Rainy week... and an art challenge

So far it's been a rainy time in Florida the past few days.  We certainly need the rain to nourish trees, grass and shrubbery, but the downpour just awhile ago was nearly scary, and I love rough weather!  Took a couple of photos of wind and rain from my porch.

Sheets of windblown rain acting like a curtain

Rain pouring off the roof in two streams.....

Since this sure wasn't an afternoon to be outside, I decided to play with the monthly challenge from the Sarasota Surface Design Guild.  We were given a photo copy of the outline of a hand and no further instructions.   I've been wanting to trace my own hand and create a piece of ZIA (Zentangle Inspired Art).  Thinking about the henna decorations on bridal hands set me on this path with my trusty sepia-toned Sakura micron pen.......  I took several different photos in different light, with and without flash.  These two  photos seem to show detail the best.  The name of the piece is "Eye-Hand Coordination" 

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Please click for larger image

 

Never too busy to tangle.....

This is usually so true, but last week was a bear!!  A whole family full of company in my tiny apartment and I broke the little toe on my right foot by catching it on the coffee table leg..... ouch!!!  We had the best time, however - you know how it is when you see old friends.  Lots of laughs, plenty of good food, a couple of picnic adventures, and always, the beautiful beach!!

Missed Laura's "straight lines" challenge, but wanted to try it anyway as the challenge this week is to use only curving lines.  The Diva wants us to see if we feel any different drawing curves than straights, so had to do the straight first......  I'm usually into curves, but actually enjoyed working with only straight lines and felt a bit more inclined to keep adding tangles.  What we learn about ourselves and our drawing because of these challenges!!  It's great ;-0

So, here's my curves tile followed by the straights tile, and then a few cute pics of the good time I had with my company..... enjoy ;-0

 (please ignore the little blob of white paint in the upper left corner - the phone rang, my pink marker slipped, and I had to do a wee bit of repair ;-0 - WHY does this happen only when you're about finished?????)

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These pictures are of dear friends - it was the little kids' first trip to the beach - I'm so happy I could share this exciting event in their lives!!!

The sweet mom and her boy, my godson ;-0

Big sister....

Sunset - can you believe these luscious colors!!!

A fellow "beach bum" offered to take our picture!!!

The kids on my porch

Daddy Matt with his first-ever RAW OYSTER!!!!!  (He liked it, and ate some more..... ;-0

Quilts for Japan

No photos with this post - just a link to a  Quilter's Newsletter post about a way to send comfort quilts to those in need in Japan.  In the comments section, several people have raised some valid questions about this effort, and also offered suggestions for making this a successful project.

I am neither endorsing nor discouraging participation, but after reading the QN post and all the comments so far, I do feel comfortable about sending at least one quilt from my stack!

Non-dominant hand tangle #2

Can hardly believe what a glutton for punishment I am!  Going out of my way to draw a second tile with my non-dominant (right) hand......  This was a real challenge, and it has piqued my interest, thanks to Laura.  Have never posted two challenge tiles in a week, but somehow just couldn't resist showing off a bit ;-0

I need to apologize for not responding at all to everyone's tangles for this week.  It hasn't been a great past few days for several reasons, but I'll get through it.  Knowing that there is still creativity at the end of most dark tunnels and a friendly gathering of fellow tanglers,  has kept a bit of cheer in my heart most of the time.  I did look at all the tiles and think we did an amazing job!!!

I drew this one on a 5x7 piece of paper intending to make bolder strokes, but ended up with patterns about the same size as I usually draw, just more of them and lots more white space.

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A REAL challenge!!

Our fearless Laura at iamthedivaczt of Zentangle© challenge fame, has come up with a dilly for this week!!  Draw a tangle with your non-dominant hand!!!  Easier for some than others - pretty difficult for me, I can tell you.

I'm a lefty, so am fairly ambidextrous (it is a right-handed world, isn't it!) but not to draw!  OK Miss Susan, relax - well, I could do that.... now, breathe - definitely a must for this challenge to maintain any sense of flow, now, smile?  That was the most difficult thing to remember!!  Kept feeling those frownies developing between my eyebrows.  But, I did it!!  Also added in some blue because I missed last week ;-0

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Oooooh, La-La!

