Zentangle Challenge #32

Carole Ohl (Zentangle artist extraordinaire), the guest Diva for this week, has invited us to use four different tangles any way we choose. I have looked at a lot of the other entries and been dazzled! It's been fun to try out some new tangles, and to think about them for a while before I started playing -- in the shower, while driving, in bed before I go to sleep, etc.! Thinking about Zentangles is almost as much fun as doing them, but not quite! The tangles were Pais (by Mikee Huber), Zedbra (by Laura Harms and Margaret Bremner), Keenees (by Donna Hornsby), and Baton (by Carole) and you can find instructions on how to do them at iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com. You can also see entries from all over the world, with interpretations that will make your heart happy! Just click on each person's name and you will see their blog.

183 - 186 Fun Things to Do

183. Watch a baby sleeping -- one of the best stress relievers ever! And fun, too! This is Ava -- we are talking precious here!

184. Pick something to research. Maybe there is something that you have always been interested in, but not known too much about -- you can go on the internet, go to the library, make observations, ask people questions, take notes. Before long, you can become an expert!

185. Start a club. Do you collect

something unusual and would love to meet other people who collect the same thing? Are you from another part of the world and would be interested in meeting other people from there? Do you enjoy crafts or other hobbies? Most libraries will give you a room for free -- all you have to do is pass out flyers, make a few phone calls, and spread the word. Soon you will be attending the first meeting of your new club! I recently went to an altered book workshop that was so much fun that one of the participants has already organized an altered book club that will start meeting soon at one of our local libraries -- we're all thrilled! She just collected the names of interested people, determined the most popular available times, made one phone call to the library, and the club was up and running!

186. If you're having a boring day, pay attention to one thing. For example, the other day I was noticing tire rims and wheels. I know that a lot of people spend quite a bit of money to make sure that their wheels are flashy. It's fun to pay attention to things that might usually go unnoticed. It can turn a dull day into a very amusing one!

Zentangle Challenge #31 - Fairyland

Combining fairies and Zentangles in the challenge this week was beyond my wildest dreams of happiness! The first one reminds me of different places I have seen that I knew were secret homes for fairies. The second one I did looks more like a real scene, but it incorporates tangles I have found here and there, except for the cattails which just insisted on springing up!

I am on vacation at the beach right now, and can only get to full internet access by going down the street a few blocks to a friendly neighboring hotel patio and borrowing their internet signal. I have been visiting some of the fairy Zentangle entries by iPhone and must declare that this is one of my most amazing Zentangle weeks ever! I am excited to see how many different interpretations of fairy environments are springing up -- just delightful! Fairies all over the world are very grateful and delighted, too. I even saw Zentangle fairies! -- isn't life a miracle? Thank you, to our Diva, Laura, for letting me be the guest Diva!

177 - 182 Fun Things to Do!

177. Buy a kid an ice cream cone! This is my grandson Andrew enjoying his chocolate ice cream cone at Mary Coyle's, our favorite ice cream parlor in Akron, Ohio. Nate, my other grandson picked a strawberry cone. I used to work there when I was in high school, so it is extra fun to be in there with my grandchildren -- they even have the same tables and chairs!

178. Make up your own nickname. I've had different nicknames over the years, including Carolita which means "little Carol" in Portuguese since I lived in Brazil when I was a child, Pinky Floyd because my last name is Floyd and I am a Pink Floyd fan, and my kids, Maribeth and Kevin call me Mama Bear sometimes, which I love. My most favorite recent nickname is La La Lou. My friend Jean was telling me that her childhood nickname was Roo E. Roo after the kangaroo in the Winnie the Pooh stories. She and her cousins all picked out nicknames from the word kangaroo. That just sounded like one of the best ways ever to get a nickname, so I decided I wanted to have one that was similar. I came up with La La Lou because sometimes I forget things (I called this going "la la") and I just like Lou. If you really want to get my attention, just call me La La Lou!

