Polymer + PMC = LOVE

Color Hoop II
Originally uploaded by LizardsJewelry

Liz Hall's work is amazing. I've gone over her Flickr photostream and shop over and over - it's hard to decide what to show you because it's all just fabulous! Liz is another fellow member of PCAGOE. She is from Virginia where her and her husband (also an artist) own Silverwood Farm and Studio - their art haven and pinto sporthorse breeding farm. Her work combines the wonderful colors of polymer clay with PMC (Precious Metal Clay) which is a clay composed of fine silver (or other precious metals). Her etsy shop is filled with such colorful wonders - rings, earrings, pendants, brooches, belt buckles - all just amazing in their color and detail. You can find more of Liz's work in her ETSY shop or her website at www.lizardsjewelry.com. She also has a Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/lizardsjewelry.


With Mother's Day just around the corner, now is a great time to pick up something wonderful from this award winning polymer clay artist!




There is always so much to do. =) I'll be feverishly working on new designs for the next few days but things always get slowed down when I have to take those designs and photograph them, edit, post, etc etc. I was working until about 2am last night burning off some pent up anxiety that occasionally builds up in all of us - bills, kids, housework, business, yardwork, relationships, etc etc. I think sometimes you have to be super human to make it all work ....and I'm not quite there yet. lol I've been working on overlays some and experimenting with covering pens - practice, practice, practice and then sand, sand, sand. I think I'm getting it down though - I love the shine and color of these pens and the faces really just POP. And hopefully with more practice I'll leave some skin on the sides of my fingers when I'm done sanding. lol or not....

PCAGOE April Challenge

These are the entries in the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy's April Challenge, the theme of which is "Inspired by Fabric".


Please vote for your top 3 favorites at www.pcagoe.com between April 1 and April 7, 2010. 5 lucky voters will also win fabulous polymer clay prizes created by our talented member artists!


1) BeeTreeByMe
2) RiverValleyDesign
3) ClayCenter
4) CraftsbyCag
5) HiGirls
6) 11BoldStreet
7) RenGalSA
8) PhoenixRose
9) ArrowdaleArtStudio
10) PolymerClayCreations
11) VyaKyasha
12) AshPaints
13) MirameCreations
14) TheColorOfDreams
15) StillPointWorks
16) IansCafe
17) BlessedBeadJewelry

Always so much to do. =) Here is a few samples of some of my new Memory Capsules - something fun for upcoming Mother's Day and end of the year teacher's gifts! I've been playing around with my 60s canes and trying to think of new design ideas. Plus I'll be working up some generic college design ideas to offer to the stores wishing to carry my products after I get licensing and some new local school ideas for some fundraisers and sales at different schools coming up. All this along with preparing more beads, orders, paperwork, business plans, meetings, etc etc in order to get everything up to speed. One step at a time - wish there was 10 of me right now. lol OH - time for laundry, too. =)


Don't forget to vote! You'll see my entry sitting at #7 (lucky - right?) up there, but please vote for your favorites! I will be!

Mosaic Bracelet

Mosaic Bracelet
Originally uploaded by juliespace

The wonderful thing that becomes so addicting about polymer clay is how much you can do with it. You can stamp it, emboss it, layer it with designs, add colors, paint it. In this wonderful piece from Julie Sweeney you can see what happens when you use a bunch of those techniques to make tiles for a wonderful mosaic design that can be worn with just about anything. Julie is the secretary for the PCAGOE and often the first person you talk to when joining the group - and the first person to introduce you to the rest of the crowd in the forums. Her shop carries not only wonderful unique jewelry designs like the one shown, but also hair accessories, buttons, frames, and more! You can find her etsy shop HERE and follow her blog at http://juliespacedesign.blogspot.com.

Mother's day is fast approaching and wouldn't yours just love something unique like this wonderful bracelet?

