Home Again! (For Now Anyway)

September 10, 2015September 10, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 10 Comments

Whew, this has been a super busy month already. After the week in San Francisco, I had to make a mostly unplanned trip to Arizona to deal with some family matters. I will leave this off as my mother’s increasing dementia making me feel trapped in an episode of “Hoarders” and really overwhelmed for a bit.

But, on a brighter note, I did get my giant Opus tile finished, as Gridiculous as it is. (Gridiculous is the name Jenni Perruzzi has given her Zencil system to line out Opus-sized tiles. You can find this on etsy.) I had a few openings still left when this week’s Diva Challenge (#234) was issued, for a UMT (Use My Tangle) by Chris Titus for her tangle CanT. Of course, I felt the need to include it on my all grid based tangle project, and kill 2 birds with one stone!

Of course, Opus is a larger tile, so this took a while. If you want to do one of your own, I will be teaching this as a class on September 26th.

I have to get back to the unpacking and get ready for a class tonight. My month of travels is still ongoing, as I get ready to head to Tangle Island in Canada next week. (I have never been to Canada…this is super exciting for me.)

Oh, and I fixed the glitch in my etsy store. I finally got the postage issues straightened out, and the ordering works fine now.

Stay Crazy My Friends (and join me on MeetUp and my Facebook page when you get a chance!)

And the Week Just Flies By!

August 31, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 13 Comments

This past, and this next, are probably the busiest weeks I’ve have in some time. We had a trip to San Francisco (planned months in advance) that we just returned from last night. Just shy of a week on the road, doing something we don’t normally do (drive,) we had some fun along the way (an overnight in Santa Cruz and a Giants game,) and were able to celebrate the life and passing of Mike’s beautiful sister, Marie, who would have been 60 this past Saturday. We were able to scatter her ashes in the Bay, and on the hill behind the house she grew up in, and it was the most beautiful day weather-wise, and she would have loved it.

This week, the Diva has RETURNED form her well deserved vacation, and #233 is for Zenith! Zenith is the newest “official” tangle, and it makes a great border. I did this cutie with the Bijou inserted.

Since I didn’t get my post up for last week’s Diva Challenge (#232, with Holly Atwater as the guest Diva,) here it is! I chose to do the Betweed portion, and I plan on going back to do the meditations later (again…busy week!)

And I made the news this week! There was a pretty cool article in 2 of the local papers here this week, complete with my picture.

http://myvalleynews.com/health/army-veteran-opens-zentangle-meditative-drawing-art-class-to-heal-pstd-and-depression/

I also started a MeetUp Group…so if you are in the area, join us there, I will be announcing class times and free meets on there as well as here on the blog.

http://www.meetup.com/Zentangle-in-Wine-Country-Temecula/

That’s it for now…I have to get back to the laundry so I can repack to leave for Arizona on Thursday. This little unplanned trip came up a week or so back when it was decided that my mom needs to live where she can be supervised. For now, that is with my brother and sister-in-law, in Arizona. So, I am headed out to help close up the house and get it ready to sell. And it’s hot….

Stay Crazy My Friends!

I Shall Flourish!

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 7 Comments

Oh, I do love botanicals, and I love to flourish, but I don’t seem as good at it most of the time. My “style” is a bit more heavy and graphic, and I am comfortable with that.

But this week, I went out on a limb and went all flourishy with 3 different tiles for this weeks Diva guest blogger, Sharla Hicks, CZT. For Challenge #231, she tasked us with undulating S’s and C’s. These are the backbone of her beautiful botanical style, which I have always enjoyed trying, and have now adapted to my Zentangle style.

The first one, I did on black Stonehenge, with a white Gelly Roll, chalk pastels, and my trusty glitter pen.

The second pass, I tried out the Storm Blue Artagain.

And finally, I wanted to tangle with a fountain pen. This was done in J. Herblin Stormy Gray on Pearl Gray Stonehenge. Using a fountain pen was a lot of fun, and it really made me slow down a lot.

