It’s a String Thing #298

I have surely missed Adele Bruno’s It’s a String Thing challenges every week while my 100 Days of Zentangle project was ongoing! This week, although chronically late, I’ve actually finished a tile! I’m so lost on weekends, now I’m not posting on Saturday and Sunday, I’m glad I have it!

This week’s challenge introduces Zentangle’s newest pattern, Doodah, and pairs it perfectly with KITL by The Ragged Ray’s, CZT, Jem Miller. I’ve had a few tries with KITL now and Jen’s advice really helped me get it right this time! Thanks Jem! She advises to start your stroke at the center cross to help give you a more even looking result! I like the way it turned out! Doodah is a very simple ribbon tangle that doesn’t even need a step out, but here it is anyway!

Thanks for another perfect challenge Adele! If you’d like to join the It’s a String Thing challenge, you can start at Adele’s blog TickledtoTangle.

Next I want to announce a few changes in my upload schedule for YouTube. I have a long-standing Monday appointment and I need to change the live-stream time to 8:00 am CST (GMT -5). I am still doing a trial of my Zentangle Meditation Mondays. If you haven’t tried it out, I invite you to try one out! So far, the feedback has been great and I am thrilled to be able to help you guys relax! Here’s a link to the first week’s live-stream. I’d love to hear your feedback!

Tuesday mornings I will walk you through some new tangles to add to your tangling repertoire. Last week, we did 3 patterns from Brian’s book, and this week, I’m planning 5. They are quite simple and perfect for beginners. Here’s the link for the video.

Finally, join me for our new Zentangle Dingbatz series based on the amazing new book by CZT, Brian Crimmins! This book is a wonderland of ideas and projects for tanglers, experienced and beginners alike! This week we will focus on the very cool “Zine” project in the book, making a Dingbatz sampler for inspiration! We start the project on Wednesday, July 24, 2019 at 9:00 am CST (GMT -5).

Thanks for your support! I’m excited about what the future has in store!

100 Days of Zentangle ® Finale!

Hi everyone! I want to invite you to join me live on YouTube to celebrate the 100th day of the 100 Days of Zentangle ® 2019! Livestream will begin Wednesday, July 10, 2019 at 0700 CST (GMT -5)! I would love to see you there but I also know it’s short notice. It will be recorded for those who can’t make it!

Don’t worry! We have lots in store for you! Thursday at 0900 (GMT -5) I am doing another bonus livestream! I want to introduce you to a kind of voice-guided Zentangle ® meditation. It will be my first time trying this and your feedback will be essential!

Lastly, I have promised to introduce you to a lovely lady who has volunteered her precious time to help me out around here. She is new but a quick learner and I hope we can all be patient with anything that goes awry! I worked my kinks out with blogging while no one knew me, read me, or cared! It’s a lot of pressure and I very much appreciate her willingness to try! I present to you, my friend, LaJuania Dorman in her own words!

 

Hi!  Let me introduce myself.  My name is LaJuania Dorman.  I have volunteered to try to help Cyndee with her website, getting it updated/refreshed and keep it active. 

If you are wondering about my qualifications for this task – I have NONE😄.  I’m retired, the mother of two outstanding children, the grandmother of 5 exceptional grandchildren, and the great–grandmother of 4 amazing children.  Life is good.  

In October, 2017 I discovered a book titled The Joy of Zentangle.®️. I bought it then and there, turned to the page of needed supplies, bought those and thus it began.  I was consumed.  Like many, I had always wanted to draw somethingthat made me feel good.  Zentangle gave me that.  I tangled every day for over a year and a half not missing a day.  Some days, I tangled as many as 9 cards-no two alike (you see, it was during the holiday season and I wanted to share my new found love with everyone!). I’ve settled down a bit and limit myself to devoting only 8 hours/day at my workbench.  Some day I would love to attend a CZT seminar.  I’m betting it is a real Zen experience!  

During my working years I was generally in administrative positions and all the while I made it my goal to soak up everything I could about this new fangled gadget they brought in…a computer.  I even went so far as to go back to school to learn about it, DOS, writing code, that sort of thing.  Did me a lot of good huh?  But I do love computers and all sorts of electronic devices, so this a chance for me to learn and possibly take some of the pressure off the shoulders of a fellow Tangler.