179. Get a business card made up for whatever reason that makes you happy. One of my friends proudly handed me a business card once that simply said her name, Writer, and contact information. Having those business cards made her feel more legitimate as a writer, and were fun to give out. I think they even helped her get freelance jobs. I have a business card that says, Carol Bailey Floyd, Fairy Gardener, one with the word Possibilitarian on it, and of course one for the Laughing Club of N.E. Ohio. Now I even have business cards for this blog! You can get inexpensive business cards at vistaprint.com or 123print.com

180. Watch a children's Little League game. I would much rather watch kids playing baseball than a professional game any time! In a professional game, when a outfielder puts up their mitt, they usually catch the ball, almost casually. In Little League, three children might try for a ball and end up in running into each other, kids clap as they round the bases after they've hit a home run, there's fumbling, bumbling, triumphs, bravery, camaraderie, and tenderness. This is where kids learn about sportsmanship and that's it's OK not to be perfect, and to try again. This summer, both my grandchildren played on the Orioles, and my son Kevin was the head coach, with my husband Tom as one of the assistants. I was in Little League paradise!

181. Look at yourself in a funhouse mirror!

182. Have someone take pictures of you in a funhouse mirror. There have been plenty of pictures of my grandsons Nate and Andrew on this blog, but you may not recognize them here. What you cannot hear is about 15 minutes of hilarious laughter while they were moving up and down -- I think this was their first funhouse mirror experience.

170 - 176 Fun Things to Do!

170. Go to a steel band drum concert! It's even more fun on a patio, on a summer's day, with an audience of fascinated children and adults. A huge line quickly developed when it came time for the kids to have a chance to try out the steel drums. Did you know that you can play almost any kind of music on steel drums -- classical, blues, jazz, rock, and more! There were two performers, and the one pictured is Jeff Neitzke, an alumni of the University of Akron. For more information: uasteelband.com

171. Look up a word in the dictionary. It's fun to find out the meaning of a word that pops up somewhere that flummoxes you. Then you can practice it out by using it whenever you get a chance to get it into your memory. When I was growing up, we had a family dictionary right next to the kitchen table. There was hardly a meal that went by that it wasn't used by someone challenging a pronunciation, meaning, or definition of a word. I took that love of dictionaries with me when I left home. Over the years when someone has asked me what one book I would take if I was stranded on an island, the answer is easy -- a dictionary, because then I would never ever be bored!

172. Sit around a bonfire. I've never met a bonfire i didn't like! Some of my best memories are of sitting around a bonfire with friends/family on a summer's evening. There's a certain easy camaraderie that happens when you are in the utterly relaxed atmosphere of a bonfire circle.

173. Roast hot dogs on a stick in a bonfire. Is there a better hot dog in the world than one roasted to perfection over an open flame? Especially when there are fellow hot dog chefs cooking with you. Hooray!

174. Make s'mores! Hershey's chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers! Beats the fanciest creme brulee any day!

175. Tell ghost stories around a bonfire -- the scarier the better!

176. Fix yourself a fabulous fruit salad. I usually put together bananas and oranges, but today I went wild and added strawberries. Life is good!

169 - Fun Thing to Do!

169. Eat watermelon on a hot summer's day! Does life get any better than that? The happy watermelon eaters: Hannah, Michelle, Carol, and Larry. We were at my grandsons' baseball team picnic and there were lots more than one fun thing going on for sure!

Zentangle Challenge #29

I loved this week's challenge! It was to make a string (the outline for the tangles) using a string. So I went into the studio at my office and the first thing I saw was a cord that my dear friend Lucy Anne had used to tie a gift to me just before she left to move to California. The gift was fairy quartz, and just perfect for one of my fairy gardens. Later on, I casually draped the cord onto a tile, and could hardly believe my eyes -- it fell naturally into the shape of a heart! I love the many ways that sentimentality can be incorporated into Zentangles, so I was delighted. This one's for you, Lucy Anne!

165 - 168 Fun Things to Do!

165. Have someone take a happy picture of you with someone you love! This is my Dad, Sherman Bailey, who is 94 years old. He is feisty and wonderful! I have adored him all of my life. He is the most interesting person to talk to that I have ever met. There are more activities in his life than most people do at half his age. Thank you, Emily, for taking this picture.

