Proof Positive

I just finished reading a book by Dana White titled, "How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind." It's a hilarious take on real-world cleaning strategies. (Spoiler alert: Do the dishes).
I'm sure you're thinking why would anyone as organized as I need to read about home management?
HA!
In reality I'm just a crazy old cat lady hoarder-in-training. I mean, I don't even have one cat yet! I'm not so old! But if there were need of any proof that I have the hoarder thing going on, here is my entry to the Every Inchie Monday this week:

This is a clipping of a child's sweater from the Fall 1999 issue of Family Circle Easy Knitting magazine. I'm not sure why I still have the periodical, my knitting skills are not very, well, skillful. One of these days I'll actually knit a sweater. Maybe. It won't be that one.

For the Diva challenge this week:

The objective, to use Hamadox in a sentence (Ah ha!). Here, I put a few tried and true tangles to work. I'm really enjoying drawing with Prismacolor colored pencils and I'm trying to keep notes of which colors I'm using for future reference. (Yeah, like keeping a knitting magazine that is soooo last century. But, you have to admit, it came in handy this week!).

My last entry is for the TwobyTwo, where the word is "news." I like reading and am grateful that I can access whatever it is I need to know on the Internet. Otherwise, the papers might pile up ad infinitum. It could get out of hand.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a brilliant day.
I have to go do the dishes now.

Bingo!

Dedicated to Freebird

If you've been around these parts and you follow links to other challenges, you will find Freebird and her beads. But, perhaps, this week, she may be silent as she lost her mother AND her brother in the space of eight days. 

I was thinking of her the other day while I was making spaghetti sauce. She posted a couple weeks ago that she tried a recipe from that weird wide web called the Internet and found it to be just dreadful. Using her creative brain she was able to save that day's dinner by adding some salsa!

I'm posting my recipe. I never make it exactly the same way, but it seems to get to the same result every time, for me anyway. (NB: there's a reason why I'm not a baker. I mostly wing it in the kitchen with whatever floats my boat that day or whatever I have in the fridge to work with). 

My prayers are with you, Free! And if I could drop in, I'd bring a big tray of lasagna. Food is love and the recipe will just have to do. For now. Just follow this link!

Onto other things.

For the TwobyTwo, for "tangled," I went with a spider and it's web in Loteria fashion. Loteria is, essentially, Mexican "Bingo!"

Loteria card #33 is of La Arana, the spider. Collage with dictionary definition page of "web."

I guess it could also factor in one of the recent Diva Challenges as she's had spider webs on the brain as well. And I think it is kind of fitting for today, Dia de los Muertos. 

Thank you for stopping by and have a brilliant day!

Look to the Horizon

We're in the midst of full-on fall here in Arizona and the leaves are indeed a-changing. Nothing quite so lovely as Vermont sugar maples here on the homestead (but I can get my fix by running up to the West Fork of Oak Creek in Sedona anytime I get myself moving...). The mulberry trees that provide deep shade in high summer are dropping a tremendous amount of yellow leaves that turn brown before they hit the ground.

So when the Diva asked all the tangly people to use leaves for inspiration, I steered clear of the front of the house (and the thoughts of having to do all that raking!) and slipped out the back door to the citrus trees, which are evergreen. I used some leaves to create a stencil for some Eric Carle tissue paper and drew the veins in with my trusted Sharpie. The circles are meant to mimic the concrete walkway between the trees...and perhaps I'll color in the pebbles sometime soon.

That was just plain fun!

Then I used the same papers for the EIM. The word is "horizon." From our house, we don't see where the land meets the sky quite as we're surrounded on the east and west by 7000 foot mountains (that's over 2100 meters and we're at only about 2000 ft/610 m). Our view looks similar to the inchie on the left I made with tissue and the magazine cut-out on the right. The little artwork in the middle is meant to look like the ocean when the fog rolls in and you can't discern sky from the water, a view I miss from back East.

The word at the TwobyTwo this week is "quill." Originally, the thought came from porcupines and their nasty barbs.

Along my way through art challenges and such, I have met three fine quillers in the blogosphere: Zoe, Kia and Annette (and you should check out their work! I'll wait! Their work does a much better job of describing their craft than my words ever will).

Perhaps, I thought, I'd try my hand at that paper art. Let's just say I'll keep trying!

While researching for the TwobyTwo, I learned about quillwork, where quills are used to create functional art. I came up with an idea to kind of combine the two art forms--using paper strips instead of those barbs, which are in short supply around here. I don't know what to quite call this. "How to take 250 square inches of paper and reduce it to 4" probably doesn't sound very appealing. But, that's pretty much what I did.

