Sunday snow day

Yesterday's snow is melting, but church was called off. Probably a  good call, even though it isn't that bad now. Anyway, it gave me a chance to do a Zentangle this morning.

I am heading up to my work room now to work with some newly acquired burlap!

Blue Moves Glamp site

Blue Moves, yes, I love Sir Elton.

This is how I actually  set up my Glamp site, more or less. Soft and summery. The bunting is usually outside. I actually have a matching  canopy that I made of fabric and lace and reclaimed aluminum poles.

Year of the Sheep!

This is the Diva Zentangle challenge for this week, the Chinese New Year symbol which is "goat" or "sheep". I tried out 2 new-to-me tangles, curl by Lu-Marie Laker and Cruffle by Sandy Hunter.

A couple glamping tips

I added a small rug to the Victorian  set. Rugs serve several purposes. The first being visual interest. The most important reasons though would be to a) protect your tent floor and b) give insulation when camping the fringes of the season.

The tent floor is sometimes similar to a tarp type of fabric. (My Coleman tents havethat) This Alps Mountaineering tent is nylon, treated nylon, durable but thin.  Always try to put a ground cloth down before pitching your tent. Fold the edges in so that none of your ground cloth extends beyond your tent. Nothing screams "idiot" to me louder than seeing a tarp sticking  out a foot beyond the tent.  Of course it is going to rain. You are camping. It's  like some rule of nature that if you are out, it's going  to rain. The  extended tarp collects that rain and deposits it right under your tent. Even if the tent doesn't let the water in, you will have a mess to clean up. Just fold the tarp a little  and avoid the mess.

Even with a ground cloth you need to protect  your tent floor from the  inside. For protection against puppy toes, children and clutzes, I use those weight room floor mat pieces that go together like a puzzle. They are super insulating, too. I camp in November  and can comfortably sit on the floor. For summer, I have a rug that is woven from some plastic/nylon stuff. It doesn't take as much room to pack so I use it. I also have some nice rag rugs that work great by themselves  or over the mats.

Moral of the story:  Adding layers to your floor is more comfortable and will help your tent too!

I also added some personal photos. It's nice to have personal touches of loved ones with you. I like to camp alone. Photos give me a focus for meditation and contemplation.

Snow day!

We were supposed to get 6-8" or more of snow last night. Not. But it's pretty out and we won't be going anywhere today! I think there's 4ish inches of snow and it's not an outside play snow. Too dry. Oh well.

Glamping - Victorian

I might do another version of this romantic Victorian theme tent tomorrow because I love it so much. I covered the white down comforter with an off white. I made tapestry pillows and a small table cloth years ago that went nicely into this space.

Instead of a bunting, I used the magnets to hang a piece of vintage  lace. I also hung a wreath of lavender using the same method but with a little bit stronger magnet. Magnets work great when decorating your tent. Just be very careful to use lightweight decor!

The leather ottoman is an Amazon  purchase but I saw them at Home  Depot recently. It folds flat for travel and is strong enough to sit on when assembled. It's really convenient to have the storage in the tent.

To add to the mood I brought in my tea pot/cup, battery powered candle, a wool sweater...

Glamping - Girly Girl

This tent decor is inspired by me for my granddaughter. I don't  know for sure if she would like it but I think she would. Bright, happy pastels that I found in this thrift store rug inspired the tent. The comforter was a Walmart purchase.

My granddaughter and I made the candle jars last summer with salsa jars, Mod Podge, and tissue paper.

I found the crocheted afghan at a thrift store.

The light strand was upcycled using some "rescued" silk flowers and  leaves. I opened the flowers and hot glued them to each bulb base.

I used the magnet technique to hang a festive bunting of vintage handkerchiefs. (See previous post)

Glamping - Romantic Red

Ooh la la! Next up is a LOVE inspired tent theme. I have a white down comforter that is so yummy to sleep  with that the dogs are always trying to sleep on it. I started with that and added a fluffy soft red pillow that I made with some leftover fabric. I covered the floor with a bed sheet in a red print (over a rag rug for added protection and warmth). The bunting is simply a ribbon strung across the tent and I draped vintage handkerchiefs on it. A bud vase of red roses, red rose petals, and a battery powered candle set the mood for romance!

Tip: To hang the bunting, I tied metal washers to the ends of the ribbon and put a magnet outside the tent that caught the washer. Purchase magnets at the hardware store for much less than the craft store!

Tent Glamping - Vintage

It's extremely cold outside, so I played inside today. I decorated my tent in themes! First up is a Vintage theme. I used a vintage Coleman sleeping bag, Coleman chair, Oil lamp with no oil in it, an old picnic basket...  If it wasn't so cold I would have gone out to get a decorative vintage lantern which would be too adorable! Things I would add: pine cones, plaids, canteen, fishing equipment, boots...

A little  about this tent.  It is my spring and fall tent. An Alps  Mountaineering 4 man tent. It's incredibly light for its size. The design is wonderful. I can stand up in the front, the back is lower. It has a full rain fly which keeps it warmer in the early and late season. I don't use it in the summer but if I did I would take the rain fly off when possible. I bet it would be pretty warm in summer. It has a large back window that fully opens as a back door, if needed. It is incredibly durable, breathes well, and is totally waterproof.

#203 Diva Challenge

In the summer of 2011, I took my first (and only) Zentangle class. At the beach shortly thereafter,  I explored beachy tangles in their natural setting.  After working Athitzi by idiloewenherz for awhile,  I was reminded of the mollusks and corals of the sea,  so the edges took that image for me.

This tangle was simple but NOT easy.  The perfectionist had a hard time letting go. The little lines are not even... much of this was my hand, eyes, etc. Some of this had to do with my notebook.

I bought an adorable Global Arts Materials hand book 3.5" X 8". The watercolor paper appears to be good quality. It feels "okay". When you take you pen to it though, it is NOT great. It's okay,  but it sorta 'catches'my pen. It's not a Moleskin.

Love

This is a Valentine Zentangle I am  sending to my granddaughter. One of the special things about doing a Zentangle specifically for someone is that you are thinking of that person while you tangle and lots of love goes into the paper. I want to help others  find that Zen when I start teaching.

202 Diva Challenge

I have to say this was fun,  but I used a new notebook and between the help of my cats and the quality of the paper - not my best effort...  but I am okay with it... that's the nature of Zentangle!