Learn Three Tangles from Ruby's Tiny Book of Tangle Magic
Last year, I met my friend, Ruby Maguire, for coffee. We're both Certified Zentangle® Teachers based in Scotland, which makes us quite a rare breed - there aren't many of us north of the border!
We spent hours chatting about all things Zentangle® Method, creativity and life. Ruby is English but lives in Scotland now and she's absolutely lovely. We've also crossed paths at the Zenjo Zentangle Retreat in Glasgow, and we chat online from time to time.
Recently Ruby published a book which is too good not to share with you here - Ruby's Tiny Book of Tangle Magic.
The Problem It Solves
Ruby was out for a coffee prior to writing her book and found herself wanting to get in some tangling time. Without her usual tangle reference books to hand, she turned to her mobile phone and before she knew it, she had fallen down a rabbit hole of one possible tangle or another. She found herself spending more time looking at the wide variety of tangles than she did tangling.
It gave her an idea - if she wrote her own, pocked-sized, book, she could take that with her anywhere she wanted to tangle - no lugging around any heavy books or having to rely on her mobile for inspiration.
Ruby's Tiny Book of Tangle Magic is exactly that - it's compact enough to slip in your bag, so you've always got tangle inspiration with you. Even better, it's spiral bound, which means it lies completely flat while you're working. No fighting with pages trying to close on you while you're mid-tangle!
Three Beautiful Patterns To Try
In one of my recent YouTube videos, I demonstrated three patterns from Ruby's book: Ailux, Talisman and Bumble Buds. None of them are too complicated, so if you're a beginner, you could absolutely give them all a go.
One thing that I always remind people: basically any tangles can go together. The main thing to watch is not trying to cram too many different patterns onto one tile. Less is more! Pick two or three tangles and let them shine, rather than overwhelming the tile with every pattern you know.
What I Love About This Book
What I really appreciate about Rubys book is how practical it is. It's designed for real life - for those moments in cafes, on trains or anywhere you want to tangle but don't have your full collection of resources with you.
The spiral binding is really thoughtful. It's one of those details that might seem small but makes such a huge difference when you're actually using it.
If you'd like to get your own copy of Ruby's Tiny Book Of Tangle Magic, you can find it on Ruby's website.
Create Some Calm For Yourself
Whether you use Ruby's book or not, I hope you'll take some time this week to create a few peaceful moments just for yourself. The Zentangle® Method is such a wonderful way to step away from everything else going on in your life and focus on something calming and beautiful.
If you're new to The Zentangle® Method or want to learn more, I have a free ebook you can download here and if you'd like a dedicated journal for your Zentangle® practice, I've created one that you might enjoy.