One of the things Cyndee and I both hope, is that you will submit ideas of things you are interested in.  With your help, #thetirelesstangler will be the best destination on the web for Tanglers of all experience levels!

💜 Don’t forget to sign up for our International Giveaway!!💜

100 Days of Zentangle ® 2019

I feel like I need to welcome myself back! It’s been months since my last post and I have really missed the writing process! Let me take a minute and catch you all up! I have been absorbed both with the #the100dayproject and with things at home. School is out and extra time and effort has been needed at home. Things have been stressful but we are hoping that God has His hand on our situation and that things will happen as they should. We are so grateful for everyone’s prayers and positive thoughts for us! I sincerely believe it’s been a great help! Thank you!💜

Now, the 100 Days of Zentangle ® Project I started this year for #the100dayproject has been a revelation! I’m telling you now, I never, ever could have foreseen the many, many blessings I’ve recieved directly because I started this project! It started with a simple idea from a picture on Pinterest. I mapped out a simple project template and got in touch with Liz Drake, administrator of the Facebook group, ZIA’S, Tips, Tricks and Techniques. Working with Liz on the daily prompts, I then posted my proposed idea in the ZIA group as well as the group for Certified Zentangle Teachers. I was very pleased with the warm response the idea got and I took a huge step and went daily on YouTube with pattern explorations and adding the daily patterns to the 100 Days of Zentangle template. Almost as soon as I went to daily uploads, I saw my YouTube channel numbers steadily starting to climb. On April 12, I had 700 subscribers, and today?

1247!! Wow! YouTube now requires 1000 subscribers and a total of 4,000 hours of watch time on your videos in order to allow you to join their Partner Program and add monetizing (like ads, selling swag and such) features. I was chasing this goal but it wasn’t the reason I chose to do the project. I feel this project will be repeated many times and is timeless beyond this project. The number of tanglers interested in having their own inspiration piece they can frame and hang is around 300 that I am aware of. I think when they post their art, their friends will want to create one of their own! I never thought it would gain such momentum. This is where we are on day 85 (which was last week). Today is day 90 for me.

Here are some close ups of the progress.

I’m pretty proud of the art! I’m even happier about the warm community we have developed around my YouTube channel. I’ve made friends all over the world! They have become a part of my family in a way, like dear friends. It may sound strange, but it’s true! I feel my day would be less without the warmth and comfort of this beautiful group! I’ve recieved some wonderful comments from viewers saying that they feel the same way. I hope, if you haven’t joined me yet for the fun and friendship, and the tangling, of course, that you will check it out. Make a gorgeous piece of art and enjoy community!

Next, speaking of community and new friends, I want to introduce you to a very special lady! Her name is LA Juania Dorman. She is becoming very dear to me and I am blessed daily by her willingness to help. She is compiling a list of the tangles used on the 100 day project. The list is not yet available as we don’t know the last 9 tangles yet. As I write this, I am waiting to hear what Monday’s tangle will be. It’s Sunday evening! 😊 La Juania is going to give blogging a try and help out by sharing information here when I don’t have enough time to fit everything in! She is an awesome lady and I can’t wait for you to meet her! You’ll be hearing from her right here very soon!

I want to finish up by sharing the amazing news that, thanks to all the viewers on YouTube, my channel has been monetized already earning a small amount. (I do mean small!) but it’s a great start! I also crossed 1000 followers on Instagram! This will allow me to upload my longer videos to IGTV and not be forced to keep it under 10 minutes. I’ve learned a lot in the last couple of months! I have learned that you all want to know the quirky person I am, and a lot of you like me! Thanks! I have needed your support so much! I feel a lot more confident today about the future than I did a few months ago! I have proven to myself that I can do it! And not alone! As I tell y’all in the videos, “Y’all are the Best!

This is my tile from a game of Tangle Tag with my CZT32 class! Thank goodness I was third and not 16th! 😂

#tangletagczt32 featuring Cirque, Fengle and Mooka!

