marți, 21 iulie 2015

Diva Challenge 227 and E from Estival.

Hello, hello, wonderful people ^^,
I hope you had a good start for this week. For me, this is the hardest week because I countdown the days until my holiday. I will be on the Black Sea shore, where I hope God and the Univers will forget me, lying on the sand, with the waves washing my ankles.
But, there si a long way until Friday - last day at the office, and even longer way until Sunday - first day on the beach. So, to be able to stop dreaming and focus on my work, I made some tangles. I tried simplicity again, because I really liked the airy zentangle tiles.



And, off course, I had to prepare my tiles for Diva's Challenge and for the weekly challenge on my blog. So, for the DIVA Challenge (Lee Darter this week), I used the required tangles and also I added some colours, because for me, Circus is about clowns with red noses and white faces.


And, for my weekly challenge, I used only tangles with the letter E(stival):  Echo, Emingle, Enyshou and Ennies. If  you would like to join, please subscribe your tiles bellow. It would be lovely to see what amazing things you can do only with 3-5 tabgles that start with an E.




miercuri, 15 iulie 2015

Less is more.

I think, sometimes, less is indeed more. This is what I thought when I saw this week Diva Challenge. I like the simple tiles, with that airy chic look.
But, before I show you my tile, please take a moment to look at some other tiles I made this days. The one bellow is my first tale made with official Zentangle® supplies: Sakura pens, official tiles, official penci, all send by my friend Debbie. The paper is so very different and, indeed, Sakura Pens work best on this kind of paper. And the shading is a different process on official tiles than on other papers.


To return her the wonderful gesture, I prepared a small package: Romanian pages and pages of a Romanian-English mini dictionary, to use them in her wonderful creations. I also added two liners. In Romania, Sakura liners are not to be found, so, before receiving liners from Debbie, I have used, and still use, Faber Castell's liner. I sent her 2 linner  - 0.1 and 0.2 /  to tell me what she thinks about them.
I also added some handmade "jewelry" I made. I like to make my own earrings, or pendants. I know hers are wonderful, but maybe she will like my humble ones too.
And last but not least, my tile for Diva Challenge:

Hope you like it, and if you have time and if you like, please feel free to join the challenge I am hosting.

luni, 13 iulie 2015

Dream it! Do it!

Hello, hello, my beautiful zen friends!
 Let me share with you two moments from my last week, moments that showed me what wonderful people are in the world.
My friend Debbie, who has an incredible talent (you can see that here, on her blog, or here on her FB page) and an incredible big heart, sent me some official zentangel tiles and sakura pens. I can not find them in Romania and bringing them from the USA...the transportation costs and fees will rise the price 3 times. :( I was so touched by the words she sent me, by the earrings she put in the envelope for me, that...I...I just needed a moment to sit down and cry for a little bit. Happy tears, no sadness...just speachless.

The secomnd moment was this Saturday, when I met some beautiful friends. With the help of my friend Madalina, who has an NGO with cultural themes, I was able to show the Zentangle method and Zentangle spirit to some wonderful people. I am not a CZT, but I wanted to see if here, in my country, I could make a Zentangle community, if they would be interested in tangling. And, for my surprise...they were. I think they liked it! And because I think that the best way is the "power of example" way, I showed them some patterns and watch them tangling. And the results are...wow!






So, this week was a busy week for my soul. I had never felt so overwhelmed by joy, emotions, and positive thoughts. Even now, when I remeber those moments, my soul makes somersault in my stomach :)
now, let's move to this week challenge. It is all about the patterns that start with a "D".
This is what I did, using DEx, Diva Dance, Diamon Drope and Discolea:


So, all you have to do is to choose 3-5 patterns and show the world what you created by leaving a link below:


marți, 7 iulie 2015

How do you C the world?

Hello, hello, my zen friends!
This week promises to be a busy one for me and an extremly hot one. It is 10.00 o'clock in the morning, and the sun is already burning the asphalt here, in my town. I think in 2 hours, the air will the impossible to breath. Thank God and the men who invented the air conditioner that I can find some nice and cold spaces to work :)
So, this week challenge..is about the letter C, and I named it "How do you C the world?". The rule ia to use for your tile 3-5  tangles that begin with a "C" and please leave your link bellow, so everybody can see how you C the world.
I used Camelia, Chard, Clove, CO2 and Capell.

marți, 30 iunie 2015

Tipple all the way.

