Weekly Challenge #29

Happy Monday everyone!
First of all, as always - a few house keeping items:

• If you're NEW here (and there've been a lot of new additions to the party!) I'm working on creating some tutorials to help you out.  You can click on the links above or:  See "Getting Started"  and "Tutorials" 
• Last week's challenge slideshow is late, my apologies. Oh dearie,  I hope to have it up and running soon!!
• To see all the past weekly challenges - click the tab above, or follow this link
• Please grab the button for the Weekly Challenge (on the right  sidebar) to display on your blogs! share the fun!
• The limit of submissions to the slideshow is TWO, but please feel free to post as many as you like to your blogs.  I will take the first two presented to each challenge. 
• and i want to say a very extra special big heart felt thank you to everyone who donated funds last week.  I continue to be amazed by the generosity of spirit of this wonderful community.  HUGS!

Welcome back! i trust everyone had a fun Trip to Tripoli last week... i know i did!  I also want to say a very happy Fourth of July to my Yankee friends as they celebrate their Independence today!  And a very big "Take Off, Eh?" to my fellow Canucks up here! We celebrated our National Holiday last Friday on July first - Canada Day; commemorating the coming together of the British North American colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada (which was on its way to becoming Ontario and Quebec).  Otherwise more commonly called Canada's birthday.

There wasn't much in the way of festivities at Casa Diva - unless you count B-rad being home from work a cause for celebration (and i do).  We pretty much just chilled for most of the day, having gone to some friends the night before for a Canada Day-Eve BBQ.

B-rad enjoying a brew!

 It was nice to get out of the house and HANG OUT with friends!  it felt...almost...normal.... if you can believe that.

Myself and Little E - smiling! Happy Day Before Canada Day!

 Chewie and his Friend Little E had a great time playing with water guns and cherry bombs (with adult supervision, of course).

Chewie and Little E chillin' in the tent - give them 12 more years and we won't think it's so cute...

 It was a fun BBQ followed by another amazing Saskatchewan sunset - which i caught with my phone...

The Beautiful Prairie sky - taken from my front yard

The rest of the weekend has been spent going for family walks to the spray park by the river, and to the slurpee store... Chewie practicing riding his tricycle... sidewalk chalk.... painting pine cones... it's been a good weekend.

Now it's Monday and it's challenge time - but i've been so very fortunate to have a few guests lined up for the month of July!  Today's guest challenger is Sue Jacobs!  I saw this posted on her blog and emailed her right away and said: "Do you think this post wants to be a weekly challenge when it grows up?"  Luckily for us, it did!!  So - everyone!  Let's give a warm Diva welcome to the lovely and talented Sue Jacobs, CZT. 

Weekly Challenge #29: "String Theory v. IV: Creative Genesis"

Strings in zentangles can be frustrating. I tend to draw the same string over and over. So the string theory challenges from the Diva have been enlightening. But creating new ones yourself is the challenge. And the zentangle philosophy is "unexpected results" and "unknown outcomes". So I think I came up with a way that I can't believe I haven't seen before.

Find a string around the house. Find a weight that has a hole in it. Tie your string to the weight. Set the weight on your tile and let the string slowly drop down onto your tile.

various strings - photo Sue Jacobs

Do this until you have a string that you find pleasing. Take a picture or get out your pencil and start drawing.  TA-DA! Your own string! You can incorporate the shape of your weight into your string design or not. Your choice.

various weights - Photo Sue Jacobs

Now, the string can be a variety of things; cord, yarn, thread, ribbon, beads, etc. And the weight can be a variety of things too. A washer, a heavy button, a nut from a bolt, a ring (wedding or otherwise), a fishing weight, etc. You don't have to go out and buy something. There will be something, somewhere, laying around the house.

Weighted string - Photo Sue Jacobs

Then you can get creative. Try thicker ribbons and twisting them, try rubber bands knotted together, I'm sure you can come up with additional ideas.

Finished tile - photo Sue Jacobs

Also check out Lois Stokes' site on strings http://www.squidoo.com/oracles.
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Sue Jacobs became a CZT in February. She teaches in The Chicago suburbs. Her blog at http://suejacobs.blogspot.com is the place for class information.

and now - the fine print:

If you have a blog, add the site-specific URL where your tile is posted to the linkey machine below! Don't forget to link back here so that others can join in the fun! (if you don't know how to find this, you can see my half assed tutorial here)

Also, please feel free to come back often and visit the links of those people on the linkey machine - don't forget to leave a comment or feedback, everyone loves feedback. ;)

If you don't have a blog but still want to participate, you can email your tile to me and i will post it here. (See the contact tab above for my email address)

The deadline for each weekly challenge is Saturday night so that i can round everyone up by Sunday. What this means is that i will stop adding tiles to the slideshow on Sunday. You're still more than welcome to do the challenges and add your name to the linkey machine.

I will be more diligent with the linkey machine - by editing out the ones that don't work, the doubles, the links that lead to nowhere, the links that go just to blog home pages (this is why we need those site specific urls), and the spam. And there is some spam. :(