Easter Zentangle

Tonight's effort whilst watching "Midwives" - I wanted to do something with a word - and Easter just sprang to mind.  I had intended to do just the wording in colour, but I got sort of carried away with the promarkers!

I am hoping that I can soon get my hands on the new 2012 spring colours - think it would look good in those!

Mags

Neigh!

A card for a horse lover today.  Image and baking paper  from Joanna Sheen Furry Friends cd, mounted on a pearlescent card.  Computer generated sentiment and the flowers were the "waste" from a Tonic punch. 

Thanks for dropping by.

Mags

With Love

I make no apologies - another "tangle", but this time using a stamped image.  Stamped with memento ink and then tangled, and coloured and edged with promarkers (Cool Aqua, Pastel Green) and highlighted with Cool Grey1, and mounted on pearlescent card stock.

I discovered that the piece of left over pearlesecent card in my stash wasn't quite big enough for a proper matt and layer, but I think I have discovered a new effect!    I also drew on the faux ribbon which was another piece of the pearlescent card.  (OK - there is absolutely no hope for me - I have completely lost the plot now - it appears I have a tangled brain !)  :-))

Just for comparison here is a photo of the original stamped image, before I tangled it.

I have made another card today (non-tangled) so will share that tomorrow to give you a respite from my tangling!

Thanks for popping by.

Mags

Hugs Tangle

"Hugs"

There was much excitement in the road yesterday with two fire-engines and a the fast response ambulance car outside our friends house.  The had a fire in the kitchen.  My pal thinks she must have left something on after she had cooked their lunch.    They are ok, although my pal suffered some smoke inhalation.   I haven't seen them today, think they must be staying with family.  No doubt it will take a while to get things sorted, and as her hubby is currently on crutches they will no doubt have to get the family involved in the cleaning up.

I am sure she will be distraught, as her craft corner is just off the kitchen and I can't begin to imagine what the smoke will have done to all her cardstock, ribbons etc.

Having finished my household chores and done a bit of gardening (vacuuming up more of the dreaded leaves to fill the bin ready for collection this week) I decided to try and create a "Hugs" card for them.    For a change having done the tangle, I then used some promarkers to colour and highlight it.

It was a complete experiment, but I am rather pleased with it, particularly when I found I had exactly the right colour pearlescent card to matt it onto.

Thanks for looking

Mags x

Three Generations Now Hooked .......

....... on Zentangle.



Zen and red



This is what I did last night whilst watching TV - a punched flower and a zentangle with a touch of red!  and the following are my Daughter's and nine-year old Granddaughter's first attempts.  Think these are loads better than mine - but of course they do have the book on Zentangle and the kit that I bought my Daughter for her birthday for inspiration!  I have also gone right to the edge of my square of card for this one.

Think I am going to have to go down the less is more route as we have all used the same sized card to start with (9 cm square).



Daughter's first attempt




Granddaughter's first attempt

 How good is that for a nine-year old!  -   and then my daughter got really good at it:



D's second attempt




K Zentangle



I absolutely love what she has done with this K - (going to have to try out that block design) and obviously my granddaughter did as she asked her Mum to do one with an E for her !



E for my granddaughter

 I am going to have to do a lot more playing I can see - or else ask my daughter to do an M for me. 

Are any of you inspired to get hooked on this zentangle doodling yet?

Mags

Crafter's Birthday Card

This is the card I have made for my daughter.   As soon as I saw this image on MCS Crafty Characters cd - I just knew I had to use it!  I decoupaged the image and on one of the lower layers I cut down between the doors, so that it looked as though it really was bursting at the seams!  The backing paper is also from the cd as is the blue sentiment shape, which I added the words to in MCS before printing.  A bit of matting on to blue pearlescent card, a bit of ribbon and some flowers to complete the effect. 

I used the same backing paper on the insert, but made it a lot fainter.

and as I mentioned in my earlier Zentangle posting, here is another one I did as a present tag.

Zentangle present tag

Happy Birthday Daughter!


Mags

Turquoise Daisies

Turquoise Daisy Muffins

It's my daughter's birthday tomorrow, and I thought I really ought to make a cake or something for her.  (You never know I might get nvited to tea!).   The cake mix is lemon flavour sponge.



Close up - showing the sparkle!

I also made a single layer cake with the mixture - and just iced it very simply (oops shame I didn't realise the name was a bit wobbly - but still she knows I am a bit wobbly these days! LOL! )  Actually I have now straightened it up - that'll teach me not to use the straight edge to position the letters!

I didn't have a suitable new board, so had to use a square red charger!



Birthday Cake

 Thanks for dropping by.

Mags

More Zentangle .....

... so ok, I admit it I am hooked!  I watched some more videos today:



Mooka and Betweed Zentangle



The first of today's efforts was created after watching Zentangle's "Mooka" and "Betweed" videos.  I followed their instructions for the initial "square" of the Zentangle.

