Tag: ZIA

I Shall Flourish!

~ 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.

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

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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.

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

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We also had a great class on Flat Kumihimo Braids.

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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!

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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!

My Obsession with Sea Life Continues!

~ 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!

Diva #228

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.

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

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

IMG_1455-1I 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.

Papyrus Test 1

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!