Lots happening around the shop…we have a lighted sign now!

We also had a great class on Flat Kumihimo Braids.

Keep an eye out for date announcements for Quilts of Valor meet ups at the shop to cut fabric, and maybe even do a little sewing.

Samples are being worked on for the September Patriot Tangles Class (hand colored tiles by me!) and the Spook-tacular October Class. Options for October will be to make this cool cat or a pumpkin…just a preview!

Off to finish a few things…and watch baseball! (Go Giants!) I can’t wait to go to AT&T Park next week to see them in person!

Stay Crazy My Friends!

Why…Big?

August 15, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 9 Comments

Ok…so I did it again. I tend to go a bit overboard with my visions of grandeur when the Diva Challenge comes out, and this time it came back to bite me. I finally finished this tonite during the Giant’s absolute rout of the Nationals! (if you are not a baseball fan, it’s ok…I still like you!)

Laura is still on vacation, so Erin Olsen, CZT, from thebrightowl.com was our guest blogger for Challenge #230. Erin hosts a weekly challenge on her site called the Zendala Dare, so this week, she dared us Diva-style. The template was cool, and available in 3 sizes, but of course I chose the biggest one.

I decided it really looked like a color wheel, and on Clearprint 16 lb Vellum, it came out pretty cool. I am going to mount this in a double mat so it can have light shining thru it, as it looks pretty cool that way.

And it wasn’t like I didn’t do anything else this week. I finally got to play with my Tints on Tan kit that has been sitting on my workbench for a while now, and have the following efforts to share. The first one is on Renaissance Tan Zentangle Tile (3.5″ sq)

And then I decided I needed to go a little bigger, and try some different paper. This one is on Stonehenge Kraft (6″ sq) – which is available in my etsy store (or you can email me at CharKatTangles at gmail.com to get some.)

And then a seascape…5.75″ x 4″ on Stonehenge Kraft, mounted on a double mat card.

Been working on the web site all week, fixing the schedule. I have buy it now buttons on the class dates…hopefully that makes it easy! And the course dates are listed with their descriptions, rather than on a different page.

And…back to work. No rest for the crazy!

Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces

August 4, 2015August 4, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 5 Comments

This weeks Diva Challenge (#229) is from Guest Blogger Sandy Hunter, CZT, who tasked us with using negative space as a focal point. I decided to pull out my name plate that my friend, Suzanne Wilka, CZT, made for me as part of our “swag bag” for our Day at the Bay get together back in April.

The whole time I was working on this, I was thinking of the first album (CD…whatever…I’m old…) that I ever heard from a band called Seether. It’s title is Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces. I worked a bit bigger than usual this week, so it was challenging to keep that white space in the middle clear! (although, I have to tell you, that I am probably going to color it and gild my name this week…I think it would be pretty.)

Had a great class this week on Black Tiles. Only one student, so we had some fun.

We did her Intro class before the shop opened, but here is what we did then.

Been playing a little catch up on things, so here is a tile I did for Diva #226 – Simplicity. I had dyed this tile with Distress Ink and Pearl Spray. It was such a pretty color I didn’t want to do too much to it!

Well…another week on the books at CharKat’s Creative Insanity! The etsy Shop is up and running, but its just paper for now. In case you have never tangled on Stonehenge papers, you are in for a real treat…hop on over to check it out…Just click here!

That’s it for now! Be sure to check out the class schedule, I have plenty of space!

Stay Crazy My Friends!

My Obsession with Sea Life Continues!

July 28, 2015July 28, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 5 Comments

I used to have an 80 gallon salt water fish tank. I researched and obsessed on every detail before I ever put a fish in it (those little suckers are expensive!) While it was a lot of work to monitor and maintain, I really enjoyed it.

