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Cassowary Coast, North Queensland, Australia heychrissie@ChrissieMurphyDesigns.com

Chrissie Murphy Designs

Contemporary mixed media art and quiet explorations

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Tag: #HomeoftheExpressive

April 8, 2021January 6, 2025Chrissie Murphy DesignsLeave a Comment on “The Three of Us” April’s Expressive Challenge

“The Three of Us” April’s Expressive Challenge

chrissiemurphydesigns

👩‍🎨 Contemporary Mixed Media Artist | CZT39
🎨 Ink, watercolour, collage and Zentangle
🔎 Always exploring
☺️ Small moments of joy and beauty 👇

💢 Still working my way through my Project Pack 6 j

💢 Still working my way through my Project Pack 6 journal 🖤🤍 And I had so much fun tangling with Nudora by @tomas_padros 🤗
Such a great pattern 🙌

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✨ A little page from one of my journals… and a lit

✨ A little page from one of my journals… and a little piece of my story.

This is the front page of the journal I used during my Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) training back in September 2022 💢

I’ve never really shared much about that experience here, but lately I’ve found myself thinking about it a lot. I’m just so grateful that tangling has become part of my life 🤗 The friends and connections I have made all over the world through it are just so special.

I love you guys 💕

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✨ My favourite place to be after a busy day. A war

✨ My favourite place to be after a busy day.
A warm decaf, some Michael Buble, a blank tile, and endless possibilities ☕️🤗

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🤔 Why do I still tangle after all these years? It'

🤔 Why do I still tangle after all these years?
It's a question I found myself reflecting on recently while updating my website.

After more than a decade of tangling, becoming a CZT, completing a Diploma of Visual Arts and exploring many different creative paths, I still find myself reaching for a Micron almost every day 🖊

The answer isn't really about creating another tile. It's more than that. 🙌 Tangling helps me slow down. It helps me notice things. It creates a little bit of quiet in a very busy world and it reminds me that beauty is often found in small things.... over and over again ✨️

In my latest blog post, I've shared some reflections on why tangling continues to be such an important part of my life and creative practice.

The artwork in this post is a small glimpse into some of the pieces I've created recently.

If you'd like to read the full article, you'll find the link in my linktree in my bio or in my Stories ⏫️

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Now.... back to my Project Pack 6 journal 😃 Some

Now.... back to my Project Pack 6 journal 😃
Some Coofia by @zentangleinc 💢

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✨ A little trip down memory lane today... At the e

✨ A little trip down memory lane today...
At the end of 2022, I wrapped up a long-running project called Magnified Fragments. It was a project I loved 💕 but with my Diploma of Visual Arts beginning in 2023, I simply didn't have the time to continue running it.

For those who weren't around back then, #MagnifiedFragments explored Zentangle Fragments. Each week we would take a single Fragment, magnify it into a string, and then choose a different enhancer for our tangling ✨️ Participants would share their finished tiles, and every one of them was added to the Magnified Fragments Gallery on my website 🖼

What made the project so special was the people. Tanglers from all over the world joined in, sharing their creativity and unique interpretations of each Fragment. The gallery became something quite remarkable because of the community that built it together 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧

A couple of dear friends, @starmaroarts and @tangleevet decided to continue the journey after I stepped away and together they worked through the remaining Fragments. What they achieved when they finished the Project was truly incredible 🏅🤩

🤔 Why am i telling you this you ask? Well, now, all these years later, the project is getting a new beginning! 🎉 it makes me so happy 😃

@Heidi_Froelich, host of the Zentangle Down Under Facebook group, is restarting the Magnified Fragments Project from the very beginning. This group is for 🇦🇺 Australian and 🇳🇿 New Zealand based tanglers, and I can't wait to see the beautiful tiles that emerge as they work their way through the project.

If you'd like to see the artwork created during the original project, head to the linktree in my bio and visit the Magnified Fragments Gallery. It's a wonderful collection of tiles created by artists from around the world, and I'm still amazed by it every time I look through it.

And finally, the biggest thank you of the day goes to Heidi for reinvigorating this wonderful tangling project 🙏🤎 Thank you Heidi!

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🤗 It's finally finished... my #BijouBeWell2026 til

🤗 It's finally finished... my #BijouBeWell2026 tile! 🙌

There were a few moments during this year's series when I wasn't sure I was going to make it to the finish line. In fact, I don't think this piece would be sitting here completed today if it hadn't been for a kind and encouraging nudge from @tangled.pursuits 🥰 Thank you so much, Debbie. 💕 I really needed it.

I'm so glad I kept going. This series reminded me of some patterns I had forgotten, challenged me to work through a few creative roadblocks, and ultimately became a piece I'm really pleased to have completed.

Congratulations to everyone who took part in Bijou Be Well 2026 🎉 I've loved seeing your tiles unfold throughout the series and following each of your journeys along the way. ✨

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💢 A little more progress on my #BijouBeWell2026 ti

💢 A little more progress on my #BijouBeWell2026 tile today.

