Sorting Stacks

March 30, 2016March 30, 2016 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 10 Comments

First off, I hope everyone had a

As typical, mine was quiet, as Mike was at work. I did get a lot done, and the house got cleaned!

This week’s Diva Challenge (#261) was issued by guest blogger Jan Reiter, CZT, who challenged us to Stack Bijou. Now, I have to tell you, I was a little intimidated by this. That seemed like a lot of work! And we know how famous I am lately for not finishing anything. So…I rummaged through all my “pretty paper” collection that isn’t particularly good for tangling on in great quantity, and cut up 6 “stacks” and a Bijou-sized (2×2 inch) tile. And I stared at it for a little while. Then I went to town…and I tangled them from the biggest to the smallest. It went a lot faster than I thought it would, but then I always make things more complicated than they need to be!

This was a lot of fun. And believe it or not, the Bijou-sized tile and the far outer frame are from the same paper! Since brown was my “theme” I went with a sepia Micron too, so that was nice, and a copper Gelly Roll on the accents.

UPDATE: I realized while I was filing this weeks photos after I posted the blog that this Diva Challenge marked 100 & 101 consecutive challenges!

So you know I haven’t been slacking, I have been busy with shop models for upcoming classes. I know you want to join us this Saturday when Origami meets Zentangle! The project is based on a design from Hans Werner Guth, called “Jump” and tangle inspired by Dorian Eng, CZT.

To sign up, head on over to the Class Schedule Page!

I have been participating in a Round-Robin tangle with 3 other CZT’s and received my tiles back yesterday (and I’m sending the next batch out today, I promise!) I think they came out really cool, and it was a lot of fun working with everyone on this. We all have really different styles, and that melded together very well.

And…So you don’t think I missed last week’s Diva Challenge (#260), I did that in my journal in church this week. Yes…I listened to the talk…and yes…this helps me concentrate on it rather than making my grocery list in my head or thinking about what I am cooking for lunch. I love Shattuck, it is such a versatile tangle!

And, for everyone that knows me, no week is complete without a little rock n’ roll! We headed to Las Vegas last week to see Billy Idol at the House of Blues. I was deaf in my right ear for a good while since we were next to the speaker, but what a show, and what great seats! It is hard to believe he is 60! (hubba hubba!)

Back to packing for TangleU! Here’s a sneak peek at what you will be able to score at CharKat’s after I get back…

Tangle them…Color them…Embellish them! Wear Your Art!

Stay Crazy My Friends!

That Green Time of Year

March 15, 2016 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 8 Comments

Yep, that’s right…it’s March! I love the month of March. Not only is it the month of my birth, but the weather starts being nice again, the sun is out, the grass is green…and…we all get to be Irish for a day.

We had a couple of really fun Celtic themed classes over the weekend, so that led right into this week’s Diva Challenge (#259) “A Touch of the Irish.” This was one of those pieces I was particularly proud of when I finished it. I have not forged into the ZenGems craze because I did all this stuff 20 years ago when I was designing jewelry, but I broke out my Prismacolor Premier pencils and some luscious hand-made Garza Papel (from Spain) and pulled this off.

I know…huh? I keep looking at it..lol.

If you want to see the steps I took for the gems, check this out…

I didn’t get a blog up last week, it was my birthday…I joked to one of my students who is a professional cake decorator that she should bring me a birthday cupcake (since I am watching my girlish figure) and she arrived with this:

That is one HUGE cupcake…and it was really tasty too.

I did get the Diva Challenge (#258 UMT Rautyflex) done too, although I just did it in my Tangle Journal.

There was some unusually beautiful skies here this week, with pretty vapor trails. I loved how they made a pretty perfect X there…

I will have the April Schedule up by the end of the week. I am working on a sample for a class, so be sure to save the date (April 2) if you are in the area. Origami meets Zentangle, and it is so fun to fold!

That is all for now…Stay Crazy My Friends!

Heavy Metal!

March 2, 2016March 2, 2016 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 6 Comments

Of course, most of you know I am a HUGE fan of rock…hard rock…heavy metal!

And I have worked with metals a lot longer than I have been tangling, so to be able to combine tangles with metal was pretty awesome. Guest Diva, Amy Ridge Brody, CZT, said to make it “Ohh Shiny” and that is exactly what I shot for in The Diva’s #257 Challenge.

I have lots of metal do-dads leftover from a plethora of projects, and odds and ends…so this was really fun. Silver and blue metallic Gelly Roll, and a Blue Stardust Gelly Roll, with General’s Multi Pastels for shading.

