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Suzanne McNeill
Suzanne is often known as “the Trendsetter” of the arts and crafts industry. Dedicated to hands-on creativity, she constantly tests, experiments and invents something new and fun. Suzanne is the creative woman behind Design Originals, a publishing company dedicated to all things fun and creative. She is an artist, designer, publisher, TV personality, columnist, art instructor, author and lover of everything hands-on.

Duct Tape Bracelet tutorial

Must have put the wrong link in the post for Marisa's wonderful YouTube tutorial...a must see...so here it is. Duct Tape Bracelet YouTube.

Posted by Suzanne McNeill at 5/13/2013 4:45 PM | Add Comment

Off to Sante Fe

View a YouTube, join Marisa Pawelko, author of Crazy-Cool Duct Tape Projects, as she shows you how to make her Petal Point bracelet from colorful duct tape.

Marissa Pawelko with Duct Tape

May is my month for a little R&R... I am resting up to get in gear for my next class schedule and art adventure. Sante Fe, New Mexico is one of my favorite art stops. I go out to visit my sister Amy every year - and this year I am teaching a few classes.

Artisan is a fantastic art store full of every type of art material you could want or need. The Artisan store is BIG - and has a wonderful selection of decorative papers, canvas by the foot, paints, supplies and brushes for every art form. They will be hosting a mini-workshop for me in their Artisan Art Spot in June.

Zentangle® and Mini Journals Saturday June 8 1:30-3:00

If you love art journaling and want to explore Zentangle, come along and join the fun. We'll create a few Tangles and we'll make a mini journal with watercolors, markers, and shading. This is a great introduction for you. I'll have all the supplies so come tangle with me!

Mini Art Journals for Friendship traces and gifts.

I also adore the local stamp store in Sante Fe, Guadalupe's StampaFe Art Stamps. Every time I visit their store, I come away so enthused. When I use their fun stamps in a project or book I get many requests for how to purchase them. I am thrilled to be teaching workshops at their store in June.

Zentangle 102 - Zendalas, Colors & Beads Friday June 14 9:00-3:00

Learn new tangles and explore tangle variations.

Day by Day Journals Saturday June 15 8:00-1:00

Record your life's journey, design day-by-day pages.

Intuitive Art Journal Sunday June 16 9:00-3:00

Mixed media and creativity with color, paints, images and more.

Intuitive art journal - this class is so colorful, fun and creative!

Zentangle pattern, enjoy and create!!

Zentangle #120

Twister

The Zentangle® art form and method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and is copyrighted. Zentangle® is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. and is used with permission. Learn more at zentangle.com

Posted by Suzanne McNeill at 5/13/2013 4:41 PM | Add Comment

The Gift of Zentangle

View a YouTube, Cindy Shepard shares great tips for drawing with gel pens and rubber stamps.

I am not sure I know where to begin... it has been exactly two months since I have been able to sit down and share anything on my blog. I have been thinking of my friends but life has been so-o-o hectic. Almost the entire two months I have been immersed in Zentangle® in one form or another. The "gift of Zentangle" has been all around me.

Meeting in Texas with Rick Roberts, Maria Thomas and Cindy Shepard.

It was wonderful to visit with Rick and Maria when they came to Texas for the National Art Education Association Convention. CZT's and other tanglers attending NAEA got together with Rick and Maria one night for a reception sponsored by Sakura. It was very inspiring to hear Rick and Maria talk of all the people they had met and hear stories told to them by teachers, and how the Zentangle method has touched their life as well as the lives of their students.

An opportunity to experience the force of Zentangle was presented to me by the 125 guest artists that Cindy and I worked with for the book 'The Beauty of Zentangle'. The art in the book is truly amazing - from classic black and white tiles to exquisite and intricate work from CZTs and tangle artists around the world. Each artist also contributed a short paragraph about how they were introduced to Zentangle and how they use it in their daily life and enjoy sharing it with others. It was so touching I wiped away tears a few times.

The book is posted on Amazon and is expected to be available in September.

Like the Trojan Horse, my journey with Zentangle is full of surprises. I was on a long flight and needed something calming to do, so I opened my sketchbook and began drawing tangles on this horse. A teenage girl and her mother sat next to me. The girl didn't say anything, but she watched me work through the entire flight. As we were gathering our things to leave, the mother said, "Amy was fascinated by your tangles, she has been learning them in her art class at school. She has a Zentangle book. Are you Suzanne McNeill? I thought I recognized you from the photo in the book." I nodded as she told me how much her daughter enjoyed my tangle art.