Sunset with Wrapped Paper

All the same, I'd do it again. At least, I gained some insight into paper economy.

Be sure to check out the various art blog challenges and if the mood suits you, try your hand at the myriad techniques and ideas. There's still time to submit to any of these, particularly the TwobyTwo!
Thanks for stopping by and have a brilliant day!

To Infinity and Beyond!

Since Life as we know it can be weird and coincidental, it really was no surprise that the EIM and the 2X2 had similar themes this week. For the TwobyTwo, the word was "Astronomy."

Since life gets really weird sometimes, I recently received some mail that fit perfectly. 

We're particularly fond of Pluto, even if it was downgraded from full planet status; it was at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff that Pluto's existence was first revealed in 1930. Last year, the New Horizon satellite took close-ups of Pluto before leaving the Solar System and the observatory was in celebration mode all year. (The plastic bead is meant to represent the satellite. Do you think that works? I'm not so sure and haven't committed to it yet!)

The stamp arrived on mail last week for a different celebration. According to my dad's calculations, I'm going to be 37. I could live with that!

Over at the EIM, the word is "Infinity." I had nowhere else to go with this one. I pasted Buzz on a photo of the M33, the Triangulum Galaxy. If you're a geek like me, APOD is one of my favorite blogs, care of NASA, from whence I found the galaxy photograph.

Over at the Diva, the challenge was to step back, relax and just do the tangle. I stepped into the zone slowly. I gathered some "real" art supplies for a change (Faber Castell Pitt Manga markers and Strathmore paper instead of my usual journal and Sharpies), as part of the intent of Zentangle is to honor the method as well as the materials; to place value on the process and the result.
To experience unmitigated JOY!

I said some prayers to Rick and Maria, the founders of all things Zentangle and to Laura, the Diva herself. You know? To instill a feeling of gratefulness. I added Jean next to my list as she was the first CZT I found on-line and how I found the Diva and the EIM. Naturally, I then prayed for Trillian, the leader of the EIM and the entire pack that tackles teenie artworks on a weekly basis. Then back to all the creatives I've met through Laura.

Oh! My heart is full to overflowing!

I poured a cuppa, cleared my desk and was instantly derailed by the antique cuckoo clock that was recently resurrected. The ticking drives me BATTY! (I won't start about the midnight cuckoos)! 

Deep breath. 

I asked the Universe for healing that comes with FOCUS. 

I drew the most complicated string I've ever done because that's the way it wanted to be and the tangles filled the spaces and the world slipped away for just ever so long. 

Then I reproduced that string and did it the old-fashioned way, for me anyway. Just me and my Sharpie (two, actually, as one was destined for the great Dustbin in the Sky).

I drew it in this orientation:

But, when I was done I rotated it and much prefer this direction:

I "do" this with "Knightsbridge"--checkerboard in Zentanglese-- often JFF*, but this was the first time I restrained myself from filling in EVERY. LAST. CORNER.

It had reached its "enough-ness." 

Since you were so kind to stop by, I've posted the string in all its glory on the G2H page. Should you decide to use it, show me your handiwork--I'd love to see it!-- and be so kind to link it back to the page where you found it. 

Thank you for visiting. I hope you have a brilliant day! 

* Just for Fun

Of Petunias and Mice and Things

I have a funny story about a boatload of purple petunias and ex-in-laws. I just never really found it funny.

When they were planning a visit, my ex informed me his mother really loved purple petunias. As we were spiffing up the place, I potted up tons of them to decorate the porch and the patios. She had no idea what they were, was not much impressed by the flowers or the effort and barely spent any time outside enjoying the gardens.

You may really like purple or petunias, but I fall squarely into the camp that finds purple overwhelming and petunias a lot of trouble.

And all that applies to certain people, too.

All of which came to mind when "petunia" popped up for the word at EIM:

This week, it's "Mice."

The word for the week at the 2 x 2 is "jewel." The toughest part of this black-on-black drawing  of a scarab beetle was making it all show up.

I kept the black paper out for the Diva this week, a focus on "Centre Square."

That's fluorescent gel pen with free-form squares.

And finally posting last week's:

That's coffee splotched on there.

I did last week's IAST, too:

The combination of "Fengle" and "Shattuck" naturally lent itself to a starfish and sealife. I was transported to Dunedin, Florida; a glorious trip to the Gulf Coast a few years ago and watching the sunset from the seashell strewn beach.

For this week, it was a hurricane for inspiration. While my relatives were battling what was left of Hermine, we had Newton. And aftershocks from an earthquake. And a fire. Nothing major,  mind you, but it was getting a little too exciting there for a bit.