Mooka is the ones with the squiggle lines, and the Betweed is the one across the middle.  I also tried a bit of blending with a pencil, but I need to treat myself to a soft B pencil so I can blend with my fingers.  ( I only had HBs in the house).   I hope if you click on the picture you can see the pencil shading.  (I might have to save them as larger images as the new Blogger doesn't seem to make the pictures large when you click on them anymore.

I started with the Betweed across the middle and then did the lower Mooka,  I prefer that to the one at the top, as don't really like the black background.  I had to add some sort of flower patterns to bring it to life more.  I need a bit more practise with these two designs.

I then decided to try White on Black:



Black on White Random Designs

This wasn't so easy, although I did do the freehand outline on the black card with pencil for the basic layout of the sections before I  put pen to paper.  I tried my inkessentials white pen, which although it has a fine nib, it didn't seem to like the black card - maybe I need some smoother card.  I ended up using a White Soufflé pen, and although you it doesn't show up in the picture I used a sakura sparkle pen.  It looks quite effective in real life.  As  you can see I included a bit of Mooka on it.

The "basket-weave" in the bottom left triangle had sparkle between the elements, and the right-hand bottom triangle was highlighted with sparkle too, as well as some of the other sections - the section that looks like a ships rigging, in real life looks likes lots of little quilted pillows.  I went over the outside of the outline with a  bullet-nib White Pen-Touch pen to give it a bit more definition.

The white on black I think needs to have a larger scale pattern, if I am to use Sakura pens, as the lines are much thicker using them.

I have signed up to a blog which gives you a free Zentangle pattern each week to try. http://blog.suzannemcneill.com/, and I also think I saw a site which gives lots of samples of patterns.   Think I shall make myself  little notebook with designs in it.

Mags

First Zentangle

My first Zentangle

I have been doodling tonight or Zentangling.  I have had so much fun.  I have placed the image on a card for the purpose of photographing it - so it may end up on a card, or it may end up in a picture frame.  It didn't take very long (and in fact I did another one tonight - which I will share at the weekend - the reason for the delay will become obvious then!).

Whilst we were at Sandown, we watched a demonstration of Zentangle, which I already knew about having watched Barbara Gray on C&C.    My daughter had never seen it before, and I knew she would love it as she is a great "doodler" (as I used to be when I was at work taking notes at meetings, or taking dictation, etc  and doodles would appear on my notebook if the meeting was boring or whilst my boss was on the phone!).

The upshot was that I offered to buy her a starter pack and instruction book as part of her Birthday present.  Well I have been very very good, and tempted as I was to have a peak at the book, I have refrained !  However, I did this afternoon google Zentangle, and having watched some videos, my fingers were itching to pick up a pen!

I cut the shape of the paper with my Making Memories wavy cutter and created a random shape and then went from there, using the inspiration from videos and patterns I found on the net.   The demonstrator we saw at Sandown actually used pencil and a blender pencil to give some shading, but obviously as I don't have that mine are just black and white.  I used a Letraset 0.1 Fine Line Drawing Pen, and filled in some of the bigger blocks with a black Promarker, for quickness.  I also edged the finished design with the Promarker.  

Close-up  of the Zentangle

The pack I bought for my daughter also had some template patterns for things like Christmas Trees, Valentine Hearts, etc - so can't wait for her to open her present and learn more!  I am already thinking along the lines of using my Paint Fusion Stamps and Zentangling them!

The demonstrator also showed us examples of coloured Zentangles using jelly pens - and in particular using a white pen and also Sakura clear sparkle on black card.!   ooooo can't wait to try that - I have an Inkessentials White pen in my stash, as well as the Sakura Clear Sparkle  (I use it so much that I even know the number of that pen - 700!)  (Am also wondering if my old blender pen in my felt pen stash might work too on the pencil ..... ?)

Sorry for the rambling - but you will gather I am rather hooked!  Do have a try for yourself - I gather it is all the rage in the States, and is considered to be Yoga for the Brain!

Mags

Playing about

I decided to have a play tonight with some recent purchases, some I bought at New Year in the Craft Barn half price sale, and some I bought at Sandown Show on Saturday.  No recipient in mind at the moment - so one for the box! 

The main topper is created from lemon papermania paper and purple mirri using a Nellie Snellen die.   The strip along the bottom was created with my new Tonic Studios Simplicity Patterned Punch - "Daisy Strip" (from Crafty Devils), and the fancy circles from a Martha Stewart punch, using papermania pearlescent card, and I used the little flowers from the centre of the Daisy Strip to decorate the main topper.   Finished off with a couple of pearls from a sheet also purchased from Crafty Devils and a white sparkly peel-off greeting from my stash.

I am loving the new Tonic punches - takes a bit of practise to keep them in line, but am getting there.  I also bought the Celtic Strip which is gorgeous!

Thanks for looking.

Mags.