Review of Wooden Tile Frames by Sweetwater Cats

Sweetwater Cats creates handcrafted wooden frames designed specifically for Zentangle® artists. They currently have frames for regular, Bijou, and Zendala tiles. And I hear that they'll soon be expanding their selection to include Apprentice, Phi, and 5xPhives tiles!

In this review, I'll be focusing on the frames for a regular and Zendala tiles.

My wooden frames arrived beautifully wrapped in pretty teal and white soft wrapping paper, with the Sweetwater Cats sticker sealing them closed. 

When I unwrapped the first frame, these gorgeous little pieces greeted me:

I was not expecting extra wooden pieces, but it's these little touches that really make purchasing from a small business all the more special. 

Laura is the creator of Sweetwater Cats, and her goal in creating these frames is to make people's tiles and tools a place that feels as considered as the art itself. She is a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT), just like me and I think that's why she understands the needs of tanglers so well.

The little trinkets that have "inspire" and "breathe" burnt into them would make lovely bookmarks,  gift tags, or even tree ornaments. 

Laura made it a point to include a spare wooden square so that her customers can test out their pens on it to see how each pen would look on the wood. So ingenious!

The wood is unfinished yet smooth and is a soft beige that complements most tile colours that I have. Each frame also comes with a little segment that allows for you to hook the frame onto a nail that you put on your wall, and two extra wooden pieces that you can slot together to make a table stand for your frame.

I love cats, so the little paw print and Sweetwater Cats' logo are just precious. Plus, we get an additional encouraging word on the frame stand - "grateful", and truly, there is so much to be grateful for.

Here's how the stand looks like after I slotted them into each other:

I'm very happy with the frames that I received, and I even decorated one of them with tangles. :)

Laura also offers a very interesting 6" Tangle Compass that seems like a fun tangling tool to try, and even a Decorate-It-Your-Way toolkit. So if you're looking to get a gift for a fellow tangler (or to treat yourself to something special!) please check out Sweetwater Cats via this link: https://sweetwatercats.com/

Timeless Tangled Facets – An Online Series

Tangle outside the border and expand your creative horizons with Team 7F5R’s newest tangle technique – Tangled Facets! Discover how to turn your tangled art into 3D masterpieces.

One of the great ways to incorporate the Tangled Facets technique with your daily tangling practice is to repurpose old tiles into something fresh, or take tiles that didn’t quite go according to plan and utilise them in a new and unexpected way.

We’ve also created printable content specially for this series, so that you can create colourful tangled art similar to those you see on this page.

Watch a complimentary preview of the course and download a set of tinted tiles here: 7f5r.thinkific.com/courses/tangledfacets

Pairing Tangled Facets with Techniques You Know and Love

The introduction video starts off by introducing you to terminology that we will be using throughout the series. We then show you many wonderful examples of tiles that we’ve created using the Tangled Facets technique. Lastly, we run through the list of materials you will need to draw alongside our tutorials.

You will then be brought through four full-length projects. The videos show us drawing in real-time so you can tangle along, just as you would in an in-person class. The tutorials slowly increase in complexity to end with a beautiful postcard-sized tile that has three layers.

Love the gorgeous tinted tiles that we offered with our preview video?

We’ve included many more printable tinted tiles in our paid course! These printable pages are exclusive to this series, and we’re looking forward to seeing what you create with them.

On our Thinkific page, there are discussion boards available for you to ask any questions you might have. You may also reach us via email 7f5r.thinkific@gmail.com, if you have any queries for us, even before you purchase the course.

We hope all that inspiration has got you excited to learn more about this marvellous technique. Visit https://7f5r.thinkific.com/courses/tangledfacets to purchase the course and get started on a new tangling adventure today.