And since I was a little behind, Diva #256, which was a Duo-Tangle of The Diva’s tangles Boo*Kee and Artoo. I was in a red mood…

While I was working on this, I noticed my new page tabs looked like Artoo was looking at me (he is such a cutie.)

Have a few other cuties I worked up this week:

Also, I will be teaching a ZIA (Zentangle Inspired Art) Easter project at La Rebelde Winery in Lake Elsinore on March 25th. It will be something along this line:

La Rebelde is at 530 Crane Street, Lake Elsinore, and the class will be from 6 till they kick us out! $35 per person includes all materials, snacks AND a glass of wine!

The Color Me Crazy T-shirts are at the printers as we speak, so they will be available online and at the shop AFTER TangleU…2 different designs, that you tangle and color yourself! What a great alternative to coloring books, and you can wear your art!

Ok…back to work for me. Finishing up the examples for the March Monthly Specials – Found and Tangled (Irish Authors Edition) and Celtic Tangles with ZenGems!

Namas’ cray! Stay crazy my friends.

Ghosts…

February 17, 2016 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 6 Comments

Have you ever felt haunted by your past? I think our past is a part of our journey in life, and shapes us into the people we become. You can either learn from it and grow from it, or let it drag you down. This week, Diva (challenge #255) asked us to revisit a tile/tangle from our past, to see how we have grown. I have only been tangling about 3 years, but I have everything I did in my first year in a book, to show my students MY learning process. While I did have a smallish art background, I like them to see how much I have learned and what practicing has done to my art. For this quest, I went back to my very first tile, pre-class with a CZT, learning out of One Zentangle a Day.

That first one was done on card stock from my limited scrapbooking stash. I never realized how small I worked until I tried to re-do it! (I think this is a trend I’ve noticed with most of the CZT’s that have posted…all our early work was tiny, and now it is much bigger!)

So here is the “new” version. See the style I have developed into!

And to bring up another ghost, I didn’t get this finished in time for Diva #252: Using a Tangle as a String. I used a giant Cadent.

Pretty things have been made at the shop this week! We had an awesome group for a Zentangle 101 class, and I threw in a little Valentine, too. What prodigies!

And on Saturday, we made Valentine cards and frames, based on Joanne Fink’s Zendangles. Here are the ones I did:

And my Valentangle for Diva #254 that I couldn’t post because it was Mike’s present!

And a thank you card for Mike’s mom, who has been bestowing her stash of all her calligraphy and card making supplies. My faux calligraphy skills still need some work!

I am working on the schedule for March, and it should be fun! I should have it posted by the end of the week.

Found and Tangled Poetry, the Irish Poets Edition in time for St. Patrick’s Day. And some exploration of Celtic Knots and Tangles. (This is just an ATC I did with some ColorBursts…pretty backgrounds!)

Tangle Journals, from January, will make a repeat appearance. This will be an ongoing class, you can join in any time, or whatever you like. First time attendees will need to buy the Journal Kit, returning students can buy refills if they need them. Every other month we will explore a new set of tangles.

And I will add a Sunday afternoon Alcohol Ink class, working on ceramics. They make lovely decorations and gifts. I finished this one today.

Whew…I didn’t realize I had done so much work this week! (I guess it was really 2 weeks, since I didn’t post anything last week.)

Namas’ cray my friends…stay crazy and make stuff!

I’m Not Gone…I’m Molygon!

February 4, 2016February 4, 2016 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 5 Comments

Whew…you would think taking some time to work on stuff would be more productive! But…I feel like I haven’t gotten much done. And I still need to do my taxes!

So, a couple of weeks ago, I started giving a class where we do these step outs and then use the tangle, so you have a visual reference and a neat-o mini binder to keep them all in. So, what better way to knock out my Diva Challenge (#253) for the new tangle, Molygon, from Zentangle HQ. Not only did I practice it real well by doing the step out, I was able to make a cool reference tile, right on the page.

And, the bonus is that it is on my “to-do” list to complete at least one page a week for my reference. Ta-done!

I also worked up this cute frame for the Valentangle class. Based on Joanne Fink’s Zendangles, it will be one of two options for the class on the 13th. Register here, pick your option for either the card or the frame. I need to prep the frames, so preregistration is a must!

Got a major UFO (unfinished object) out of my studio this week, and hung for use. I like to up-cycle things that may no longer seem “fresh” and make them useful again. This ugly dart board case was just that object. Mike swears he bought it about 30 years ago, and it definitely had seen better days.

Some Chalk Paint and trim pieces later, with a little Zentangle magic sprinkled in, and viola! It is now presentable!

One important takeaway from this project. Gorilla Wood Glue does NOT dry clear…I may eventually touch up the paint where you can see the glue, but I was just so darn happy to have it off my workbench I didn’t even care!

