Monday

A Monday is a challenge all by itself, isn't it?  Just getting back into routine and facing what may not be your choice of activities for the day...yet we do it / them, over and over again.  Interesting that we build our own mazes in which to race our days away...

The fabulous Diva is back with her usual intriguing challenge "de la semaine" - which you'll find here.  This is a new tangle and one I've not used before so it was a little shy today and would only come out and play in one segment of this tile.  Perhaps next time it will feel a bit bolder!

Happy Monday!

Royal Wedding

The Diva has issued her latest challenge (drumroll, please)...ROYAL WEDDING! (Note to self; why didn't I see this one coming? *G*).  Of course, this was too intriguing not to pop into right away.  The wedding was SOOOOOOOOOOOO all over all media that it was, quite literally, inescapable!  I was pleased to see that Catherine chose a truly lovely, classically styled gown with wonderful modern touches and fabrics treated with respect by real artisans.  The interaction between William and Catherine was a treat to watch - I felt rather like a voyeur!  They truly seem to care for each other, and not in a light or superficial fashion.  The small gestures and glances were quite telling and I enjoyed the clips I saw.  The pomp and pageantry was fun (viewed on the small screen only; I don't think I could live through such a crush of people in real life!) and while the television hosts were irritating, banal and trite, with the sound off it was a great show!  I saw lots of inspiration for new tangles, which I'll work up time permitting.  In the meantime, here's the first impression to flow off my pen:

Happy Tuesday!

EggZZZZcellent Monday!

Oh la la, Diva!  Once again the Mistress of Mystique has issued a challenge worth jumping right into!  This week's challenge (in honour of Easter, new beginnings, spring and other noteworthy wonderfulnesses) is to use the shape of Eggs in your Zentangle or Zentangle Inspired Art.  Well!  This is just up my alley!

I love eggs - the shape, the colours, the surprise of discovering the shells below unknown birds nests, the joy when gifted with a perfect robin's shell, bisected beautifully by the emerging frail feathered friend...The shells are so beautiful and the contents so amazing - whether the source of perfect protein or the creation of a new life, they are wondrous environments and objects of great beauty.  Despite their fragility, easily crushed with the fingers alone, they can support unbelievable weights and even provide a sharp and slug or snail impassable border for delicate plants.  You can start seeds in them, then plant the entire thing - shell, dirt and seedling - in the garden as is.  They can be  carved, painted, dyed or etched.  Smashed flat they can mimic ancient craquelure for a decorative paint finish.  Powdered they are an excellent compost amendment or calcium binder.  The eggs themselves are a wonderful source of protein, tasty and self-contained.  The whites make delicious and delicate meringues.  The yolk is an essential for the creation of egg tempera, a lacquer-like, transparent paint used since ancient times for fine art and decorative work.  Russian Icons hundreds of years old still glow with the luminous beauty of the egg tempera used in their creation; the same technique that lives on today, passed down from master Icon painter to their apprentice(s).

In celebration, and in answer to the challenge, I offer the following:

Happy Monday!

Ahhh, Tuesday !

Poor day!  It felt like Monday all day long and the poor thing never got a "feel" of its own! *G*  On the other hand, it's one day closer to the weekend (and my first Zentangle class!).  Plus, my folks are home from an extended stay in Arizona and I do miss them when they're away, although I suspect my Dad really misses his garden most of all and Mom loves the "dry heat" and beautiful desert so much I don't think she misses ANYTHING up here - well, maybe her grandkids! *G*

At any rate, you may have noticed my lack of posts last week.  It appears the winter blahs, or spring bunions, or something equally annoying, has provoked a hibernation response in me.  I have been going to bed so early it's ridiculous!  I do apologize and will exercise better self-discipline and get my posts done earlier in the evening if possible.

There's always so much to do, isn't there?  Day job, housework, family, friends, miscellaneous freelance work items, daily chores... I wish these things were more fun.  Cris recently mentioned the Flylady (if you don't know about her, go visit - the site is amazing!).  This site has really helpful tips and ideas to help you accomplish those pesky chores and daily interruptions.  I have some friends (and family - I can't believe we're related!) that find real joy in housework.  I do love a sparkling clean place with a wonderful fresh smell (NOT from air freshener!) but find the chores to achieve it rather un-fun to the max!  Isn't it funny how the sheer repetition of laundry, dishes, etc., can feel like a forced march in full gear, dragging on for hours?  Yet repeating tangles endlessly simply has time flying past, completely unremarked!  This week's challenge by the Diva was a good reminder that you CAN do anything 15 minutes at a time.  I'm going to try to push this tomorrow night and get some REAL WORK DONE in the basement.... wish me luck! (the good kind please - just in case! *G*).

Happy Tuesday!

Love Those Curves !

Life throws them at you and you hope you can catch 'em.  They show up in your path and you have no choice but to navigate them.  They distract you from your goals and you turn your back on them.  When you're young and have 'em, they attract unwanted attention from others.  When you age a bit and have 'em, they waste too much energy regretting them.  What are they?  Curves, of course!  The fabulous Diva, Mistress Of All Things Challenging, has given us our challenge of the week - Love Your Curves, Baby!  Cool, eh?  Fortunately I've had a lifetime of experience in dealing with curves - whether inflicted by fate, the universe or the Powers That Be, they've been part of my life for virtually the entirety of it!

Happy Monday!