Hello, hello, my zen firends,
This week, DivaCZT has a wonderful challenge. It is a monotangle tile, with Tipple. Lot and lots of circles :) I used string 162 and...a lot of Tipple :) Hope you like it!

luni, 29 iunie 2015

Challenge #2 Let it B!

Hello, hello, my zen friends,
I hope you had a wonderful week and that you will have an even greater one just about to start :)
Today is a special day for me, so I am in a rush to a party, an anniversary one, for me and hubby so... I just wanted to launch this week Challenge. I called it "Let it B!", because...well you guessed...it is about tangling using 3-5 tangels that start with a "b".
I used: Bandola, Beadlines, Beelight, Blox and Btl Joos.


So happy tangling everyone! I am looking forward to see your tiles, so do not forget to put them below:

marți, 23 iunie 2015

Diva Challenge, an invitation and updates to my swaps.

Hello, my zen friends,
This week, the pretty Diva CZT  has a wonderful challenge, but before I show you my tile, please let me show you my first zentangle mail art. It is for a swap on swap-bot. I sent it today, in Germany and I really hope it will arrive on time. The post office here is stuck in the stone age! I went to the Central Post Office and asked them to mail the letter and when the clerk at the counter saw my envelope she looked at me like I was an alien or something and she said she has never seen an envelope like that and she can not receive it. I asked why, and she said that she has no space to put a date stamp on the envelope. She put a postal stamp and and an "airmail" sticker and asked me to put the envelope in the mailbox. It will be picked up today at 17.00. I really hope it will arrive safe.



Now, let's go back to challenges. When I was first discovered Zentangle and ZIAs, I also discovered Diva's Weekly Challenge. That challenge helped me to practice, It motivated me to make a tile at least once a week. So, I think that challenges are a great idea and I would like to host one. I got this idea while looking for tangles. There are a lot of tangles outhere. I know that there is a catalogue on Tangle Patterns.com, but I am also working on a catalogue with patterns. My intention was to start with the tangles that begin with an "a", next week to go to the tangels with a "b", and so one. But...well, there are so many tangles out there that, one week is not enought. I will try to make my catalogue once a month. For the moment the catalogue is for my own use only, to learn new tangles and to discover new possibilities,  but the challenge is opened to everybody.
So the here are the rulles: make one tile, using from 3 to 5 tangles whose names start with  letter "A". Shade, color, do whatever you feel, you want or you think it is best for you. And then please put your link so all of us could enjoy it.
This is my tile:

I used arrowheads, agua, amoeba, arcotres and arukas.
Now, for the DIVA Challenge,  this is the tile that I made this morning, while drinking my coffee:
Hope you like it! And hope you will sign in for the weekly challenge that I am trying to host. I how that Zentangle comunity is a very nice one, with beautiful people, with a lot of talent and a lot of friendship to share.

miercuri, 17 iunie 2015

Rainbow and infinity.

This are some busy days for me. I did send the bookmarks in the world and an ATC just arrived at my swap partener's home, over the ocean, in USA. So glad! So, I laminated the bookmarks and I attached them a handmade charm. Well except for the one sent in Australia because of the strict mail legislation they have over there.



The charms are handmade, with beads, threads and knots.
I am really into zentangle and I started to see patterns all over the place. So, inspired by the Constantin Brancusi's Infinity Column sculpture, I came up with a pattern. 

I do not know if it does not already exist. If it does and you know the name and the author please let me know. If it does not and you would like to use it, please feel free to do it. If you will mention the name of pattern and my name, it will be very nice of you.
And let's not forget about this week challenge from Diva CZT. It is all about te rainbow. I used Jay and Nipa as patterns, and Koh-I-Noor water color pencils. It was a lot of fun to color the orbs and the Jay pattern. Hope you like it!

miercuri, 10 iunie 2015

Beads of courage.

Well, hello, my dear zen friends. It has been a busy period of time, but I try my best to zen and to tangle. I have some international swaps that i'm into in this summer. Some of the ZIA works that I have been made are already in their way to my swap parteners. Others are still in progress. Like this two bookmars that I am making for an international swap. They are not ready. I have to attach them a charm that I will make out of thread and knots. One will go to Australia, and one will go to UK. I have to make a third one, for a partner in the USA, but I am still looking for the inspiration. I think they will be ready by tomorrow.