Lenna's Vintage Notecard Swap is finished and the three notecards from other participants arrived in my mailbox today ;-0  Lenna always packages her swaps nicely so everything arrives in tip-top condition.

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I LOVE them all!!

As you can see, they are just beautiful with their romantic vintage images, embellishments of lace and buttons and even a bit of glitz!  All have wonderfully decorated matching envelopes....  And as always, Lenna has done her utmost to make this swap fun.  She's efficient too, keeping us all on track, informed, and inspired ;-0  (Thanks LENNA!!)  The cards I received came from Sabine in Germany, from Margriet in the Netherlands, and from Nancy, right here in Florida.  Sorry I don't have blog addresses for Nancy and Margriet.  (oopsie... my apologies all, just realized that I've reversed two of the envelopes in the first photo.  I've been back and forth with my camera enough already  - you'll see the correct ones in the individual photos.)

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This card is from Sabine.  Love the color (!) and she used a strip of film with an image of a dressmaker's form on it. Note the lace, and that's a real mother of pearl button!  A bit of purple glitz completes this lovely card.

Coincidentally, Sabine and I also participated in Kate's recent quilt swap, though we didn't get each other's quilts.

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This beauty came all the way from the Netherlands and Margriet's creative hands!  It has beautiful lace and subtle blue paper behind the image, and the curly swirls on the envelope are all hand drawn!   Don't you love the way the little bird echoes the shape of that amazing hat?  Can't quite picture how ladies managed those large chapeaux.......

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Last, but certainly not least, is Nancy's sweet creation.  All girly, pink, and lace with vintage buttons and floral accents.  Some fine altering of a vintage songbook page too, for the background!

(How did all these ladies know how much I love antique buttons.....hmmmmm??)

Each of the cards has a mix of glue and stitching, with hand-sewn buttons.  Lovely work, ladies ;-0

Lenna's next swap is going to be tiny books - can't wait..... Maybe you'll join in?

First art show!!

The Sarasota (Florida) Surface Design Guild was invited to participate in an art show at the Sarasota Art Center - end of March through late April.  We work in so many different ways, from knitting to book making to polymer clay, quilting, beading, etc., so our president and board came up with a few guidelines for entries so there would be a [somewhat] cohesive look to the display of all our mediums.  One of the choices we were given was to use a 12x12 pre-stretched canvas to do anything we liked with - paint, stamp, cover with twigs, whatever our little artistic hears desired.......

I'll play with almost anything, but for an entry in my first ever art show, I wanted to make something using materials that I'm confident with.  Wrapping the canvas with a small quilt seemed like a good idea.

Since discovering Susan Carlson and her fabulous fabric collage art quilts, I've been spending quite a bit of my playtime arranging and re-arranging tiny bits of fabric using Susan's technique to make fish and butterflies.  I used one of Susan's fish patterns early on, but came up with my own butterfly patterns, and now, this Sea Anemones collage.  I love to bead, too, so here's what I've designed for the show.

Click for larger image - this photo taken with the flash and the colors are accurate....

 The next photos were taken under incandescent lighting.  There's a color shift I can't seem to correct, but the beading shows up to advantage, so I've left them as is.....

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Beading detail - please click to enlarge

Beading detail - please click for larger view

Beading detail - please click for larger view

Monotangle

Laura Harms' challenge for this week (#11!) is to create a tile using just one tangle pattern.  Don't know if mine is an 'official' pattern, but I just got lost in all these swirls and loops - felt very mellow.....  Some Wise One of yore said, "It is better to walk one path a thousand times than to walk a thousand different paths."

This said, it is spring where I am, and being outside enjoying the warm weather is suddenly taking precedence over everything else.  I welcome and appreciate all your comments, but know it is probably warming up where you are too, and you may be busy with gardens and other outdoor projects and have no more time than I do to spend hunched over a computer.   Also, at this point, so many of us are participating in Laura's challenge that it doesn't seem possible to add a meaningful comment to each person's blog.  I'm starting to feel guilty if I don't respond to each and every one of you wonderful ZT friends (sad sigh......)  Laura probably never intended that, so am going to send a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you, and let it go at that..... at least for this week ;-0

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