Molly Bee's Attic

This week's Diva Challenge 191 is a monotangle.  You can only use the tangle pattern 'Betweed'. I was kind of rushed since I also had to make deviled eggs for tonight's Halloween Pot Luck so the shading is all wonky.  I used my new Helix Angle and Circle maker tool for the first time and can see lots of potential once I learn to use it correctly. Look at the second circle from the left on the top.   [Who can't make a circle with a plastic tool shaped like an actual circle designed to make actual circles? *Waves hand wildly in the air* Me! Me!] The tangle was fun to do. I used Betweed quite a lot in my other tangles. But I'm not happy with the overall design since it was so rushed. The deviled eggs came out much better! Happy Halloween!!!

This is an archive of my entries for INKtober last week: I've had a rough sketch of this idea sitting around for a while so I finally decided to tackle it. It might lend itself to being a bigger version with some color in the future.  It was drawn as a RAZ to leave for someone to find.  This one was submitted to the Diva Challenge for breast challenge even though it isn't very Zentangley, it's very pink! I'm digging my new Jelly Roll pens. I see now that I need to fix the tail wings up a bit! I had seen images similar to these on tattoo sites on line so I combined two of my favorite on a piece of paper I dyed last spring. I like it and think I will try to do a bigger version on a pretty piece on scrap book paper. Found a 'How to Draw a Cat' tutorial on line and decided to give it a whirl. don't think that this  Zepple variation (the background pattern) works very well on an arced grid. The background was hand dyed. This will be...

This week's 'Diva Challenge'  was to use pink for breast cancer. Laura's (the Diva) grandmother passed last year of bc and I've had several friends who have fought the battle. I'm happy to say that the majority of them won the war but sadly not all. Cancer in ANY form is a horrendous disease. It affects not only the person fighting it but everyone who loves them.  I know this design isn't technically a 'Zentangle' but the first thing that came to mind was a butterfly for hope that one day, hopefully soon, no one will have to ever deal with this horror again! I also submitted this doodle for my INKtober entry because I didn't have as much time to draw as I thought last night and didn't get a chance to make two designs. I looked out my window at suppertime and the neighborhood was full of smoke. I heard LOTS of sirens so I put on my jacket and sneaks and went to see what was going on.  So did the rest of my neighborhood. I've n...

Here's the stuff I did for last week's INKtober entries. Most of my stuff is little so I can leave it places for my Random Acts of Zentangle or Art Abandonment groups, but this first one is 12" x 12". I made it in Katie Butler's Halloween Zentangle class over at Lynn's Craft Shop in Madison. Katie is an awesome teacher with lots of fun idea for Zentangle Inspired Art. This was all white ink on black paper and then highlighted with Zen Stone  which is a soft mineral stone. Therefore, I got a ton of weird glare when I took this photo. Come of it showed up like up at the top and some didn't show up at all, like at the bottom. I guess that makes it more spooky.  I like to work on 12 x 12 scrapbooking paper because it's so inexpensive and easy to frame.  I found a couple more little scraps of the paper I dyed last spring.  This quote has been bouncing around in my head for a while and I had wanted to try the border motif which I saw elsewhere...

I got the loveliest birthday gift this year. Those of you playing along at home know that I was recently reunited with four birth siblings earlier this year. Unfortunately but fortunately, we found each other through youngest sister, Shelly's obituary but I was thrilled to meet, Doris, Dina and Dan when I was home this summer. We've stayed close by phone and online but I was totally not expecting the gift they sent. It was a box with an 'open this end' message written on it. Inside was a note that said, "Give the dog and cat their presents and open the tissues, then open the next three boxes in order." Sure enough there was a jingle ball for Cooper (which he immediately picked up and disappeared with) and a pull rope for Ben (which he settled down to blissfully chew) and a box of Kleenex. The next three boxes contained 48 birthday cards; one for every birthday we have spent apart. Dina took ages one through 17. Some cards were homemade and some were age appr...

This week's drawings were supposed to be a departure from my usual drawings, and they were for the most part. I tried to be conscious about not putting that diagonal band in every one. But mostly they came from a nightmarish place of oxygen deprivation and cold medicine 'Michael Likes Flamingos'  Had a piece of pink card stock. Had recently been to the zoo with friends. Michael was looking for flamingo feathers outside the enclosure. He said he already had two. It had never occurred to me to look for them before. I will now! The game is on! I kind of like this one, I must have had a moment of clarity. Oh I wish I could! Bookmark. Didn't shade it. Too drugged. What?!? Totally phoned this one in. Tried to make up for the 'cheater' ones. Wish I had been more conscious of the empty space on the left and right of the diamond-way uneven. This was my head yesterday before I got the really good drugs-sharp pointed edges in an airle...

