Well, another Tangled Tuesday has arrived… and it appears as though I have to start off with a bit of a confession! After last week’s tangling marathon, I’m afraid that today’s post is going to be rather tame by comparison – because between losing a day to a roadwork-related headache, having a busier than usual social calendar, receiving a couple of deliveries of outdoor furniture that required assembly, and continuing to get our place ready for some soon-to-arrive houseguests (yay!), there has been little time left for tangling over the past few days. Still, I do have some good Zentangle®1-related stuff to share with you, so I hope you enjoy today’s Tangled Tuesday post anyway!
Tangling Goodies
Since I finished Totally Tangled (by Sandy Steen Bartholomew) last week, I was finally able to start working through Joy of Zentangle, a book that’s been sitting in my box of tangling supplies and quietly tempting me for several months now. I’m noticing that there are a few repeat designs, both from Totally Tangled and also One Zentangle A Day (by Beckah Krahula), but there are also plenty of new patterns to learn and I’m enjoying making those discoveries. Hopefully it won’t take me quite as long to make my way through this new book!
I’m asked occasionally which book I’d recommend as a good resource for a newbie tangler. Maybe it’s because it’s the way I learned to tangle and therefore I’m the most comfortable with it, but based on the books I’ve seen and used so far I always come back to One Zentangle A Day as my go-to pick for its approach, pacing, and style. A couple of people have mentioned that they were able to check out a copy of this (and other Zentangle books) from their local library, which is a great way to see if tangling is something that interests you before making the commitment to purchase a specific book.
New Tangles
This week I learned Vine, Uptown, Twist, Becki, Twiggy, Apeel, Ammon, Asian Fans, Bricks, and Bubbles, all from Joy of Zentangle.
I must admit that I was a little put off by Joy of Zentangle at first, because included within the introductory pages were a handful of designs that didn’t have the full step-out guidelines normally provided with new tangles, and one in particular (you’ll be able to tell right away which one I’m talking about if you click on my links above!) was impossible for me to master. I practiced it over and over and still wasn’t happy with the final outcome, but rather than dwell on it and allow myself to get bogged down I decided to move on and write that particular design off for the time being. Maybe some day I’ll be able to return to it and find it a little easier to conquer – here’s hoping, anyway!
Tangling-in-Progress
Carrying on with my alphabet series, I started (but wasn’t able to finish) the letter F this week – I’ll give you a taste of it by revealing a small detail of one of the designs. (All of the slips and flaws you see are photographic proof that finished pieces – at least MY finished pieces! – are NOT meant to be examined quite this closely!)
Finished Projects
I’m disappointed to say that I have no finished projects to share this week… but I’m hoping I’ll have time to be a little more productive in the tangling department throughout the coming days!
One little announcement of note – though not strictly a finished project, I suppose – is that this week I set up a custom domain name for Ten Thousand Tangles. As it turns out, unbeknownst to me Ten Thousand Tangles also celebrated its first birthday this week, so I thought the timing of the two ended up being a rather nice coincidence!
Coming Soon
This week’s tangling goals include:
- Set up and order some Ten Thousand Tangles business cards (because I know that I’ll kick myself if the topic of tangling comes up when I’m networking at BlogHer ’14 and I don’t have any cards to hand out!).
- Photograph my previously-completed set of four Zendalas and set up listings to sell the originals in my as-yet-to-be-opened Etsy store (yes, I know this was on my list last week, but I’m afraid I haven’t yet managed to get to it).
- Carry on with my Zenletter collection.
- Continue adding products to Ten Thousand Tangles.
- Create pieces for new sponsors.
P.S.
Previous posts in this series are all tagged Tangled Tuesday.
For background on how I discovered and got involved in Zentangle, and links to further information and resources, check out my blog post For the love of tangling.
You can browse my entire tangle gallery at Ten Thousand Tangles.
And, if you’re interested in having a little piece of my art for yourself, please click on the GoFundMe button below for more information and also visit my Zazzle shop Ten Thousand Tangles. (Pssst… links to my international Ten Thousand Tangles shops are in the Alphabet Salad sidebar – just click on the appropriate flag and you’ll get to the place you need to be!)
1 The Zentangle® Method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and is copyrighted. Zentangle® is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

Twitter: linkedlocalnet
June 10, 2014
This week is already tangled up next week…ugh
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 10, 2014
One day at a time, right?!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Quanto Basta
Remarkable work! WOW!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 10, 2014
Thank you, Meranda! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Quanto Basta
Twitter: SonjaCeri
June 10, 2014
This was tangling funny!
