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Happy New Year! 2019 was filled with so many creative opportunities and I look forward to what 2020 will bring!  This year's 12 days of Zentangle and Project Pack 07 did not disappoint! I loved having the opportunity to explore the new grey tiles. I always enjoy doing the 12 days of Zentangle (and Project Packs) because they take me out of my comfort zone and I always learn so much!
I do not usually use coloured Microns in my tangling, and I do not have much experience with coloured chalk pencils. After using these tools in every tile during the 12 days, I am really looking forward to playing and exploring them further. Although I really enjoyed each day of tangling, my favourites were Day 01, 03, and 10. If you missed out on the 12 days of Zentangle videos, click here and enjoy!
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Today is the first day of the 12 Days of Zentangle using Project Pack 07! I will posted my completed projects at the end of the 12 days! Stay tuned!  This is my third year doing Inktober Tangles, and as always, I loved it! This year, I decided to use one of my hand-made eco dyed tile books I created to draw all my tangles in rather than individual regular tiles. I am very pleased with how it turned out.       Today, was the Fall Harvest Marketplace in Port Moody. This was my second year at this event and marks the beginning of Holiday Market season. It was a great day!
 Every once in a while, I like to invite tanglers, who have taken a class with me, to the North Vancouver City Library for a drop in tangle time. During these times, we share, tangle, explore, and get inspired! Its always so much fun sharing your passions with like minded people!
 This past weekend, I had the opportunity to spend some quality time tangling, crafting and visiting with some of my favourite people. Big THANKYOU to my bestie Emily for hosting the festivities at her house! We started the weekend with some eco-dying. Emily and I first learned to eco-dye in Parksville at Tangle Island with Nancy a couple of years ago. We came back and taught mom the technique, and now this was our third time playing with eco-dying! From our dyed pages, we created cute books!
Next, we played with photochromic ink (sun-sensitive ink).
Then, we explored alcohol inks.
Lastly, we learned a bit about needle felting!  Overall, we had a really great weekend! YAY! Resplendent Art!
Early in July, I attended an alcohol inks demo class at Opus. The session was presented by Jenna Jones of BlueTarpStudios. I loved how the inks moved and flowed on the paper! Of course, I had to buy all the supplies so Momma Deb and I could play!
Momma Deb and I had so much fun playing with the inks! It's mesmerizing and addicting!
One of my favourite things to do with Momma Deb is to have tea and tangle, so in honour of Momma Deb's retirement from nursing, I tangled her a piece featuring 35 tea cups- one tea cup for every year she worked! I think it turned out pretty well!  Our 5-year-old niece recently visited from Burns Lake, and we took her to Science World in Vancouver, BC. The featured exhibition was called A Mirror Maze: Numbers in Nature. It was an interactive exhibit that explained the mathematical patterns found in the natural world. Being a Tangler, I absolutely loved this exhibit!
The centerpiece of the exhibition was an 1800 square foot elaborate mirror maze.  We learned a lot about Fractural Branching, Spirals, Golden Ratio, and Voronoi Patterns.
There was also some very cool artwork featured by different mathematicians/artist
If you get a chance, I highly recommend you check it out. The exhibition is on until September 3, and BC Teachers get free admission to Science World.
This past weekend, Momma Deb, Emily, and I hopped on a ferry and sailed to Tangle Island in Parksville, BC. We couldn’t resist cracking open the new tangle deck #3 and trying out some of the tangles. We absolutely love it!
As always, the very creative and inspiring, Jerryann Haggart (CZT) and Nancy Dawes (CZT) introduced us to many cool new tools, techniques and materials. Some highlights of the weekend included…
...tangling celtic knots...
...playing with watercolour pencils...
...building "itty bitty books" and exploring spray paint and lace...
...and playing with tea cup stencils...  As in previous years, there are no words to truly express how wonderful it is to be in a room full of like minded people who are passionate about tangling. I look forward to what is in store for us next year!
We recently travelled to Mexico for my cousin's wedding. It was a wonderful, relaxing and inspiring vacation.
I REALLY loved all the designs, patterns, and art we saw during the trip! So beautiful!
