it's challenge time again

It's just about time for the PCAGOE April challenge. Our challenge this time was to create a polymer clay covered egg. We've been having fun and lively discussion all month about different ways to accomplish this, and it's been exciting to watch everyone's progress and original ideas. Everyone's take was a little different, which is the beauty of handmade! There are chicken eggs, wooden eggs, plastic eggs, and I think even a metal egg and a goose egg. There are canework slices, animals, flowers, closed eggs, open eggs, jewelry, ornaments, shakers... Get a sneak peak of all the entries here.

This amazing egg shaker, created by ZudaGay, is one of the prizes you can win if you visit pcagoe.com between noon on Tuesday, April 1, and midnight on Thursday, April 3. All you do is vote for your favorite entry, and you'll be entered in a drawing for a prize.


And here's our second April prize - all items handmade by PCAGOE members. Vote here.


And here's my entry, called "So a penguin, an owl and a chick walk into a bar..."

This is a fun piece, and surprisingly sturdy. The little chick is a shaker, and the whole thing is for sale at my etsy shop.

Thanks for checking out all our hard work at pcagoe.com and voting for your favorite entry!

name that tune #10

OK, here's the scoop. Since it seems I've only got time for this about once a week, the etsy singalong is moving here to my regular blog. See all the past songs and comments here.

Here are the rules: Each name that tune post will show a set of photos from etsy artists - together, they will represent a song. Leave a comment telling me what the song is. All the correct answers will go in a hat, and once a month there will be a random drawing for a prize of polymer clay or hand-stamped goodness! Make sure your comment includes a way to contact you. Comments will be unscreened after each contest, so don't post your phone number, OK? (Click the photo for a bigger version.)

Etsy artists represented here are (in order from top left): wjcatnip, amandajean, NoosedKitty, madelaine, Isotope, Merimask, NaturesStudio, ensuingchaos, JaredKS, barkingbirdart, gallogirlphotos and Delaneys . Click their names to visit their fabulous etsy shops.

This photo was created using the etsy poster sketch tool. All etsy photos used are the sole property of their owners, and no infringement is intended. If you wish to have your photo removed from my site, please just comment here or email me at admin@divadea.com, and your wish will be granted post haste.

tag, I'm it

OK, my pcagoe and etsy buds are running amok with the tagging, so I'm finally getting around to playing, too. I've been tagged by folk art from the heart, tatsuko, ginny baker, Tina (aka chicki), and Laura (aka Zoeowyn).

Here are the rules: (er, I'm not really good with rules, but I'll do my best...)
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as their blogs. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
(Shouldn't #4 be: Spin around 3 times, blow a dandelion leaf and your wish will come true while adding up to exactly 42 and if you don't you will have 7 minutes of bad luck and everyone will know you don't love them?)

Right then, seven things.

1. I love Buffy. A lot. More than a sane person should. I watch episodes over and over again. I write fanfiction. I create fanart. I have my own set of Buffy tarot cards which I made myself. And Joss Whedon is my hero.
2. My favorite lyricists are Dar Williams, Paul Simon and Leonard Cohen.
3. I'm not a nature girl. I've tried to be, but I'm just not.
4. Though many people seem to feel I'm maternal, I do not want kids. Ever. For any reason. Furthermore, I really feel that if you can't take care of kids you shouldn't have them. And that goes for pets and houseplants, too. On the other hand, if you can take care of them, by all means, go for it. Better you than me.
5. I once had a clergy person (one of the very few I've ever respected) tell me that he really felt I would be a pastor some day. Not so much.
6. I am still sad about Dennis Kucinich dropping out of the presidential race. Now I am supporting Obama.
7. In high school my friends called me Marvin (as in Marvin the paranoid android from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). I haven't really gotten any cooler since then.

There, that should be just enough controversial stuff to irritate some folks. (If not, go read some Leonard Cohen lyrics...)