166. Join an adult summer reading club. This is my first year since I was a child (a few years back), and I was tempted because the prizes are there really cool T-shirts as possible prizes. Wish me luck!

167. Look for hydrangea bushes. In the Spring, I was entranced with forysythia and their wonderful bright splashes of yellow here and there. But now I am definitely in a hydrangea mood! I love the pink, blue, or pink drifting into blue big balls of color in yards all over town. There is one around the corner from my office that I have been visiting regularly. I am sorry if you don't have any hydrangeas in your area, but you could look them up on the internet, or pick another kind of flower to fall in love with!

168. Get a magnetic bumper sticker for your car. Now you don't have to worry about getting your bumper sticker on straight the first time, or the terrible task of trying to get it off. You could even have a little collection and change your bumper stickers to suit your mood! I put two regular bumperstickers on my car the other day, One said, "Spread Good Vibes", and the other one -- "Powered by Optimism". After I was finished, I came to the realization that my husband, Tom, will never ever drive my car again! Oh how I wish those bumper stickers were magnetic! lol Don't get me wrong -- he does spread great vibes, and he is very optimistic, but along with the magnetic flowers on the sides of the car, there is just a little too much hippie love going on for his masculine tastes!

162 - 164 Fun Things to Do!

162. Take pictures of signs that make you laugh. Many years ago, I had a friend who was very sick, and I was so frustrated because I couldn't think of anything that would help him in any meaningful way. So I started taking pictures of weird signs all over N.E. Ohio and turning them into postcards and sending them to him. It gave me something to do and it gave him something to laugh about. I was driving to church today when I saw this sign that said, "We Fix Everything" -- and I thought, broken hearts? terminal illnesses? unexpected weather problems? economic issues? job loss? I had a really good laugh over that one! Then on the way home, I saw a sign in front of a grade school that said, "Gone Fishing - Have a Fun Summer" -- what a fun image of everyone in the school out fishing at some giant lake -- the students, teachers, custodians, secretaries! One time I saw a sign in front of a restaurant that said, "My Boss Told Me to Change This Sign So I Did!" Hooray for the sign makers who lighten our days!

163. Attend a groundbreaking. This morning at church, Unity Chapel of Light, we had a groundbreaking for our new outdoor labyrinth. It will be so amazing to have a labyrinth to walk for prayer and meditation. Some people just walk it for calm and peace. Thank you to Pilar and all the people who are working so hard to make this marvelous addition to our church come true!

164. Walk a labyrinth. We are lucky in our area to have an outdoor labyrinth (soon to be two!) and a monthly indoor labyrinth. You might check in your area to find one close to you.

160 - 161 Fun Things to Do!

160. Have a cup of tea with someone you love. This is my beloved 94 old Paparoonio, Sherman Bailey, who is the best conversationalist in the Universe! Spending time with him is a privilege and a blessing. He can speak on just about any topic, knows many languages, has strong opinions, and of course -- a lot of interesting memories. He was a Glider Pilot during WW II and has more activities going in his life than many people I know half his age. I am encouraging


him to make it to 100 as long as he is having fun -- so far, so good!


161. Sign up your kids (or grandkids) for a crafts class. Here are two of my grandson Andrew's projects from the Wild West craft class he took last week. He and Nate even paraded around the store with their snakes -- I'm sure the customers were terrified! What is cuter than kids on parade?

Zentangle Challenge #28

This week's challenge is called "Trip to Tripoli" -- it could be called "Tricky Trip to Tripoli!" lol. I had such a busy week that I forgot to look at the challenge until late last night. I really only had time to do one tile, and not much time to practice. When I first started out, it was like trying to work with unruly children, but then I started to feel affection for "my" unruly children. Maria is right, the fun begins when you start filling in the triangular grids. You probably can't see much of my detail from this picture, but I had to put it at that angle because it was the best view. Trust me, I had fun with the insides, even though the overall effect is not my original vision! I woke up this morning thinking of a Tripoli sun, but Tripoli had other ideas. I am looking forward to playing with this some more -- I can see lots of possibilities. I have enjoyed looking at all the other entries this week -- awesome!