Happy Tangled Tuesday! I’ve had a full and busy week of tangling fun, but before I start rambling on about my own stuff I want to share a link to an excellent post written by Sandy Hunter, CZT and shared on her blog (tanglebucket). I’m passing it on to you because I think she does an amazing job of thoughtfully and comprehensively articulating what makes Zentangle® different from tangling, doodling, and drawing/art in general – it’s well worth bookmarking and taking the time to read.
In terms of my own artwork, the majority of what I do would be best classified as tangling rather than Zentangle, with my finished pieces considered Zentangle-Inspired Art (or ZIA). I believe it’s important to maintain that distinction for all the reasons Sandy outlines in her blog post, and have always endeavoured to do so whenever I make reference to my work.

Important Announcement!
In case you missed it a couple of weeks ago, I’ve set up a single page on Alphabet Salad gathering my ever-growing list of portfolios and shops together in one easy-to-navigate hub (which will be updated as my online presence evolves). If you’d like to check it out, just look for the row of buttons below the Alphabet Salad header and click on * shop! to get there.
Tangled Goodies
Even in this digital age, pretty well every home I’ve visited has at least one wall calendar (and most often more!) on display. So I thought hey – how about creating a Ten Thousand Tangles version? Yes, I think so!
Each month features a different Zentangle-Inspired Art piece by yours truly (if you visit the Ten Thousand Tangles Calendar page you can scroll through and check out which ones I chose), and the calendar starts any time from now until January 2016 (you get to pick!) and runs for twelve months.
Now wouldn’t that make a nice gift for someone (even if that “someone” is yourself)?! Yes, I think so! 🙂
New Tangles
I learned a handful of new designs this week – Join, Watusee, Phirst, and Heart Divided, all from TanglePatterns.com.
I also learned CanT (by Chris Titus, CZT) so that I could participate in The Diva’s Challenge (see below!).
Finished Projects
I’m happy to say that I have another finished piece to share – rather a fun one, I think!
I’d originally envisioned that this one would look as though you were viewing different patterns through a series of round “windows” or cutouts, but when I’d finished shading I thought it ended up with the patterns being more like spheres sitting on a black background. What do you think? (I realize that this photo is rather blurry, but the digital version I uploaded to Redbubble is much more like the original, if you’d like to check it out and weigh in with your opinion.)
I also completed The Diva’s Challenge, which was a UMT (Use My Tangle) this week featuring “CanT” by Chris Titus, CZT. I decided to use one “CanT” as my string, and fill in the spaces with slightly different versions of CanT, and here’s how it turned out:

Zentangle 99, for The Diva’s Challenge #234
I will admit to being a bit rushed when I did this challenge, so the end result is a little sloppier (and a lot less Zen!) than it could/should have been, but I suppose these things happen.
Now on to a new week of tangling!
P.S.
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.
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 Ten Thousand Tangles portfolios and shops on ArtofWhere, DeviantArt, Etsy, Redbubble, Society6, Spoonflower, and Zazzle. (Pssst… links to my international Ten Thousand Tangles shops on Zazzle are on my “shop!” page – just click on the appropriate flag and you’ll get to the place you need to be!)
How have you been creative this week?
Please share!