Speaking of excitement, this was drawn while waiting in the ER with my daughter for test results. It appears she is the epitome of good health except for some stress-related symptoms. We think she'll be better when she stops eating In-and-Out burgers at 2 AM. (Or, as we found ourselves at Denny's afterwards for Grand Slam breakfasts in the wee hours. It was good. But we are tired).

 Lastly, as I had threatened previously, the finished poem to water for that 2 x 2:

There's a joke in our household about arroyos or desert streams. New River is so new they forgot the water! Arroyos are dry river beds until it rains (And then, watch out!). So, I just HAD to add the "just add water" part. Along with glitter, fabric paint and an antique rhinestone. I can't say if it's an improvement or not; I sure used a bunch of different materials.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you enjoy what I share with you. Please take a moment to check out the other artists that tackle these challenges and perhaps? Try your hand at drawing, collage, zentangle or whatever intrigues you. Especially the TwobyTwobyTuesday! Next time it's "astronomy."

While you ponder the stars (or next year's total eclipse of the sun here in the States!), I wish you the "just right" amount of excitement and a brilliant day! c

Of Whales and Birds

I'll start with my contribution to the EIM. I had a whale of a good time finding information about cetaceans, the big mammals of the sea.

First up, the biblical account of Jonah and the Whale, a detail from the illustration by Everett Henry titled, "The Voyage of the Pequod," for the story, "Moby Dick," also known as just, "The Whale," by Herman Melville, the tail end of a whale and an image of a breaching whale.
Did you see the story of the whale they call "Granny" in the news this week?
Life can be funny that way, don't you think?
Ah, whale tales all! You can call me Ishmael.

Moving right along....
Next I tackled the TwobyTwo. The first two drawings are kind of self-explanatory.

This one requires a bit of back-story. I was in Sedona one day a while back and stopped by Garlands, a gallery for exceptional Native American jewelry, ceramics and weavings. I saw a beautiful Tree of Life (Bird Pictorial) wall hanging depicting hummingbirds and metallic yarns were used to make those lovely birds shimmer. I knew then that it would haunt me forever that I didn't buy the unusual piece (Navajo like to use only wool from the sheep they raise themselves. Metallic threads are unheard of), but the tag had more zeroes than I had.
Sigh.
So here I've attempted to draw a hummingbird that doesn't look like the Twitter thing:

I dream of hummingbirds, which I guess is a good thing.

Before I let you go, I'll share the Diva challenge piece for the week.

That's it for now. Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a brilliant day!

Putting My Heart into It

I was kind of ahead of myself, again, last week while I was speaking of "rain" before the EIM this week. The week before last we had rain and have had none since. This is our rainy season; we should be getting rain.

Instead, this is what we're getting:

We're not even getting virga, also known as phantom rain--it doesn't even touch the ground!

I'm not so secretly praying for rain as we're tinder dry and forest fires are a reality. So far, so good.

Other than that, this is what I have to give to you, my world, this week:

It's a collage specifically for the Two by Two. And a personal statement and challenge to do what I must.
What is YOUR "must?"
Have a brilliant day!

Life and Liberty

It's that time of year here in the States that we celebrate our very existence. Two hundred and forty years ago we got really rambunctious and wrestled for our independence much like a three year-old at a candy store. I can't say that life has improved but we still have some inalienable rights--to say what we want, bear arms or arm bears and defend anyone else to pretty much do as they damn well please.
So, we have a giant party that has more to do with the pursuit of happiness than life and liberty. There are barbeques, parades and if the weather cooperates, FIREWORKS!
(Here in the desert, they can get called off for mostly wind and high fire risk. If we don't get rain this week, there may have to be cancellations. I hope not. I like watching them).
Thus you have my contribution for the EIM, "party."

I compiled a few flag images while I was working on next week's TwobyTwo. The word there is, "Victory." Please take a peek at the some of the prompts I put together; it was a lot of fun and if the mood suits, participate? Love to have you join the fun. Go ahead and look. I'll be here waiting for you.
Anywho, these are what came about as I tinkered with some ideas.

