Trick or Treat! Our New eBook is Here!

Dorian Eng and I have just released the latest eBook in our "Tiny Tangled Houses" series - "Spooktacular Houses".

I know, I know...I usually provide much more fanfare and warm up to the big day, but this one slipped in like a goblin in the night.  A good goblin, mind you! 
We have worked feverishly on it while juggling our happy, crazy lives and are now so pleased to present it.

Here is the front cover ~

Dorian devised yet another ingenious house design, this time using Zentangle®ATC and 3Z tiles.  Coupled with my tangled illustrations, these little gems are spooktacularly fun to create. 

Houses can be themed or simply tangled.  The back cover features Dorian's tangled houses using (among other supplies) Sakura Moonlight Gelly Roll® pens that glow under a black light ~ 

In between the covers of the book are step-by-step instructions, multiple house ideas for inspiration, "Tips for Tangling", tangle step outs, and a few more surprises.

To order your copy, click here. 

Please let us know how you enjoy the book and do send in pictures of your Spooktacular house(s) for posting.

Thank you in advance for supporting us in our latest creative endeavor.

A Tale of White Pumpkins (Real White Pumpkins!)

A few weeks ago, my brother Matt text me this photo with the words "tangle anyone?" ~

He was shopping near his home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and spied these glorious white pumpkins. I dismissed his offer to send some to me - just couldn't imagine what it would take to mail them nearly 1,000 miles to my home in Florida.


A few days later,  and much to my surprise, a UPS truck pulled up to the front of my house.  The driver delivered a huge and very heavy box.  "It could only be one thing", I thought as I tore open the carton.  The gourds looked like gold to me!  What a gift ~

I picked the roundest, whitest one and tangled it for Matt.  I used a glossy black paint pen with a broad nib and kept the tangles fairly large.

I cradled it carefully in some of the bubble wrap from Matt's packaging, gingerly packed it into a smaller box, and shipped it off to him.

A few days later, he sent this photo of it on his kitchen table.

While all of this was transpiring, I received an email from Annie Buckley in Colorado, a student and blog follower, about beautifully painted MacKenzie-Childs inspired pumpkins.  She sent me this link with photos on how to create these look a like masterpieces.

I raided my paint cabinet, found sumptuous shades of yellow, gold, and purple, and accented a pumpkin that I tangled in Knightsbridge.

CZT Sindy P is a fanatic for anything MacKenzie-Childs, so I delivered this to her:

A few days later, she sent this photo of it on her kitchen table ~

I never could have imagined what would come of that first photo Matt sent.  How fun!

After all that excitement, I tangled one for our kitchen table ~

I've got three more white beauties staring at me, begging for some pretty patterning.  Right now though, I am in the midst of getting ready for a December studio tour in our county. (More details will follow in future posts.)
I've moved on to the Christmas holiday already, but will most likely carve the last three just before Halloween.

With gratitude to my brother Matt, and to quote Annie in the closing sentence of her email, "Thanks again for starting this so-satisfying little odyssey!"

More Tangled Pun'kins

These pun'kins are just too much fun.  Here is another ~

Tangled Pun'kin by Adele Bruno, CZT

Tangled Pun'kin by Adele Bruno, CZT

A Sakura Identi-pen works beautifully on this plastic surface.  I also find that tangles show up well when drawn larger and I tend to alternate straight lined and curved patterns.

Have a wonderful weekend!

More Tangled Pumpkins

Today's treat comes by way of North Carolina and tangler Beth Gaughan.  She wrote ~

You created a monster when you shared your tangled pumpkin a couple of weeks ago. I can't stop making them! I turned a couple into wreaths. Thanks for the inspiration!

Tangled Pumpkins by Beth Gaughan

Aren't her creations just beautiful?

Beth's gallery provides quite a variety of pumpkin possibilities.  She tangled white on black, black on orange, black on white, and white on orange.  

Notice that she tangled larger versions of the patterns.  She also alternated grid and free flowing patterns - good tips to remember when tangling these artificial pumpkins.

Many thanks to Beth for permission to share her masterpieces.

Happy Fall!