The tangling is finished and now I'm working on the shading. It's one of my favourite parts of the process because everything starts to come to life 🤗

And Purk by @Zentangleinc? It has to be one of my favourite patterns to shade. How can you not have fun with it! I 🤎 this pattern 🥰

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💢 Here's one more page from my Project Pack 6 jour

💢 Here's one more page from my Project Pack 6 journal featuring Meriberries (by Cheryl Wilson) 🫐 It was fun to play with scale with this pattern, I love how it grew across the page 😃

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It's Friday! Time for some more close up pics to e

It's Friday! Time for some more close up pics to ease us into the weekend 🫠

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If you've been following me for a while, you might

If you've been following me for a while, you might remember #TangleIndexTime 🤗 It was a weekly Zoom catch-up I hosted where a group of us gathered to work on building our Tangle Indexes together 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

It's been quite a while since those sessions, but I thought you'd like to know that my Tangle Index is still growing 🪴 I've continued adding tangles, and over time I've expanded it to include different kinds of elements I can draw on in my work as well🌷🌹These floral and nature-inspired elements are some of the newest additions. Aren't they the sweetest!

There's something rather satisfying about flipping through these pages and seeing years of exploration gathered in one place 🥰

If you created an index too, I'd love to hear how it's going. Have you kept adding to it over the years? 🤔

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🚀 Once upon a time, in a Tangle Universe far, far

🚀 Once upon a time, in a Tangle Universe far, far away, a budding tangler called Chrissie participated in projects and challenges... and rarely fell behind schedule.

Fast forward a few years and, at the end of the #BijouBeWell2026 series, she finds herself back in some very familiar territory. 😖 No matter which galactic path she takes 🛣, she somehow ends up in the land known as "Being Behind."

Chrissie missed the final prompt by about a week, but with a little luck and determination, she should arrive at the final destination — "Finished At Last" — sometime next week 😉 She'll share the completed piece with you then.

Seriously though, a huge well done to everyone who tangled this series. Your creativity has been incredible to watch, and I've genuinely loved following along and seeing all the beautiful pieces each day. 💕✨️

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💢 Still sharing pages from my Project Pack 6 journ

💢 Still sharing pages from my Project Pack 6 journal. Here's one more...
Can you tell I was enjoying things? 😀

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There’s something a little nerve-racking about wor

There’s something a little nerve-racking about working on black tiles when you’re not completely confident with them 😅 But during @heidi_froelich monthly Detangle class last Friday night, I felt compelled to just give it a go.

Heidi challenged us to use grid-based patterns in a reticula format on a circular tile, and I decided to keep things simple with just white ink on black. No extra colour. No complicated additions. Just pattern, contrast, and a little courage 🤍🖤

And I have to say I’m really happy with how this one turned out 🤗 Sometimes the pieces we hesitate to begin become the ones that surprise us the most. ✨️ Thanks for another great class Heidi 🫂

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Here’s this finished piece at last 🙃 Last week I

Here’s this finished piece at last 🙃

Last week I shared a tonal look at this — partly because there were a lot of details to get absorbed in, and partly because I genuinely enjoyed wandering around it for a while 🌎

I ended up adding the colour palette from @kath.artique #ColourMyWorld2026 challenge for May. I really loved working with the earthy browns and grey's this month, they're my kind of colours 🤎 and they ground this piece beautifully.

Now.... if you'll excuse me, it's time for a warm Milo and to draw up another grid 😁☕️

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💢 After the Zentangle Project Pack 6 video's finis

💢 After the Zentangle Project Pack 6 video's finished, I continued to work in my journal. Here's one of the pages I completed 🤗

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A Vittoria decaf, a quiet desk, and another week

A Vittoria decaf, a quiet desk, and another week creating beauty for a world that really needs it 🤎

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Here's a close up of some tangle embellishments I

Here's a close up of some tangle embellishments I completed in my journal a while ago. Aren't these warm tones beautiful 🤎

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POV: You start with one isometric grid… and accide

POV: You start with one isometric grid… and accidentally build a tangled universe. 😛

This piece is still a work in progress, and I’m at the stage where tone is complete, but colour is yet to come 🤎💛🤍

Can't wait to see it finished ✨️

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💢 Another look back at Project Pack 6. I believe

💢 Another look back at Project Pack 6.

I believe this was the last day for the Project Pack videos, Day 8, with a look at embedded lettering. Such a beautiful technique 🤎

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Recent Posts

Why I Still Tangle Every Day After More Than a Decade June 15, 2026
A World Needing More Beauty and Delight May 13, 2026
Exploring Isometric Grid Art: A Joyful Blend of Geometry and Pattern April 15, 2026
The Power of Constructive Feedback in Growing as an Artist August 18, 2025
Tree Change Art Series — Tips for Starting or Returning to Art August 11, 2025

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