Diva Challenge 241 - Stones and Ceremony Guest blogger, Paula Bramante

I was very excited by this week's guest post over on I am the Diva's blog. It was a particularly interesting post for me because I have recently been fascinated by the image of balancing rocks.

I'd been trying my hand at balancing stones on the beach when we visited during the summer. But we'd reached September before a really special thing happened. My family and I spent a beautiful day at the beach making our own stacks of stones. It was both meditative and theraputic. The link to my blogpost about it is here and it includes the lovely photos I managed to capture that day.

It was the day we collected my husband as he returned from a very difficult and emotional week with his parents having found out that his father has terminal cancer. We went straight down to the beach to spend an afternoon focusing on things that are important to us....and family is pretty much number one, followed very closely by good health. It was also the week when the terrible images of Syrian children being found on the beaches of Greece and Turkey were shared around the world - children and families drowning just a short distance from the coast and in dreadful, unimaginable circumstances. Parents feeling that taking to the sea was a better alternative for their children than staying on dry land.

So, we were in thoughtful and mindful mood. It was possibly one of the most precious afternoons I can remember.

My original photograph
- taken as the sun was beginning to set

And so it was without hesitation that I turned to this post for inspiration for this week's challenge. As it seemed we were not to be limited by tile size or shape, I printed out one of my photographs of balanced stones in black and white and set to work in tangling it.














And my tangled version - I LOVE it!!

Tangles - from the bottom up: 'Cloudfall' by Lily Moon, 'Sand' - Adele Bruno's new tangle,
Japanese Leaves, Purk, Printemps, an official Zentangle pattern whose name I can't remember
and Sand Swirl.

Thank you so much Laura and Paula for making my week with this wonderful challenge that I feel so perfectly captures my feelings about stones, ceremonies and the importance of being mindful.

Axxx

Diva Challenge 232 - with Holly Atwater

Monday morning and I was all sorted - beds stripped, washing in, chores done - time for a coffee and a check on the Diva Challenge this week.
I was delighted to see it was Holly Atwater! I remember it was Holly who first told me that my tangle 'Skwirl' had been published on Tangle Patterns and her genuine delight for me was evident even over the many miles that separate us. I've always loved her Zentangle work and her beautiful blog, Ha! Designs and incredible family.

And I loved this week's challenge - a chance to sit down, listen and tangle in a meditative manner. I positively RUSHED at it....no Bijou tile and an ill-drawn square on my paper, grabbed from the printer supply......oops! But once I began, listened to and followed Holly's gentle instructions, I really went with the flow and enjoyed every second. And was very pleased with the result.

I did Audio 1, with the result shown here and I shall probably have a go at the other two as well, if I get chance this week.

I've also been doing a lot of pebble painting and paintings of painted pebbles.


The first is part of a set that I did for a friend whose daughter is having a beach wedding. This stone is representative of her partner's incredible hairstyle - a huge blond Mohican, which he usually wears flattened down in a pony tail...but I do hope it will be fully crested for the wedding! I haven't shown the other other one, which is based on their initials....JUST in case there's any chance they'll see them.






The two pebbles fit together so perfectly and I'm very pleased with them. They're winging their way in a little wooden chest to my friend, so she can place them in just the right place on the day. (I don't know where that is, but she does!)

And then I did a pebble just for my hubby - to hold his papers down.

And then I drew a picture of a painted pebble! I do like painted pebbles.

In fact, I like them so much, that I'm going to the beach just now to collect some more.

Thanks again Holly! Lovely challenge and more to look forward to.