Team 7F5R
Debbie & Stephanie
Certified Zentangle Teachers
Singapore

Infinite Iugo

I have a small hand-made sketchbook that I use to jot down quick ideas, or for when I want to try out a new tangle. It's a sketchbook that's a little less precious so I don't worry about making things look nice. A couple of weeks ago, I came up with this little blob shape that I liked. I showed it to Debbie and she said that I should fiddle with it a bit more before making it into a tangle. I took her advice, and today, I finally feel ready to show you my newest tangle: Iugo.

"Iugo" is Latin for "connect" or "to bind together". I think it'd work great as a string, too. Here are the step-outs to Iugo, done in a nicer sketchbook:

In this black sketchbook, I explored drawing Iugo in different shapes. Shading was done with a silver Albrecht Durer coloured pencil.

Here's a traditional black and white tile featuring Iugo:

And a more abstract watercolour tile with a simple gemstone:

If you would like to share your art pieces with us, Debbie and I would like to invite you to post your art in our Facebook group: 7F5R Challenge.

Thanks for popping by our blog. Until next time... Keep tangling!

Stephanie Jennifer CZT21
Singapore

High Stakes

During the Singapore CZT Masterclass, I taught a Rotating Riddles class. There was a tangle in my lesson plan that did not have a name, so I simply told the CZTs to draw “diamond stakes”. Debbie and I joked that it sounded like “diamond steaks”. hahaha

Later on, Debbie encouraged me to name the tangle.

I played around with the tangle, I found that you could switch out the diamond to other shapes. I asked Debbie for ideas on what I should name it. I didn’t like “Diamond Stakes” anymore because I felt it would limit the shapes that people would draw it to look like.

“Diamond Stakes”…. “Diamond Steaks”

“Satay Stakes” ….. “Chop Sticks” …. “Chopped Steaks” I’m hungry now.

hahahaha

In the end, we settled on the sensible yet charming name, “High Stakes”. Here’s how you draw it:

Here's the exploration page that I did in my sketchbook:

And earlier this week, the Tangle of the Day for Tea & Tangle was High Stakes. Here's what I created during the session:

If you create something with it, I’d love to see it. You can tag me on Instagram @7forests5rivers or post it in our Facebook group.

Birthday Month

  August happens to be "the birthday month" in our family. My mother, mother-in-law, and I are all August babies. Singapore, the country we live in, also celebrates its birthday on the 9th of August.

  Side note: Because it's Singapore's birthday this month, the theme for week one and two of August's 7F5R Challenge is red and white. Create a tile using the colours red and white and post it in the group. We'd love to see what you create.

  Do you like birthdays? Do you celebrate your own birthday?
  I enjoy birthdays, but I prefer to spend them with family and close friends, a quiet dinner, and perhaps a yummy chocolate cake.

  I asked the same question to my students at Toa Payoh Central Community Club and some of them said they were like me, while some of them said they'd rather not think about their birthdays at all. hahaha

  Yesterday was the last day of July's classes. Here's what my students created:

  And this was what one student created in her sketchbook as homework. My students continue to amaze me, again and again.

  As for me, I've been busy, too!

  Here's the tile from Debbie that I showed you in my previous post. The gemstones on the tile are real ones.

  Whereas these gemstones are drawn. I just wanted to draw a bunch of gemstones without tangling, so this is what I came up with. I might one day add tangles to the tile.... but you know how sometimes things turn out so well that you don't want to draw more, for fear that you might ruin what nice things you've already drawn? hahaha. Yes, I feel that way for this tile.

  Here's a Zendala, also with gemstones. I have no idea why the photo is not centred. 

  Lastly, this was what I drew for this week's Tea & Tangle. The featured tangle was "Klomp".

  During this session, Debbie and I talked about pushing past your creative comfort zone and trying new things. It's good to have tangles that you like and go to often, but it's also important to try new tangles- especially ones that you normally don't draw. (For me, that's grid-based tangles.)

  What's a tangle you've recently learnt that you'd like for me to try? Let me know in the comments section.

