Grand State of Mind

Everyday brings news. Some of it good, some of it not so much and a lot of it just needs to....be ignored. The last several holiday seasons has brought big, massive and decidedly in the not-so-much category sort of news.
Still, we carry on, don't we?
I, of the optimistic, glass half-full mentality, persevere.
When life hands you a bar coaster, you know just what you're going to do with it. First, you're going to squeeze fresh citrus and blenderize a margarita. Then, you're going to draw. This is what happened when I tackled the Diva's weekly challenge, number 301, a Diva Dance/Paradox duotangle:

This is an improved version, a tackle-it-after-coffee-infusion. An I'm not too worried about what I accomplish today version. It wanted to be a butterfly and butterflies are free.

At the EIM, the word is donkey. Doing some research on donkey made my head hurt and I'm not quite sure why I got too carried away with that as I knew right off what I was going to do. South of here, surrounding Lake Pleasant is a very strong population of wild burros (small grey Mexican donkeys). They are cute, but they are a hearty bunch that is overwhelming the environment and native species. You can adopt one through the BLM.
And hopefully NOT meet one by accident on the freeway. These signs were installed last year to try to prevent such incidents. (I tilted the sign 45 degrees to make it square instead of diamond-shaped).

Other than that, there's the TwobyTwo for next week. The word is "news." Hopefully, it's of the good news variety. I'm working on that, won't you join the fun? Anything can happen there, as long as it fits into a two-inch square.

Thank you all for visiting and your words of kindness and encouragement. It all makes my heart sing. I can't carry a tune, but my heart seems to know the words.
Have a brilliant day!

Multi-Fassetted

Okay, that's not really a word, but it's not really a misspelling, either!
In the Zentangle language, Fassett is an interesting tangle, or pattern, that looks complicated but easily creates a dramatic look. Laura Harms, the diva behind the Diva Challenge, chose the tangle created by Lynn Mead this week for tangly people the world over to concentrate on.
I've used it before, but it falls into the "I HATE TRIANGLES" category. I gave myself permission to not start with a grid this time, but to let the pattern grow organically to fit it's little section.
Much happiness ensued!

My official response to
Diva 262
Fassett Top Left
While Waiting for my
Physical Therapist

New Addition to the
Bar Coaster
Collection

Fassetted Gemstone
Staedler Watercolor and
Spectrum Noir Oil Pencils

At EIM, Trillian asked for "Grandmother" inchies. I've been trying to do four, and I collected these four images:

We have the painting that Grandma Moses did for the United States Postal Service in 1969 (an outrageous six-cent stamp!), "Arrangement in Grey and Black," (aka Whistler's Mother) detail, a granny square afghan that took me 13 years (!) to finish (a hobby taught to me by my Nanna) and Lemon Meringue pie (my Grandmom knew I loved them and could whip one up by scratch. She didn't stick around long enough to teach me that talent).

I did one more twinchie for "Orange,"

Four Inchies
Makes one
Twinchie

Something new I tried was Annette's Mosaik Challenge. It's a community effort to create the tiles, but she must put in a LOT of time putting together the designs. Be sure to check out what she did this month! She sent me this out of what I sent her:

Is That Cool or What?

If you're keeping tabs on my IAST, last week's is posted here. I suspect I'll get the instructions for this week's in time for my next therapy appointment. (All I'll say about that right now is the fine people at OSR are treating me well, if not a little sadistically).

I think that brings me up to date. Please honor and visit the various blog hosts and bestow praise where due. I graciously accept your comments and critiques. Thanks for visiting!

Simply A-Maze-Ing

Over the weekend I worked on some challenge pieces. The first one was for last week's IAST 86. Adele Bruno created an egg-shaped string which I drew on a bar coaster. I drew some other lines which made it more global. I realized that a couple of the patterns for the challenge were more complex than I originally thought, so I tackled them with zinchies (En guard! Take that!). See the "Well" patterns below and perhaps you'll see what I mean.
Well, they look complicated.
Then I went back to my coaster and this is what happened to my Easter egg:

And that was BEFORE I put something cold and refreshing on the coaster. (Actually, I'm not going to be using it; I'll throw it back into the wild and see if anyone catches it).

