Challenge Accepted

This week we've been catching up on How I Met Your Mother season 8, so I wrote the title in the voice of Barney Stinson.

Moving on...

Today I learned that even though tangling/doodling/whatevering is supposed to be relaxing... it isn't if your husband is super frustrated at a video game and keeps snapping at the TV. "What??!!" "Oh, come ON!"  Yea... just doesn't work for me. In spite of that fun, I did manage to finish yet another Diva Challenge on time! Whoohoo!

This weeks challenge was to use the 8s Parte Dos pattern. I tend to stay away from patterns this complex because at some point it becomes work instead of play. The perfectionist in my wants everything to be in exactly the right spot. So I admit to cheating a little with this one - I drew a grid on my paper before putting the dots down in ink. I couldn't help myself. Once the dots were down, I erased my pencil lines and drew in the curves so it looked like this...

The beginning...

I finished that part on Thursday. Then I just stared at it for a day with no idea where to go next. Again, the perfectionist in me didn't want to mess it up... yes, even though in this type of thing there is no such thing as mistakes. Ongoing battle. Anywho... this is what I ended up with and I really like the results.

Complex Ain't So Bad - by Angie Wallace

Maybe complex patterns aren't that bad after all...

Another month...

Another month has gone by already? Man, I am horrible at this. I could say that I'll get better, but I'm making no promises. Years ago, I used to write every day, sometimes multiple times a day. Lately, I tend to write in my head and never get it down on paper.

It's been a long week. But it's Friday! And I'm on vacation for the next week. And my folks are coming to visit! Should be a nice, awesome, and relaxing time away from work. I doubt that I'll have a very productive day today, but that's alright.

As far as art goes, I've been working on a few things. I still have more butterfly photos to post, but haven't had time to finish editing them. No, that's a lie. I've had time, but some days (lately, most days) I just don't want to look at a computer after work. So the good news there, is that I've been doodling a little more. I'm working on a full page doodle, just because I wanted to. Also working up a world map for the stories that me and the hubby are slowly starting write. That has been a challenge because I really want it to be perfect... but it's my first time trying to create something like this, so it's taking FOREVER. Me and my perfection... grrr.

These are the last two doodles that I finished. The first one contains one of my favorite sentences - the alternative to the quick brown fox.

A to Z - by Angie Wallace

The second one I started as yet another not turned in diva challenge. I really ought to get some of them done on time. Or posted on time. Or completed. I'm such a procrastinator. Used a pink pen - mainly because it had the most ink left. The color doesn't translate well when scanned or photographed, so this is super edited, but the pattern is more important than the actual color.

Pink Tipple - by Angie Wallace

Anywho... back to the grind.

Bluebird on a Wire

I am moving. I hate moving. I hate packing. I'm one of those overly organized people who wants every space in a box filled, but I want it all to be from the same area - like not mixing knick knacks from the living room with dishes from the kitchen. I know, that's totally unrealistic, but unfortunately that's how my brain works. Thankfully my awesome hubby started packing non-essentials months ago so we don't have a ton left to do, but that also means we're down to packing boxes of random stuff. Ugh. At any rate, it will be over soon. By the end of the week we should be happily settled into our new digs on the other side of town.

Anywho... in the midst of all this chaos I realized that although I finished one piece for the diva challenge last week I never got to do a second one and never submitted anything. Oops. So the first (and accidentally last) tangle that I did, I loved until I finished it. I started on the outside of the circle and worked my way in and I absolutely hate the center. Other than that, I like the way this one turned out, especially the third layer in. I had planned to do a second piece, but obviously got distracted. In any case, here is what I would've submitted.

Bluebird on a wire - by Angie Wallace

And in my typical fashion...

...four months later... my next post. After I posted my last post, life happened again and I didn't really feel like writing. But I did feel like drawing...

Last year, my Mom came to visit and she showed me a book called Zentangle Basics by Suzanne McNeill. I was pretty much instantly addicted. I don't do it every day... Like all my other hobbies I go through phases where I'll do a bunch in a week and then nothing for a while. I got to the point a few months ago where I wanted to start sharing my work, but didn't feel like a blog was where I wanted to do it so I opened an account at deviantART. It's fine and I've been pinning my work to Pinterest from there, but every now and then I feel like writing so... I'm going to start posting my stuff here too.

Here are two of my most recent doodles. The first is on a 3" tile. I used Pigma Micron 02 black with some graphite for shading.

Mini Pod - by Angie Wallace 5/13

The second is on the back of my daily dot-to-dot calendar (seriously the best daily calendars I've ever had - calendar, dot-to-dot fun, scratch paper, quilt designs, tangle tiles... what's not to love?). This one I used a uni-ball Signo pen... because that's what I had handy and sometimes it just looks cool.

Red Pods - by Angie Wallace 5/13

So there you have it. I will probably post some of my older stuff along with newer stuff as I go. I have started an A-B-C series... and I do random doodles... and I'm working on a gigantic project on the side and it's going to be awesome eventually but I don't want to say what it is until I have more of it finished. I think it's a completely original take on another unrelated concept so I'm going to keep it a secret for a while.

This Should've Been My First Post...

I've been toying with the idea of starting a blog over the last few years and have never done it. I once had a photo blog and actually kept up with it for a while. But then life happened and I didn't have the time or energy to get out and take new pictures so I stopped.

So I ask myself why start a blog at all? To be honest, my life isn't that interesting. I don't have any profound, ground-breaking thoughts - at least I don't think I do. I don't need followers to feel important. I don't necessarily have any life changing advice to give people. I’m pretty sure I won’t have something new to say or share every day either. So why do it?

I have been following some other blogs lately and I’m feeling somewhat inspired. The ladies over at Pinstrosity have been encouraging people to create their own pins instead of just repining. I could do that. I cook. I do art. I do other creative type stuff. I can do that. 

But on the other hand – I don’t do creative things every day. In fact, I may go for a couple weeks without creating anything. Can you have a successful blog if you don’t update regularly? Of course you can! And then I read this post from The Oatmeal that basically says that it’s ok to not write every day, but you really must read it for yourself, because The Oatmeal is brilliant – a bit vulgar at times, but still brilliant. 

So again… why do it? No idea. But it could be fun. Maybe it’ll evolve into something cool. Or maybe I’ll write for a while and end up deleting it. Who knows… 

Maybe it will improve my writing skills. Or at least keep me writing and trying to be creative. I feel my creative brain becoming stagnant and tired.

So I’m doing it. Obviously. 

So what will I write about? What I did today? What I saw? Who I interacted with? Since I won’t necessarily be divulging my identity, I suppose I could say anything...

And on that note... this blog may contain posts about art, music, other random creative stuff, driving, road trips, eating, cooking, baking, reading, books, photography, teenagers, ex-wives, commuting, a little about work, the love of my life (the hubby), marriage, tattoos, video games, faith and/or religion, dogs, breathing, hair, Disney, road trips, quilting, forgetting to send birthday cards, family, babies, friends, drinking, smoking, shopping, clothes, random monsters in a box, politics, bunnies, cars, movies, dreams, hopes, plans that may never come true but are still fun to plan, peace, serenity, God, weird holidays, awesome stuff, strange people in this odd city where I live, the weird water in this odd city where I live, moving, apartment dwelling, furniture, organization, shoes, and various other sundries. 

And of course while I don’t want this to be a place of negativity or whining and I don’t really want it to be too serious… there may still be the occasional post about feelings, emotions, living with someone who has fibromyalgia, financial woes, etc. Not saying those posts will happen very often, but they may happen.

And that said... onward I go...