This past weekend my good PCAGOE buddy Janice Sears featured me on her BLOG. It took me 3 screenshots to capture all her wonderful words and I'm truly honored beyond words. Last week was kind of a down week for me as I struggled with some personal issues relating to my kids and my ex husband that left me seriously wondering if I was doing the right thing. Janice's blog feature quite literally brought me to tears and got me off my pity throne and back to work and with wonderful results. I got brave enough to contact some bigger college bookstores and gift shops to show samples of my designs and got an immediate wonderful response and they want to carry my designs. Now comes the part where I have to go back into the business part of it all to work out a business plan, fill out paperwork, and set things up so all it copacetic with licensing, insurance, etc etc etc. Time to make my hobby a business, but I knew it was coming. =) Wish me luck! Thank you, Janice!

Golden Retriever

Golden Retriever
Originally uploaded by alisonekurek

Happy Birthday, Alison! Today's blog feature is Alison Kurek. Alison is a mixed media artist who works with not only polymer clay in designing her wonderful little sculptures, but also paint - at times incorporating the two in some wonderful 3d pictures! Alison is a fellow member of PCAGOE and an artist who has sold her work in numerous galleries, shops, and art festivals for over 15 years. Her ETSY shop is filled with wonderful 3D animals, paintings, notecards, and mixed media wall hangings and art cards (ACEO). She calls her blog Conservatively Outrageous and also has a Facebook Fan page.

It's Alison's birthday today, so it's a great day to look her up and wish her your best!

Spring Break is over and now I can relax and get back down to business with kids back to school. It always goes to fast and you never seem to get as much done as you wanted to, but it's wonderful to get to spend some extra time with the kids. My youngest was completely fascinated by my Groovy Tin I made and wanted to confiscate it for herself. She's become a wonderful artist herself and we'll be attending an award ceremony Thursday evening for her. She entered the National PTA reflections contest and went all the way to nationals where she received an honorable mention! So very proud of her and she is so talented for the young age of 10.

I had some left over scraps from covering my tin and decided to play around with them making some Groovy earrings. They're fun and colorful. I have some lentils polishing up too, so who knows what I'll do with those. lol.

Enjoy a new week, folks!

Steampunk Butterfly, Lilac

Steampunk Butterfly, Lilac
Originally uploaded by Eugena777

I look at Eugena's butterflys and all I can think of is WHAT FUN! My imagination (and my years of playing World of Warcraft) get the better of me and I can just picture those beautiful things flying all around Gnomeregan. Eugena must be a tinker along with a marvelous polymer artist. =) Eugena is another member of the PCAGOE and her shop is filled with beads, buttons, marvelous pendants, sculpted flowers, and wonderful tutorials to satisfy your need to learn! She is a master at incorporating different media into her polymer clay work, so along with steampunk - like the Butterfly - you can also find metal, wire, resin, and so much more in her creations. She is truly an artist. You can find Eugena's shop HERE, follow her blog at http://eugenascreations.blogspot.com, or visit her homepage at www.eugenascreations.com. You can also find Eugena's tutorials on Claylessons.

Eugena's work is intricate and masterful. I need to set aside some time and pick up some of her tutorials myself!

OK - TADA!!!! My little tin is covered! This photo is before I got it all sanded smooth and buffed shiney, but PHEW! Not too bad for a first go round at this tin covering thingie. I actually had a ton of fun making up the canes and playing around. My youngest daughter has fallen in love with the little box, so since this one is spoken for, I'll probably be making more. Besides, I need ideas to use up all those 60s mod canes, right! I have to say though - it was nice to take a break and try some new techniques and picking up the sanding and buffing tutorial from Lynda (SCDiva) made a huge difference in the final finish. Thank you, Lynda! Now I'm seeing visions of team designs on little boxes, too. lol ....omg, my to do list just got bigger!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY! It's spring break and I woke up early before my kiddos are out of bed. It's quiet and the TV is off and I can hear the wind chimes and doves cooing while I sip my coffee. Sometimes mornings are grand! Turn the TV off and listen to the birds sing!

Tiny Delights!

I was puttering around on Etsy checking on the folks who had marked my shop as their favorite - just because I like to find out who likes my work and curiosity and all that. And while I was browsing these other shops, I came across the link to this shop - a sister shop to one I was looking at. Ana of Tiny Delights is from Lisbon and her shop is filled with wonderful dollhouse miniatures - pies, cookies, salads, breads, spaghetti - all that she custom creates out of polymer clay. The wonderful Mushroom Mediterranean Pie above just made me hungry!

