William Morris Zentangle Challenge

This week, the "I am the Diva" Zentangle challenge is to do Zentangles inspired by the artist William Morris. My friends, Jean and Maria got together with me last night and we had some wild fun trying to even come close to doing some of the background effects that were part of what made William Morris so famous. Here are my two entries.

You can go to iamthedivacztblogspot.com to see previous entries, and to find out each week's challenge, which is posted

every Monday. You do not have to be a Certified Zentangle Teacher to participate. It's a sharing thing, not a competition. You can find out more about Zentangles at zentangle.com.

The link to "I am the Diva" is to the right on this blog.

124 & 125 - World Laughter Day and Laughing Club

The first day of May is World Laughter day and is celebrated by people in stadiums, fields, streets, parks, and places we can't even imagine! If you want more information, you can go to laughteryoga.org. Laughing clubs were started in India and have spread in wonderful ways to lots of countries everywhere, including the United States.

The Laughing Club of N.E. Ohio is inviting everyone (and their pets) to form a huge laughing circle this Sunday, May 1 at Hardesty Park, which is almost at the corner of N. Hawkins and W. Market St. The festivities will begin at 3 p.m. -- rain or shine.

Laughter is great for your overall health and well-being. It is good for your heart, lungs, and reduces blood pressure. Endorphins are released when you laugh that make you feel good, and laughter is energizing. Fake laughter gives you the same benefits as real laughter! There are many more benefits of laughter, and the best way to discover them is to experience a lot of laughter, especially with other people who are laughing!

The Laughing Club of N. E. Ohio meets every Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Cuyahoga Falls Library - 2015 Third St., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44221.

Zentangle Egg Challenge

This week, the challenge on "I am the Diva", was to do a Zentangle egg. I did one on a real egg, which turned out satisfactorily, after a couple of attempts. But the one I had the most fun with was the one I did on a Zentangle tile. If you want to join the fun -- IamtheDivaczt.blogspot.com. You don't have to be a Certified Zentangle Teacher to participate. The challenge is fun to think about during the week, even when you're not doing it! You can see the slideshows from previous challenges on the Diva's blog, too!

123 - Complete a Zentangle Challenge!

I've been doing Zentangles (check outzentangle.com) for a long time, and I love the meditative aspect of creating one. I also appreciate that my awareness levels are higher now that I am looking for tangle patterns all around me most of the time. I have met some amazing people because of Zentangles, and I am a Certified Zentangle Teacher. We have a Zentangle Club here in N. E. Ohio which meets monthly for all kinds of Zentangle fun. I have also taught Zentangles to all kinds of people in all kinds of situations.

But there is one thing I have never done -- accepted a challenge to complete a Zentangle tile with a specific theme from Laura at IamtheDivaczt.blogspot.com. She issues a new challenge every week, and Zentangle enthusiasts from all over the country send in their creative submissions which go into a weekly slideshow. The closest I ever came to entering before was doing one, but not sending it in. So my friend Kathy challenged me to do the challenge this week -- a double challenge! I was so excited that I did the wrong challenge -- the ribbony egglike one. But the real challenge was to do a Zentangle tile in 15 minutes, so at the last minute, I whipped out the heart. I am so proud that I finally made it into the challenge, and I am proud to report to Kathy that I even did two Zentangle tiles! Hooray!

Amy, the Amaryllis

Amy, the amaryllis bulb, has exceeded all my expectations! As a matter of fact, ever since that first leaf started poking out, I have been entranced! It is very exciting to share a space with an amaryllis! My Dad's friend, Ursula, gave him one for Christmas, and it was one of the best presents he ever got -- and he hates presents! Every time I went over to his place, there was new amaryllis excitement going on. Being a plant lover anyway, my Dad was fascinated by this enormous and speedy flowering explosion over the holidays.

So after the holidays, I was happy to find a source for amaryllis bulbs so we could each have one. Every morning is a new adventure. I was away one whole day, and when I came back, there was a whole glorious pink flower where a huge bud had been just hours before. I had to name her Amy -- treating her like any ordinary bulb would have been unthinkable. I have been taking pictures of her development from the very beginning. I know there will come a day when my dear Amy will become dormant. Today I even used a picture of Amy's fabulous blooms for my laptop background. This fun amaryllis bulb, my friend Amy, has really been about "celebrating possibilities". She is a cheerful reminder of hope and enthusiasm. Thank you, Amy!

122 - Complete a Writing Challenge

Recently I have been doing my journaling on 750words.com. For the third month in a row, I have taken on the challenge of writing every single day. My writing is completely private, but by the count of my words, I have earned all kinds of fun badges. I don't do any formal kind of journaling -- I just let the words fall where they may. As of today, I have written 94 days in a row. When I hit 100 days, I will get a whole new and different badge! When I hit 100,000 words, there's another badge waiting for me. I have been journaling since 1992, and this is the longest streak I have ever achieved and the most fun with writing I have ever had. Hooray!

You don't have to have someone else set up writing challenges for you. If you are interested in poetry, you can challenge yourself to write a poem a week. If you love to do research, you can challenge yourself to write about a topic that has always intrigued you. If you have friends that enjoy writing, you can challenge each other. Devise any challenge that seems interesting to you. Writing is such an incredible force -- you can harness it for your own benefit and the benefit of others and have fun at the same time.