Lastly, I have a sneak peek at my prototype for some t-shirts you will be able to buy online or at the shop. Color them yourself…way cool. (this is a finished one, tangled a little and colored.) I just finished my “wash test” to make sure everything worked fine, so next it’s off to the printers to get them made.

Looking forward to seeing people at the shop!

Namas’cray…stay crazy my friends!

New Year’s Renewal

January 4, 2016January 4, 2016 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 13 Comments

I would like to think of every January 1st as a time to review and renew my goals from the previous year. Goals are a good thing. They give you a road map to follow. But sometimes, that road changes.

My road took a sharp left turn last summer when I decided to open CharKat’s Creative Insanity. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever be in business. It has been a challenge, that’s for sure. I love what I do, and I know that will spread out and bring more people in this year!

There is also renewal in this week’s Diva Challenge (#249). This is the 5th Anniversary of the challenge, and we have been tasked to a DuoTangle of Diva Dance and Auraknot. I already had this tile with a star on it, that I had sprayed with Shimmer Spray…so I thought it was particularly festive for this auspicious occasion!

I know the holiday’s got away from me, and this is my first post of the new year. I have, however, been pretty busy on tangly-type stuff!

First up, this cute little cactus. I was experimenting with stitching on the tile. Cumbersome! You have to poke the holes first….

Then, another one of Dorian Eng’s cute ornaments that she did a video for Sakura on. This time on Renaissance Tan, with blues.

And then this nifty 8×8 scratch board piece.

I did a little coloring to see what that was all about.

I also had some kids over to the studio, and we had some fun making tangle journals and learning tangles. These are mine. The glue was drying on their decorations, so I didn’t get photos of theirs.

And in keeping with this year’s mantra (Finish What You Started) I pulled a few tiles out of the UFO bin and put some new spin on them:

This one is on Fabriano Medioevalis paper…it has such a nice feel to it. I used Ann E. Grasso’s 8n1 Stencil for this.

And Diva #247: African Artist by Swiss CZT Tina Hunker:

So be sure to check the schedule, lots of fun classes coming up.

Namas’cray – stay crazy in the new year!

Behind in the Trees

December 4, 2015December 4, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 5 Comments

Wow…I am so behind this week! So behind I actually missed last week!

I guess I’ll start with this week. Dilip Patel, the first CZT in India, was the Guest Blogger for the Diva this week. In his prompt (#246) he implored us to think about deforestation, and to do a monotangle of trees (or a tree.) I have been practicing new tangles as they come out in my new Creativity Planner and thought that the new tangle, Fleavy, would make a lovely tree. When I finished, I felt like coloring it. (yes..I know its not a true monotangle, because I added other things, but I like it anyway!)

And since I missed last week’s Diva (#245 Hollibaugh) I did it in my purse journal (Midori MD with the extra slip cover) at church while listening to Rev. Susan talking about manifesting joy. I guess my joy is a bit of a puzzle!

So I guess that brings me to why I missed last week. I took the holiday week (here in the US, Thanksgiving) to participate in Julie Gibbons‘ free 5 Days of Mandala Magic. It was pretty intense, but a good introduction to her year long course that starts in January. (I signed up! Registration closes soon, so get there if you want!)

The first day, we studied the circle (sorry, just circles on the page, no pics of those.)

The second day, we drew our first proper mandala, a lotus. I got a bit cheery color wise (still learning about color meanings so I still am pretty basic.

The third day was concentric circles.

The fourth day was a hamsa.

Day 5 was the Flower of Life.

So now you know what kept me busy!

I did get some finishing done on some cute Kumihimo things as well. Most of them are in the bookstore at my church (Center for Spiritual Living Temecula Valley)

And Finished a few ornaments (and forgot to take pictures of some of them…ack!)

And got in some work on my ginormous mandala. (total size is 20″, working with Twinkling H2O’s and Acrylic Ink with a brush. Very time consuming. Created using Margaret Applin’s Medallion Master Set.)

AND…I did a bunch of these for cards…

So see, I have have NOT been slacking!

Be sure to check out the class schedule, there is some fun stuff coming up. Mandala Monday (the 21st) we will be painting mandalas on rocks. Lauren teaches a great class for this, and it should be very Zen to get you in the right frame of mind for the holidays.

Namas’Cray my friends. Be crazy and make stuff!

Tripping Around Tripoli

November 20, 2015November 20, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 5 Comments

The December schedule is up at the shop. I’ve included lots of times for making its and ornament, and a new series of Kumihimo classes that you can make some wonderful gifts with.

