My Neopolitan Necklace Featured in a Treasury!

Thank you so much, JConnor, for featuring my Neopolitan necklace and earrings in your beautiful "Bursts of Brightness" Treasury currently running on Etsy. Y'all please visit it and if you like my necklace, give it some love by clicking and commenting.



What a way to end the year!

PCAGOE January Challenge - Vote to Win!

Here it is, the mosaic for the January challenge! Aren't the entries fantastic? Pick your favorite and vote for it at pcagoe.com and you could win one of several beautiful polymer clay prizes!

Please click the mosaic to see a larger photo of the entries!





















The artists participating this month are:

#1 teric55
#2 beetreebyme
#3 walldancers
#4 peculiarforest
#5 mistymountainrain4
#6 polymerclaycreations
#7 puppykissportraits
#8 naamaza
#9 juliespace
#10 jewelzodonnell
#11 irismishly
#12 Susanne Dingendorf
#13 ljeans
#14 VAharoni
#15 creationsbyyami
#16 tejaesart
#17 scdiva
#18 cocojaneandme
#19 naturevisions
#20 thecolorofdreams
#21 milicabubanja
#22 organicodysseys
#23 divadea

Congratulations to TheCraftyPineapple!

Well, our scavenger hunt is over, and the winner of my $25 Gift Certificate is thecraftypineapple! Congratulations, Katelyn! I can't wait to see what item you choose.

Thanks again to everyone who played our game and entered our drawing. I had 35 entries in my shops, and I had great fun talking to all of you. I appreciate all the nice compliments about my work and hope you'll all come back and visit me. I hope we do this again next year, too. It was great fun!

Lynda

A Treasury For the Scavenger Hunt

Our PCAGOE Scavenger Hunt is in full swing! To find out what prizes are being offered by each shop, and to identify the images to look for in the hunt, please visit pcagoe, then visit the shops (links listed below in the Scavenger Hunt Announcement) and look for one of the images hidden among the participating shops' listings! Each shop owner is giving a different prize! My prize is a $25 Diva Designs Gift Certificate, good in either of my shops (Only one prize will be awarded for both shops.)

Please visit the Treasury, click on each item and leave a comment for us!

Have Fun, and Good Hunting!

I've Been Featured on NowPublic.com!

My handblended Christmas Harvest Jar Potpourri is featured in a segment on NowPublic.com on handmade ornaments and scents! Thanks Josie Mitchell for noticing my photo!

Etsy Treasury Featuring My Tribal Lore Necklace

Thank you, Milica Bubanja for featuring so many PCAGOE members in your newest Etsy Treasury, including my Tribal Lore 1 Necklace and Earrings Set!

Join in our PCAGOE Scavenger Hunt!

See the cute little elfin miss in the upper right hand corner of my blog? She could win you a $25 Gift Certificate which can be redeemed in either of my shops, scdiva.etsy.com or pcdiva.etsy.com! (One GC only will be offered.)

The members of PCAGOE, the Polymer Clay Artist Guild of Etsy, are sponsoring a Christmas Scavenger Hunt. Beginning today, December 10, 2008 and continuing until midnight e.s.t. of December 21, 2008, visit either of my shops (or both to be entered twice!) and find the Elfin Miss hidden among my items. I have hidden one image of her in each of my shops. When you find her, convo me through Etsy and give me either the URL of the listing where she is hidden, or the Transaction Number for the Item.

That's it! You must be a registered Etsy user to qualify, so if you have not already registered, please take a moment to do so, and you can join in our fun! Registering is fast and easy.

On December 22, 2008, I will draw a winner at random using a random generator. I will notify the winner by return convo and issue you a Gift Certificate Code Number, which must be redeemed by December 31, 2008 and is not valid in conjunction with any other promotion or sale I am offering. I will also post the winner's name here on my blog.

Here is a list of the other member shops participating in the hunt. Every member is offering a different prize! And be sure to check our team website for a complete list of participating shops!

tejaesart
divadea
lynnslittlecreations
organicodysseys
VAharoni
chicki
marciapalmer
juliespace
angeli

Finding Inspiration In Everyday Things

I may be the only person who can find inspiration in squash. Sad, but true. I am always on the lookout for inspiration, and often find it in the Produce section. The lumpy little knotty warts on a striped bumpy squash makes me giddy. Nature is a treasure trove of color and texture, and whether it's a walk in the woods or down the grocery store aisles, I usually see something I want to try and duplicate in clay.