Finally, I just wanted to thank you all for your continued support! This is a very tough time of year for me and knowing that you are there makes a huge difference! 💜

Zentangle ®️ Project Pack 05 with IAST 287

Welcome to The Tireless Tangler everyone! This has been an incredibly busy week with the continuation of my 100 days of Zentangle project (we’re up to day 13 with daily pattern videos), the start of the Zentangle ® Project Pack 05, and It’s a String Thing challenge 287! I’m exhausted just listing it all! It has been so gratifying to have so many artists join the project! I hope you all have seen some of the other’s work on Facebook and Instagram! Look for the hashtag #100daysofzentangle! You’ll find the link for today’s video below. Here’s my progress to day 12!

This week’s It’s a String Thing challenge was Easter themed and used an egg shaped string and 3 great tangles. Hemp by CZT, Sandy Steen Bartholomew , Queen B by CZT, Helen Williams, Henna Drum by CZT, Jane MacKugler. I loved playing with all 3 tangles and though the outcome was darker than I intended, it’s still a fun tile! You can join the It’s a String Thing challenge at Adele Bruno’s blog Tickled to Tangle!

Lastly, this week brought the start of Zentangle ® Project Pack 05. This project centers around decorative matting techniques for keepsakes and photos. The first 2 days and the prep video were released this weekend, leaving us with lots of creative pursuits with which to immerse ourselves. I’ve linked the first 3 videos here for you! You absolutely don’t need the project pack to participate! Good quality cardstock or hot press watercolor paper will work as well.

I hope you enjoy these videos! There is nothing like learning from Rick and Maria!

Thanks for your continued support everyone! It means more than you can imagine! 💜

It’s a String Thing 286

Adele Bruno at Tickledtotangle.blogspot.com presented us with a String this week reminiscent of a basketball court. A nod to a hoops saturated March madness. You can check out it’s a String Thing 286 string here. This week’s 3 tangles are great. Mr. E by CZT, Shawn Hayden, Tunnelvizion by CZT, Jody Genovese, and Scape by CZT, Angie Gittles. I enjoyed all 3 tangles but I will admit falling in love (and laugh) with Jody’s wonderful Tunnelvizion! We used it for today’s #the100dayproject prompt and I’m laughing out loud while shooting my step out video this morning! It is so cute! I can’t help comparing the “faces” to Emoballs, the pattern by Tomàs Padrós. I snuck some into my tile. I think they are from the same whimsical place! I put my laughing video link down below, in case you are interested! 😂

On a final note, I’ve been asked if I could provide a printable template for my #100daysofzentangle Celtic knot. I’m working on a digital copy you can print now, and I hope I can link that by tomorrow. Thanks for your patience!

I will see you faithful early tomorrow morning for day 7 of the 100 day project! Your support means everything! Hang in there! We only have 93 more days to go! 😅

#THE100DAYPROJECT2019 || #100DAYSOFZENTANGLE

Yesterday marked the start of another “100 day” season. For 2 years, I’ve wished I could join the #the100dayproject but personal tragedies affected my ability to follow through. Inktober and many Facebook challenges were left unfinished along the way. So when #the100dayproject started planning this year, I was reluctant to jump in. I thought about it for weeks. Suddenly, something I’d seen on pinterest a few years ago gave me an idea. When trying to map out how to make sure the project I put together didn’t kill me in the process, this idea popped into my head.

This Celtic Tangler’s index was to be a piece worthy of hanging on the wall. Sadly, this paper only fit 77 sections! New plan! Use my precious hoarded Opus tiles! Divide my 100 into 2 Knots each with 49 sections each (7×7). Put a different Tangle in each section for 100 days. I can use border tangles around the edge for the extra 2 days. At the end I have my tangle inspiration I can hang on a wall!

I planned to use the daily tangle prompts from a Facebook group I am in called ZIA’S Tips, Tricks and Techniques. They have already been practicing the 15 minutes per day of focused creativity through their #15MINUTEMAGIC and #FOCUSSTUDY prompts in group. Using their prompts made it possible to invite them all to join the project and be able to use their daily work if they wished.

Never could I have imagined the awesome result! Lots of artists in the group have shown interest in joining in! In addition, I have done my first live stream and someone showed up! More than one!💜

Today, on day 2, another Facebook group joined! And, although the live stream this morning didn’t get set to public so I talked to myself! It’s been an amazing experience helping to inspire so many people to create! Thank you all so much for your support and kind words! They mean very much to me!

