This has been a rather fun week of tangling, due in part to a last-minute pre-BlogHer ’14 creative project that was sparked by a link (along with a not-so-subtle suggestion!) sent my way by a friend and taken on by yours truly. I can’t share it with you just yet, as I’m not quite finished… but there WILL be photos for sure on my next Tangled Tuesday post, so please check back!
In the meantime, though…
Tangling Goodies
Since just this week I finished filling a third sketchbook with tangles I’ve learned, I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to share the details of my tangle reference system with you.
I started out using a Moleskine Sketchbook for my tangle practice sessions and have never looked back. I like Moleskines for several reasons such as their durable hard covers, nice quality of thick creamy-coloured paper, an elastic that wraps around the book to keep it closed when it’s not in use, and a pocket on the inside back cover for storing bits and pieces of paper, sticky notes and tabs, and so on. Oh, and a built-in fabric bookmark, too, to help you mark your place. Now that I’ve moved on to a second and third (and soon to be fourth!) book, I especially appreciate the consistency and uniformity of the Moleskines – something you may not get if you start with a less popular and readily-available brand and then are unable to find additional volumes to match (assuming such things are important to you!).
I used a white gel pen to write the volume number on the spine and also the front cover of each so I could easily tell the difference between them. Now don’t they look nice together?! I’ll definitely be glad they’re all the same size and shape when I’ve accumulated a whole shelf of them!

Now, on to my system. On the left-hand pages of the sketchbook I paste copies of the step-out instructions and samples of two new-to-me tangles. Then on the right-hand pages I set up two square spaces for tangling practice – one for each tangle – by tracing around a 3.5″ x 3.5″ piece of stiff cardboard (i.e., the size of the official Zentangle®1 tiles). Then to keep track of where each tangle is located (more on that below) I number each page of the sketchbook.
Here’s an example of a typical page spread – which happens to be the very first tangles I ever learned!

As I add new tangles to my sketchbook I make a note of them in a custom table of contents I created in Word which includes the name of the tangle, the volume it’s in, and the page(s) it’s on.
Here’s what the complete list looks like at this point (lots of tangles, huh?!) – if you’d like to see the document in more detail just click on the images to enlarge:


