Weekly Challenge #78

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" 
• 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.  I continue to be amazed by the generosity of spirit of this wonderful community.  HUGS!

Welcome back everyone.

Chewie, my dear boy, turned 4 on Thursday - and it's been a week of getting things organized for his birthday party, which is Spiderman themed.  He also out of the blue decided that he really really really really wanted a Spiderman pinata.  Well, you'd think with the new Spiderman movie out this summer there'd be such a thing....

We found red and blue plates, and some Spiderman napkins, table cloth, and balloons.  I even made him a "Pin the Spidey on the Web Game" to play with his cousins at his party....

Cute.

- but there were no pinatas!  Not even the specialty party store had any.

The birthday boy having celebratory toaster waffles...and BACON!!

What's a girl to do when her son is so freakin' cute - and all he really wants is a Spiderman pinata? why, make one - of course.

So most of this week has been spent paper macheing  a Spiderman head pinata for my dear sweet boy.

Chewie helping me paint the pinata

I totally underestimated the time investment such an undertaking would be.  sigh.  As i was putting the finishing touches on Spidey's head - i calculated that i had done about 6.5 - 7 hours work on this crazy thing, only to have his older cousin smash it to pieces on Sunday afternoon.... (i'm writing this post on Saturday... so i can only assume that's what will happen)

i like him.  i'm quite proud.  This week has scored me one bazillion mom points which don't really count since HE'LL NEVER APPRECIATE ME!! WAHH!!! lol.... i'm just kidding.  while we were painting Spidey's head, he looked up at me and smiled and said: "I love you, mom."  Payment received, boy-o.

Also - in other family news: We are heading to Philadelphia for a week this Thursday to go to a medical conference for Moebius Syndrome, which is Artoo's medical condition.  So next week's challenge will be a guest post by a fellow Certified Zentangle Teacher, but you'll have to come back next week to find out who!  :D

Weekly Challenge #78: "New Official Tangle: Auraknot"

Last week Rick and Maria introduced a new tangle in their newsletter with an added challenge to break down the steps and to name the tangle.  Well, this week - they've come up with a winner.  From their blog:

Congrats to Mattie Arnold who came up with the name auraknot.
Congrats also to Jeanne Kero, CZT, who came up with the "step-out." (← click this link for instructions - Laura)

As an added bonus, they've also created a great instructional video:




I love that this tangle is based on two of the most essential Zentangling techniques: Auras and Hollibough. 

as soon as i saw how this tangle was done, i knew immediately that it would be right up B-rad's alley... so i said to him: "I want you to try this tangle, i think you'll really like it."  So, we sat together after the kiddos were in bed, drinking beers and listening to great records, snacking on chips and salsa... tangling together.  it was awesome.  something we don't get much of a chance to do together.

anyway, here's a bombardment of tiles done by yours truly and b-rad, using the new tangle auraknot:

my first attempt

i love the simplicity of this one

this one, i didn't like, but i kept adding more and more, and now i love it.

B-rad's first attempt

my attempt on a Zendala - i keep trying my hand at Mooka,
but it never turns out the way i hope

B-rad's second attempt

B-rad's ZIA - using a compass, protractor and dare i say it - erased pencil lines GASP

As you can see, we had a lot of fun playing with this tangle.  i know you will too!! Good luck, may the hollibough be with you, aura-ways.  :D

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. 

Hey - i should note here quickly that i try my best to get the slideshows up in a timely fashion, but sometimes my life gets in the way (like when Artoo spends a week in the hospital, just for example) so, please be patient.  thanks.  HUG

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.  PLEASE do not put your *home* page in the linkey machine... please? for me??