I selected flags that are appropriate for an era--the bottom one represents the original thirteen colonies with the Declaration of Independence; the middle has the Marines raising the forty-eight-star flag at Iwo Jima (Arizona was the 48th state, admitted Valentine's Day, 1912) and the top is our current flag, the Statue of Liberty, our Pledge of Allegiance with the sonnet, "The New Colossus." To me, these images represent the fight for those freedoms.
Indeed, the pen is mightier than the sword.
I like to think I have super powers wielding my trusty Sharpie. This is what we accomplished this week:

That's for the Diva 272, black and white and red all-over. Not the most original comp, but it kept me busy filling in all those squares.
Thanks for checking on what I've been up to. Be sure to see what all the other artists out there have been up to...Hope you have a brilliant day. c

Persevering

I don't know if it's the heat or what-have-you, but I'm just muddling through some of these weekly challenges. Or am I making things more complicated than they need to be?
Oh, that could NEVER be it!
HA!
Last week's IAST was to work up Fengle as a string then work it. A couple sleepless nights and boy did I make some messes there. This is what I actually confessed to making:

Fengle

For the Birds

From there I tried the media treatment at the Diva. Let's just say that whatever that is didn't work for me, with a LOT of paper hitting the recycle bin. I have plenty of markers and they just didn't blend like that. I thought of taking my trusty Sharpie and using rubbing alcohol on it. Then I thought differently.
Zentangle is supposed to be meditative and relaxing. I didn't want to get caught up in the materials so much as the method. And while this shows none of the point of this week's challenge, the result was less stress and more Zen:

Then it was a last minute attack on my very own TwobyTwo. This week the word is "diamond." At first it was all about the sparkle, then I considered the geometric shape. Oh, there's trouble just waiting to happen there!
In real life, one of the things I do is print giclees, or more technically correct, archival inkjet canvas prints. While producing the latest project for a client, I ended up with a lot of sample pieces. So I cut one section up into diamond shapes, after spending hours figuring out the angles and tried to glue it all back together.
Uh huh, not happening.
It all curled up. It'll be pretty once I straighten it all out. Maybe.

So I tried to "just do it" on paper. An attempt at "Tumbling Blocks."

Yeah, well....
Then I tried another cut and paste and the resulting fridge magnet will do.

At EIM, the word is "radio." When I moved to Phoenix, 95.5 was a smooooooth jazz station. It's now a "whatever we want" station on IHeart radio. I give you, "The Mountain."

I actually did one Zentangle JFF:

And I'll leave you with a revisit to Diva 268, to use more black than "usual."
Be sure to check out the various blogs, there is plenty of inspiration to be found out there. Pay particular attention to the "Beads of Courage;" there's a lot of good going on!

(If you're looking for me, I'll be out in the yard. I sent 100 grapefruits to the local food bank yesterday and I need to do it again!)

P.S. This is what 100 grapefruits look like:

The Second 100

A Space Odyssey

I hope you didn't miss me too much or worry that I'd fallen from this planet. I kind of took a necessary technology vacation, unplug for a good week. You ever do that?
Not that I was sitting still. There was the pool to open and the citrus need to be fed this time of year, time consuming projects both. No idle hands here! (And good therapy for my recovering hand).
So I didn't really get to the various design challenges, either. Time to refocus and get caught up to date!

I have some pretty pictures to share for the TwobyTwo. I've also been doing some much-needed organizing and found my daughter's baby blanket that my mom stitched for her. If you've been around, you know my daughter works, goes to school, has a serious boyfriend...you get the idea. It's been a long time since she's been a baby.

   
The second one is part of my receiving blanket. Yup, still got it, still in great shape. It can't be more than thirty years old, right?
You can stop laughing now.
I missed posting last week's EIM, button. I have a collection of vintage button cards on my nightstand, doesn't everybody? So here are some thirty-plus year old buttons:

This week's EIM is robot. If you're playing along with the galactic hitchhikers, the obvious choice is Marvin, but then there's Rosie from the Jetsons or B-9 from Lost in Space (you know? "Danger, Will Robinson!!"). I certainly can't go with something obvious, so while it's not really a robot, it is an intelligent non-human character:

Hal 9000
2001: A Space Odyssey

Two down, two to go...
The IAST this week played with flowers. It strayed into cartoony territory, but I like Zingers.

Say it with Flowers

Last weeks:

Cloud Nine

And the one before that. Since this also fits the Diva this week, I'm cheating and applying it there. (And yes, I used a pencil, so that's cheating, too!). I wasn't excited about it, but the woman next to me at the doctor's office waiting room thought this was an amazing design. The stippling kept me as busy as I needed to be for the waiting part.

The last one is last weeks Diva, bringing me up to date. I'll have to try these patterns again sometime. Like sometime I need to really sit still for a long while and focus. I don't think today is that kind of day. I might wander the weird wide web and see what the others are up to, though. I suggest you do, too! There is such an amazing amount of talent out there, and the ladies that come up with these challenges are quite devious, er, ah, dedicated.

Have a brilliant day, thanks for stopping by!