Celestial Honors

Thanks to everyone who voted in the PCAGOE challenge. I am honored that my Celestial Sun and Moon Decorative Eggs tied for first place in the Members Voting category. Here's a link to see the full results: http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-winners.html

I thought it would be nice to share with you one of my favorite entries this month: a delightful sculpture Moon Struck with Stars by Beckie of AuroraClayWorks.

Moon Struck with Stars by Beckie of AuroraClayWorks.

Beckie Fox, a sculptor of more than 35 years from Wasilla, Alaska describes her work as "certified Made in Alaska." So fitting! I love how even though I've never met Beckie, or been to Alaska, I can feel her spirit and the natural spirit of her home in her work. She is the same artist who made the delightful swap ornament with kids sledding that I shared in December. http://www.creativesprinkle.blogspot.com/2012/12/stories-in-polymer.html

Vote and Win

Celestial Themed Polymer Covered Eggs

With Easter right around the corner, I'm in egg-covering mode.  I decided to take advantage of that creative rhythm and design a few eggs using theme from the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy March challenge: Celestial.

I started each egg by placing two small patches translucent Premo polymer where I wanted to stamp the sun and moon. Since the egg is curved the whole design wouldn't stamp, but that didn't matter because I planned to add layers on top of the celestial design so it would look like the sun and moon where bursting out of an active swirling solar system.

The color of the background comes from mokume gane slices layered over a dark blue. For the sun and moon areas, I painted alcohol inks over the stamped design on the translucent clay after baking. They appear to glow in contrast with the opaque blue background.  

Vote & Win

Voting is open through March 7. Select your favorites and you could be entered to win a prize from one of the sponsoring artists (including me!) Go here to vote:

http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2013/02/celestial-march-challenge.html 

Bat'leth Display Rack: a study in texture

You know the saying, "the shoemaker's children have no shoes," well in my home, that translated into the polymer artist's husband had no rack for his Bat'leth. Confused? Let me back up in this story.

bat'leth rack in use

My husband, Rob,  is a big Star Trek fan. He has a replica of a Klingon weapon known as a bat'leth that needed a proper display rack. He found a metal holder with sailboats on it that was the right size, but sailboats aren't very "Klingon" so he "commissioned" me to find polymer solution.

He gave me a print out of a symbol that he wanted me to include. That symbol, and the location of the screw holes, were the only real perimeters that I had to stay within.

I liked the antique gold feel of the metal so I used a blend of antique gold Premo to match it for the base. Once covered, the spaces between the three sailboats left a weird indentation that I could have leveled off with more gold clay, but I kind of liked the pattern. I decided to work it into the design by filling it in with chopped pieces of translucent clay that I later tinted with alcohol inks. It reminded me of a lava flow. Hot, Angry, and Klingon.

In my original plan, I wanted to have the Klingon symbol in the center, but I quickly realized the screw holes were in my way. I had no interest redrilling holes in metal so I opted to create two symbols, one at each end of the piece.

Rob is really happy with how it turned out and so am I. In fact, I've entered into this month's Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy's Challenge: Texture.

Voting is open until Jan. 7. Pick your three favorites and you will be entered to win a prize of your choice. Vote here: http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2012/12/january-challenge-texture.html

Peacock Light Switch Cover

Peacock Light Switch Plate Cover

Today kicks off two great things for me:

1. The start of Art Every Day Month
2. The first day of voting in the Polymer Artists Guild of Etsy's November Challenge

So I offer up to you my creative endeavor to celebrate both, a peacock-themed gold light switch plate cover.

The theme for the PCAGOE challenge this month is Asian-inspired. It is a theme that I could have taken in so many directions, but I love antique Japanese screen paintings so I decided to use that as my springboard.

One of my favorite memories from my art history grad school days at the University of Maryland was a "field trip" my classmates and I took to our professor's home. We drank sake in front of his gorgeous screen collection. I can't claim that this piece is in that same league artistically, but that's my inspiration none the less.

The textured gold clay serves as the canvas highlighted with peacock-colored mica powders. The frame is created from hand-cut strips of a bronze-colored polymer that I shaped on the plate. No molds, no paints.

