… then picked up a red micron and drew a grid with some hearts in corners, then randomly selected 4 tangles from my workbooks. Like it, yes, but am not feeling the "love". So, maybe I'll have to do another!

Zendala Dare #95

Yeah! Erin of www.thebrightowl.blogspot.com is back with her wonderful Zendala templates! I'm so, so, very happy! These take me longer than other challenges or practices it seems, but I enjoy them so much! My first look at this week's template I saw beehives and well, not much else. But after a bit of thought, and playing around by using the template as a "guideline", this is what I came up with. Yup, I'm happy with it and would love to hear your thoughts. Now to go check out the other entries! So glad to see Erin back!!

Zentangle Challenge #203 - UMT Athitzi

This week's Zentangle Challenge by Laura at www.iamthedivaczt.blogspot.ca is to "Use My Tangle" - this one is by Eleanor Holt and is called Athitzi. Well, I'll certainly be looking to see what others have done, and I love her circles in the example given, but this is one tangle that just doesn't make me feel Zen. There is that part of me that, though I'm not a perfectionist, I still want to feel tidy and somewhat in control. This tangle stressed me because to me it looks so untidy! I decided to try to let go and play with it as a monotangle and shading around the areas that were the most irregular and uneven… My finished tile looks somewhat better in person than the scan, but I'm truly not happy with it. But there you go - I tried it, and am looking forward to seeing if I get more inspiration from the other entries!