She has also recently added some beautiful dollhouse miniature pillows and bedspreads by her friend Marlene like the one pictured on the left. All the creations are in 1:12 scale and are so adorable and colorful and unique. I just can't imagine the patience that goes into making such tiny delights. =) You can find Ana's etsy shop HERE or follow her blog at http://alltinydelights.blogspot.com. For more images of Ana's work you can also go to her Flickr Gallery.

I think a lot of us - even though grown up - wish for that special dollhouse to make perfect one day. These are truly bitty treasures!.

Ok - here is a photo of my work in progress! Can you tell what it's going to spell? lol As I was discussing yesterday, my tin for the upcoming PCAGOE challenge is going to be a flash back to the 60s - with daisies, peace signs, and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! The canes I'm creating - like this one - are white designs with translucent backgrounds so I can layer them over a retro pastel background. I'm having fun so far and visiting lot of memories from my childhood of things like non-slip daisy appliques in my grandmother's bathtub and visions of the backdrop to "The Dating Game" - I even watched a few YouTube flashbacks of the show - and it still makes me laugh. Here is one if you'd like to share a giggle with me. Wish me luck today as I put it together!

Keep smiling and PEACE!

PCAGOE April Challenge Prize Mosaic

PCAGOE April Challenge Prizes
Uploaded by DivaDesigns1

This month's new batch of goodies!! These are the prizes in the pool for our PCAGOE April Challenge, the theme of which is "Inspired by Fabric". Vote between April 1 and April 7, 2010 and you could win one of these prizes handmade by our talented member artists! Check out the PCAGOE website for more information and make sure to mark your calendars and VOTE!

Top Row L-R: 11BoldStreet - pen; RenGalSA - tietac; PolymerClayCreations - bead set; LaurelSteven - pendant; Chicki - earrings

2nd Row L-R: Spiritmama - bunny charm; BeeTreeByMe - pendant; ClayHappy - earrings; SCDiva - pendant; ClayCenter - earrings

3rd Row L-R: NKDesigns - brooch; JKollmann - necklace; RenGalSA - bracelet; ClayCenter - covered tin; LauraBeeStudios - bracelet and earrimgs set

Yes, that's right - I have two prizes in this month's pool!!

It's a quiet, wet, rainy day today. Thunderstorms rolled in last night and it rained through the night. The air has that wonderful crisp feeling to it this morning and is much clearer - with all the oaks and others things blooming, the city is always full of allergy sniffles this time of year, so a good rain was just what the doctor ordered! I've been puttering around with a new line of items based on my theme for the PCAGOE June challenge to cover a tin. It'll be a base of a marbled yellow, orange, pink covered with millefiori 'LOVE', peace signs, daisies, and some faces of every race. I can handle the cane making, but this will be a new challenge for me in covering a tin and the other ideas I have in mind, but I need a break from the school stuff to satisfy my muse. I've included a photo of some of the fun lentil earrings I'll be posting to etsy today. They're faux opal with swirls of green and a touch of red at times - left overs from my Aries zodiac caning, but they have a wonderful shine to them and the green is a great contrast to the pinks and sparkles in the faux opal. I'll probably making a matching bracelet that is just these lentils, too - they're just a very attractive mix.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: I've been thinking a lot lately about life's drama and hardships - and facing too much of it sometimes in my life. It is alway hard when life's road is so bumpy, but then all those hard times make us take a hard look at our focus and what is truly important to us. Rarely when we're faced with hardship do we not see good come from it in the long run. Life's bumpy road keeps us awake at the wheel.

Vintage Wedding Cake Topper

Vintage Wedding Cake Topper
by Young_Creative

Ok - I see a spring romance/wedding theme brewing this week, but 'oh well' it's in the air - right? Look at this lovely wedding cake topper created by Marie Young of Young Creative. The roses are so delicate and lovely and who wouldn't want a cake topper that is uniquely your very own! Marie is also a fellow member of PCAGOE and though she makes some wonderful jewelry with her flower making skill, her work shines in the wonderful cake toppers she creates. Each one is delicate, unique, and personal whether you're picking one from her shop or having her create a custom design just for you. You can see more of Marie's designs at her etsy shop HERE or follow her blog at http://www.creativesprinkle.blogspot.com.

