Step Thirty Six: Zentangle Mania

Dearest Sylwi,

Hellooooooooo! :-) It was so lovely to come back and see your posts! I love them (particularly your anniversary one! Happy Anniversary!) and I love the idea of Zentangle.

I'm sitting here today with an absolutely stinking cold... I've just said goodbye to one set of guests and another lot arrived today, so my head is in a spin. I couldn't think of one thing to do for today's post as my head almost feels liquid, I'm so full of the cold... so I decided to copy you! :-)

Inspired by your zentangle post, I tried some of my own. I'm not sure I've entirely got the hang of the technique, as there was nothing much zen about my experience! :-)

I cut out a square of paper, drew a few squiggles on it and then began to doodle around them. The more I doodled, the more stressed I got that I didn't like the outcome... I know, I know, it's supposed to be meditative and calming, but for some reason, I had preconceived ideas about how mine 'should' look.

By the end of the first one, I wondered if my efforts were rubbish and by the end of the second square that I tried, I was convinced they were! ;-))))

So, against (probably) all Zentangle rules, I took a pair of scissors and chopped each square into two halves... and then I started to like them more! :-)

In fact, I started to enjoy myself so much, that I found myself putting off jobs that needed done (the guests will have to help me make the beds later!) :-) so that I could create more squares to chop in half! :-)

... and I still couldn't get enough of Zentangles. I was getting quite addicted. Here, I drew a hot air balloon... and then doodled all around it.

... and then, my guests arrived early :-( so I had to put down my pen reluctantly and stop acting like a crazy person!

I wish I could hang around our blog more today and chat with you - I'm desperate to hear your stories - about your practicum, about your Flickrgetogether, about life in general... but I have to go.

I'm away for a couple of days tomorrow and there's so much to get done first... but all I want to do is go to bed and sleep off this cold! :-)

Hopefully, there will be more time next week to concentrate on my 37th step. Gosh, are there really only 15 left?! :-(

Can't wait to see what your step will be this week. Hope you're ok. Will be in touch as soon as I get back.

Lots and lots and lots of love (I Misssssed You!)
Fi
xx

Step Thirty Four: Zentangle

Dear Fi,

As you are relaxing in France I’m sitting at my overcrowded chiropractor’s office waiting for my turn and writing this letter/post to you. No I didn’t forget to post yesterday. I was actually very proud of myself because despite of my first day at work, and despite of having sick children I was able to create something for my thirty fourth step. 

However, after finishing my tangled sign, and before writing my post I went to bed with my sick children and fell asleep with them. I woke up this morning and there was no time to post before leaving for work, so here I am... late.

Did you hear about zentangle yet? 

I found this book a few months ago, and was curious what was inside. However, for some unknown reason it was really hard to order the book (which made me want it even more!) Finally last week the book arrived. Zentangle reminds me of doodles, only I think that the purpose of tangle is to repeat them as a pattern or to create tangled clusters. 

{Do you think my Dear Fi that I really know what I’m talking about?}

Anyway, it turned out that playing with Zentangle was fun and relaxing. Since my goal was to try it out for the first time, and I didn’t have much time I decided to fill the letters with tanglo-doodles (ha, ha - yes, I’m creating new words). I actually had an idea of designing a bigger project but it was impossible to fit it into yesterday ;) So, instead I decided to mark that first day of unpaid work (meaning: practicum) hence my Zentangled DAY 1...

Zentangle is simple, creative, fun and relaxing... So my Dear Fi, you might even try it right now on your French paper napkin while you are sitting in some nice cafe waiting for your tasty crunchy yummy chocolate croissant to arrive... {me? jealous???}

:*

Sylvia

P.S.

I hope you are having fun in France so far :*