And seven tagged: Lori, Bridget, ebbandflo, honeydewstudio (click here - behold the cute!) And that's really all the tagging I have the patience for at the moment. Told you I wasn't good with rules...

bikinis

If you know me, you probably wouldn't expect me to write a blog post about bikinis, but when I happened upon this etsy seller, I just couldn't resist.




This is the work of subrosa123, a very creative designer of clothing and fabric. She knits, she crochets, and she loves one-of-a-kind clothing to wear herself and to create for others. All you have to do is send your measurements, and you can get your very own unique, crocheted bikini for this summer.




This Crocheted Flowers Bikini is my favorite one. I've made sampler afghans out of granny squares or flowers, using up all my leftover colors of yarn - who hasn't? But this takes that art to a whole new level. To get your own gorgeous crocheted bikini, click one of the pictures above. To see and read more about her work, visit subrosa123's etsy shop, her blog, and her myspace page. Kudos to you, subrosa123. I wish you lots of pretty yarn and lots of sales!
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And because heaven forbid I make a post without mentioning polymer clay...

This is teenybeak's Baywatch Penguin! How adorable is this? Visit her shop to see a whole bunch of crazy penguins. You can even get one customized for you or as a gift. Neat!

tarot of the day

Tarot Card: Nine of Cups
Character: Halfrek
Upright Meaning: Good fortune and wishes come true. Realization of potential. A desire to help others.
Reversed Meaning: Excessive meddling. Loss of happiness through your own actions.
Question: Are you helping or are you meddling?
Advice: Don’t wear out someone’s hospitality.

OK, OK, I'm meddling. Then again, sometimes one has to meddle if there's a big mess.

tarot of the day

Tarot Card: Six of Wands
Character: Katrina
Upright Meaning: Good news. Hopefulness and satisfaction. Winning through tact and diplomacy rather than brute force.
Reversed Meaning: Being manipulated and cheated out of success. Fear or jealousy of others’ success. Delayed news or bad news.
Question: Is it possible that someone is working against you behind your back?
Advice: The best way to address the current situation is through tact and diplomacy. Use words to win this one, rather than asserting your authority.

Tact and diplomacy. Check.

BTW, Mostly Filler has moved to here, and the episode Surprise is up currently.

We be swirlin'

Polymer clay is cool. You didn't know I felt that way, did you?

The main cool thing about polymer clay is the way it likes to keep to itself, colorwise, that is. When you make intricate patterns or, like in these examples, swirls, the clay colors don't mix. They hold their own, thus making it possible to have lots of detail and colorful contrast.


Notice how the colors are very defined in HollyFaith84's design-your-own lollipops.


As you mix and swirl, the clay starts to blend a bit (some brands more easily than others). In madeinlowell's geology egg ornament, the colors are starting to blend just a little to make a neat geode-like gradient.


Thecolorofdreams' oceans seven ring has even more blending - I'm guessing she used one of the softer types of clay to get this effect. But even as they start to blend the colors stay vibrant.

I think that's why I'm still using polymer clay. I never get tired of colors and trying new combinations of colors.

Want to see more polymer clay swirliness on etsy? Click here - the variety is amazing!

Since it's green day...

I've read a bunch of St. Pat's Day and green blog postings today, so I figured I might as well jump on the paddy wagon.

Here's my favorite green DivaDea jewelry. This green flower cane is named Brie.


Brie Necklace: 19 inches long, silver-tone lobster clasp, strung on black wax cord
Also available:
Brie Bracelet: 7.5 inches around, stretchy, no clasp
Brie Earrings: 1.25 inches long, silver-tone posts

I love the shiny black glass beads and the green teardrops. Here are a few more items with the cool teardrop beads.


And because I can't resist surfing etsy to see what my pcagoe friends are up to, here are a few more neat green items in polymer clay.


Key Lime Pie Earrings by inediblejewelry


Scary Green Dragon by time4coffee



Green Aster Flower Earrings by chickiegirlcreations

Happy St. Patrick's Day :)

Good things come in...

...sets of three, of course!


Like these three cupcakes by joojoo. They're teeny tiny magnets in wonderful (but sadly, inedible) polymer clay detail. Yum!


