Look at that gorgeous pattern! It's called a Double Cabled Nonpareil and I'm in love with making it. I used to hate this pattern. I thought it was ugly and I didn't have fun creating it. But I've been marbling in a smaller tank these days (11 x 14 vs. my regular 20 x 25), partly because it's easier to set up and tear down a small tank for a quick-hit marbling session (which is all I've had time for lately) and partly because it allows me to practice patterns more easily...even the ones I thought I hated!

In a small tank, I can practice a pattern four times to every one time in the big tank. Economically it makes sense too since four small sheets of paper cost the same as one big sheet. And since one of my goals for this year is to master 30 or so traditional marbling patterns, it's best to stick to the most efficient and cost-effective practice practices!

And speaking of practicing, I'm experimenting with scanning and taking photos of my work in order to see how they turn out in commercially printed things such as calendars and fabrics for quilting. My first such project was to create a 2012 calendar using Snapfish.

I'm not a huge fan of Snapfish's quality (I've had regular photos printed by them and have been very disappointed in the product) but this was just a practice run for me, they had the particular STYLE of calendar I was looking for, and they offered me a buy-one-get-one-free deal. In the end, I was quite pleased with the way my photos scanned and how they turned out on the calendar. There are two that didn't turn out at all but now I've learned that highly textured papers DO NOT scan well (February's marbled piece) and neither do metallic paints (December's marbled piece). But I really am digging the rest of the calendar!

So I have an extra 2012 calendar to give away to one of you, my wonderful followers! Just leave a comment (all you have to do is say hi!) by 5 p.m. PT, Thursday, January 19, 2012. I'll pick a winner and drop it in the mail to you on Friday!

Good luck!