It’s never too late to join! First, watch the preparation video. I recommend you watch it at 2x speed! It’s a bit tedious with measuring every thing but it was recorded in live mode and hard to speed. Once you have created your knot watch the day 1 video. Learn the pattern Delys by NY TIMES best-selling author, Jenna Black. Today’s pattern was KITL by Jem Miller at “The Ragged Ray”. There are videos up to help you with these tangles right here! (Remember to watch 2x speed until the talking starts…and maybe even then!) Also, feel free to use your own tangles!

Here is day 2’s progression. Don’t forget the hashtag #the100dayproject and/or #100daysofzentangle. Of course, if you are feeling ultra kind you can also tag me #thetirelesstangler so I can see what everyone is doing!

Here are the videos in order so you don’t have to go anywhere!

It’s a String Thing 285

Welcome to The Tireless Tangler! It’s time for this week’s It’s a String Thing challenge. You can join this challenge at Adele Bruno’s blog Tickledtotangle! This week our challenge was to use Maria Thomas’ Dingsplatz video for inspiration. I’m not going to ruin it for you so I hope you enjoy Maria Thomas and her Dingsplatz! Here’s my tile.

Tuesday begins #the100dayproject! Join me for, what I hope, will be an early morning livestream from my YouTube channel. Each day for 100 days I’ll be filling in a small section with a different. When finished it will be a Tangle index I can hang for inspiration! The preparation video will be up tomorrow on my channel! Have a great weekend and I will see you tomorrow! 💜

New Star Knot Video with Vitruvian Art!

It’s finally here! It’s celtic knot Friday and my collaboration series with Rose Rambo at vitruvianart can be found here on YouTube! Thanks so much to Rose for her support and the feature in her video!

Part one is my star knot tutorial :

Part 2 is Amanda’s amazing gem tutorial:

Gem Knots with Vitruvian Art!

Hi everyone! Welcome to The Tireless Tangler! This week is crazy busy preparing for challenges and with this week’s final video in the March Celtic Knot Series! I have something really exciting for you this week! You may have seen my posts on extraordinary gem artist, Amanda Rose Rambo, and her techniques for creating realistic and fantastic gems using colored pencils or watercolor. This week we are meshing my Celtic Knots with Amanda’s amazing gems for a video collaboration.

Three weeks ago, I sent Amanda a copy of my heart knot video so she could give me some feedback. She came back excited, saying she’d never been able to draw knotwork and was intimdated by them, but she thought she could do the knot. A few minutes later she sent me this beauty!

For me, this is why I am making the videos. To see my tutorials used to demystify the knot process is so fulfilling for me!

That’s why, for this week’s video, Amanda and I have done a video collaboration for the gem enthusiasts out there! Part one is a new knot video. We’ll be doing a star shaped knot. Part 2 will be Amanda’s gem tutorial. I can’t wait to bring Knots to her audience and her amazing gems to mine! Be sure to come back tomorrow for our videos!

Also this week, I’m preparing to join the #100daysproject! This project is meant to inspire and strengthen creativity by committing to 10 to 15 minutes a day of focused creativity. I’ve wanted to participle for a couple of years now but worry about my staying power! For this year’s project I’m planning a knot based idea I saw on pinterest. I’m planning to create a knot with 100 sections filling them in with different tangles each day. The goal being to become more familiar with existing tangles as well as learning new ones. I am hoping to involve those of you who’d like to follow along! I’ll have another post and video coming out Sunday and the project will begin on Monday, April 1, 2019. No fooling! 😀 look for the hashtag #100daysproject, #100daysofzentangle. See you on Friday for the knot/collaboration!

It’s a String Thing 284 & a Celtic Border Pattern

This week, Adele Bruno had a lovely string for her challenge number 284. It’s a String Thing 284, with a nod to Spring, brought 3 familiar tangles. Mumsy, by CZT, Sandy Steen Bartholomew, Jasmin by Simone Bischoff, CZT and Crescent Moon by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. Here’s my tile!

Also this week, another in my March Celtic Knot Series. This week I’m showing you how to create this border pattern with corners! If you know the pattern Huggins, then you can draw this pretty knot!

Did you all get your project pack 05 from Zentangle.com? The PP05 videos will start April 12th and we’ll be following the fun! If you don’t get it it’s ok! Watch my reveal video and see what you’ll need to follow along!