I couldn't think of a more touching memory than a handcrafted cake topper! We all need that extra touch of romance in our lives.

Today is going to be one of those take it easy days for me. I think I've been burning the candle at both end way too long and I am just plum tuckered out. lol I think I'll turn on a movie while my kiddos play on the Wii in the other room and putter around with covering my tin for the June PCAGOE challenge. I need something to do that doesn't involve thinking. =) Besides, Berit has me inspired now with her wonderful lessons. *hugs*

Happy Monday, folks!

Aries Bracelet

Aries Bracelet
Originally uploaded by RenGalSA

Next in my line of Zodiac Jewelry! Aries/April traditional birthstone is Bloodstone - which is dark green with red markings, the modern birthstone is diamond, and the mystical birthstone is opal. This bracelet combines elements of all three. The Aries symbol is a millefiori design in dark green with hints of red set in a faux opal background. The Aries zodiac beads where sliced and then carefully shaped into balls and sanded and polished smooth. The zodiac beads are accented by faux opal lentils that have hints of blue, pink, and green, plus crystal 'diamonds' with silver accents. I will be posting this item and additional matching items today and the rest of this week to my etsy jewelry store HERE. If you have any ideas or suggestions, I'd love to hear them! You can find other photos of this bracelet or my other designs at my Flickr Gallery or my various photo albums on my Facebook Fan page.

Here is a finished painted seal from my class yesterday. The girls are only 10 and they did fabulous! I find it very satisfying and fulfilling to be able to teach and to see how everyone responds to art - and especially polymer clay. It really brings out the inner artist in everyone! Last night I went down the the Riverwalk and La Villita in San Antonio for the Luminaria Arts Night in San Antonio. There were beautiful lights on all the buildings and stages with local musicians playing. I was disappointed though because all the alcohol and food vendors made it more of a party atmosphere than an artistic one and the crowds were challenging to get through just to view what was being displayed. Though we did manage to find our way through the crowds to a nice scenic spot on the riverwalk just to sit and enjoy the beauty of it. The Riverwalk is really a jewel stuck in the middle of the bustling downtown where with just a trip down a few stairs you can find yourself in a serene peaceful walk. It is something everyone must see if they ever visit this beautiful city.

Have a wonderful Sunday! *hugs*

With This Ring Trinket Box Keepsake

With This Ring Trinket Box Keepsake
Originally uploaded by jkay jewelry

Isn't this lovely! With spring in the air, the other thing that is in the air this time of year is love and all the weddings that go with it. This beautiful Keepsake Box is designed by Jill Kollmann of JKay Jewelry - another talented member of the PCAGOE. Jill's work is inspiring. She is a master at this wonderful art form and makes such wonderful creations with flowers and wire and millefiori - she is truly gifted. And if you'd like to take advantage of her gifts, you can find tutorials she teaches at CLAYLESSONS. Along with more wonderful photos of this very same Keepsake Box. Jill's store can be found HERE or you can view more of her wonderful designs at claylessons or her flickr gallery.

If you have ever had any interest in learning about polymer clay and it's many diverse uses, please check out Claylessons. com and find Jill's work there - she's one talented lady!

Today is Friday and I have a ton of catching up to do and preparation for my class tonight - though I should have photos of more of my students' work tomorrow for everyone to see! They make me so proud. This next week will be spring break and yard work time! Time to clean up, wash up the deck, plant a few plants and enjoy some family time in the yard - I think I need to plan some brauts on the grill as well or maybe some marinated cabobs! yum! Here is a fun picture from one of my students during our perspective drawing class - they learn so much for being only in 5th grade! This is the hallway off my front entrance in my home. lol

Enjoy your weekend!

