Congratulations to The Winners of the PCAGOE Holiday Stocking Giveaway!

Congratulations to Lynn Forsterling, a/k/a TraderBob1, the winner of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy's Grand Prize in the Holiday Stocking Givaway. Lynn gets a stocking chock full of handmade polymer clay items created by our member artists AND a $75.00 Gift Certificate to spend in one of the participating member shops!

A.E. Gross is the winner of the 2nd Place stocking and a $50.00 Gift Certififate. JDC53 is the winner of the 3rd Place stocking and a $25.00 Gift Certificate.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you so much for participating! This promotion was a lot of fun, and I hope we do it again next year! Happy Holidays!

My Golden Sunflower Mica Shift Pendant is Featured in a New Etsy Treasury

My friend and fellow PCAGOE team member, Ali of AlisonEKurek, created this all-PCAGOE treasury today, which she titled "Rough Yet Refined" and included my Golden Sunflower Mica Shift Pendant. Lots of beautiful goodies in this treasury, so if you haven't finished your holiday shopping yet, head on over to Etsy and check out some of these wonderful artists' shops!

And yes, Ali is the same AlisonEKurek whose "Caroling Cats ACEO" won 1st place in the December PCAGOE challenge, the theme of which was "Seasonal." What an extraordinarily talented lady!

Congratulations again, Ali, and thank you for including me in this great treasury!

And speaking of the challenge, congratulations to all the winners!

Laurel of LaurelSteven won 2nd place for her delightful Ho3 necklace, and Berit of ClayCenter won 3rd place for her festive holiday earrings! Great job, everyone!

Time To Vote! PCAGOE December Challenge

The theme for our PCAGOE December challenge is "Seasonal". We could depict a Winter scene or one of the December holidays. 21 of our members entered this month, and the entries are diverse and all interpret the theme beautifully. We've got ornaments, jewelry, and ACEO, beads, and LOTS of gift ideas.

Vote for your favorite entry at www.pcagoe.com beginning Dec. 1 until midnight, Eastern US time on Dec. 7, 2009. The winners will be announced on Dec. 8. Five lucky voters, chosen at random, will also win polymer clay prizes created by our member artists.

Here are the entries for December:



1) Toast The New Year! Pendant by BeeTreeByMe
2) Frosty The Polymer Clay Snowman by SCDiva
3) Christmas Kitten Pendant by Jencom72
4) Purple Angel Ornament by CreativeArtCenter
5) Poinsettia Necklace by ClayHappy
6) Ho3 Necklace by LaurelSteven
7) Snowflake Beads by RiverValleyDesign
8) Tall Santa Ornament by Ashpaints
9) Catch A Winter Star Necklace by FungibleElements
10) Caroling Cats ACEO by AlisonEKurek
11) Red Poinsettia and Berries Pendant by ArtistTooStudios
12) Metallic Mokume Gane Ornament by PolymerClayCreations
13) Snowmen Artistic Apothecary Bottles by Ametista
14) Metallic Plate Choker by 11BoldStreet
15) Asian Winter Snow Scene Necklace by NKDesigns
16) Winter Inspired Jewelry Set by Polyclarific
17) Holiday Earrings by ClayCenter
18) Poinsettia Candy Bracelet by RenGalSa
19) Holiday Pendant with Integrated Bezel Chain by JKollmann
20) Laced-Up Christmas Ornament by Juliespace
21) Madonna and Child Ornament by BlessedBeadJewelry

Thanks for voting and supporting the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy!

My Vintage Tapesty Pendant is Featured in a New Treasury!

It's so nice to have good friends! My friend Linda Riopel, a/k/a NKDesigns, has been at it again. I think she sits home and thinks up great titles and themes for Etsy treasuries, and then always manages to snag one! Today she created "I'll Have A Blue Christmas" and all the items in it were created by PCAGOE team members, including my Vintage Tapestry Light Aqua Pendant.



Thank you, Linda! I'm in great company in your beautiful treasury!

It's Almost Time!