Vote and win:
Public voting is open through November 7. Vote and you could win a mini-shopping spree in one of our stores. Vote here: http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2012/10/november-challenge-asian-inspired.html

Industrial Chic Distressed Switch Plate Cover

I love polymer clay's ability to play the chameleon. With some experimentation, you can make polymer mimic a variety of other materials. For the latest challenge at the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy, we explored polymer's ability to mimic metal.

This is my entry: an industrial chic-inspired switch plate. I created the outer frame from individually cut pieces of silver metallic clay. After the clay was baked I added silver alcohol ink and sanded it for a distressed look.

For the glass-like blue center, I used the mokume gane technique which originated with metal working. Thin sheets of blue and translucent clay were layered with silver foil then sliced to reveal the design.

Vote and win!

The PCAGOE challenge is open for public voting through September 7. Vote for your favorites and you could win a prize! http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2012/08/september-challenge-metallic.html

Take it home!
Does industrial chic speak to you? You can add this switch plate to your room design.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/101750480/light-switch-plate-cover-industrial-chic

7000 Bracelets for Hope

My polymer clay guild made bracelets for the the Global Genes Project's  7000 Bracelets for Hope campaign to donate as part of our August PCAGOE Challenge. You can show your support by voting for your favorite bracelet in our challenge through August 7. 

http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2012/07/august-challenge-charity.html

The Global Genes Project

The Global Genes Project is one of the leading rare and genetic disease patient advocacy organizations in the world. Did you know that more than 7,000 distinct rare diseases exist and approximately 80 percent are caused by faulty genes.

7000 Bracelets for Hope 

Through the 7000 Bracelets of Hope campaign, Global Genes collects unique bracelets made by jewelry designers, artists, crafters, church groups, girl scout troops and other volunteers to distribute them to families fighting rare and genetic diseases. Since launching the campaign in 2010, Global Genes has received thousands of unique blue themed bracelet designs made from everything from cut strips of recycled denim to vintage blue glass to turquoise stones. 

Now they have some great polymer ones to share!

 

Teddy Bear Picnic

Teddy Bear Picnic Storybook Flower Vase

I saved this Crofter's Superfruit Spread jar for more than a year hoping to find the right project for it. I just ADORE the label. Then it finally hit me--the bear on the label needed a polymer playmate.

The Making of a Teddy Bear Picnic Storybook Flower Arrangement

This cute arrangement is really three separate sculptures that can be displayed together or individually.

"Sandy" the cinnamon bear (colored with real cinnamon) sports a gingham blouse created from a polymer clay fabric tutorial by Meg Newberg and some "denim" shorts that I came up with to go with the blouse.

Sandy embraces "Goldilocks," a doll with lots of sweet details: from her golden spiral curls to the lace collar that accents her yellow "cotton" dress.

The vase itself was a labor of love. For this part, I wove strips of clay--lots of them--into a basket pattern and then placed it over the glass jar, leaving that precious label peeking out.

Make It Yours!
The whole set is waiting for the right kitchen table to call home. Interested?  Check out the listing in my shop, YoungCreative on Etsy.
 
https://www.etsy.com/listing/102855637/teddy-bear-picnic-storybook-flower-vase

Monthly Challenge (Vote to Win!)
I've entered this piece in the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy monthly challenge: "Extruded." The idea is to find creative ways to use your clay extruder, and this piece fits the bill!

You can vote for your three favorite entries through July 7 and be entered to pick out a great prize from one of the artist shops (including mine!)

http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2012/06/july-challenge-extruded-art.html



More pics of this project in progress:

Bowls and Vessels: a Worthy Challenge

Frolicking Pisces Bowl @ YoungCreative.etsy.com

Molding a bowl in theory is simple, but in execution it can get tricky. I've molded sheets of clay around the outside of bowls before, but for this month's Polymer Clay Artists Guild Of Etsy challenge, I wanted a different shape.

While perusing my china cabinet, my eyes landed on my seldom used martini glass set. That cone shape was perfect. I started picturing myself wrapping the clay around the outside when I hit a mental "oh shit" moment.

If I covered the outside of the glass, I wouldn't be able to remove the "bowl" because of the footed stem on the glass. I'm ashamed to admit it, but it actually took me a while to figure out that I could mold the bowl on the inside of the glass. Duh!!! 