  That's all I have for you right now. In my next post, I'll show you a bunch of Travelling Tangles Project tiles that I've completed.

  I'll see you again soon. Until then, keep tangling!

Peacocks, and owls, and cats... oh my!

  It’s been a busy week. There were days when I felt overwhelmed with how much work there was to get done, but Debbie has taught me how to prioritise and do what’s most important first. My planner has been my best friend. Otherwise, I don’t know how I’d remember everything there is to be done.

  It’s a learning process. And in between, I find the time to recharge with art. Most of the past week has been spent preparing for our June classes. Here are some sneak peaks for what’s to come.

  I’m not sure how to explain this new “Rotating Riddles” class but you’ll get to see how fun it is by watching this nifty little video of how the tile looks like as each side is rotated.

Available Sessions – Pick one:

Saturday, 8 June 2019, 1:30pm to 3:30pm

Saturday, 22 June 2019, 1:30pm to 3:30pm

Price: $65

  The beginnings of my "Blissful Butterfly Techniques" class.

  Let your creativity soar with this enchanting, advanced tangle techniques class. Building up from a larger tile, you will experiment with tints and colours and proceed to create an enchanting layer of tangles, before finally finishing off with a brand new technique from our Certified Zentangle Teachers. A magical class that is suitable for both adults, and kids aged 7 and above.

Available Sessions - Pick one:

• Sunday, 9 June 2019, 1:30pm to 3:30pm
• Saturday, 15 June 2019, 10:30am to 12:30pm
• Sunday, 23 June 2019, 1:30pm to 3:30pm
• Saturday, 29 June 2019, 11:00am to 1:00pm

Price: $65

  I won't be starting the new term of my weekly classes at Toa Payoh Central Community Club this week because it is a public holiday (Hari Raya). Classes will only resume next week. 

  May was a great month. So many good vibes, and such creativity. Here's what my students created.

  I especially love this mosaic. My tile is the one in the middle.

  Perhaps you'd like to join me for next month's classes. We'll be creating a peacock, an owl, and some fishes!

  Last week, I also taught a workshop at Fuji Xerox Towers. A one-hour lunch workshop…. So quick that I blinked and we had already put our tiles together for the class mosaic. (Alright. Maybe it didn’t finish that quickly… But it sure felt like it.)

  At the end of the workshop, I was making small talk with the organisers of the event... One of them pointed out that I was carrying a Jujube bag, which is technically a diaper bag, but it's hardy and I love the print of my bag (it looks so tangle-y) so I carry it everywhere... I told her that I have an eleven month old baby and she said "Oh! You don't look it." hehe

  I've only lost half of my pregnancy weight but I feel good, and I think that's what's most important. Slow and steady we will go. Otherwise, I have no complaints. Motherhood has been treating me well. I'm still learning to balance all of my responsibilities... Being a daughter, a wife, a mother, a teacher, a business partner/owner.... Such is life, though. We all will adjust accordingly, eventually.

  The little bubbly is now 12.7kg (27.9lbs). Still smiley as ever.

This is her favourite monster.

Coconut tree

Before haircut...

After haircut!

  7F5R is selling collar charms to help support Project LUNI. Project LUNI helps street cats in Singapore with TNR (trap-neuter-return), feeding, fostering, socialising, and rehoming of kittens.

  We have brought in a range of stainless steel collar charms for your pets. The charms come in ten beautiful colours. So there’s a perfect colour for even the pickiest pet. With each purchase, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Project LUNI, in support of their work.

  Here are pictures sent to us from a customer. This is Yoshi...

... and this is Ginko.

  If you'd like to support the cause, click here to buy some of our collar charms.


  We also held our first class in our new studio. It also happened to be our first Airbnb experience. Our student, Luiza, flew in from Brazil. Here’s what she and I created during her Zentangle 101 class.

  After the class, she went back to her hotel and did a few more tiles. She really took to tangling like a duck takes to water.

  Here's to the first of many more classes to come. :)