Monday, January 4, 2016

What in the World?

While the New Year is already a few days old, this is the first I've been able to do "me" stuff. You know what I mean, right? The obligations of running a household or taking care of or participating in family matters are caught up and you can do....absolutely nothing.
Which is surely an important task on the to-do list: to rest, to contemplate, to consider or resolve. I'm not one for resolutions on the top of the year, they become too overwhelming with guilt when they don't pan out immediately.
But I have my wishes: to be more creative, to be more fiscally mindful. to stretch the grey matter as well as all the rest of my cells....ah, the list is long and not very focused.
To wit, what does more creativity really mean?

I intend to participate more fully in the art challenge blogs I've enjoyed and to put more energy in the one I host. I want to try different media and some new techniques, especially before I buy more goodies from the art or crafts stores. And when the year is up, I'd like to have an organized record of what I've accomplished--whether it's here or in a box or heaven help us, framed and hanging on my walls (OMG!)

To get started, there's the art challenge blog called, "Every Inchie Monday," hosted by Trillian. The objective is to work on inch-sized art with "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" as the governing theme for this year. The word of the day is, appropriately, "galaxy."
I hold the galaxy in my hand every day, a Samsung phone that is smarter than I am. For a long time I desired granite countertops in my kitchen and the color I chose was "galaxy black," which looks very much like the glitter paper I was using last week. So this is where we ended up:

Six Colors of Glitter
Black glitter paper
Glue and goo
I wasn't too amused as I tried desperately to 'set' the glitter with a spray acrylic medium which spewed white ick instead of CLEAR sealant. Not only do I have white splotches on stuff, I STILL have glitter EVERYWHERE!

While I was trying to get my brain wrapped around the stellar concept, I found that there were new images of the Eagle Nebula out last week (but could not find the link again!). This region is called the "Pillars of Creation," as many stars are born here:

Messier Object 16
Hubble Telescope
I think I'll enjoy the space-related art prompts. And I'll have to read the book as I forget some of the story lines.

Moving along, the Diva Challenge this week is a duotangle--two tangles together--of Auraknot and Diva Dance. It's the five-year anniversary of Laura Harm's blog challenge and here's what I did with it:

Can you spot the mistakes? Good! There aren't supposed to be any in the Zentangle mindset, but that doesn't mean they don't exist!
I sooooo need a new stubbie, I lost mine on a flight to New England. I had had it since college, will it take me as long to replace it? Can I put an asterisk on that resolution to not buy a bunch of stuff at the art store?
Won't they miss me?
Won't you come back and visit to see how things are going? How about checking out the art blogs and trying your hand at it? Join in the fun!


25 comments:

  1. Love the pics from the hubble. I really love what you came up with for your inchie. I really hate working with glitter. It goes every where and sticks to everything. ACK! Cant wait to see what you have coming up for the twinchies!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The glitter is migrating...first in the kitchen where I was working, then the patio where I tried/failed at coating the glitter, and now in the bedroom where I store my supplies...I'm thrilled you like the twinchie thing so much! c

      Delete
  2. Love your inchie - so sparkly - that is the problem with glitter though, isn't it - it gets everywhere and stays there forever! great work

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kia! The sparkle on sparkle may be a little over the top, but twinkle little stars they are! c

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. Danke, Anne! It became exactly what it wanted to, just like any other Zentangle. c

      Delete
  4. You do realise, I hope, that if we all follow your lead the craft/art stores will be out of business by February! On the other hand, maybe they'll have a closing down sale. I made the mistake of watching shopping t.v. this morning and there was a craft show on and... in fact, I turned it off before the temptation was too great but it was a close run thing. Happy New Year. (And I like the artwork too, sorry, I did start with the intention of saying so.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, I'm glad you like what I put down here. And yes, I fear that Arizona Art Supply would shrivel up--I try to support the local players--if I don't make my monthly pilgrimage. Luckily, I have clients that feed me work that require more supplies! There is always the latest and greatest goodie! c

      Delete
  5. Good luck to you one keeping up with your New Year's resolution, Cheryl LOL! You know, I am right there with you! I see we "great" minds went in a similar direction in both our projects. Your is so much neater than mine though. I should resolve to become neater, but it's just not ever going to happen!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Neatness is surely the sign of a deranged mind; me, I like to think that messy is closer to genius--like Albert Einstein. His desk was a mess, mine is worse! So let's muck it up together and see if we can plow through some of our art goodies! c

      Delete
  6. Oh, the joys of working with glitter!!!! Despite running the Hoover through the living room several times I'm still finding glitter from the wrapping paper that a friend gave us our Christmas gifts in :-(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't true, Sally? The stuff gets everywhere! But it's so pretty and it's futile to try to not use it. And I sent some flinging to the far reaches of the planet; my holiday cards were all covered in sparkles, so now everyone can join in the fun! c

      Delete
  7. I couldn't find any mistakes. If there are any, they are cleverly disguised as artistic license. I hereby give you permission to buy another "stubbie"---I assume that's what you call what Amazon calls "stumps"---those rolled paper blender sticks. I'm glad I didn't cheat and look at/read your post before I did my Diva challenge. I would have been tempted to use glitter on my auraknots. If you think about it, the Inchie challenge and the Diva challenge had synergy this week. Nice job on both. Happy New Year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah! Behold the lowly tortillon! I found a how-to for making the blending stumps using common copy paper:
      http://monologues.co.uk/Portraits/Tortillon.htm
      And yes, all around my artistic endeavors had commonality making the efforts more efficient and more fun! c

      Delete
  8. Replies
    1. Thanks, Ilse! I was looking for something more complicated and thought out, but sometimes simplicity wins out. A star is born! c

      Delete
  9. Cheryl, wonderful post!! Your duotangle is cool!! Gotta look up that nebula! Here's to creativity and brilliance for all of us in the new year!!!

    ~ Diane Clancy
    http://www.dianeclancy.com/blog/2016/01/my-diva-duotangle-auraknot-diva-dance

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And a brilliant new year to you, Diane, and to all! And a little more sparkle thrown in for good measure. c

      Delete
  10. Very lovely tile! I like your DivaDance star!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your kind thoughts are very much appreciated, Annette! It's an interesting combination, isn't it? c

      Delete
  11. Ahhh...behold a talent! Expressing a Diva Dance in the intertwines of an Auraknot...nicely done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Sheila, you are too kind! Glad you liked what I put together there. c

      Delete
  12. Oh Cheryl, where did you get that black glitter paper? Love your work!

    ReplyDelete