Today, I had the most amazing day with 10 very talented and inspiring Certified Zentangle Teachers from Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. I have so much appreciation and gratitude for being apart of this wonderful community of learners. There are no words to truly express how great it feels to just sit in a room and share, discuss and explore a common passion, Zentangle.  Big THANK YOU to Barb Round for organizing this event. Each CZT had an opportunity to share their latest projects, and ask questions.  I was really inspired by these ladies and look forward to trying out some ideas. I also got a little confidence boost when I was able to answer questions or give advice to other CZTs about various topics.  We were asked to make a name tag. We had to draw our favourite tangle. I've been really loving flux for the last while so naturally I did that. Some of the CZTs brought treasures to share with everyone. I just love my book mark, eco-dyed paper and engraved (with my name) scissors! Such generous and thoughtful people!
Overall, it was a really great way to spend my last day of Spring Break! I really look forward to our next meet up!
On Feb 15, 2019, I had the opportunity to facilitate two Zentangle sessions at the Illuminate Conference put on by the North Vancouver Teachers' Association. This was my first time presenting at a pro-d conference, and I had the opportunity to use some new technology (a document camera/project system) to teach. Forty-Eight individuals from the North Vancouver School District participated in a 1.5hr basic Zentangle class. Thanks to the NVTA, participants received their very own Zentangle mini kit which they were allowed to take home to continue their Zentangle journey. Big shout out to my most amazing husband, Andrew, for helping set up the night before (on Valentine's Day no less). Overall, it was one of the most amazing experiences, and I could not stop smiling throughout the entire day. I have so much gratitude and appreciation for all the positive feedback from the conference organizers and participants! I look forward to my next pro-d conference opportunity.
To see a video of my set up, check out Dashtangles on Instagram!
As Winter Break comes to an end, I feel so much gratitude and appreciation for the many wonderful opportunities I had to be creative and enjoy the process of creating art. It brought me so much joy, and it was exactly what I needed winter break to be about. To begin, I worked a lot on my 12 days of Zentangle Spinner. I put the finishing touches on one spinner and started (with Momma Deb) and completed a second one.
Then, while visiting Harrison Hot Springs, Momma Deb, our good friend Emily, and I tangled our tiles for the December Dash It All, Let's Tangle Challenge. We had to pick a tangle that was new to us in 2018 and that we really liked. I chose Ginili.
Next, our good friend Emily hosted a Artsy-Tanling "playdate" for Momma Deb and me. She went above and beyond. We focused on three different art projects (Zentangle Inspired) over almost 12 hours. Time flies when you are creating art! First, we worked on Eco-dyeing. Emily and I first learned about Eco-dyeing from Nancy Dawes at Tangle Island last spring. Momma Deb wasn't able to attend Tangle Island, and we knew she would love it so we showed her how it was done. This time around, we experimented with berries and veggies. The results were so beautiful. While our Eco-Dyeing papers were "cooking" and drying, we began our next project which was Eni Oken's Fantasy Agates. Emily was so organized and had all the materials we needed for the lesson prepared in cute little bags. Eni's lesson was fun and we learned about choosing colour palettes, how to create Fantasy Agates using watercolour, and how to incorporate various tangles into our piece. Emily had been playing with fantasy agates for a bit and discovered that adding Twinking H2os added more drama to the tile! Great discovery, Em! I really enjoyed the process of the lesson and wasn't so worried about the outcome, but they definitely turned out beautiful.
The last project we worked on was Eni Oken's Metal Tangles. Once again, Emily was so organized and had all the materials we needed in a cute little bag for us. In the lesson, we learned how to use metal foil tape to create sparkly metallic tangles. I absolutely love getting to experiment with new materials and finding new uses for tools I already have. The whole process was fascinating. We ended up with very beautiful distressed pieces of metal art. Big thank you to Emily for hosting Momma Deb and I. The day was filled with so much laughter, joy, and creativity. We look forward to our next "playdate"!
Next up, I had the opportunity to teach one of my first multigenerational Zentangle 101: The Basics class. 3 grandma's brought 4 grandchild to a class. It was such a fun experience. I look forward to doing more classes like this in the future. 
2018 was an inspiring, creative, and successful year! I look forward to continuing to learn, grow, and create lots of Zentangle Inspired Art in 2019. Happy Tangling to all and all the best in the coming year!
Once again, Zentangle HQ hosted the 12 days of Zentangle. This is my third year participating in the annual tradition. This year the 12 days Zentangle coincided with Project Pack 04: The Tangle Spinner. The idea HQ had was that the "tangled masterpiece will display a variety of your favorite tangles and also act as a fun way to choose what tangle to use next when creating with the Zentangle Method".
