Alphabet Soup

"There is nothing like a grandchild in your arms to put a smile on your face, a lump in your throat, and a warm feeling in your heart."  Author Unknown

I'm so excited! My ABC book is finished. In case you haven't heard me talk about it before, I made a Zentangle ABC book for my grandchildren. Actually, when I started  I only had one grandson, Hudson. He's now going on 3, and I have a 7 month old granddaughter, Brooklyn. So, although originally the book was going to have a dedication to Hudson, it has now been dedicated to both of them. After spending so much time making the book, I won't be starting from scratch to make another one for Brooklyn.  I'm probably going to have a new copy printed for her so she'll have her own clean book when she's ready for it.You know how little boys can be with their books!

Here are a couple of pages from the book.

 If you'd like to see some of the other letters I did, before pictures were added, you can see them here and here.

Since we were visiting my grandchildren (and their parents) for Thanksgiving (far away from home), I hand delivered the book. Here's a picture of Hudson reading it.

And here's Brooklyn peering over his shoulder to see it. She doesn't want to feel left out!





Maybe there are some of you out there who would like a copy of the book to share with your own children or grandchildren, so I decided to make it into an e-book and list it in my Etsy shop. For $4.95 you will get a PDF file of the book which can be shared with the little ones on any electronic device. Since technology is such a big part of children's lives these days, this will be a helpful tool for them to learn their ABCs. Of course you could choose to print out a copy also (I'd suggest heavy paper/cardstock) and have a spiral binding put on it, the way I did with my copy of my e-book of tangle patterns, Step Out in Style. In case anyone is interested, you can find the ABC book in my Etsy shop here.

I'm Getting Married in the Morning

"Find the one who makes your heart smile."  Unknown

My daughter's best friend is getting married later this month. Looking for a gift for her friend, my daughter commissioned me to make some Zentangle art work for her (at the reduced family rate, of course!) Now for a little geography here - I live in SC, my daughter lives in Scotland right now, and her friend lives in MD. So I was to complete the piece and ship it to MD with an arrival date a few weeks before the wedding. I finished it a while ago, but didn't want to post pictures here on the very slim chance that the bride would see this. Now that the package arrived (safe and sound, luckily), and the bride and groom seem to like it, I can safely show you some pictures. 

First is the before shading photo. An illuminated letter Q for their last name.

Next, the shaded version - what a difference a pencil can make!

And last, the matted and framed picture. Believe me, it wasn't easy getting a photo without all kinds of reflections in the glass. It looked nice hanging on my wall...if only my name started with a Q!

And, coincidentally, yesterday when I pulled out the alphabet book I'm working on for my grandchildren, the next letter to do was the Q. So I decided to show you the latest page, since we're talking about the letter Q anyway. I like how the capital letter looks like a mini zendala!

I hope that the bride and groom will enjoy their gift for a long time, and that if I ever finish the alphabet book, my grandchildren will enjoy their gift also. 

Congratulations Becca and Phil!

ABC, It's Easy as 1,2,3

"When I was having that alphabet soup, I never thought that it would pay off."   Vanna White

I am very excited about spending this coming weekend in Portland. Maine, at a three day retreat for CZTs. More than 100 like-minded people, all as addicted to Zentangle as I am. (In case you missed it, you can read my very first blog post about my Zentangle addiction here.) I expect that when I return home next week I'll have lots to share.

But in the meantime I thought I would show you how my ABC book for my grandson, Hudson, is coming along. I blogged about it back in December, here. I'm making progress, little by little, in between all my other projects. He will have to pass it on to his sister, Brooklyn, once he learns the alphabet, as she was born last night! I'm very excited, as you can imagine. 

I'm pretty happy with the way these letters turned out.

I'll eventually make it to the end of the alphabet...someday!

Now I Know My ABCs...Next Time Won't You Sing With Me

"If plan A didn't work, the alphabet has 25 more letters. Stay cool."  Kane Arreo

When my first (and only) grandchild was born, about 22 months ago, my mind immediately started imagining all the things I could tangle for him. First was the letter "H" (his name is Hudson) with tangles all around it, to hang on his bedroom wall. Next was a little stool with a nautical theme to match the decor in his room. Then I began an ABC book. I am stenciling the letters of the alphabet, one capital and lowercase letter on each page. When they're done I'll add pictures of things that start with each letter, and then have it all made into a book. I won't be drawing those pictures - I can tangle, but I can't draw. 

Here are a few of the letters I've completed so far.

The first letter I designed had more than one tangle pattern, but I decided that made it harder to read the letters. For a little boy first learning the alphabet, I knew that one tangle per letter would make it easier for him. 

I started this about a year ago, but got sidetracked by so may things. It's time to get back to it so I'll have it finished before Hudson starts high school! And we are eagerly awaiting the birth of his little sister, Brooklyn, due May 1, so I will have to get to work soon on some tangled projects for her. Any ideas?