The finished product is my entry in the Bowls and Vessels challenge.
Please hop on over to the PCAGOE site and vote. Voters can win prizes!!!
http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2012/05/june-challenge-bowls-and-vessels.html

PCAGOE challenge entry

Alice in Wonderland Sculpture

Alice in Wonderland Sculpture

Hint to husbands: Sometimes, we ask you what you think because we want your honest opinion, but most of the time we ask what you think because we are feeling insecure and would like reassurance.



As I painstakingly worked on "Alice" here for the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy Monthly Challenge, I was getting a little frustrated challenge. A challenge is meant to be challenging, right, but for some reason I decided to tackle my first human figure for this one.

The faux stone and grass base was looking great with each individual grass blade painstaking placed between the chopped translucent clay "stones."  And I loved how the white rabbit turned out. Better than I had imagined him. I even liked the funky-faced mushroom that Alice would be seated upon.

Now all I had to do was create Alice. I started with her face and bodice which I baked before attempting to add appendages and her garment. It was at that point that I asked my husband what he thought. Referring to her hands, I fully expected a little gentle guidance there, but instead he looked at the baked face and started to laugh. Apparently, the size of her lips and nose in proportion to the rest of her face was funny. It reminded him of those statues on Easter Island. That was the point that the tears started to well up in my eyes.

He felt bad now. That isn't my usual reaction to his humor. "It's no big deal. Just ball it up and try again," he said. To which I replied, "It's already baked."

"Oh," he said.

Well! Damn! Now all I could see was her ginormous lips and nose. I had to start over. And start over I did, 11 more times. Every day after work I came home and started on her head. And every night I crawled into bed and gave the status report..failure 3, failure 4, failure 5. You get the idea.

Each one got progressively better, but I wanted to keep going. Finally I had one I could live with and I moved on to the fun part of dressing her. My husband tried to get me to go out and buy a doll mold, but I wanted this to be all me.

The moral of this story is don't settle for your first attempt. The second one will probably be better. And don't ask your husband what he thinks if you really don't want to know.

Voting is going on now through May 7. Please vote:
http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2012/04/may-challenge-artsist-inspired.html

In the Studio-Waiting for Alice

The beginning of the project.

My latest project for the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy challenge took effort with a capital "E." While you'll have to wait until I unveil the final piece when voting opens May 1, I thought you might like to see the building blocks of my latest entry.

Half-way to done.

The challenge theme for May is "Artist Inspired." Of course Lewis Carroll and Tim Burton rate high on my inspiration list for this piece, but the initial seed of inspiration came from fellow PCAGOE member Susan O'Neill of 11BOLDstreet.etsy.com.

Sue published a great tutorial in The Polymer Arts magazine on "Chopped Translucent." I started experimenting with the technique on jewelry which was loads of fun. But soon the "ah-ha" moment hit and I started picturing this cool stone courtyard pattern "ala" Alice in Wonderland. 

I mixed some extruder "grass" tiles with the faux stone then added in a hand-sculpted elements. There is lots more to this sculpture--including Alice! So stop back May 1 for a full view.

See what other guild members are up to at PCAGOE.com.

Rubber Stamping on Polymer: 3-D Effects

 Vote in "layers" challenge by April 7 and you could win. 

I have a huge collection of rubber stamps and when I discovered I could use them on polymer clay I was one happy girl. I stamp on raw clay and baked clay. Sometimes I cut out the stamped images like in the fleur-de-lis wedding cake topper I made for my friend Caroline. Sometimes I stamp over two background clay colors for a cool effect like in this heart pendant.

In my latest stamped piece, I added 3-d effects to the basic stamped image. "Pear in Layers" is my entry in the April Polymer Clay Guild of Etsy Challenge: Layers. (Vote for your favorite entry here through April 7 and you could win a shopping trip in one of our fab shops).

Here's how to get the 3-d leaf effect:
1. Stamp you image onto raw clay using a permanent ink or a dye ink. (some inks won't dry on polymer even after baking so test you ink first.) After you stamp it, trim the white sheet and gently layer it onto your backing layers. Add color to the image with mica powders.

 2. Stamp the same image onto green clay and cut out individual leaves with a craft knife.

3. Place leaf shapes on top of the original stamp.

 4. Shape each leaf so it is no longer flat. You can also add snakes of clay to give depth to the stems. You can leave the background flat or add a hammered metal texture with a large round tipped tool like I did in my challenge entry.