This project pack included two custom made templates designed by Zentangle HQ, two mechanical spinners, two watercolour pencils, a watercolour brush, a Micron 01, a tortillion, and a graphite pencil.
Each day, we followed along with Rick, Maria, Molly, Martha, and Julie as they guided us through mini-video tutorials on how to create a Tangle Spinner. We focused on individual tangles, fragments, and borders. The spinner became a fun, interactive work of art.
Each year, I really look forward to the 12 days of Zentangle because I always learn something new, I am pushed outside my comfort zone and I am always so inspired by the beautiful pieces of art that we create.
 This is my second year doing Inktober Tangles, and I really enjoyed it. I decided to use an opus tile (10.5x10.5 tile) to draw all my tangles on rather than individual regular tiles. I am very pleased with how it turned out. One tangle that I really enjoyed learning was Ginili. It reminds me of butterfly wings. Find the step out here.  To read more about Inktober, check out my first blog about it from 2017 here.
On Saturday, Oct 20, 2018 I was in Port Moody at the Civic Centre for the Fall Harvest Marketplace. I really enjoyed the day, it was so nice to meet so many people interested in my art and Zentangle.  Each Zentangle Inspired Art piece (ZIA) is one of a kind, hand drawn by myself. This year, like last year, the magnets were a super popular item. People also LOVED the tangled pumpkins.  New this year, if you signed up for the Dashtangles' Newsletter, your name was entered into a draw for a Tangle Me This! Sketchbook, and if you opened the first newsletter sent to you, your name was entered into a big draw to win a free Zentangle 101: The Basics class!  I'm looking forward to the upcoming North Vancouver Holiday Bazaar Nov. 17-18 and Dec 1-2. The new location this year is at West Vancouver Community Centre from 10am-4pm. Admission is free! Hope to see you there!  If you are interested in purchasing one of my zentangle inspired art pieces or having something custom-made, but can't make the markets, please feel free to contact me via email dashtangles@gmail.com.
For the September “Dash It All, Let’s Tangle “ Challenge, participants were mailed a tile that I started with a string and the tangle Flux. Each tile was started the same way, and participants could choose any tangles they wished to complete it. My favourite part of this challenge was to see how different each tile looked when completed.
 During the month of July and August, The North Vancouver Recreation and Culture Commission, presents the Live & Local Outdoor events at Parkgate Plaza, Lynn Valley Village and Civic Plaza. It is an opportunity for community members of all ages to come out in the early evening and participate in a variety of creative activities and experiences. I had the opportunity offer Zentangle Demo Workshops at the August 16 Live & Local at Parkgate and the Live & Local at Lynn Valley Village on August 22. I alway enjoy the opportunity to share my knowledge and passion for the method of Zentangle.  Above- pictures from the Parkgate event. Below- Momma Deb joined me for the Lynn Valley Village event. With only 5 months left until Christmas Day, prep for the upcoming Holiday Market Season is in full swing.
Similar to last year, there will be holiday cards, ornaments, magnets, and book marks available for purchase. New this year, I hope to add a few other little treasures such as wine charms and framed art.
So, mark your calendars! All my creations will be available to purchase at the following markets!
 I look forward to seeing you there, but if you can't make it to the market and would still like to purchase something, please contact me at dashtangles@gmail.com. I am taking custom and pre-orders starting today!
This past weekend, I attended Tangle Island in Parksville, BC Canada for the second year in a row. Our CZTs, Jerryann Haggart and Nancy Dawes, introduced us to various new tools, techniques and materials. Some of the highlights of the weekend included... ...eco-dying and book binding... ...black ice (black tile, twinkling H2Os, glitter tapes, glaze pens, gel pens)... ...and playing with stencils, new tools, and tangles. As always, it is was so wonderful to be in a room full of like minded people who are passionate about tangling. I look forward to what is in store for us next year!
At the end of April, Momma Deb, Andrew and I travelled to Portland, Oregon so I could attend Tangle U, a "continuing education event" for CZTs. I had the opportunity to learn new techniques and ideas from master CZTs. There were close to 130 CZTs in attendance from all over Canada and the United States.
The CZT community is a very creative, supportive and welcoming one. It was so wonderful to have the opportunity to reconnect with some of the CZTs who I attended seminar 26 with, as well as those who I have met at other tangling events. It was also exciting to finally meet so many CZTs who I have only connected with online. Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures were everyone, but here are a few I remembered to take!