Sneets of the Earth Clan

Sneets of the Earth Clan
Originally uploaded by ElementalDragons

Ok - I have to say after years of playing both Everquest and World of Warcraft, I have NEVER seen a dragon this cute! My days of playing MMORPGs are over, but I have so many good friends and memories that will stay with me for the rest of my days. So many see the internet as an invasion and people they meet here as not trustworthy, but there is no where else where the boundaries of distance, age, wealth, race, creed, etc etc etc have been broken and people can just meet friends, and I have a good feeling that Angela Anderson - the creator of this cute critter - will be one such friend. Angela started a non-profit shop called Polymer Clay for a Cause in honor of her daughter, Cortney - who left this world at the age of 14 from Muscular Dystrophy. Polymer Clay for a Cause is filled with wonderful donations from the PCAGOE and about every 4 months all the profits from the sales are donated to a children's charity. Angela's has personal shops on ETSY and ARTFIRE and you can read about her elemental dragon story on her blog at www.elementalforrest.blogspot.com.

I'd like to thank Angela for all that she does and thank everyone in advance for supporting her with her wonderful cause.

Ok - there are weeks when you just feel 'off' and not feeling that inner energy we all know we need to create and I have been feeling like one of those is coming on. I picked up some fine sandpaper and have been working on sanding and playing around with my dremel and.... i hate sanding. It's just sucking the creative juices right out of me. lol HELP! Ok, but I'm persistent and have learned a few new lessons in my sanding sorrow, so - like all artist - we chalk all the learning pain up to being a good thing and go on....and on....and on. This too will pass - right? Oh - here is a blast from the past. I made this like 10 years ago from one of my first polymer books by Maureen Carlson. It's made completely in Sculpey III - so is very fragile, but still sweet. I thought it would go well with Angela's dragon. =)

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Keep sanding and eventually you'll get a smooth finish? I'm working on it!

Cuff Bracelets

Set of Cuff Bracelets
Originally uploaded by Jill Palumbo

Don't you wanna just TOUCH them! I adore Jill Palumbo's work - not just because it's beautiful, but because she let's everyone see her thought process. I've been fooling around with polymer clay for about 15 years doing millefiori stuff - basically self taught and having fun. 6 months ago I couldn't have told you what a mica shift was... or image transfer... or mokume gane... When I threw myself into the business side of this world , one of the first things I did was join Flickr and a huge new world opened up for me! Jill Palumbo's photo stream was like candy and I loved just paging through all her various projects seeing the steps and reading her thoughts (It totally doesn't surprise me that she's a teacher). Such a marvelous, creative person! If you'd like to find more about Jill you can visit her website at www.palumbojewelry.com. You can find her etsy store HERE or follow her blog or join her Facebook Fan page.

Jill's work is inspiring and I hope you take the time to see it for yourself!

Such a beautiful day yesterday!!! The sun was shining, the birds were singing and it was warm enough to leave windows open and let some fresh spring air into the house. There is that wonderful smell in the air when all the trees start to bud - it's so hard to describe, but it makes you want to stretch like you're a bear waking up from a long hibernation. lol *STRETCH* Ok - here is a photo of some new ideas I've been toying with - they're rough pieces and still need to be sanded and buffed. I love the patterning and it reminds me of some of the UT fabric that was used in jumpers and other fun things when I was setting up a UT Treasury. My fellow members of PCAGOE have been recommending also doing things like key chains, drawer pulls, magnets, push pins, bottle openers, switch plates, etc etc. Sounds like a lot more experimenting, but new directions are sometimes fun, too!

It's 'over-the-hump' day! All downhill until the weekend! Enjoy!

Congratulations Winners!

First Place!
Second Place - PCAGOE voters!
"Rainbow Seashells"
Originally uploaded by Yonat Dascalu

Second Place!
It's alive!
Originally uploaded by River Valley Design

Third Place!
Leaf Topped Pendant
Originally uploaded by Stonebrash

First Place - PCAGOE voters!
Forest Fairy Autumn Choker
Originally uploaded by The Sage Arts

Third Place - PCAGOE voters!
Antique Textured Bangle
Originally uploaded by Arzu Musa

The theme for our March challenge was “Texture.” Each member who entered this month was challenged to create a textured entry. This is always a popular theme among our members, and this month, there was 31 fantastic entries from which to choose your top 3 favorites! And here they are!!

