Hi and welcome back to the Chrissie Murphy Designs Blog. Today I am introducing a new series of tiles that I’m calling Strange Tiles. For years I’ve been collecting different ephemera that would otherwise be destined for rubbish, so I thought I’d start tangling on them. I’m beginning the series with a tile I completed on a used Bingo sheet. I know…. Strange, so let’s get into it.
Why Chrissie? Why?
Because in Isaiah 61:3 the Lord talks about beauty coming from ashes – “to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
You see, in January I joined the Zentangle Club of Venezuela for a dyeing workshop with Lilian Hernan Gomez. There’s a link below if you’d like to read about it.
The theme of Lilian’s Dyeing Workshop was Sustainability and the piece we made focused on our carbon footprints versus the waste we generate.
It got me thinking about what I waste. Can beauty come from that waste? Can beauty truly come from ashes, the leftovers of my life? I believe it can because I can testify to the Lord having brought beauty from ashes for me in other areas of my life.
Let’s make an Online Catalogue of Strange Tiles!
I want to show the world that a used bingo sheet can be beautiful. And not only used bingo sheets, but ripped book pages, the envelope an electricity bill comes in, the tea bag destined for the compost and the manual to that food processor that’s not needed anymore.
Together we can build up an online catalogue of Strange Tiles and show the world that beauty truly can come from ashes, the things we’d otherwise waste.
How are we going to do it?
I’ll be using the hashtag #StrangeTiles when I post and I welcome you to join me. If you have a strange, weird or unusual paper or surface that your tangling on, I encourage you to share it.
What have you got hanging around the house that would otherwise be waste? Can you tangle on it? Have a good look at what you’re wasting (the ashes, or leftovers of your life). Is there new life you can bring to these things by tangling on them?
Yes it will feel STRANGE! That’s why we’re calling this series Strange Tiles, but there is a beauty you can draw forth and I encourage you to explore it.
If you do, use the hashtag and give me a shoutout when you post. I’d love to share your Strange Tiles to my stories.
Is this a weekly or monthly kind of thing?
No, this is an as you do it kind of thing. One week you might have two strange tiles and then nothing for a few months.
This isn’t about a weekly challenge or prompt, it’s about building an online catalogue. It’s about gathering evidence that beauty truly can come from the ashes of our lives.
So the next time you work on a Strange Tile, use the hashtag and tag me. I’ll take care of the rest.
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Until next time, listen to your heart and sharpen your coloured pencils. A masterpiece awaits!
Bless you my friend
Chrissie xx