One more day until the kickoff of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy's first Holiday Stocking Giveaway! If you're planning to shop after you polish of that Turkey and dressing tomorrow, I hope you will check out our participating member shops to help you fill that gift list. Every item purchased in any of our participating member shops beginning tomorrow until December 12th gets you one chance at one of the three gorgeous stockings shown to the right! If you purchase 5 items, you get 5 chances. Purchase 10 items, get 10 chances, etc.

You may view many of the items in the slideshow, which is linked at the right of the screen, too, or in my flickr photostream (I had the honor of heading up this promo for the team and photographed them as they arrived at my house!).

Many of our members are also participating in our first Black Friday - Cyber Monday Sale. It begins Friday, Nov. 27 and runs through Monday, Nov. 30. I am offering 20%off every item in my shop, plus free shipping on purchases of $50 or more. Several of my fellow PCAGOE members are also offering 20% off and free shipping, so please go to Etsy.com and search for "PCAGOE BFCM" to find all our sale goodies.

These promotionals overlap, so every item purchased from Nov. 26 to Dec. 12 qualifies you for 1 chance to win one of these stockings.

A Wonderful Feature on my Favorite Blog!

Carolyn Saxby's blog is drool-inducing for anyone who loves color, and Carolyn's sense of color and composition are exquisite.

Carolyn is a mixed media textile artist from St. Ives, Cornwall. I think it is safe to say her favorite color is RED! We are kindred spirits in that regard, because I never met a red I didn't like and I love seeing it featured so prominently on her gorgeous blog, Love Stitching Red.

Carolyn finds inspiration in a myriad of ordinary, every day items and captures them in mosaics she posts on her blog. She also shares a good bit of the Cornwall countryside with us on a regular basis, which makes a visit to her blog like going on a vacation.

I wish I could see color the way Carolyn sees it. I have a pretty good eye for color myself, but not on her level. She is the Color Queen Extraordinaire! Carolyn sees the possibilities in everything, even a piece of nougat candy. And as much as I love color, I think her white and neutral mosaics are exquisite, too. The lack of color in those puts the emphasis on the composition, and they really shine.

Monday, Carolyn featured my Ghost Bird Necklace in her Monday Mosaic. It is the second time I've been featured in one of her mosaics, and I am thrilled, and honored that she also chose one of my Old World Santa Christmas ornaments for her personal collection, and yes, of course, it was red!

Thank you again, my friend, for sharing your extraordinary gift of color and composition and the inspiration they bring!

What I Did This Weekend

I was down in the dumps last week after being told my hours at work are being cut back. For the first time in 30 years, I am considered part-time, not full time; and even though it isn't my fault, I can't help feeling a teeny bit like a failure for some reason. I was moping around Friday trying to figure out whether to go out and find a part-time job or whether to sell some blood or what, and my mother said to me..."You already have another job, you're an artist and a jewelry designer."

Yes, but I never considered it a real job, it was too much fun to be considered a job. It wasn't a hobby, because I am serious about marketing the Etsy shop, but still...could I actually make a living at doing something I love so much? How foreign! You're not supposed to love the job you do, are you? Hee Hee.

Well, I opened up my mind and thought of all the things I could do on the days I don't get paid that I've had to shelve because of a 50+ hour a week career as a real estate and probate paralegal (You didn't think THOSE kind of jobs could go away, did you? Neither did I, frankly.)

I pulled out my "save to do later" sketches and my bead stash and went to work. I made several new designs and reworked a few more and was completely happy with myself for the first time in years. And, don't tell anyone, but I didn't even put on makeup or comb my hair all day! This may work out okay after all.

My Empress Butterfly Necklace is Featured in a New Treasury!

What a nice surprise! Yalipaz included my Empress Butterfly Necklace in her gorgeously colorful Etsy Treasury, Let's Have Fun! I just love this treasury. The bright and bold colors really perked up a gloomy day for me.




If you get a chance, please checkout Yalipaz' Etsy shop, too. I can see from her listings that she loves color, so it is no surprise she created a Treasury filled with color, too!

Thanks again, Yalipaz!

I'm Featured in Two Treasuries Today!

It's been awhile since I was featured in a treasury, and this week, I'm in two!



My good friends Linda of NKDesigns and Laurel of LaurelSteven both featured one of my pendants in Etsy treasuries they just created. Besides being fabulously talented artists, they do a pretty good job making treasuries, too. I love that they are both titled for colors!