Our first place winner among all voters and 2nd place among PCAGOE members is Yonat Dasculu. Yonat has been a member of PCAGOE since December of 2008 and is from Israel. Her work touches on many, many polymer clay techniques and she also sells tutorials in her shop. You can find her Etsy shop HERE or join her Facebook Fan page.

Our second place winner is Christi Uliczny of River Valley Designs. Christi joined PCAGOE in October of 2009 and is from Michigan. Her work uses wonderful colors and textures - and she also sells tutorials at Clay Lessons. You can find Christi's shop HERE or follow her blog or her Facebook Fan page.

The Third Place winner among general voters is Dottie Hoeschen of Stonebrash. Dottie joined PCAGOE in February of 2009 and hails from Pennsylvania. Her jewelry is warm and earthy. You can find Dottie's etsy shop HERE and find out more about her work at her personal webpage at www.stonebrashcreative.com.

First place winner among the PCAGOE voters is Sage Bray of The Sage Arts. Sage is a recent addition to PCAGOE and joined this past December 2009. She is from Colorado and she does fantasy/gothic mixed media and polymer art. You can find Sage's etsy shop HERE or follow her blog or Facebook Fan page.

Our third place winner among the PCAGOE voters is Arzu Musa. Turkey is Arzu Musa's home and she joined PCAGOE back in August of 2008. Her work is bold with strong design elements from her millefiori work. She makes beautiful handle holders, buttons, combs, and pendants. You can find her shop HERE or follow her blog and personal website at www.arzumusa.com.

Congratulations to all winners! The lucky voters who won from the draw of this month's voters are:

Petra Monaco
Daniella Flakowicz
David Polakoff
Maite Mora Ferrer
Stevie Rocco

Each of them will be receiving a lovely gift handmade by our members. Congratulations to them as well!

The April PCAGOE Challenge theme will be "Inspired by Fabric." You can view the entries as they are posted on the PCAGOE Challenge Flickr Group. Find your favorite early and be prepared to vote again next month between April 1 and 7th.

Give That Doll a Pizza!

Give That Doll a Pizza
Originally uploaded by m0lly74

Yes, this is polymer clay! I find myself looking at artists that use the medium to make miniatures a lot. When Amanda Hunt put this wonderful little pizza on the PCAGOE challenge, I just giggled. They're so very fun it makes me want to get a doll house just to make things like this for it. Amanda is a fellow caner and her shop is filled not only with miniatures, but wonderful creations of all sorts - from millefiori designs to embossing to everything under the sun. And Amanda's home is under the sun - she's from Australia, just another testament to how this wonderful medium brings people from all over the world together. Amanda has two shops Polyclarific and Beadpile. You can find her Blog at http://polyclarific.com or join her Facebook Fan page.

Amanda is the last person that I'm featurings as part of the PCAGOE challenge. The voting closes tonight, so if you haven't - VOTE HERE. Tomorrow the winners of the challenge will be announced along with the winning voters from the random drawing! Good luck to everyone!

Tut, tut - it looks like rain!. Again! My Sunday is going to spent finishing some marketing stategies, writing emails, making brochures, and then researching more potential ideas - like making flatware handles with school designs, etc etc. It's all pretty dry stuff, so I'll probably do something creative just to give myself a break from all the business stuff that I dread doing. I've attached screenshots of the wonderful blog of Polly Dobbs where I was featured last week. Polly is also a fellow PCAGOE member and makes the most wonderful millefiori beads and tribal/wiccan designs. Her shop is HERE and you can read more from her wonderful blog at http://vixenjewels.blogspot.com.

I hope everyone has a great end of your weekend. =)

Polymer clay-"Rainbow Seashells"

Polymer clay-"Rainbow Seashells"
Originally uploaded by Yonat Dascalu

This wonderful pendant has such vivid color and the seashell overlay comes as a pleasant, fun surprise when you look at it close up. Yonat Dascalu is a fellow member of PCAGOE. Yonat hails from Israel and her shop is filled not only with wonderful colorful pendants that touch on so many fun polymer clay techniques, but she also has an assortment of tutorials for anyone new to polymer clay who would like to try their hand at this addicting art form or anyone with some knowledge who'd like to build on their skill and try out something new! You can view her shop HERE or join her Facebook Fan page.