Belladonna the Vampire Bunny

 Want to take Belladonna home? You can find her at YoungCreative.etsy.com

Ever had a weird idea pop into your head that you can't get out? Belladonna is one of those weird ideas. She is a sweet little bunny with a bad biting habit. She is hand-sculpted from polymer clay and the egg that she caresses is a real chicken egg covered with polymer clay.

March Challenge: Vote and you could win!
Belladonna is one of 13 great entries in the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy March Challenge: Bold Graphics. I am really proud of my entry this month. She is by far the most time-consuming piece that I have ever entered. Just about all of the graphic patterns on this sculpture are done by hand. The only place that I used a stamp is on her skirt. As much as I love her, she is up against some stiff competition. I hope she is a gracious loser!

Vote for your top 3 favorite entries by March 7 and you will be entered to win the prize of your choice from one of sponsoring artists' shops. Vote here: http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2012/02/march-challenge-bold-graphics.html

Here are a few more views of Belladonna:

Terrific Tie

Pastel mini bicone necklace by Lisa of HiGirls

Spring Wedding Cake Topper Love Birds & Spring Bouquet by Marie of YoungCreative

Thanks to everyone who voted in the Polymer Clay Artist Guild of Etsy Challenge. My love bird wedding cake topper tied for first place in the public voting category! I am honored to share first place with this fabulous necklace by Lisa of HiGirls. She made these glass-like beads from translucent clay with a tiny amount of alcohol ink and a smidge of mica powder.

And congrats to Angie Nuzzo, Ellen Greene Bush, and Linda Grow. They are the winners of the voter drawing. Each will get to select a prize from one of the sponsoring shops.


See the other winners at http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2012/02/february-challenge-winners.html

Challenge Time: February Edition

Love Birds with Spring Bouquet Wedding Cake Topper

Spring is here! Well, sort of. We are experiencing wonderfully mild temperatures here in Pennsylvania. Plus this month's theme for the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy challenge, "Spring Color Palette," has me in a spring mood.

These romantic cuties are my entry. There are so many great entries this month. You have to check them all out. Vote for your favorites and you could win the prize of your choice from a well-stocked prize pool. Voting is open until Feb. 7 at:
http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2012/01/february-challenge-spring-color-palette.html.

Roaring 20s Wine Bottle Stopper

Elegant wine stopper-Roaring 20s Red Flapper Heart

Beyond Jewelry: Exploring Polymer's Possibilities

Roaring 20s Flapper-Inspired Wine Stopper
Polymer clay is a great jewelry medium, but it can be used to create so much more. I love making wine bottle stoppers with it. Each one is a miniature sculpture.

This stopper plays off my fascination with flappers. Fringe, fringe, and more fringe- all hand-cut out of polymer and layered onto a black swirl mokume gane background. Glass beads finish off the design.

Make it your own
This conversation starter is available for sale in my YoungCreative Etsy store:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/89436585/elegant-wine-bottle-stopper-roaring-20s


Vote and win prizes
This stopper is also my entry in the Polymer Clay Artist Guild of Etsy Monthly Challenge. The theme is "Not Jewelry, Not Wearable." If you head over to the challenge blog and vote for your favorites you'll be entered to wine a prize.
http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2011/12/january-challenge-not-jewelry-not.html

December Challenge: Vote to Win

Artist Trading Cards

The Polymer Clay Artist Guild of Etsy December Challenge is open for public voting now until Dec. 7. This month's theme is Artist Trading Cards. In the tradition of ATCs, these babies aren't for sale. They are only traded from one artist to another. But don't despair, you could win a hand-crafted polymer goodie just for voting in our challenge. Head on over to PCAGOE to vote!

By the way, my entry is #2, "Angelic Dreams ATC."

It showcases a few of my favorite techniques. The angel was created using layers of liquid polymer on paper to create a canvas-like texture. I then placed it on a mokume gane background and hand-sculpted polymer wings in an unconventional gold and turquoise combo. The frame is clay that resembles torn paper.

Don't know which PCAGOE member is going to receive this sweetie yet, but after the holidays she will be heading off to her new home.