I tend to seek out aquariums wherever I travel, and I can stare at the seahorses for hours. And then, I saw a Leafy Sea Dragon (I think the first time was in Boston.) I was hooked. While I was teaching the Girl Scouts a few weeks ago, I was demonstrating a version of Flux with a curl (thanks Marie Browning,) and one of the girls said it looked like a seahorse, so I morphed one off on a side bar into a little guy.

When this weeks Diva Challenge Guest Blogger Cari Sultanik, CZT gave us the theme “Nature” for Challenge #228, I knew I had to use my new little buddy on a ZIA!

Tangled on Stonehenge in Pearl Gray with a Tombow Fudenosuke Dual Tip Brush Pen (One end is black, the other is gray…very handy,) Derwent Graphitint and Metallic pencils, and some Gelly Roll Glitter and Decorese highlights.

Teaser: The Stonehenge and Tombow products will be available soon in my new etsy (CharKatTangles) store! Mark it and check back often…I’m adding new things daily (and mostly paper!)

It’s been a busy week around the shop. I welcomed everyone in on Friday with some snacks and fun. Mike brought me flowers.

And had our first class on Saturday. We had fun with some tangles and laughs…with this result (the unfinished ones are mine!)

I also received a package from my friend Jim Hill, in Egypt. He sent me a fresh batch of hibiscus tea, and some papyrus!

I did a little practice tangling on the papyrus to see if it would work, and I think it was a grand success. Papyrus is water resistant, so the Tombow Mono Twin marker really did a nice job of covering without losing the really cool weave of the natural fibers.

I think that’s it for now. If you are in the area, be sure to check out the class list/schedule. I’m really looking forward to making more stuff with awesome people!

Stay Crazy My Friends!

Life is a Circus – All The Time!

July 23, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 6 Comments

That’s how I feel this week. Too much to look at, think about, do, go….it never ends! But isn’t that what makes it fun?

CharKat’s Creative Insanity (27309 Jefferson Ave, Suite 102, Temecula, CA 92590) officially opens for business tomorrow. I’ve put together a nice selection of classes, but alas, no one has signed up yet. I think being there and minding the shop for a bit may drive interest, but I am thinking about listing some of the classes on MeetUp and EventBrite to see which one would bring in more students.

Part of the ongoing circus this week was our annual trip to Rock Fest (in Cadott, Wisconsin.) I am still recovering from that! I did tangle while I was there, and finished a previous Diva Challenge (#224 – Tipple Monotangle.) This was one of my dyed tiles using Hibiscus Tea, but you will hear more about those when I Guest Blog the Diva in September!

This week’s Diva Challenge (#227 – Circus) comes from Guest Blogger Lee Darter, CZT, who reminisced about her families summer vacation to Florida, and the off season home of Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey Circus. I love the circus. So much is always going on, so many things to see and experience that you don’t always know where to look, for fear of missing out on something. Life is like that lately. I have the attention span of a gnat!

The cacophony going on in this started with me buying a spiral maker (remember the Spirograph?) And while I have been moving things to the shop, I found the Neopiko-3 marker sets I bought several years ago at ComicCon (and they were not cheap!) They are water based, and can be used on fabric, which is why I had to have them (and subsequently forgot I bought them.) So…Fabriano Medioevalis paper in 4.75 x 4.75, and all these things going on! I love this paper. The Micron glides on it, and it takes colors so nicely.

And talking about paper, I am going to start offering paper packs of tiles in my etsy store. I have “tangle tested” lots of different papers, and have found ones that I just love to make art on, specifically Zentangle Inspired Art, or even just Zentangle on a different color or texture of paper. I will have offerings in 3.5 x 3.5, 6×6, 6×9, 12×12, and anything else that people seem to want. The Fabriano Medioevalis comes in packs of 100, so I will make them into smaller bundles (10-12) in the 4.75×4.75 and 2.5 x3.75 sizes. They have 4 deckled edges and are just so pretty! I should have those up in the next week, and will post a link.

Gotta get back to the circus that is my life…Stay Crazy My Friends!