The voting for the PCAGOE challenge ends tomorrow. Yonat's beautiful pendant is another fabulous entry! If you haven't voted yet, please VOTE HERE for a chance to win a lovely prize donated by our talented members.

Welcome to the weekend, everyone! This weekend will be mostly a working weekend for me - doing a ton of busy work and probably not a ton of claying, but we'll see. There always seem to be those few moments in the day when you just have to create. Here is an old design from last fall using my little face beads. I call it my Mermaid's Bracelet because of all the wonderful water colors in the semi-precious beads.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY! It's been a rainy, overcast winter here in central Texas and the sun seems to be hiding behind clouds most of the time lately. After a wonderful sunny day Thursday, Friday was overcast and gloomy. Late in the evening the house was looking bleak so rather than turn on lights, I lit a bunch of candles I have around the house on sconces. The glow in the house was so warm and inviting, it reminded me to do that more to cheer myself on those gloomy days. When life is gloomy, light a candle. =)

Wooden Flower Pendant

Wooden Flower Pendant
Originally uploaded by WiredOrchid

You really have to look at this necklace up close to really appreciate it! The colors and textures are magnificent. The artist who brought us this piece is Lorraine Vogel. Lorraine is a fairly new member of the PCAGOE and, like so many polymer clay artists, her background and job is in art. She's a graphic artist and works as the art director for a few magazines. Lorraine's style is bold, but always with a hint of south Florida nature in it - from this piece that speaks of wood and has such a wonderful tribal feel to it, to pieces that speak to us of volcanos, rainforests, hibiscus, and watery lagoons & oceans. She has a wonderful style that is truly her own and her pieces are so very, very eye-catching - though she's new to PCAGOE, I know she'll find a following! You can see more of her work HERE or follow her on her Facebook Fan Page.

Lorraine's wonderful necklace was another entry in this month's March PCAGOE Challenge. Please check out the other wonderful entrants and if you haven't voted yet, VOTE HERE for a chance to win a wonderful item donated by our members.

After a beautiful sunny day yesterday, the clouds have returned here and it looks like they're sticking around through the weekend. Along with all the housework and yardwork, I need to get together new brochures for classes, nail designs for nail boutiques, and a basic school jewelry summary for any school interested in designs for fundraising. PLUS there is so many of my old designs that need rephotographed... sometimes the list only gets bigger it seems, but most of you probably know the feeling! Plus new orders to get in the mail, too! Here is a photo of a custom necklace I made for a new customer yesterday.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY! I know I touched on this yesterday, bu I was stuck in stop and go traffic after I dropped my daughter off at school - just regular daily slow down at a school with the police directing traffic and everyone in the school zone either going to work or dropping off themselves. It's so easy to get mad or impatient being stuck in traffic, but then I looked over at the school grounds and there were these beautiful yellow wild flowers blooming everywhere. Maybe when life slows you down, it's only meaning to make you see the flowers. =)

Janice Can-can!

Can-can Lace Ruffle Garter Bangle
Originally uploaded by blessedbeadjewelry

Janice Sears' jewelry just brings out a whole range of emotion. Joy, fun, excitement, warmth... Her jewelry designs are fun and friendly, bold and daring, thoughtful and mystical - but never, never the same old same old. And Janice is a friend - a good person who is always one of the first to give advice, give a pat on the back, cheer a person on, or give a warm virtual shoulder. She's as much a treasure as the creations she makes and a true gift to the PCAGOE. NOW - about this bracelet! It is ALL CLAY - the beautiful ruffles are made from clay also and carefully folded and layered. The only thing not clay is the gem on the rosette. Polymer Clay can be such an illusion! For more of Janice's work, check out her Etsy shop HERE or you can follow her on her blog at http://Blessedbeadjewelry.blogspot.com or on her Facebook Fanpage.