And these flippin squares earrings by jangeisen. Polymer clay canework for the party girl. I love dangly earrings - the bigger the better.


And one more three's item from the world of etsy - this try to fly necklace by dcdesigns. I love asymmetrical stuff, so this one is right up my lopsided alley. Add an inspirational message and wonderful muted, hand-mixed polymer clay colors, and you've got a winner!

Pssst... If you want to buy these just click on the pictures and head over to etsy!

Rose Pendant

Rose Pendant, originally uploaded by divadea.

I went to town yesterday making stuff out of my rose cane - some beads, an ACEO, a couple of goddess pendants, and this simple round pendant. This one measures almost 1.5 inches across and is nice and lightweight, since it's made of polymer clay. The tutorial for the cane is here and I have some adjustment ideas. I think I'm going to want to make more rose canes - they're just fun!

Shake that fish!

I told you there would be more fish. Fish are fun. These are not only adorable, but also functional, since they are musical instruments. They're great to display also, because they can sit up on their own.

This is Lois. She makes a soft shaker sound.

See more pictures and purchase info here.

This is Wendy. She has a slightly louder sound, since she's bigger. And actually, I'm not sure she's a fish - more of a fishduckbirdplatypus perhaps...

See more photos and purchase info here.

Both are one of a kind, made by covering plastic Easter eggs with handmade polymer clay canework and adding embellishments with clay.

PS Want to make one of your own? Come to my class at St. John's Coffee Cafe in Camp Hill, PA, this Saturday afternoon. Registration details at www.divadea.com.

tarot of the day

This was not a one blithe Buffy character ponderment sort of evening. This was a full-out entire reading with the real cards evening. My friend Miss Cathy used to say, in her even-though-she's-not-southern drawl, "th' cards don' lie, dude." No, they're not lying, but I do feel they're sort of mocking me at the moment. There's one, count it, one card that's not inverted, and it's the "me in the context of the current situation" card, and it's the Ace of cups. Yes, thank you, I am very fabulous. And the rest are all about being cheated, feeling cheated, lack of justice, frustration and stagnation, and my personal favorite, "the stifling aspects of domesticity." Er, yep. So even though my outcome card predicts financial ruin if I continue on my current path, I feel better already. It's like all that negativity laid itself out in front of me, and now it's there on the carpet instead of punching me in the brains.

The message I'm choosing to take from this (because, let's face it, that's what it's all about), is this. Get over it. Yep, they done you wrong. Yep, asshats abound. So be it. They don't touch who I am, what I'm worth, what my art is worth. So surround me, see if I care.

The cards, in the Celtic cross reading order, should anyone care to add their own interpretation for me:

The Empress, inverted
Seven of swords, inverted
Ten of staves, inverted
Six of staves, inverted
Justice, inverted
Seven of coins, inverted
Ace of cups (did I mention that I'm fabulous?)
Three of swords, inverted
The World, inverted
Five of cups, inverted

sometimes you think of summer

I'm not really a summer person much. Too hot. Too humid. Too generally oppressive. I'm more into winter, and definitely all about autumn. But once in a while, toward the end of winter, I think to myself, bare feet would be good. A little sunshine would be good. And most importantly, a backyard party would be good!

So, in case you're in the mood to think about a little summer, too, here are a few etsy items of inspiration.


Sunflowers and Ladybug wall hanging by DesignsbyGinnyBaker. How adorable is this?



Lemonde Earrings by HuntersDesigns. Yum!



And this Green Drop Pendant by lucybluestudio, which really reminds me of vibrant grass, the kind at the start of summer when all the greens are bright.

Happy March. It's almost spring :)

It's a veritable zoo

This month's PCAGOE challenge was animals, and there are some terrific entries, from jungle superheroes to abstract kittehs - you've got to see them to believe them. Above is this month's flora and fauna prize pack, which one lucky voter will win. So please pop over to pcagoe.com any time between noon on Saturday, March 1, and midnight on Monday, March 3, to vote for your favorite entry. Thanks!