Sonja Ceri recently posted… Why you suck at content marketing
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 10, 2014
Glad you enjoyed!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Quanto Basta
Twitter: shilpaagarg
June 10, 2014
Wow! You have lots on your plate, Laurel! Good luck and Happy tangling 🙂 ♥
Shilpa Garg recently posted… To Block, or to Crib, That is the Question
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2014
Thanks, Shilpa! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Wordless Wednesday: Father’s Day Edition
Twitter: FuzzUnder
June 10, 2014
Very cool! I’m a doodler and am always on the lookout for new ways to doodle. I’m glad that Sammy D. at Bemuzin introduced me to your blog – it’s beautiful! 😀
Marci Koski recently posted… Writing 101: Dashing Under the Night Sky (Part 1 of 3)
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2014
Thank you so much, Marci – so glad you stopped by! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Wordless Wednesday: Father’s Day Edition
Twitter: Boomeresque
June 11, 2014
I was trying to remember where I first heard about Zentangling. When I came across your link to this post on The Women of Mid-life FB page, I realized that it must have been through another post of yours. I have been basically addicted to tangling since I discovered it in April. I even found the “Joy of Zentangle” at the bookstore in the Honolulu Museum of Art, so that has been my “go to” resource, but I’ve been straying from it. I was hoping to attend one of the CZT programs in Rhode Island, but all those scheduled are sold out and their waiting lists are full. Amazing.
Suzanne Fluhr recently posted… Singapore Selfie (A Visit to Singapore)
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2014
I’m on a mission to attend a CZT program, but saving up for it is slow going so I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get there. I was hoping to sign up when they posted the next set of scheduled events, but I guess we’ll just have to see. Keeping my fingers crossed!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Wordless Wednesday: Father’s Day Edition
Twitter: pravs
June 11, 2014
I am having a tangled up week too 🙂
PhenoMenon
http://throodalookingglass.com/2014/06/vanity-fair/
Pheno Menon recently posted… Vanity Fair
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2014
Seems to be going around! 😉
Laurel Regan recently posted… Wordless Wednesday: Father’s Day Edition
Twitter: Wordwrights, Ink
June 11, 2014
Okay, for some reason, that ‘F’ just looks . . . cheerful! Yep. I’m going with cheerful! Aren’t house guests fun?! Yes, they take a lot of work. But it’s so worth it!
Diane recently posted… What’s That Smell?
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2014
Cheerful works for me! And I’m definitely looking forward to my house guests. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Wordless Wednesday: Father’s Day Edition
So glad you showed flaws as we beginners sometimes think all others are producing perfect work! Besides perfect is overrated.
Hope you & houseguests have time to relax on new outdoor furniture 🙂
Sammy D recently posted… “Two Misfits. One Extraordinary Love.”
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2014
Oh, my work is FAR from perfect… and you are right, perfect is overrated! Actually, when I first set up my Tumblr (http://tenthousandtangles.com) a year ago, I was determined that I’d post EVERYTHING – the good, the bad, AND the ugly – so that it would be a true representation of my creative journey. And I have done so… though there are times when I’ve cringed as I uploaded the image! What never fails to amaze me is that people have even reblogged some of the terrible ones… maybe because they’re so bad they have to share them?! 😉
Laurel Regan recently posted… Wordless Wednesday: Father’s Day Edition
Laurel, I checked your practice tangles against my copy of “Joy,” and I think I see the one you mean. That one does look tricky, but I think you did a good job for the first attempt; not sure I could do that well. I know you’ll get the hang of that one with a little more practice. Your others all look great. I love what I see in the book so far and am really looking forward to starting to learn this. And I really hope you’ll be able to make it to Providence soon!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 11, 2014
I hope so too, Elaine! I’m a little frustrated that in spite of my best efforts saving up for the seminar is going really slowly, but I have faith that I’ll get there eventually. All in good time!
I think it’ll be awhile before I try to tackle that particular pattern again – my brain just didn’t seem to want to cooperate with it!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Wordless Wednesday: Father’s Day Edition
Always enjoy reading about your tangling adventures. I haven’t created any in a while…I need to get back at it but am always busy writing and commenting, or chasing after my 2 kids.
Kathy Combs recently posted… The Proposal
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 12, 2014
There are definitely not enough hours in the day!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Wordless Wednesday: Father’s Day Edition
Amazing! I love your zentangles…good luck Laurel 🙂
Kajal recently posted… Flying High
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 12, 2014
Thank you, Kajal! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Wordless Wednesday: Father’s Day Edition
I think your work is beautiful. I find it so hard to think of patterns. Thanks for linking the books. Will check them out.
Rajlakshmi recently posted… Saas-Bahu and Sneaking Roti
Twitter: alphabetsalad
June 12, 2014
Thank you! I confess, I’ve never thought up an original pattern on my own, though I do modify some of the ones others have created. Maybe in time that part of my brain will develop!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Wordless Wednesday: Father’s Day Edition
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