Janice's wonderful Can-can bracelet can be found as part of the March PCAGOE challenge going on right now! If you haven't voted you can VOTE HERE - remember 5 lucky voters get a wonderful prize donated by our talented members!

The sun is shining and when I dropped my daughter off at school, there are all these bright yellow flowers blowing all over the school grounds - spring has sprung in San Antonio! And it's a good thing, too - because my cat killed my space heater yesterday. It's been such a cold winter and I've been toting it from room to room just to take the edge off the chill..... well, apparently the electrical cord looked like something fun to pounce on and he yanked it right out of my hands. BOOM - no more space heater! *cry* Not sure what my polymer clay plans will be today, but I just made another sale of UT stuff with a request for a matching necklace, so.... time to think, but it's all good - right?

It's 'Play and Clay Thursday' at PCAGOE! *happy dance* I love to see everyone's new creations and get inspired! Happy Thursday everyone!

Bronze Age hits PCAGOE!

Boadicea's Trove
Originally uploaded by ketztx4me

As promised, I'm featuring another item from the March PCAGOE Challenge today! This wonderful Bronze Age Pendant is made by Randee Ketzel of Austin, Texas! Yes, that's right - she's just down I-35 from me! This wonderful polymer clay creation has stamped images that are so artistically highlighted by acylic paint and mica powders to give a colorful metallic glow! Her shop has rose pendants, colorful spirals and a rock pendant that I'm truly in love with. And just because I'm from Texas also, I have to include these photos from her Flickr photostream that remind me of our wonderful southern style.

You can find more of Randee's wonderful creations at her Etsy shop HERE. Make sure to tune in tomorrow for more treasures from this weeks PCAGOE challenge and it you haven't voted yet - VOTE HERE!

Ok - this going to be a week away from much polymer clay on my hands, but I've managed to spend a few moments throwing together some new designs - just because I need something creative in my daily life. Cleaning house and paying bills...... not so creative. =) These are a new style of earring I have been toying around with in my head. I might refine the design a bit with some metal cones, but it's a start.

Have a wonderful day everyone - it looks like spring outside this morning. Which reminds me, I gotta go pull weeds and mow the lawn soon! UG lol - take care, folks!

A BOLD new PC world!

Snake Skin Choker
From the ETSY shop of 11BOLDstreet

Every now and then there is an artist that makes you stop and think - WOW, there is something I'd never considered. And you pause, think, and your view of your art and what you do totally takes on a different perspective by comparison. Susan O'Neill of 11BOLDstreet is one of those artists to me. I grew up in a small Minnesota farming community where jewelry was delicate and pretty and if it was unusal in any way it was a 'conversation piece' - rarely did jewelry stand out. Susan's shop name is a testament to her style - BOLD! Her pieces are beautiful and stand out and demand to be seen - almost like they have a confidence all of their own! When I was considering using image transfers to put my artwork onto tile beads for art jewelry, it was Susan's shop that I went to for inspiration - because art demands to be seen and her work inspired me in that way. Everyone needs their 'statement' jewelry - those pieces that shout out to the world of your confidence and your pride and Susan's shop is filled with just such pieces. You can take a look at Susan's shop HERE or join her facebook FANPAGE.

This week during the PCAGOE challenge vote, I'll be featuring random artists who entered while the voting is going on. Susan is the first and truly one of my favorites because of her challenge to my style. If you haven't voted in the challenge yet, please do so HERE - Remember 5 lucky public voters chosen at random will win a lovely gift, so go VOTE!

Children of the World Bracelet Set

Well, the time has come for me to break out of my comfort zone and strive out into the world! This week I'll be finishing up some design ideas, but most of the week I'm going to try to break out of my fear of exposure and see what is out there in magazines, TV shows, schools, communities, etc etc. I am very comfortable in my art, but marketing myself..... no no no..... It is a struggle not to just give things away. With the additions of my Children of the World collection and my new UT collection, I have a strong showing for my design style and capability - now it's time to ask the world what they want me to do with it. Am I scared - you betya! But I've tackled stronger challenges. Wish me luck!

Spring is just around the corner - time for life to start fresh and maybe that's a goal for everyone this time of year!