To the Black

I held a small class on Sunday August 28. We spent time practicing the basic tangles of 'crescent moon', static, purlz, and florz. Then we did a second set on the new black tiles. They are cool - but do require a bit more understanding of the effects of a thicker pen on the tile.

Take a look

1st Set Tangles

2nd Set: White on Black; actually top left is a metalic pink on black!

I will be hosting a Zentangle booth at the Yorkshire Rose Quilt Show, to be held September 17 & 18, from 10- 4 each day at the Ellesmere Community Centre, Warden and Ellesmere, 20 Canadian Road. Come visit me  - and take advantage of some amazing quilts - traditional and contemporary.

deb

Pretty Planet

This pretty planet
spinning through space
you're a garden, you're a harbor, you're a holy place
Golden Sun going down,
gentle blue giant spin us around
All through the night
safe 'til the morning light.

by john forster + tom chapin.

Summer 2011

Summer has been a roller coaster. We have enjoyed visits to Vermont in June, where I saw my mom's home when she was single, gone to Maine and New Hampshire and breathed the fresh ocean air, Algonquin Park where we saw a teenage black bear, and our trailer on Pigeon Lake. My son joined the Pine River Institute in the outdoor leadership program to start a 9 month program to help with concurrent mental health disorders. Life has changed. Blessings will come in varied ways - i am sure.

I am getting ready for the upcoming Yorkshire Rose Quilters Guild Fall Quilt Show, September 17-18. Besides having 4 quilts in the show I will be hosting a Zentangle booth as a vendor at the show. I will be doing demonstrations at the show, so if you are interested in seeing up close what Zentangles are, come and visit me. The show will be held at the Ellesmere Community Centre, 20 Canadian Road, Toronto, Ontario.

But even sooner than that, I will be having a Zentangle 101 on Sunday, August 28, from 1:00-2:30 PM. A second level class will follow at 3:00 p.m. Join me and learn joys of tangles.

Mixed Minded Review

It has been a busy month. How often do I say that?

I spent a great afternoon sharing Zentangles with a group of ladies at the Mixed Minded Conference in Kitchener. It's the first - keep you eye out for next year's 2nd annual conference.

As Karen Ellis, the organizer stated, I flew in to teach and out again later. But what happened in between was relaxing and inspiring. The class was Zentangles 101 with a twist - create a journal cover to continue at home. I shared my personal Zentangle story, and then taught the first Zentangle. We gathered the Zentangles and posted them for all to see. It was great. So different and so unique and all the same string and patterns!

Then I shared the plan to create the journal cover. I used Lyric Kinard's journal cover tutorial to make a simple cover. I had all the pieces of fabric cut out, and had brought my sewing machine to stitch them together. I planned it that way so people could learn how to make the journal cover on their own and do it at home.


Everyone created their own string on the cover, and began tangling. Such creativity!

I've had more inquiries about learning how to tangle, so check out my classes in the top right corner of the blog page. I look forward to seeing you soon.
deb

An Old Dog New Tricks

You can teach an old dog new tricks. I've been having some massage done on my shoulders and front shoulder. One of the techniques the massage therapist has used is to warm the areas of the tension to break the muscles to operate in a new way. The next part is mine - I need to stretch those muscles and operate them in a new fashion so that the tension goes away. That's one example.
Another Is the ability to break ourselves out of old routines that are not helpful anymore. For instance, giving our son the interrogation about his homework - provide him with an comfortable setting to talk about his activities - if he is willing to share. The more we ask questions, the more closed the communication is. So Trying a new method of interacting. Really, we have to change some of our behaviours to survive. To develop into fuller beings... it is just hard to break those old habits.
Try to teach yourself new tricks - new ways of responding to life.
Like tangling. And so I am sharing some inspirational photos of our trip to the Dominican. Some of these are so reminiscent of some new favorite tangles! like Betweed.

I enjoyed the artwork in the hotel. The ironwork and the table legs were neat too.

Can you find the Zentangle? So cool!

Go try a new trick.
deb

A moment to stand still

 Whew. It's been a flurry since my last post. And I don't mean snow. I think i've gotta slow down. At least that seems to be what my body is telling me.
After such a wonderful Sunday tangling and zentangle quilting, I kicked it into high gear to get ready for a trip away with my husband and his company in the Dominican Republic. I decided to treat myself to a mani-pedicure, and had my haircut.  These things I do --- too little. But the thing is, they are 1 more thing that makes me busy doing things that society says are good for you, but I'm not always convinced. I'd really rather hole up in my studio and sew pieces of fabric together, or stitch quilt designs on fabric. What serves the brain better for rest? I'm really torn.
Anyways, after shocking the hell out of my family with my new haircut (hours before we got on the plane) I dropped down in the warm weather of the Dominican. I won't say much about the resort, Gran Bahia Principe Bavaro, because I was not impressed. I will say I met some really wonderful fun-loving people that my husband works with (at NLTechnologies). It's not often you can get along with people you have never met before, who are connected to your husband through work.  We also met a 2nd cousin of Fred, who lives in the Dominican, Garet and Mayra Kopeschny.

Garet, Mayra, Deb, Fred
Kopeschny

And so, while enjoying myself and letting go, I succumbed to the flu that my son had before we left. So, being sick in the Caribbean is not so bad, after all what do you have to do? but lie in the sun, and drink and eat...I just wish I had felt better longer so that I could have gone dancing until 2 a.m. again. That was a lot of fun, and I'm sure I paid for it the rest of the week.

But really, that's only part of the story. I got home, and my husband quickly pushed me to the doctors office to have my cold checked. out. Sure enough, a chest infection. Then my daughter comes home from work, not feeling well, so off she goes to the doctors. We don't know what is bothering her at first, I just know I couldn't sleep through the night for the next week, between her vomiting and me coughing... Thanks to some of my great co-workers, Joanne Opsteen, NP Extraordinaire, she helped us get Laura better. In the meantime, my son seems to think he needs to get in on the action, and sprains his ankle. UGH. so back to Joanne for a checkup, x-rays... crutches.
I think we're all getting better..... but i do need another vacation... or maybe it's just routine of everyday life, with everything  running smoothly... Hmm.
So here I sit, on a Good Friday, waiting for my Paska to rise. . thinking of the pain and suffering of our Christ. Soon we will hear the sounds of "Lo in the grave he lay, Jesus My Saviour..." And I will remember that out of pain and suffering comes triumph. Glory. Passion. Praise be to God.

Classes Classes Classes!

I've been busy.. with classes. I had a small class in my home in March. Enjoyable and intimate. Here are the photos of the class.

Then some dyeing.  We had a surprise snow storm, and I couldn't resist doing some more snow dyeing.

Then the date finally came for a double class  on Zentangles for Quilting, at the lovely studio of Elaine Theriault. I had 25 people, in two different classes. Thank you Elaine for hosting this meditational and inspiring day. We all went away with new ideas with Zentangles... including myself... sharing and creativity together inspire each of us to grow and develop new ideas.

I began the class with some basic tangles, that are easily transferable to quilting. The next set of tiles we did, began with a discussion on how Zentangles are so transferable to quilting. Then we did patterns that were all continuous line. We did the Zentangle version of a feather - and still there were panics about doing feathers. Practice Practice Practice... it makes it come easier the next time.

Enjoy...
Smiles...
Keep Tangling...