Working with Master Craftswomen

Little Angel, Raw Cane, by Clay Images

I mentioned in my last post how inexperienced I am at caning, but that I felt I needed to enter the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy's monthly challenge using the caning technique anyway. I had to expand beyond my comfort zone even though I would be competing against some expert caners.

This angel cane by Berit of Clay Images is a great example from one of those caners. Berit creates canes to use on her own work and she also sells raw canes to other artists. This angel isn't her challenge entry, but a new cane she just finished. The photo shows "reduced" canes. Below you can see how the cane looked before she started to reduce it. It is amazing how the separate pieces go together to become one without losing any detail.

Want to see more cane work: the PCAGOE challenge is still open for voting until Nov. 7. If you vote you could win one of these fabulous prizes pictured below.

unreduced cane

sliced and baked cane on a crochet hook

                       1st row, L-R: Arrowdale Art Studio, NKDesigns,  Juliespace,

                        2nd row, L-R: JKay Jewelry, Clay Images, Polymer Clay Creations,

If you would like some more information on getting started with caning, check out these articles on the PCAGOE website.

Free Flower Cane Tutorial
The Emotional Thrill of Polymer Clay Caning

Challenging Myself

One of the best benefits of membership in the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy is the fact that we can participate in a themed challenge each month. The challenges are a great way to grow creatively, although I must admit not every theme excites me. This month's theme, caning, is one of those themes that I wasn't really looking forward to.

Caning is a cool technique, and I love to see the complex designs that my fellow PCAGOE members create, but personally I haven't been drawn to trying it. I gravitate to textured and sculptural techniques. Given the fact that caning "isn't my thing," it would have been easy for me to opt out of this one. Obviously anything I create for this one is never going to measure up to the experts in the guild. But these challenges are about competing with myself. Whether it is trying something I've never done before or taking something I love to do to a new level, the challenges provide a forum to push myself.

This snowflake cane is my first cane. It is a VERY simple pattern created from a free tutorial. Am I happy with the result? Well, not entirely, but I am happy that I gave it my best shot.

 I encourage you to head over to www.pcagoe.com to see some of the amazing work of true cane artists. Public voting is open in the challenge until Nov. 7. You could win a prize just for voting.

Oh, and today is the start of Art Every Day Month. I can't wait to start exploring what everyone is working on!

Pink for Kelly

The PCAGOE September Challenge: Pink
Every month the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy puts on a challenge for our members. Only members can enter a creation, but voting is open to the public and all of the voters are entered to win a prize. I knew there was a lot of work that went in behind the scenes to put on the challenge, but I never really realized how much.

A couple of months ago, our challenge coordinator Kelly, asked for some help. She had been recently diagnosed with breast cancer and needed someone to take over these duties while she started treatment.

We decided to divide the tasks so it would be easier for everyone to fit them in with work and family obligations. We should have done that a long time ago, but no one really realized how time-intensive the challenge tasks were.

When we learned of Kelly's illness we decided to change the theme for September to "Pink." As you can see this theme is particularly dear to us so if you have a few minutes, please stop by the challenge site and vote by Sept. 7.

Vote here: www.pcagoe.com

More Exploration of Mokume Gane

Mokume Gane Fan Collection

Sometimes all you need to kick start creativity is a new tool. In my case it was a stamp sheet that my Mom and sister found at a yard sale. It is a deep stamp with squares of random patterns including a fan-shape.

The technique
When I shared my first exploration of the mokume gane technique, it was the random approach where you stack thin sheets of different colors of clay together and poke holes that are filled with another color to create random patterns when the stack is sliced.

This time I stacked the thin sheets and then pressed the stamp into the stack. I then sliced away the top layer to reveal the fan pattern below. I loved the effect and the fact that each one came out a little different. It became a study of shape and color for me. The color palettes gave each piece a different stylistic feel: Victorian, art nouveau, Miami deco, Asian. 

Aquamarine Art Deco Fan Brooch available at Young Creative

Victorian Scallop Pendant available at Young Creative

Art Nouveau Fan Brooch in Pink  available at Young Creative

Vote for a chance to win
The pink one is my entry in the PCAGOE September Challenge: Pink. To vote in the challenge, visit www.pcagoe.com by Sept. 7. You could win an original polymer clay creation just for voting.