Linda's treasury is titled Wear Red, But Go Green and besides featuring my favorite color, racy red, includes my Carte Postale Red Birds Image Transfer Pendant



Laurel's treasury is titled Winter White...vory and features my Faux Vintage Riveted Bird Pendant.

Thanks so much, ladies, and please everyone check out Linda and Laurel's Etsy shops. You will find some really beautiful examples of the versatility of polymer clay in their work!

Lord Have Mercy, It's Been A Busy Month!

And it's going to get busier! I have so much to post, starting with two announcements.



First, the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy is having a Black Friday - Cyber Monday SALE November 27 - November 30, 2009. Several of our members are participating, and many will offer a 20% discount on every item in their shops, INCLUDING ME! Several members will also offer free shipping for that weekend. To see which members are partipating, go to www.etsy.com and search "PCAGOE BFCM".

If you see something in my shop you would like to purchase, email me through Etsy before you check out and I will adjust the list price so you can complete checkout.

I would also like to announce our inaugural PCAGOE Holiday Stocking Giveaway!



Beginning Thanksgiving Day, November 26 and running to midnight, Eastern US time on December 12, any purchase in any of the participating PCAGOE member shops qualifies you for one chance to win one of three holiday stockings we are giving away!

The grand prize stocking is chock full of polymer clay items created by our member artists, plus a $75 Gift Certificate valid in any of the participating members' shops! The second and third place stockings also contain handmade polymer clay items and $50 and $25 gift certificates, respectively!

Any purchase you make during our Black Friday - Cyber Monday SALE also qualifies you for a chance at the stockings. Buy one item, get one chance. By five items, get five chances, etc!

Winners for the stockings will be chosen at random from among the qualified buyers and you will be notified as soon as possible after the promotion ends on December 12th.

Here are the items I donated to the stocking giveaway which you could win, and there are tons more polymer clay goodies included in the promotion:











Here are the shops which are participating in the Holiday Stocking Giveaway. So start making that list and checking these shops twice to fill your holiday gift list!

KellyPlaysClay.etsy.com
LaurelSteven.etsy.com
11BoldStreet.etsy.com
PolymerClayCreations.etsy.com
CreativeWriting.etsy.com
MarciaPalmer.etsy.com
BeeTreeByMe.etsy.com
TheColorofDreams.etsy.com
Bleekreations.etsy.com
RiverValleyDesign.etsy.com
Juliespace.etsy.com
Peggers.etsy.com
MichelesArtJewelry.etsy.com
AlisonEKurek.etsy.com
SCDiva.etsy.com
NKDesigns.etsy.com
AshPaints.etsy.com
WonderfulWire.etsy.com
IlysaArt.etsy.com
Stonebrash.etsy.com
Summergirl38.etsy.com
BarbiesBest.etsy.com
GoodspeedEmpire.etsy.com
MarcymPC.etsy.com
LJeans.etsy.com
Jencom72.etsy.com
SilverGate.etsy.com
RozPetalzStudio.etsy.com
FungibleElements.etsy.com
Miramecreations.etsy.com
Elpasoclaynation
Clayhappy
Claycenter
Phoenixrose
JKollman
Blessedbeadjewelry

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

... or tigers and giraffes and zebras and cheetahs, oh my! I have wanted to create a necklace like this for a long time, something that incorporated my favorite animal prints with polymer clay; something big, bold and a little over-the-top. I had my idea on paper but have been so busy with custom orders the past few weeks, I wasn't able to try and execute it until last night.


As old Mick would say, "just around midnight"... when every sane person who works a full-time job the next day should have been headed for their pillow, I decided to sit down and experiment with the barrel beads. I had already made the pendant, one of several image transfer animal prints I made a couple of weeks ago to show to a customer.

These are prototype barrel beads, but I learned from them what to do and not to do next time. These are covered magnesite gemstone barrel cut beads. I bought a bunch of them in the ugliest seafoam green color and haven't been able to think of anything to do with them until recently. I made two zebra print beads with them recently, and the other animal prints last night. I really, really like the combination of the different prints with the red/orange sponge coral and the copper end caps. This is the last of my 25mm copper end caps, and I must remember where I purchased them so I can re-order. They are so versatile. In this design, they look primitive, tribal almost. I used them with my French balloon beads, too, and they also fit very well with the 19th century advertising art graphics in those.