Hearing my name, Amy finally overcame her shyness and shook hands with me. "I can't wait to tell my friends I actually met you. I'm going to put a page about meeting you in my sketchbook," she beamed. "You have a sketchbook?" I inquired. "Ya. It's homework, so I left it home. My teacher is always telling us to keep the sketchbook with us. Now I know why. Nice meeting you." We parted with smiles and I had a story to journal in my own sketchbook.

Zentangle pattern, enjoy and create!!

Zentangle #119

Tadpoles

Posted by Suzanne McNeill at 5/1/2013 2:47 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

Jewelry from T-shirt Yarn

View a YouTube, Lorine Mason shows how to make hair accessories and colorful jewelry from strips of T-shirts ... a wonderful way to recycle.

Lorine Mason and I in the Design Originals booth at CHA.

With a couple of T-shirts, scissors and Fabri-Tac fabric glue you can make some spectacular accessories and jewelry. Personally, I love wearing my T-shirt necklace with a casual pair of jeans as well as dressier items from my wardrobe. Lorine Mason not only shows several ways to cut T-shirts into yarn, she also guides you through the steps to custom dye T-shirt yarn into some really luscious color combinations. Her book 'Making Jewelry with T-Shirt Yarn', explains techniques for creating spiral necklaces, bracelets and rings as well as fabulous hair accessories and flip-flops.

Lorine and some of her favorite T-shirt students in California.

An exciting new art gallery has opened right on Main Street in Grapevine, Texas. Giddens Gallery of Fine Art hosts more than 20 Texas artists. I am pleased to say I am one of them. My new series of Narrative Paintings is hanging in the gallery. I really enjoyed working on this group of paintings. Each painted subject has a story to tell... it was such fun painting the subjects and then coming up with a narrative for each one. If you live near Grapevine I hope you get a chance to stop by and see Giddens collection of art work. My pieces will be up through the month of March.

My paintings at Giddens Fine Art Gallery in Grapevine, TX.

In April I will be teaching at Art & Soul in Virginia Beach. It is such a fun venue, and all the creativity recharges my soul. I not only enjoy teaching in this venue; I also love meeting new people and taking some fabulous classes from other instructors. If you are attending this event I hope to see you in some of my classes... or just stop by to say hello. Below is a list of classes I will be teaching with workshop number. There are also some videos on the Art & Soul website introducing the workshops I will be teaching.

Art & Soul Sketchbook

VA220 Weds/Thurs April 24-25 Treasures Unearthed - Patinas for Brass, Copper and Iron

VA164 Friday April 26 Zentangle 102

VA165 Friday eve April 26 Silk Scarves- Dyeing with Sharpie Markers

VA163 Saturday April 27 On Safari with Art & Soul Sketchbook

Zentangle pattern, enjoy and create!!

Zentangle #118

Picot

Posted by Suzanne McNeill at 3/1/2013 5:39 PM | Add Comment

Fun and Inspiration at CHA

View a YouTube , create a pop-up owl card using easy to do circular shapes and zentangle® patterns.

Once again fun was had by all attending the Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show in Anaheim, CA. Even though I have been attending these shows for longer than I would like to admit I still enjoy seeing my old friends, meeting new ones and getting first look at all the possibilities of the coming year with new ideas and products in arts and crafts.

My dear friends Karen Thomas and Suze Weinberg.

The Fox Chapel/Design Originals booth was a beehive of activity. Demonstrations and make & takes were scheduled every day... all through the day. I enjoyed the opportunity to introduce some new Zentangle books, 'Zentangle 7', 'Zentangle 8' and 'Joy of Zentangle''.

The series of Zentangle books (Basics thru 8) have been so popular it was exciting to once again be invited to the R&M West Coast Enterprises booth to sign the latest in the series. I also had great fun introducing some willing participants to the creativity and value of Zentangle through some make & takes. My favorite was the adorable little Tangled dimensional owl card.

On Monday I gave a 3 hour workshop to a large group of store owners... everyone was excited about the Zentangle buzz. I taught some new tangles and introduced creative ways to add tangles to scrapbooking, cardmaking and other forms of art making. A special thank you to Marie Browning of Tombow for her demonstration introducing color to Zentangle ZIA's.

Zentangle pattern, enjoy and create!!