I have a cold. My nose is stuffy, my eyes feel ready to burst, my throat is killing me and I don't have much, if any, voice. It's been a week. I am ready to be over this. But all people get colds and I understand that. I, however, do think I should get some special consideration for having to put up with the flak I have to take from my family of 'friends' who delight in making fun of my misery. Yesterday, I went through Culver's drive though with a friend to get supper. You order at the outside speaker, pull around to the window on the side of the building, they give you your drink and a plastic doohickey with your number on it to put on your window. Then they ask you to pull ahead and in a couple of minutes they bring your food out, match it to the doohickey and trade you for it. It all went swimmingly until I pulled ahead and realized that the guy hadn't given me a plastic doohickey, but I figured they'd sort it out. I was right, pretty soon a lady comes...

This week's Diva Challenge couldn't have happened at a better time!  It was to create a tile with an LGBT theme for 'National Coming Out Day' next Saturday October 11th. She suggested using rainbow colors or tangles that started with the letters L-G-B-T. Hmmmm... I was ruminating on how to tackle this yesterday when word came in that The Supreme Court refused to get involved in the same-sex marriage debate, thus legalizing same sex unions in 19 states with more to come!  This is a topic that means a lot to me. I have many LGBT friends and have wished this for them forever! I have been banging my 'You-love-who-you-love-and-family-is-who-you-say-it-is' drum since before I could articulate it! Many of my gay friends have longer lasting and healthier relationships than my hetero friends! Here's to  recognition of that and equality for all! On top of that, THIS happened! These came in the mail yesterday! 64 brand new colored pen! Some are shiny! Some are...

There is an challenge afoot called INKtober . The challenge is to create an ink drawing every day for the month of October. No rules or parameters other than that. Then you post it on Facebook with #INKtober and that's it.  I decided to use these as a way to build up my giveaway tiles for RAZ (Random Acts of Zentangle). Here are my entries for the first week (Tuesday October 1-Sunday October 5). October 1 (This one uses OBAD -my newest tangle pattern ) October 2 Tried white ink on black paper. I like it for lines but not for heavily shaded areas as you can't get complete coverage. I used a Jelly Roll. Maybe I should have used my white Sharpie? October 3 This one is OK, but I could have done more with the shading. Also, shouldn't have put an aura around it. Should of made the background go right under it.  October 4 I use NZepple (Pattern in upper left) way to much! October 5 Different positioning of Obad and use of a variation my tangle EW...

I just love Laura Harm's blog . In addition to the challenge she posts every week, she posts the cutest pics of her sons and this week, the pic of Artoo in his little plaid shirt and sun glasses was too much. I could just smooch his whole face! She is blessed to have two adorable little boys.   This week's challenge was to close your eyes and draw a 'blind string. The first one I attempted was more off the tile than on so this is my second attempt. Mostly on there....not bad.  I decided to tangle it with new tangles I haven't used before. Some of them are new from the last Zentangle Harmony weekend update and some I had just scribbled in my sketch book. I'm horrible about their names and who created them, but I am eternally grateful to all of you creative souls who come up with such neat things! It's a kind of different look for my tile. Less cluttered than I usually do. I was all about the decluttering this weekend! Remember the cabine...

I came up with (what I think is) a new tangle pattern. If I've stomped on anyone's toes, please, please let me know.  The pattern is called OBAD. I wanted to call it Soleil, but it was already taken so I looked up synonyms and found this: That'll work. Here is the step out. And here are some variations. This one lends itself to a ton of variations including positioning. I've used it here by rotating it so it makes a complete 'sun'.   I'm working on another tile where they all go in the same direction but the grid is curvy.  Lots of fun.  So enjoy OBAD and let me know if you were able to use it in your tangles! Tangle On!

Sunday morning found me breakfasting with brothers-from-other-mothers, Scott and Michael. We were kind of bummed because the weather was a little crappy and we had wanted to go on a trip to Baraboo.  We settled for a walk around the park in Belleville. I can't get enough of that place. It really soothes my soul. You know me and water! Such a beautiful little park. And usually not crowded at all, even when it's hot.  The water was quite high.  It usually doesn't flow over this part of the dam. Or these rocks. It makes such a soothing sound.  Scott is always on the lookout for photo ops with their beautiful dog, Duchess. Sometime there are bugs in the posing process that need to be worked out. One out of two facing in the right direction isn't bad. Almost there! Ta Da!  Gorgeous! Working it for the camera! I am so blessed to have such peaceful places to get centered again and such  a wonderful Wisconsin family of frien...

♫ The Lion Sleeps Tonight...♫ Went to a Big Cat sanctuary north of Madison on Saturday with friends Hope and Matthew. I hate that there has to be sanctuaries at all, but if I was a tiger and I needed to be in one, this is the one I'd choose.  There were spacious, clean enclosures with lots of things to enhance the animals lives, like giant cement culverts for the cats to lay on and hide in. Each had shelter from the sun and bad weather if they chose to use it. All had toys of some sort to play with and plenty of fresh water.  Unless they were bonded pairs, each tiger had his own space. Male and females that were bunking together were spayed and neutered.  All of the cats were so beautiful,healthy and content looking, well fed and had great coats.   You could tell they were well cared for and as happy as you can be in a sanctuary. There were Bengals, Siberians, Lions, Cheetahs and Panthers. Many of them were rescued from a place ...