We had our first Mandala Monday this week. Lauren and I will be team teaching, taking turns leading a Mandala exploration each month. I led this month, with freeform Mandalas. We learned to grow them from a seed in the middle, which is pretty cool.

I did mine on a piece of papyrus with the Fudenosuke brush pen and Gelly Roll Glaze.

Next month, Lauren will be teaching her Mandala technique on rocks! Be sure to join us on Monday, December 21, from 6-9. $25 studio fee plus materials.

We also had some fun with Fall Colors this last weekend, exploring the Tints on Tan technique.

There is still time to get in on this fun class, as I have another abbreviated version on Monday, November 23, from 6-9 pm. Includes ALL your materials!

Ok…I’m the first to admit that Tripoli isn’t usually my favorite tangle. But, since the Diva (#244) says use it, I use it. (She’s so mean!) I took a couple of shots at it…First in my Creativity Planner. (Pardon the bleed through, I changed pens this week when I found the MicroPerm was doing this…using the Acurit Waterproof in my planner now.)

Then on an ATC I had colored with Ken Oliver’s Color Bursts with a Japanese calligraphy brush pen.

And then on the funky chalkboard painted ornament. I used mostly Sakura Decorese on this, but tried the PenTouch too (on the Printemps.)

I know it was a bit of a trying week for everyone around the world, with all the chaos and calamity, but I find a lot of peace in mediating in my journal. This is what happened this week.

And, just so he doesn’t feel left out…Bailey decided to ride around on my shoulder most of the evening a few days ago. To put this into perspective…he weighs 15 pounds…

So Namas’cray my friends. Hug your neighbor and keep peace in your hearts.

Kicking Rocks

October 31, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 4 Comments

Here it is again…Saturday night, and I am just finishing up for a blog. I do have an honestly good reason this week.

I have been prepping all week for a Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration in Lake Elsinore tomorrow. Making a few little trinkets to sell, and try to lure them into my den of Zentangle! (Pics will be up next week for that!)

But for this week’s Diva Challenge (#241). Guest Diva Paula Bramante, CZT prompted us with Stones and Ceremony. I can’t help but think of cairns, as that is what a lot of the pictures looked like…and my trip to the UK in 2008, where I stood on Hadrian’s Wall.

So that made me think of a recent trip as well, where I was obsessing with the tiles in the washrooms at the airport in Vancouver, and drew this in my sketchbook:

I thought to myself…self…that would make a great wall! And you have been dying to play with your new tinted charcoals (Derwent) and those would make great rocks!

I have to say, I am really rather impressed with this one!

I also finished another Tangle Island project this week. It will be a birthday card for someone who shall remain nameless with a birthday in early December. I will also send her a frame for it…so she can keep it forever!

I have to finish getting ready now, but did you know you can shop at CharKat’s from the comfort of your own couch? I am still working on some pictures and descriptions in the store, but here is the link: CharKat’s Creative Insanity.

Namas’cray for now! (The crazy in me recognizes and honors the crazy in you!)

Falling…Behind.

October 23, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 5 Comments

So…on my day planner, it says to post a blog on Tuesday. Today is Friday! Have you ever had one of those weeks where you constantly felt like you were behind? That has been this week for me. I seem to be racing from one place to the next, and seem to have no time to sit down to tangle. And I really NEED to tangle. It keeps me sane.

This week’s Diva Challenge (#240) is all about Fall. I love Fall. I love the colors, I love that the weather is cooling off (sometimes…not in Southern California that much), and I can eat soup without sweating to death (most of the time.) When I was in Vancouver last month, some of the trees were already beginning to change.

We don’t get that here. They just kind of turn brown and fall off. Green…or Brown…that is all. So I had to make up my own Fall Colors, using the new Tints on Tan – Fall Edition I got in the mail a few weeks ago. I used a lot of creative license on this, with a different leaf, smaller tangles, and a Zendala tile. But I think it tuned out ok!

Speaking of Fall, we have a new class coming up at the shop on November 9th. Teri, who is a Wilton Certified Teacher, is going to show us how to decorate Fall cookies! Check out the details below:

It looks like fun! Call Teri on the number listed to register.

I’ve been getting some other things finished this week. Had a lovely Zentangle 101 Class this week and we tried our hand at N’zepple. When in doubt, add grout! Gold grout is even better.

I also got in some practice time with my alcohol inks. Getting some Christmas items ready for boutiques and holiday sales! Check out this pretty tile:

And this cool glass ornament:

If you are looking to stay “in the know” for all things happening at CharKat’s Creative Insanity, be sure to join our MeetUp group (Zentangle in Wine Country).

Stay Crazy My Friends!