Clay And Play Thursday, January 29, 2009

I was so happy to get back to claying after a stressful week of regular work. I made a couple more Bottles of Hope, still in practice mode. I think I am happy with them, although they could use a little embellishment, maybe some Swarovski crystals or something. Any suggestions?

I do love the shape of these bottles, even if they aren't the standard size or shape of typical Bottles of Hope. Hey, I'm a rule tweaker, what can I say? These are recycled, upcycled, reclaimed or whatever you want to call them, room freshener plug-in bottles from Bath and Body Works. The tops are proving to be the hardest part for me, I hope these look appropriate to the shape and design of the bottle. But I can always make more, I suppose!

This is Peacock Studio by Sculpey clay which I embossed with a filigree stamp and painted with chocolate brown acrylic paint. I also dabbed on, sparingly, my special sooper dooper verdigris "grout", which has in it liquid Kato clay. After baking, I sanded off most of the paint and grout, giving it a distressed, aged look. I then buffed it (yes, you can buff Studio clay!) to a nice satiny shine.



This one is a Skinner blend of Blush Studio and Clementine Studio clay. I darked the blush color with a little red alcohol ink, then embossed it with a leaf and vine stamp and dusted it with bright gold mica powder before curing. I then sanded and buffed it. This one is for a special lady whom I've heard is partial to pink and orange. I hope she likes it.

Stunning Sterling Friday Finds January 30, 2009

Everyone who knows me knows how much I love sterling silver. I much prefer it over gold, and with my dark hair and pale complexion, it looks better on me than gold anyway.

I purchased one of Creativemode's secret sentiment bangle bracelets a couple of weeks ago and I love it so much, I haven't taken it off. It is a beautiful piece of wearable art, a gorgeous pattern and made to my exact specifications. I am going back to get Chris' Sterling Silver Antiqued Flower Ring and one more of hers that I really love.

I'm going to have to have this Sterling Art Nouveau "L" initial necklace from IstanbulDesigns, too. I have this same letter in a paper pattern which I have transferred to polymer clay. I would be thrilled to have it in sterling on a necklace, too.

Actually, all these pieces are really must-haves on my wish list, so I will definitely be shopping at Etsy in the coming months, and take note, y'all! My birthday is June 1st! LOL

My Renaissance Tapestry Hearts and Flowers Brooch Featured in A Treasury!

I have been remiss in acknowledging the inclusion of my Renaissance Tapestry Hearts and Flowers Brooch in a gorgeous Beat The Blues! Get In The Pink Treasury made by Kate of OrganicOdysseys. Kate, thank you so much. This is one of my favorite treasuries ever. It features so many of our talented PCOGOE members.

Please check out the other member shops (and the curator's, too!) for exquisite craftsmanship and artistry!

OrganicOdysseys
Pollyhyper
Ametista
Divadea
SpiritMama
CreativeWriting
Kathys711
Juliespace
Angeli
RuthTarragano
NKDesigns
KeriJoy

Kate is such an inspiration. She lives on a farm and incorporates her flowers and vegetables into her designs. Amazing!



Baby Bok Choy Ring









Nightvision Carrot Eye Pendant

I MADE THE FRONT PAGE!

I'm doing the happy dance! I just got an email from Audrey of yipestoo, who told me her beautiful Goldenrod treasury made it to the Front Page at Etsy! This is my 3rd trip to the Front Page, and I'm so excited. As I told Audrey, I'll be bouncing around on Cloud 9 ALL DAY today! Congratulations to Audrey and to all the other artists featured. Way to Go, Y'all!

Thank you again for featuring my Yellow Jackets Necklace, Audrey!

My Yellow Jackets Necklace Featured In A Treasury!

Thanks toYipestoo for featuring my Yellow Jackets Necklace and Earrings Set in her new Goldenrod Treasury! I may not have found her delightful shop otherwise. She makes jewelry using silver spoons, found objects and resin. I love the name "serial" spoon, because they do tell a story. These are so cool, and what a fresh and inventive way to create jewelry!













Two Can - Serial Spoon











Glamour Cat - Serial Spoon

What I Did This Weekend

I sanded... and sanded, and sanded and sanded and sanded. I have the skinned fingers and jagged nails to show for it today, too!