Zentangle #117

Stepping stones

The Zentangle® art form and method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and is copyrighted. Zentangle® is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. and is used with permission. Learn more at zentangle.com

Posted by Suzanne McNeill at 1/31/2013 9:19 AM | View Comments (5) | Add Comment

Out with the Old

What does a quilter give as Holiday gifts??... custom-made quilts of course.
This year I designed a quilt for each of my 4 children, 3 stepchildren, their spouses, 13 grandchildren, 2 sisters and a husband (that's 28 total). Thanks goodness we celebrated Christmas in Texas the Saturday before Christmas. We all gathered at my stepdaughter Kelley's home in the country. It was a beautiful Indian summer day with open doors and kids running in and out as they played with their new toys. Snow on Christmas is very rare in Texas but we had a lovely snowfall that day which I got to sit back and enjoy...travel on the roads was a little precarious.

Another reason I am so glad I got to enjoy a laid back Christmas is because of all the work that went into putting my warehouse sale together. It was held December 29th and 30th.....and was very successful. Thanks to all those attending. One of my Zentangle® students, Suzy Allen, drove all the way from Louisiana ..... she packed her car full, leaving only enough room for her two boys. A couple that drove from Fort Hood packed their vehicle to the brim as well and said it was well worth the drive. Jean and Greg Fox....notorious estate and garage salers filled their van twice!! Greg said they just left room for the cell phone both times.

Mary Davenport...stuffin' it all in!!

It was a little tough to see it all go, but it all went to good homes. Meg Mueller, owner of the fabulous Googly Eyes Craft Shop in Irving, TX filled her van over 6 times. Mary Davenport literally poured stuff from the boxes into her car so she could fit it all in....and came back twice! I am so thankful most of my 25 year collection will be put to good use and appreciated. My husband James served lemonade and cookies. Friends Angie Vangalis, Mary Davenport, Donna Kinsey, Judy Evans and Cindy Shepard chipped it to help price and sell my collection for me. Thanks to all of you for your help.

Angie Vangalis, me, Judy Evans and Suzy Allen.

Not only am I moving into a new studio/office space I am also getting ready for the Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show in Anaheim, CA January 11th thru January 15th. Design Originals and Fox Chapel Publishing have so many new books, and there are fabulous classes and demonstrations. It will be a good time to visit long-time friends and see all the new products. I have 5 new books for CHA, 'Zentangle 7', 'Zentangle 8', 'Joy of Zentangle', 'Simple Steps to Sketch Journals' and 'Rust & Patina'. I also have some fun make & take projects planned for CHA. Please come by and visit me at booth #1279.

Make & Takes for CHA.

Zentangle pattern, enjoy and create!!

Zentangle #116

Star Map

The Zentangle® art form and method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and is copyrighted. Zentangle® is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. and is used with permission. Learn more at zentangle.com

Posted by Suzanne McNeill at 1/4/2013 9:48 AM | View Comments (5) | Add Comment

MOVING SALE

                                  BIG MOVING SALE

                      FREE homemade cookies to the first 100 people
                               Saturday December 29th 9:00am to 4:00pm

   Oh my goodness - the items for sale seem to be multiplying! Here are a few photos - soooo many things.

Did I tell you that homemade samples make great gifts - or treasures for yourself? If you didn't receive everything you wanted for Christmas - you are sure to find it here... and at a super bargain price.

Really - everything on the tables (samples, supplies, tools, etc.) MUST GO!

handmade samples from books
books and more books
quilt fabric and felt
scads of art & craft supplies
desks (great for a big art table)
wire storage racks
office supplies

The BIG SALE is at our warehouse, 2425 Cullen Street, Fort Worth, TX 76107. It is on Saturday December 29 from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Our building is located just a few blocks from Angelo's BBQ... a great place for lunch.

If anything is left it is 1/2 price Sunday, December 30th 9:00am to 1:00pm
Don't miss this one-time opportunity to take home lots of good stuff.

P.S. PLEASE help me find good homes for these treasures. Of course I want to keep everything but it just won't fit into a smaller space.

Suzanne McNeill
817-266-3085
suzannebmcneill@hotmail.com

Posted by Suzanne McNeill at 12/27/2012 4:40 PM | View Comments (4) | Add Comment

BIG SALE

                                             BIG SALE

    Free homemade cookies to the first 100 people
                        Saturday December 29th - 9:00am til 4:00pm

Hello friends,

     I have some exciting news. Or at least it is exciting for me! I am moving to a new location... a studio/office space in Arlington, TX close to my home. It's my next big adventure... I am very excited and totally overwhelmed.

     The Design Originals warehouse has been my place of business for over 25 years. We have been packing and preparing to move for over a month. The warehouse is packed with all kinds of craft supplies, materials and tools.

                       books and more books
                       quilt fabric and felt
                       scads of art & craft supplies
   handmade samples from books
   desks (great for a nice size art table)
                       wire storage racks
                       office supplies

     The BIG SALE will be at our warehouse, 2425 Cullen Street, Fort Worth, TX 76107. It will be on Saturday December 29th from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Our building is located just a few blocks from Angelo's BBQ so... a great place for lunch.
     If anything is left, it is 1/2 price on Sunday morning 9:00am to 1:00pm.