Waiting for Paint to Dry

June 10, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 8 Comments

So this week seems to have a theme with me. It all started Sunday, with the talk at church being about living a balanced life. New Thought has a lot of great philosophy on what that entails and I won’t go into it, but needless to say it got me thinking.

Monday, we had a meeting of our San Diego Tanglers friendship group…where we did a cool project with alcohol inks. They dry on non-porous surfaces almost instantly, but you have to handle them delicately. The balance here is to find harmony in getting the right effect BEFORE the paint dries. It can be a bit tricky, but it can be done.

(I haven’t sealed this yet, but I wanted to scan it first, in case I ruin it. Tangled with a black Sakura Permapaque (fine point) and a white Sakura Decorese pen. Kinda fun. I am going to do some additional tiles and see how they hold up to different sealers.)

And this weeks Diva Challenge (#221) was on Beads of Courage. This is a great program that works to balance the lives of children in medical care with rewarding bravery in going through their procedures with beads, which they collect to show how brave they have been.

For me, beads are colorful, so of course I needed to add color. I decided to use my Derwent Inktense and Metallics (watercolor pencils) and on paper, those need to dry pretty thoroughly between steps. Again…balance…I want to get the tile done, but I don’t want to smear the pretty colors…patience.

I got to thinking about the balance in my own life, and how courage plays into that balance. For me…there has always been both beauty and duty. Sometimes, they are joined, and sometimes, there is a very thin line separating them. The Army and my dad taught me plenty of duty and obligation, but there are times when I want to just do nothing but create art. Finding the balance where they can be together is divine!

On Square One this week, the focus is Msst.

So I’ve decided what I’m gonna do now
So I’m packing my Avreal for the Mssty Mountains
Where the Onamatos go now
Over the Tagh where the Festunes fly

I know I usually don’t wax this philosophically, but there is a lot going on in our lives right now, and most of it is requiring me to be a lot more patient than I usually tend to be. I am looking into opening my own creative space here in Temecula, so doing the due diligence for that seems to be taking up a huge space in my brain.

But…a tangle a day keeps the psychiatrist at bay!

Stay Crazy My Friends!

This is What Normal Looks Like…

June 2, 2015June 2, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 14 Comments

So, this is the start of what a normal week is going to look like, I suppose. Still working out some logistics, waiting for my business license to come in the mail so I can open a business checking account. Just normal business stuff I guess.

This week’s Diva Challenge (#220) was a UMT (Use My Tangle) called All Boxed Up by Alice Hendon. I had not previously tried this one, so I decided to mono tangle it on another one of Caren Mlot’s pretty colored tiles. More straight lines this week…I seem to be getting a lot of practice in them lately!

This week’s theme in my studio is “Finish What You Started.” I am thinking that is going to be the theme for the next 6 months, as I probably have way too many projects going at once. I did finish this cool Flextangle that I started a week or so ago. I think it’s pretty nifty, and will probably offer it as a class later on.

If you are feeling adventurous…you can get the template here. If you are going to tangle on it, I highly recommend you use a mixed media paper (I used the Canson XL Mixed Media, cut to 8.5×11 and printed on my inkjet.) I tangled with regular Micron (I used an 05 to speed things up a bit) and Irojiten colored pencils…and a little metallic Gelly Roll. (Gotta have some sparkle!) There are some tricks to getting the folds right…and getting the tabs to stick inside. You can see it in action on this video (sorry, I haven’t gotten the hang of videoing myself yet.)

And…not to get left out, this weeks Square One focus tangle was Rain. “All I can say is that my Fife is pretty plain. I like watching the Punzel’s gather Rain.”

And it was quite fitting, as I was in Texas last week for my step-son’s wedding. And Rain it did! And thunder…and humidity…at least my hair was curly! And this little guy…was just the cutest thing ever! (yep…my step-grandson…)

So, on that note, I have to get back to work. Finishing up some logistics to teach at Wine Down Wednesdays in July at Sip & Paint Studio in Temecula. Details will be forthcoming!

Stay Crazy My Friends!