During the four day event, I had the opportunity to attend 6 core classes and 2 optional classes. Those classes included Marie Browning's Shading with TomBow Tutorials and Forest in the Park ZIA, Sampada Agarwal's Chalk Art, Tess Imobersteg's Don't Be Afraid of the Water, Eni Oken's Starfish, Annie Reiser's Charming Tiny Tangles, Kim Vanzyll's Linen Panel, and Brain Crimmins' Dynamic Dingbatz. I loved the opportunity to try new supplies and materials, learn new techniques, and observe and take note of master CZTs teaching styles. It was so exciting how much I was able to add to my skill set in just four days. Below are a few pics of some of the projects I began working on. I look forward to finishing them soon. If attending classes wasn't amazing enough, there was also a Zenbutton Swap, Pop Up Gallery Displays, a Sky Mall (a place for CZT to sell their goods), and Open Studio Time.  This year's swap was called "Circling the Word". Before arriving at Tangle U, CZTs created Zenbuttons, Spundalas, and Zendalas. Once at Tangle U, we handed our creations in and a beautiful mosaic was created.
The top row of Zenbuttons were created by me. The bottom row of Zenbuttons were created by Chris Titus (organizer of the swap), Angie Gittles, and Cassandra Sagan.
Karen Sandoval, Pegi Schargal, and Sue Jacobs all did wonderful displays for the Pop Up Gallery. Very inspiring!  I have so much gratitude and appreciation for having the opportunity to attend Tangle U 2018 in Portland, Oregon. It was four days filled with so much joy, growth, and creativity. I'm so intrigued and inspired to set up, plan, and organize future classes. I can't wait to share all my new knowledge with all those who are interested! Stay tuned!
April 12, 2018 marked the one year anniversary of receiving my Zentangle teaching certificate. Becoming a CZT was a life changing experience, and this past year has been amazing! I have so much love, appreication and gratitude for all the opportunities I have had, people I have met, and memories that I will never forget. I have so much to be thankful for.  To start, I have to say thank you to the MANY friends (and their children), family, and colleagues who participated in demo classes so I could build my confidence and skills to teach the method of zentangle. I taught 8 Zentangle Basics Demo classes, and I appreciated the opportunity to share my passion and knowledge as well as hear all the wonderful feedback. Next, I have to thank the tangle enthusiast who continue to take classes and share their love of tangling with me. This past year, I had the opportunity to teach 10 Zentangle classes including the Basics, Beyond the Basics (String Theory, Monotangles, and Shading), Black Tile, and Renaissance Tile. And finally, I have to thank all CZTs who either in person or online have supported me, answered my questions, and helped me develop various ideas for classes, marketing, etc. The CZT community is like no other community I have been apart of, and I truly appreciate being apart of it.
March started off with the "Dash it All, Let's Tangle" Challenge entitled "Magnification". Tanglers pretended to use a magnifying glass on one of their favourite tangles. Then they added more tangles in the little spaces that are not usually available. Big THANK YOU to Emily for coming up with such a creative challenge idea and the sample tile.
 To kick off Spring Break, Emily and I attended Jerryann Haggart's Dr. Seuss Garden Workshop at the MacMillian Art Centre in Parksville, BC. I really appreciated the opportunity to explore various techniques using my Tombow Dual Brush Markers. They are amazing markers. As always, when I travel to Parksville, I really enjoyed meeting new tanglers, and catching up with those I had met in previous trips. They are a special, creative, and talented group of people.
The Dr. Seuss quote I choose for my piece was "Today was Good. Today was Fun. Tomorrow is another one!" I thought this quote was fitting as I really enjoyed the workshop (it was good and fun), and the next day, I would be heading to Las Vegas with my husband, Andrew (which would be another one- good and fun).  I was in love with all the beautiful art and inspiring patterns I saw while in Las Vegas. I have been to Vegas many times before, but this was the first time I had been there since being introduced to Zentangle. Talk about pattern overload! There were also many interesting pieces that I thought might look cool in one of my Dr. Seuss Garden pieces! This March (spring break), marked the two year anniversary that I launched Dashtangles on social media. The first week I launched my Dashtangles Facebook Page, I had 50 followers. I remember feeling so ecstatic. Today, two years later, I have 200 followers, and I am over the moon! In the social media world, this number might be small, but for me, it's nothing but love and gratitude! Thank you to all my amazing followers.
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