Congratulations to the Winners!

The winners of the PCAGOE November challenge have been announced. My Faux Antique Brass Lotus Blossom and Chrysanthemum Necklace was the 3rd place winner. I actually sold this necklace Saturday, and was sorry to see it go, but it found a fabulous new home!

1st place went to KellyPlaysClay for her #4 entry, a metallic bracelet. 2nd place went to FungibleElements for her #13 entry, Metallic Mix Pendant.

Thanks to everyone who voted for my entry and partipated in the challenge! Next month the theme for December is "Seasonal". You are sure to find lots of gift ideas among the entries!

November PCAGOE Challenge - It's Almost Time To Vote!

Here is a mosaic of the entries in the PCAGOE November challenge, "Metallic Showdown!". I can't believe all the gorgeous entries this month. We were required to showcase metallic clay in our entry pieces, and the metals are well-represented.

So don't forget to vote for your favorite entry at PCAGOE.com between Nov. 1 and Nov. 7 for your chance to win a beautiful polymer clay prize created by our member artists.

And stay tuned for a sneak preview of our Holiday Stocking Giveaway! Like Santa Claus, it's coming soon!

Members entering this month:

1) Heather Moor by CrazyDay
2) Lost At Sea by LaurelSteven
3) Doric Garden Sculpted Polymer Clay and Wire Bead by JKollmann
4) Metallic Millefiori Barrette by KellyPlaysClay
5) Gridlock Pendant by ClayAngel
6) Multi-Metallic Retro Pendant by AshPaints
7) Three Tiered Earrings by MarciaPalmer
8) Copper Faux Snakeskin and Mica Shift Cuff by 11BoldStreet
9) Faux Antique Brass Asian Lotus Blossoms and Chrysanthemums Necklace by SCDiva
10) Bronze Age Beads by RMKDesign
11) Copper Frenzy by MirameCreations
12) Faux Mokume Gane and Mica Shift Autumn Leaves Necklace and Earrings by ClayHappy
13) Metallic Mix Polymer Clay Pendant by FungibleElements
14) Faux Mokume Gane Pearl and Multi Colored Metallic Necklace by Jencom72
15) Black and Gold by Studioschiek
16) Ms. Robot by BeeTreeByMe
17) Elf Ornament Art Doll by SpiritMama
18) Golden Millefiori Bell-Shaped Ornament by PolymerClayCreations

A Brassy Babe for The November PCAGOE Challenge

I've been working on an entry piece for the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy's November challenge, the theme of which is "Metallic Showdown". We are required to use metallic clay in the entries. Now, I know what you're thinking, Miss CopperDiva will certainly make a copper piece from my signature antique copper blend. Well, I thought so, too, but after playing around with black and gold for a smaller embossed piece, I smooshed the black and gold together, added some gold and black embossing powder, and got the most gorgeous, antique brass-colored clay. Having just received a shipment of these beautiful antique finish brass cutwork flower beads from www.artfulmarket.etsy.com, the old lightbulb went off in my head and I made this piece. This is one of the few times I have bought the beads first and then decided what to make to go with them, usually it is the other way around, make the pendant and then go looking for their bead matches. I still prefer to do that, less chance of disappointment that way, but this one turned out even better than I expected and I decided to use it as my challenge piece.

You can see all of the entries in our monthly challenge photo pool at flickr. Voting begins November 1, 2009 at www.pcagoe.com and ends at midnight, Eastern US time on November 7. The winners will be announced on the 8th at www.pcagoe.com. There are some really stunning entries so far and there will be more posted to the pool shortly, so stay tuned. PLUS, five lucky voters chosen at random will win a beautiful polymer clay prize handcrafted by one of our member artists!

Here are the other two small pieces I made before I smooshed the black and gold clay together, and I already have plans for more of these stripedy (yes, it is a word) embossed pieces in random colors...speaking of copper...hmmm. These look like Tiger Eye to me, so I named them Faux Tiger Eye 1 and 2.




Thanks!

Lynda