The nice thing about this document is that it can be sorted in various ways – for example, sorting it by tangle name gives me a complete alphabetical list of everything I’ve learned. Alternatively, sorting it by volume and then by tangle name gives me an alphabetical list of tangles grouped into volumes… so when I finish a sketchbook I can print out the list of tangles from just that volume and paste it into the front of the book as a table of contents.
So that’s my system! I’m sure there are as many ways to organize (or not) as there are tanglers, but the method I’m using is working really well for me, and hopefully by sharing it I’ve given you some ideas and inspiration that you can incorporate into your own tangle reference system.
New Tangles
This week I learned Orange Peel, Papyrus, Pinwheels, Printemps Variation, Purlbox, Pyramids, Queen’s Crown, Rain Variation, and Sabi, all from Joy of Zentangle. (If you’re following along in Joy of Zentangle you might notice that I’ve been skipping a few of the designs. This isn’t because I didn’t like or want to do them, but because I’ve previously learned them through one of my other books. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there is often overlap and some repetition between the various Zentangle books.)
I also learned Maryhill, which was posted this week on TanglePatterns.com and has become one of my new favourites!
Tangling-in-Progress
As I mentioned earlier, I’m in the midst (actually, nearing the end stages) of a fun last-minute tangling project (which will be shared here next week). I’m also in the early stages of the letter “L” in my alphabet series – I’m not sure how much time I’ll have to work on it this week, what with that little conference I’m attending and all, but you never know!
Finished Projects
I managed to complete the next letter in my alphabet series… though it took quite a bit longer than some, as this one has lots more surface area to cover!
This was a fun one, and I’m quite happy with how it turned out.
Coming Soon
This week’s tangling goals include:
- Talk about tangling and hand out business cards for Ten Thousand Tangles to people I meet at BlogHer ’14.
- Carry on with my Zenletter collection.
- Continue adding products to Ten Thousand Tangles.
- Create pieces for new sponsors.
This week’s tangling goals do NOT include:
- 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. This long-postponed task is on hold until I return home from BlogHer ’14, at which point I will be seriously short on cash and will therefore get serious FOR REAL about setting up my Etsy store!
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: ellytreehugger
July 22, 2014
WOW! Love this! That’s what you mean by you’re a “tangler”… I wondered about that! I first heard of Zentangle(r) yesterday by another Ultimate Blog Challenger, Minette Riordan. Both of you, especially your drawings above inspire me. I will check it out! Thanks! 🙂 <3
elly stornebrink recently posted… Part 1: My First Healing Modality
Twitter: alphabetsalad
July 22, 2014
Thank you, Elly! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Welcome, guest posters!
Twitter: ellytreehugger
July 22, 2014
p.s. By the way, I can’t believe how incredibly organized you are: your pictures, books are so meticulous! Do you use that detail somewhere else in your life? That is a gift you have. 🙂 <3
Twitter: alphabetsalad
July 22, 2014
I would definitely describe myself as an organized person – unfortunately it can get in the way of my creativity, but I’m working on melding the two qualities. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Welcome, guest posters!
Twitter: 1951
July 22, 2014
Your tangles are so good it’s intimidating to this one-day-will-try girl!
Carol Cassara recently posted… At peace with my age
Twitter: alphabetsalad
July 22, 2014
I just know yours are going to be wonderful. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Welcome, guest posters!
OMG, you are so incredibly organized! Organized AND creative–what a terrific combination! I’ve been thinking about how I would manage to organize once I start my own Zentangle practice, and I’ve wondered how you did it. What a great system. Not sure I could do it that way, but I really admire it.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
July 22, 2014
There are all sorts of systems out there, so I’m sure you’ll be able to find something that suits you!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Welcome, guest posters!
I have been quite inspired with your tangles Laurel 🙂 I am thinking of trying my hand at these too 🙂 But not sure if I can manage this much creative ones!
Swathi Shenoy recently posted… The Deliberate Sinner – Book Review
Twitter: alphabetsalad
July 22, 2014
I’ll bet you’ll do just fine! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Welcome, guest posters!
Twitter: minetter
July 22, 2014
Hello my kindred spirit! I adore moleskin journals, they are the best. Love the paper quality. I do prefer bright colored covers, my current one is purple 🙂 I adore the letter k you created. The ribbon flowing around it is stunning. Beautiful tangle!
Minette recently posted… Identifying Your Gifts is Essential to Marketing Success
Twitter: alphabetsalad
July 22, 2014
I love the coloured covers too! I’ve seen them in the regular Moleskine notebooks, but not sure I’ve seen them in the sketchbook version. I’ll have to keep an eye out! Thanks for the compliments. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Welcome, guest posters!
Brilliant tangles, you are an artist. I can only admire your work, can’t even think of creating anything close to your artwork. Love how organized you are, another trait I can only admire from a distance 🙂
Twitter: alphabetsalad
July 22, 2014
Thank you so much! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Welcome, guest posters!
Twitter: FitArmadillo
July 22, 2014
What beautiful designs you are making! I’m a big lover of writing things down. I love journals and may or may not be addicted to buying them :/ I recently found one I think I’m going to stick with. Love your idea for the volume numbers on the moleskin. Great post and organization inspiration 🙂
Catherine recently posted… Monday Motivation: Meredith’s Story
Twitter: alphabetsalad
July 22, 2014
Thanks so much, Catherine! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Welcome, guest posters!
Twitter: kaushiva
July 23, 2014
Fabulous… Beautiful… falling short of words here Laurel! I followed your tangles during A-Z and have immense appreciation for your talent! Love it!
Aditi recently posted… Caged
Twitter: alphabetsalad
July 28, 2014
Thank you so much, Aditi! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Guest Post – Insecurity: the Fine Print of Creative License?
Twitter: vidyasury
July 23, 2014
I just love your focus, Laurel! 🙂 So well-organized! Thanks for sharing!
Vidya Sury recently posted… The Positive Challenge With Gratitude
Twitter: alphabetsalad
July 28, 2014
Thanks, Vidya! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Guest Post – Insecurity: the Fine Print of Creative License?
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