Wow! Whee! What? Fun!

The challenge that Suzy Mosh presents each week "That's New to Me" is becoming a favorite. She chooses a random letter, and we must choose patterns we have never worked with before in that letter. It's that simple, and I love it!

This week, it's W and I chose Waax, by Esther Piszczek, Whirlee by Lynn Mead, Wabi by Sandy Steen Bartholomew, and Wud by Joni Feddersen.

With this ZIA, I am posting a second entry to this week's Diva Challenge. That challenge was to do whatever we wanted, but make it Valentiney. And that's what I did. Is there anything more valentiney than a box of chocolates!

Whirlee is in the left "lobe" of the heart near the center. I think it looks just like a chocolate bon bon.

life is like....

 The Wabi is down and to the left, a piece near the  left edge of the heart. It's circular, with concentric circles and tear drop edging. The Waax is in the right lower side, right under the big isochor heart. And Wud is the frame of the whole "box of Chocolates"

Notice the string of Hitched along the lower right edge? I think they look like peppermints.

Other tangles I used (I'll try to list them all!)

starting at the top left, as best I can remember:

orbs, striping, paradox, thumbprint, yincut, wabi, mooka, show girl (blue background), a heart, a dark chocolate and orange flower, bumps, more orbs, isochor, printemps, truffle (in the corner of the heart).
Up from truffle, concentric hearts in a bed of purple, undling, flux, sannibelle next to a knightsbridge variation, something spirally, kandyribnz, BB, whirlee, down from whirlee is a pile of circfleur, more isochor, waax next to knightsbridge, hitched, a big heart of isochor, and in the upper right of the heart, a big diva dance! There is flux here and there, and lots of little pink hearts scattered around.

This was so much fun to dream up, design, and do! (BTW, does anyone know the actual name of that knightsbridge variation? it's one of my favorites)

Drawn on 11x8.5 sketch paper from a pecon sketchpad, with sepia micron pens, one "chocolate" pen by Recollections, several chocolate-ish colored micron pens, colored pencils by Koh-i-noor, their Progresso line of woodless colored pencils. A few varieties of pink gel pens from a set my son gave me for Xmas...Staples brand.

which also brings up the topic of what to use. I do love the idea of having high quality art supplies, but it must be said, if you have the back of an envelope and a BIC pen, you can do art. Don't let NOT having wonderful, high end pens and pencils stop you from creating. My interest in doing art  started three years ago in earnest, with a yellow No 2 pencil with an eraser on the tip, some Artist Loft watercolor pencils, and a few pieces of watercolor paper, which were supplied by the teacher at a one day seminar.
When I bought my own, I started with very inexpensive stuff, and have added to my stock with mostly medium quality stuff since then, and the occasional really terrific high quality piece. Prismacolor is a brand that has lots of praise from every quarter, and the one Prismacolor pencil i own IS luscious..some day I hope to have a full set by Prismacolor. Until then, i will use my Artist's Loft, Crayola, and YES! my new Derwent pencils. And of course, the sakura microns and the tiepolo paper tiles...best of the best!