   The sale is being announced to art and craft friends on Facebook, twitter, my blog and friends's blogs. Don't miss this one-time opportunity to take home lots of good stuff.

P.S. Of course I want to keep everything but it just won't fit in a smaller space!

     Bring a friend or email info to your friends.

Sincerely,
Suzanne McNeill
817-266-2085
suzannebmcneill@hotmail.com

Posted by Suzanne McNeill at 12/26/2012 1:05 PM | View Comments (3) | Add Comment

Zentangle® Exquisite Beaded Ornaments

View a YouTube, add some tangles to your holiday celebrations with these exquisite, beaded ornaments.

It's that time of year again, the holidays!! A cherished season - filled with family, food crafting and making. Whether special recipes, handmade gifts or personalized cards I love seeing all the creative ways people have of celebrating the holidays.

Lucie and Susan Meeks at Zentangle Playday.

When I hosted a Zentangle Playday in October and met Susan Meeks and her daughter Lucie I knew I had to share these beautiful handmade Zentangle ornaments with you. Their enthusiasm for art and Zentangle shines in these fabulous ornaments that sell for $20 and up (a custom charity sold one for $50).

Lucie helps in the design process - choosing coordinating colors, beads and glitter. Each ornament begins with readily available colored balls, cardstock and beaded fringe. Depending on the complexity of the tangles and beading they can take 4 hours to complete. Susan has made hundreds of them over the past several years and credits her good friend Sarah Orr with teaching her how to make them.

Sarah Orr and Lucie at a Holiday bazaar.

Susan belongs to a craft group that meets off and on during the year. They make ornaments, needlework, cards and paper-crafts year round. "I enjoy teaching preschool to share my love for art. I also share art with my fellow teachers. We tangled over the summer at our school church camp". Susan teaches pre-kindergarten at Bellaire Methodist School for Little Children in Texas. It is a school Susan attended as well as her mom and her daughter Lucie.

Susan sells her Zentangle ornaments in her Etsy shop ornamentsbysusan ,click the link to view her wonderfully inspiring collection. Thanks for sharing your how-to for these beautiful ornaments Susan and Lucie. Happy Holidays.

Zentangle pattern, enjoy and create!!

Zentangle #115

Doorknobs

Posted by Suzanne McNeill at 12/6/2012 7:18 PM | View Comments (2) | Add Comment

Joy of Zentangle

View a YouTube - Create your own Zentangle® Puzzle Collage ensemble.

Zentangle has been such a wonderful addition to my life and my art. I was very pleased to be able to work recently with Fox Chapel Publishing as well as other Certified Zentangle Teachers to publish the 'Joy of Zentangle'. Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas have now graduated over 500 CZT's. These CZT's go out into the world to share their own personal “joy of zentangle”. Many of the teachers being certified are coming from all walks of life. School teachers, artists, mental and physical health professionals are all finding unique ways to add Zentangle to their art, school curriculums, counseling sessions and work environments.

'The Joy of Zentangle' book has more than 100 tangle patterns, advanced tangle techniques, Zentangle Inspired Art, instructions for how to add color to your tangles as well as ideas for jewelry, fabric and 3-D objects. It is an inspiring read as well. I love the many personal stories shared by Zentangle enthusiasts from all over the world. They share how the Zentangle practice enhanced their lives and creative process.

Collaborative Tile Ensemble from Fox Chapel employees.

Cindy Fahs CZT, one of the editor's for Fox Chapel, recently led a group of fellow office workers in a collaborative Zentangle drawing ensemble. Work environments can be stressful at times and taking a moment to relax can really change the mood of the office. Zentangle offers a way to calm the mind and quiet your thoughts. When done in a collaborative setting it produces a shared sense of accomplishment. Cindy used the Zentangle Tile Ensemble Kit, which consists of 9 pre-strung tiles.

Proud Fox Chapel tanglers.

The simple joy of zentangle stems from the ability of anyone to create these wonderful little masterpieces. The minimal materials and limited space required make it very portable. Zentangle opens your mind to the world around you and the thoughtful intention of making one mark at a time can be very valuable. In this busy, busy world it is a genuine pleasure to be able to share such a positive and purposeful experience with others.

Zentangle pattern, enjoy and create!!

Zentangle # 114

Andaluthia

The Zentangle® art form and method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and is copyrighted. Zentangle® is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. and is used with permission. Learn more at zentangle.com