The inchie for the week is "knitting." I've been trying to knit a scarf for my daughter for about a year. It's a lovely yarn and a simple enough pattern, but it requires circular needles and starting with only three stitches! Talk about twisted up! So, i went and knit an inch using a deep ocean blue:

Purl, Actually

My official response to the Two by Two challenge this time is mostly just the pattern, "Amaze." I hope to play with scissors and paste later and try a collage, but for now:

And here's a batch of Zinchies:

Go ahead, try those "Well" patterns and tell me how that worked out for you. Even better, try "Myko." Deceptively simple, it's simply devious. When you try more than one, it gets VERY interesting!

Thank you for stopping by and for all your kindnesses. 

In Flux

I'm tired.
A quick trip to Las Vegas will do it every time. New York may be the city that never sleeps, but Vegas, baby, really does not want you to. Ever. You never know what time of day it is and even so, the Strip doesn't wake up until I'm ready for some shut-eye. It was perfect weather for a road trip in the convertible, sit by the pool with some frosty adult beverages and generally not feel guilty about chores at home not being done.
Perfect.
Still, I squeezed in a couple challenges. The word for the week at Every Inchie Monday is "oak." I recalled that there was a tangle that had to do with oak and a String Thing challenge that I had drawn. A quick review of that brought me to "Oke," my EIM response and the rest of this weeks zinchies:

A lot of these patterns are new ones I found on Tanglepatterns.com, The oddball here is a pattern from the new Victoria's Secret Sport catalog that I reproduced. (If you know me, I have a hate-hate relationship with triangly patterns, so that unto itself was a personal challenge of sorts). If you pick up the magazine, you'll see some interesting tangling in the wild, so to speak. 

The other challenge I've tackled so far this week is the Diva's. Laura requested we give the pattern "Flux" a workout. I may be squarely in good company preferring one way of drawing it over another, but I started with a bar coaster for Rolling Rock beer. The reverse side asks to Show the world--#HowWeRoll and "CREATE SOMETHING." So, I did! 

Fluxuation

Be sure to ROLL over to all the wicked talent at these art challenge sites. I'll be headed that way soon. And thanks so much for taking the time to check out my responses. I know your time is valuable; that you chose to spend some of that on me is incredible.

Diva Challenge 202

I feel like I am soooo out of the loop! I'm rusty, I can't find my art supplies! I haven't drawn up anything beyond a grocery list in over a month!
This week's Diva Challenge seemed like a good place to get back into things. The objective was to make a duotangle of Margaret Brenmner's (the ENTHUSIASTIC artist) "Copada" and "Chabacto." All I was thinking about was ciabatta, so I fixed myself lunch, THEN I pulled out a bar coaster. Not having seen or nor tried either, I think it's okay! Certainly a respectable attempt.

(For the record I had the most sinful baked potato with butter, sour cream, broccoli, cheese and bacon. It's how you take a very healthy 100 calories and turn into a 500 pound cholesterol monster!)

Now back to my grocery list!

Betwixt and Betweed Challenge

The challenge from the Diva this week is to just use the pattern "B'tweed." Immediately I figured it would be a zendala on a bar coaster. I'm itching to drop random acts of bar coasters, but only have a few so far. I'm fairly certain that bar coasters and Zen don't really mix, philosophically speaking, but I like working in the round.
The examples of official Zentangles for b'tweed all show the pebbly 'tipple' pattern, so even though this is supposed to be a monotangle, I've included some orbs. Actually, a lot of little bubbles.

The mandala is to be for focus and the object of the designs is to return focus to the center; I think this succeeds in that manner. I look forward to dropping this one into the environment and to see where it goes!