I bought some really beautiful chickory and bok choi, and the veins and shapes lines inspired me to try and duplicate the colors, which worked to a certain extent. I was really pleased with these pendants.

Mahogany is my now my new favorite color. I love this step pendant. It has the aubergine/mahogany shades of the chickory and the creamy green of the bok choi.


...now where did I put that bumpy squash?

Etsy Finds...Fillin' That Shopping List!

I am so relieved. I have almost finished my Christmas shopping. I was hoping to do it all at Etsy this year. I made a good dent! Nephew Craig wants an XBox 360 game, whatever that is, so I'll slip over to amazon.com for that, but the majority of "stocking stuffer" stuff is done!

My nephew, Andrew, will love this sterling silver guitar pick engraved with his initials by The Vintage Chain. The leather mini journal is for my sister-in-law, Xan. My mother will go crazy over the Clemson personalized tote. I may have to wrassle that one away from her. The upcycled leather cowboy boot purse is for my sister, Tara (I have GOT to have one!) It was made by PursenBoots. I put her on my favorites list, so y'all don't buy her out before I get mine!

The dachshund is adorable. The one pictured is a Christmas tree ornament, but I bought a felt pillow in a larger size for my niece, Kaitlyn. It arrived yesterday. Kaitlyn has a dachshund named Hunter who is like another child in the family. The pillow was made by Cuore, and I couldn't be more pleased. The workmanship is fabulous. I can't wait for Kaitlyn to see it.

Turning The Spotlight On My Friend Linda Riopel

I thought I'd turn the spotlight on my friend and fellow PCAGOE member, Linda Riopel this week. Linda is my mentor in all things Polymer Clay. She inspires me and is always encouraging me to try new ideas and techniques. I love talking to her. She's a really gifted artist and teacher. I have learned more from Linda than I have from any book or video. She's the real deal, too, an unsung leader in our PCAGOE group. She goes out of her way to research questions, look up tutorials and offer tips and advice to all of us. I tell her she's the best, and I REALLY mean it!

Linda's work is instantly recognizable. She is known for her image transfer work, her beautiful polymer clay canework buttons, and her mokume gane hearts. I love the backgrounds she uses for her image transfer pieces. She recently shipped 100 necklaces (100!) to a friend to sell, and I seriously considered going to NY and hijacking the shipment. I am lucky enough to have one of her image transfer pendants, and I wear it often. I always get wonderful compliments on it!





Linda's store at Etsy is nkdesigns. She also has a blog here at blogspot.







Here are a few of her listings at Etsy:

Holtsville Pendant and Beads











Calla Polymer Clay Buttons

Congratulations Valerie Aharoni!

My fellow PCAGOE guild member, Valerie Aharoni, won the Best in Show Grand Prize in the Bead Star contest chosen by viewers at Beading Daily.com, and First Place Winner in the Seed Bead Division of Fire Mountain's Beading Contest! You can see Valerie's winning design and order component beads to make a similar design yourself from her Etsy shop, vaharoni, or you can purchase a similar necklace, like this one!

The grand prize winning design is on the cover of the inaugural issue of Bead Star, the Fire Mountain winning entry is featured on the back cover in Fire Mountain's ad, and there is a lovely article about Valerie inside!

I'm so proud! Way to go, Valerie! Simply stunning design, and I recognize that global bead on tha back, your Dec. challenge entry, too! I'm off to re-read everything again. CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations To The Winners!

The votes are in, and Lilin's beautiful Winter Dragon won 1st place in the PCAGOE December challenge. Starless' amazing filigree ornament won 2nd, and Peggers' delightful Polar Bears Fishing won 3rd. Congratulations, ladies! Fabulous work!

Lilin's Winter Dragon










Starless' Intricate Filigree Ornament







Peggers' whimsical Polar Bears Fishing

PCAGOE DECEMBER CHALLENGE IS LIVE!

Vote for your favorite entry in the Polymer Clay Artist Guild of Etsy December challenge, the theme of which is "Winter". Several lucky voters will win some fabulous polymer clay prizes, including the 1st place prize, a Christmas Necklace and Earrings Set designed by me exclusively for the challenge! Go to www.pcagoe.com and vote between Dec. 1 and midnight of Dec. 3 for your favorite entry! (My entry is #3, the Winter Wonderland Postcard Ornament!)

My Image Transfers Featured on Squidoo Lens!

How cool is that? These art nouveau pendants I made for a recent Thursday Clay and Play are featured by Gretchen, a/k/a Heartaday, on her Squidoo Lens website. I'm thrilled, thanks so much, Gretchen!