I made some more Valentine's Day pieces for the shop. I love the cottage chic, shabby chic look, and anything vintage. I wanted to do a few "distressed" pieces in Red, and these brooches are the result, and being the Diva I am, couldn't help but add a little bling, too, with some Swarovski crystals. Why is it that photographing reds and blacks makes them look like x-rays? That is not a defect in the piece on the right, either. It's camera glare. Sorry about that!





I also made some more vintage pieces with an Arts and Crafts Movement feel to them. For some reason, they remind me of Frank Lloyd Wright!

My Tapestry Hearts Brooch Featured in A PCAGOE Treasury!

Thank you, Angela of polymerclaycreations for featuring my Tapestry Hearts Brooch along with many other PCAGOE members in your beautiful Black and White And Red All Over Treasury!

Please also check out Angela's shop at Etsy. Angela is a master at canework. Just look at these amazing pieces, and her work is always so bright and happy. They make me feel good just to look at them.

Friday Favorites January 23, 2009

I got a late start this morning, but here are my Friday Favorites for this week. My weekly cruise through Etsy (a VERY QUICK ride), yielded these gems.

I am in love with PrintsOfPeace's Whiskas. Isn't he adorable? His eyes just wreck me! I will be buying this print for myself today.

How about this gorgeous Recycled Copper Vase with Polymer Clay Sweetpeas? This piece comes from the genius of my fellow PCAGOE member Kate of OrganicOdysseys.

I love the Paris Leopard Journal from shop4embellishments, and wouldn't this stunning Cross Laced Fountain Pen accessorize it perfectly? Keith from CreativeWriting is one of our newest PCAGOE members, and his work is really awe-inspiring. You would never guess these are polymer clay, would you? F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!

And look at this gorgeous Blue Caramel necklace from my friend and fellow PCAGOE member, Laurel Steven! I'm still picking my jaw up off the floor! This is a new avenue for Laurel, and I cannot wait to see more. I really admire Laurel's work. She is a true artist, a free spirit who has a wonderful eye for color and composition and a wide open imagination. I love seeing the pieces she creates. And you have got to check out Laurel's blog, Rue's Daftique! Besides being so talented, she is wicked funny, too.

A Hunting We Will Go, A Hunting We Will Go...Did I Mention I'm Looking For Good Hearts? Hee Hee

This is so much fun. I may make a weekly theme of this hunting thing! I found some more beautiful hearts, including a few by some fellow PCAGOE members.

Just look at this sweet, funky little Honey Bee Heart window hanger by Juliespace! I love Julie's sense of whimsey and her wonderfully creative imagination. Her shop is full of thing to amaze the child in all of us.

And look at this cute little baby girl sock monkey by Waxela of spiritmama! Isn't she adorable? Waxela does beautiful work, doesn't she?

Okay, off to hunt again with my twusty wabbit fwiend.

My Green Savannah Necklace Featured In A Treasury!

Thank you, Alissa, for featuring my Green Savannah Necklace in your beautiful Make It Out Of Clay! treasury. Some of my favorite polymer clay artists are also featured, and I am honored to be included with such talented people.

You owe it to yourself to check out these artists to see what fresh, innovative and cutting edge designs they have created using polymer clay!

divadea
NKDesigns
Studiobijou
Jangeisen
4thesparrowsnest
Polymerclaycreations
Peculiarforest
Organicodysseys
Creativewriting
Revonav
Tejaesart
Jaelsjewels

More Good Hearts - A Secret Decoder Valentine

Found another one! A great heart and an ingenius way to present a Valentine to someone you love: Crankbunny's Secret Decoder Valentine Card! I bought one this morning, and asked Crankbunny to include a secret, coded message. Check out her shop for more innovative and creative Valentines, like the Red Blooming Flower and the Dancing Robot Cards! Fabulous!

My Fit For A Queen Brooch Featured In A Treasury!

What a nice surprise to wake up to this chilly Saturday morning! My Fit For A Queen Brooch is featured in FolkArtVision's beautiful Etsy Treasury, The Number Game.

I'm so glad Pey of FolkArtVision included one of my pieces, because as a result, I also discovered her gorgeous shop. On my hunt for "good hearts", I couldn't have asked for a better source from which to choose. My jaw dropped and I couldn't click on the items fast enough. I would have liked to highlight them all here, but I picked my favorites to show you.