For this week's challenge, the DIVA CZT proposed a tile inspired by the Beads of Courage. I think those kids are amazing, real fighters, real sourvivers.
So, this is my entry for this week:

Hope you like it and please go to DIVA's blog to see other wonderful entries for this challenge.

marți, 2 iunie 2015

All boxed up.

Hello, Hello, my zenfriends,
What a wonderfull challenge from DivaCZT. Please check her blog and watch the beautiful tiles created by everybody that singed up for this week challenge.
So, we have to use All Boxed up, a very intersting pattern created by Alice Hendon.
Oh, well, this is my entry for thsi week. I used All boxed up, Hollibaugh, Bales, Balo, Plait and some   circles on black background.

joi, 28 mai 2015

My first swap.

Hello, hello my zen friends.
I signed up for the first swap in my life. Here, in my country ATC and swaps are not usual. Actually, nobody knows about theme and nobody practice them. But, I found a wonderful international 2 phases Swap, hosted by a very talented lady, who was so kind to receive me on board even if I am a newbie.
The idea for the first stage is to draw only the borders, and in the second phase, the receiver will tangle the middle and send the 2 ATC to a new partner.
I think it is a great idea, and I wanted to share with you my 2 entries for this first phase of the swap:

So, what do you think?

luni, 25 mai 2015

Line up, guys!

Hello, hello, my wonderful friends!
This week, the wonderful Diva Lady launched another challenge. It is all about the lines. Only lines. No curves. This is my first atempt. I used Belline, Cubine, Hollibaugh and another one that it was inspired from embroidery, but I am sure that someone have already singed it up as a zentangle pattern. So, if you know the name, please let me know.

I say "first" because I want to make another one this week cause I have found a great source of inspiration: romanian folklore embroidery. On  clothes, on special Easter eggs, those patterns are extremly beautiful. I will try to deconstruct them and apply to zentangle. I think some of them are already in the zentangle patterns'gallery, like the one I have used for the challenge.
 



Something from the weekend and a question for my zen friends.

Hello, hello my dear zen friends!
I wanted to show you what I did this weekend. I needed to practice a little more, to discover new patterns, to learn how to add shadows and light, how to add perspective. But, must of all, I wanted to relax, to take the most out of the sunny days, of the smell of my peonies. I do not have a garden, so I always buy flowers from the old ladies that I find in the corner of the streets, on my way home or on my way to the office.
And I wanted to share with you the music that inspired and calmed me in this weekend: fado. Here it is the song I have listened on "repeat"while I was zentangling:



I shared those with my friends on Facebook, so I had to give them a name.

joi, 21 mai 2015

White on black - Diva Challenge.

Hello, hello, my zen friends,
I wanted to participate in DIVA weekly challenge. This week we have to do a white on black tile piece of work. I my town I could not find an white gel pen, nor a black pen&ink special paper. So, i used a black color normal paper and a Koh-I-Noor white pencil.
I am not very happy with the results, but I am glad I had the chance to practice more with some patterns.
For someone who is just starting to learn zentangle, white on black  is a little...weird.
So, here it is my tile for this week challenge:



miercuri, 20 mai 2015

It is all about four dots.


When I first saw a zentangle tile I was mesemerised. All those lines, patterns, tangles. I imagined that it took hours of planing, tones of talent and inspiration to creat that.
After reading about zentangle, I realized that it is all about patterns and all about...allowing your mind and hands to be free! I learned some patterns in the internet and I said it is time to zentangle.
And I took a white piece of paper, a pen, a liner. And trust me, I stood and looked at that piece of paper for minutes after minutes. I did not know where to start. I thought it is my fault. I have no inspiration. I am not an artist. I do not know how to draw. How can I arrange the patterns, what patterns to use, where do I start? 
And then I read a zentangle book and I found out about the four points. Four dots in the corners of a tile. Revelation to my eyes!

 The paper is no longer white! I have something to start from! It was amazing! The four dots in the corners and the free hand outline that unites them,  it is all you need to start. After the pen will flow from one dot to another, your mind will follow the pen movement. The white paper blockage it is broken! You do not belive me? Try it!
And from that, this is what I came up with:

Let me zentangle with you.

Hello, people!
I love to tangle my dreams. I need to zen. So, this is how I ended up inlove with this art doodle.
I still learn, I still strugle to let my mind flow free on the paper and not thinking what do I do next? What pattern should I choose? Is this flower to small?
So, if you like zentangle, if you like the colours of my dreams, or if you only see the life in balck and white, please stop by and learn with me, and dream with me!