All the pieces are so pretty! My adventures in Zentangle is mainly ZIA also. But I love the Zentangle process too.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 8, 2015
Thank you!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 58
Beautiful work! Nice CanT-tile too 😉
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 8, 2015
Thank you!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 58
I’m pleased that you are taking the time to learn the difference between tangling and doodling. As a CZT I will just give you a gentle correction on terminology. We “tangle” (as a verb) when we work on a Zentangle piece. We “doodle” when we are mindlessly making marks that have no common vocabulary. Doodling is fun too and I doodle myself, but when I am seriously doing Zentangle, I tangle 🙂
I really do like your Diva Challenge. I think that tangle, CanT, is so much fun and you’ve used it well.
Jean Chaney recently posted… Zentangle® CanT, Inapod, and an Inchie
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 8, 2015
Thank you, Jean! Interesting – I always use the term “tangling” to describe any work I do using tangle patterns (whether or not I’m following the Zentangle method) to create a piece of Zentangle-Inspired Art. I based this practice on one of the first Zentangle-related books I read early on in my explorations (Totally Tangled, by Sandy Steen Bartholomew) where the author used the statement, “I tangled my bathroom floor!” as an example of how to correctly talk like a CZT. I figured that if she could talk about tangling a bathroom floor (which is most definitely not a 3.5″ x 3.5″ Zentangle tile!), then my using the term “tangling” to refer to creating a piece of Zentangle-Inspired art would be appropriate. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 58
You are correct, Laurel. Anytime you are using structured patterning, you are tangling, even in ZIA’s or floors. I have tangled a lot of interesting items in the past including gourds, dolls, wooden letters, and such. In any case, it’s all enjoyable!
Jean Chaney recently posted… Arukas as a Zendala
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 8, 2015
It is indeed! I need to expand my horizons to include more 3D items – so far I think all I’ve tangled along those lines was a pair of sneakers (which was a LOT of fun!). I’m thinking of maybe tangling on a white pumpkin this fall… we’ll have to see! Thanks so much for stopping by, by the way – very nice to “meet” you! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 58
You have really been creative, Laurel! How fun to see- really nice work. That calender would make an awesome gift for sure:-) I have been writing a lot – thats how far my creativity took me this week:-)
Eli recently posted… Happy ILD day!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 8, 2015
Thank you so much, Eli. Lots of writing sounds good to me! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 58
Twitter: RamblinGarden
September 8, 2015
I have not been that creative recently – very little photography – but perhaps some of my caregiving problem solving could be considered as creative. I wish you success with the calendar.
Alana recently posted… When Is It Time To Forget?
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 9, 2015
Thank you, Alana!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 58
I’ve enjoyed seeing your version of CanT.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 9, 2015
Thank you, Chris!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 58
Twitter: http://www.tomatoesandtangles.com
September 8, 2015
Very clever way to layer the tangle and show a few possibilities for the new tangle on the block!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 9, 2015
Thank you, Donna!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 58
Twitter: clfadventure
September 9, 2015
Wow I never heard of tangling before, it looks like fun! I like your calendar idea, I made one with my art too. Great minds think alike huh?
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 9, 2015
Great minds indeed! Thank you!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 58
I like the way you show CanT!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 9, 2015
Thank you, Annemarie!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 58
Twitter: Boomeresque
September 9, 2015
That was brilliant using Can T as the string and then various iterations of Can T as the tangles. That’s what I really like about this new to me tangle—it’s versatility and the fact that it reminds me of quilt patterns. The compositions you’ve been producing are very pretty and very proficient. I like your calendar idea enough to steal, um, borrow it. Guess what I think some of my relatives might be getting for a holiday gift. My husband keeps asking me what I’m going to do with all my “work”. Now I have an answer!
Suzanne Fluhr recently posted… Zentangle Diva’s Challenge #234 – The Unofficial End of Summer Edition
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 9, 2015
It does compare to a quilt pattern – I never realized that until you mentioned it! Thank you for your kind words, and glad to have inspired an idea for your holiday gifts. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 58
Twitter: petrichorclouds
September 9, 2015
They all look so lovely!
Sreesha recently posted… Linguistically Biased: Does The Average Indian Hate Indian Regional Languages?
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 9, 2015
Thank you so much!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 58
Your work is exquisite!
Kathy recently posted… Float Haiku
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 9, 2015
Thank you so much!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 58
I learn so much from your posts. Amazing designs 🙂
Rajlakshmi recently posted… Monday Musings
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 9, 2015
Thank you so much! I’m glad. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 58
Twitter: eliatcoachdaddy
September 9, 2015
Love these designs! My oldest two daughters make drawings like these, but I’m not sure they knew tangling was a thing! I’ve shared this post with them and know it will inspire them to keep tangling, even if they didn’t realize they were in the first place!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 9, 2015
Thank you, Eli! Zentangle is definitely inspirational!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Tangled Tuesday No. 58
very nice tangle
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 10, 2015
Thank you!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Eight Photos of Happiness
Twitter: obsessivemom06
September 11, 2015
I’m amazed how you manage to come up with different designs each time. How come there never is any repetition?
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 11, 2015
LOL, I’m honestly not sure! It’s a struggle sometimes!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Eight Photos of Happiness
Twitter: ajaybpai123
September 13, 2015
HI Laurel – calendar 2016 is beautiful.
Ajay Pai recently posted… He’s a Handicap
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 14, 2015
Thank you so much!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Photo Friday: Monochrome
Twitter: BelowTheSalt
September 25, 2015
If I get my scanner working again, I’ll send a pic of my coloring endeavors with one of your pages. I just love it!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
September 26, 2015
Oh, I’d love to see it! Glad you’re enjoying!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Photo Friday: Clean
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