I am a huge fan of primitive folk art, but it is such a saturated area that it is hard to find pieces with real soul any more. Everything looks like it came from the discount home decor shelf at Hobby Lobby. Pey and Anatol have a wonderful eye and an amazing talent.

Baby Its So Cold Outside Treasury For Friday Favorites January 16, 2009

15 degree weather ain't the norm in the Deep South USA, but we're gettin' some this weekend. It's 31 degrees in the South Carolina lowcountry as I type this, and we're expecting 15 degrees as the low tonight. I heard rumors last week we may get snow flurries today, but the sun is shining too brightly for me to believe that. There is not a snow cloud in sight.

On my weekly trip through Etsy looking for Friday Favorites this week, I thought a little ice and snow with a bit of Valentine Red would be appropriate, and here is what I found! I made a treasury out of the picks, so if you like them too, please visit it and click and comment! Thanks!

HolyCowStudios' Green Barn in First Ice photo has been a favorite of mine for awhile now. I just love it. I love living in South Carolina, even with its warm Winters, but I would give anything to be able to wake up to a sight like that every morning!

I'm equally fond of f2images' 8x8 Ride, a photographic print on metallic paper. I think I'm becoming obsessed with this art medium. I definitely want to learn more about it. This is so cool!

Elsita's Cold is a gorgeous illustration, so clean and crisp! I an in awe of her work.

Isn't Aj1801aj's Ice Candy Ice and Brass Crystal Necklace just awesome>? You can feel the chill in the beautiful quartz beads, and that pillow rectangle cut is one of my favorites.

Woooo, I've got shivers down my spine, and I don't think it's the weather outside. These picks are a showcase for a Winter Wonderland.

Who's Got Heart?

I'm on the prowl for good hearts. Red is my favorite color, as any of you who follow my blog already know. February is THE month for red, what with the American Heart Association's Red Dress Awareness campaign and Valentine's Day, and I wanted to spotlight some of my favorite people and their hearts!

You can help the fight against heart disease with the purchase of this beautiful Red Dress Pin from the American Heart Association. Heart disease is the number one cause of death of women in the U.S. and was the reason I lost both my Grandmothers. It is a cause that is near and dear to my own heart, literally! Click on the link to find out more about how you can combat this disease.

A healthy diet and regular excercise can certainly help your heart's health, but being happy and less stressful helps, too, and in that regard, who isn't happy looking at beautiful art? It certainly makes my heart happy to be able to create it, although I leave it up to you to decide if it is beautiful, but my heart beats a little faster when I see these little beauties!


This stunning Mermaid Encased Heart was created by tejae floyde of tejaesart Tejae is known for her polymer clay hearts, and her Mermaid Encased polymer clay Heart was a Top 10 in the National Polymer Clay Guild's Progress and Possibilities Show.






One of PCAGOE's newest members is Susan of cocojaneandme. Susan's work is such an inspiration to me. Just look at this gorgeous, PERFECT pendant! it can be found in Susan's shop at Etsy.

And, look at the vibrant colors in this pendant. Susan's attention to detail and the finishing on her work is fantastic. I drool.

You want more hearts? Okay! Here are some cute little pc hearts from Iris Mishly. Not the traditional red, but sweet and whimsical!

My friend Linda Riopel makes gorgeous pendants in polymer clay which she seals with resin for a glass-like finish. She has been working on a series of hearts, and I just love this heart cut-out pendant. The roses are so lifelike! Linda's attention to detail and flawless execution always amaze me. Look at that finish!

LaurelSteven's Sentimental White Heart is an antiqued, stamped piece, and what an innovative bail! I'd recognize Laurel's work anywhere. She is a true artist.

And finally, now we're talkin'! Here are some RED hearts for you, courtesy of the lovely and mega-talented Ametista girls. These sweet little heart magnets would be the perfect Valentine's Day Gift for a child's teacher or for a Grandmother who posts favorite photos on the fridge!

I'm still looking for good hearts, so I'll be back with more shortly!

Some New Stuff

I've been playing with ACEO card designs and experimenting some more with the verdigris "grout" I used on the first Bottle of Hope. Actually, I've been putting it on just about everything clay related lately, to see what kind of effect I get. I have discovered I love it with copper. I blended a large batch of light colored copper clay and a large batch of dark, antiqued copper and have been letting my imagination run wild. These are a couple of the pieces I did this past weekend.

ACEO card blanks:







A couple of Bottles of Hope:





Some new brooches: