a couple of contests

My etsy team, EART, is hosting two contests this month, and voting is up for both.



First, there's this photo contest on facebook. You vote by clicking on your favorite photo and typing vote underneath it.



Second, the monthly challenge theme is Victoria Falls. I'm pleased with my Victoria Falls mirror this time around. The voting is at the EART blog.





Thanks for voting!

challenge time

The July challenge theme at my etsy team, (EART - the eclectic artisans team) is desert. So I took the opportunity to use my polymer clay faux turquoise beads to make a necklace with a desert/southwest feel.





The voting takes place here at our team blog. All you have to do is click next to your favorite entry in the sidebar. There are only three entries this time, but they are three pretty fabulous pieces (if I do say so myself...)

Thanks for your support!

come and vote for spring!

Here are the entries in the very first monthly challenge of the EART etsy team. The theme is spring, and the entries are beautiful. I went with flowers and leaves in yellow and green. Come vote for your favorite at our blog!

challenge time - cane work

This is my challenge entry for the PCAGOE March cane work challenge. I'm pretty happy with this one. I started with a regular cardboard paper towel tube. Then I poked in (one at a time, my fingers were black - oy!) about 200 nails. Then I mixed polymer clay colors and made canes and sliced them up and put the slices on the tube one at a time. Then I baked it. Then I put in a handful of brown rice (what rainstick doesn't need a little fiber with its carbs?) and then I added more clay cane slices and embellishments, including ends, which do nicely to keep the rice inside. Then another baking. And then, yes, a good amount of admiring and turning it over and over to hear the little rain sound. You want to hear it?

OK, so click over to pcagoe and vote for a favorite entry. All voters are entered to win prizes, and the prizes are cool :) Thanks for your support.

Autumn vase

I usually wait until voting time to post my monthly PCAGOE challenge entry, but I couldn't wait! This is an upcycled glass vase. It was a gift from a friend a few years ago, and used to be filled with liquid scented something-or-other. I washed it out, although it still has a hint of the marvelous scent - I'm not sure what to call it; it's sort of rain-ish, outdoorsy with a hint of floral whatnot. I wish I had kept the original information, because the fragrance is fabulous. Anyway... the leaves are made by using rubber stamps on sheets of polymer clay in hand-mixed colors.

Stay tuned for the November challenge voting - it will be at PCAGOE from November 1 to 3. For a sneak peek at the challenge entries, you can visit our flickr group any time. We've got some beautiful entries already for this month!

day of the dead

It's that time again - time to vote for your favorite PCAGOE monthly challenge entry. This month, we made pieces for a Day of the Dead theme. I swore I would not make a skull, and then, what came out? A skull, of course. My entry is a piece of seasonal wall art in bright, hand-mixed colors of polymer clay. Every piece has been hand-rolled into "snakes" and placed carefully to make the skull shape. The gradiations of color in some of the swirls were made using a technique called the Skinner blend, which is a neat way to create a color gradient using polymer clay and a pasta rolling machine.


This guy measures about 7 inches high and 4.5 inches across. It's hanging out in my etsy shop at the moment, but I have to admit I'm tempted to keep it.

Here's a mosaic of all the entries. I think they look so cool as a group! It's interesting to note the expressions on almost all of the faces - we are obviously a happy guild.



Voting will be up at pcagoe.com no later than noon on October 1, and will stay open until midnight on October 3. Come vote for your favorite - everyone who votes will be entered to win one of two fabulous prize packs of handmade polymer clay goodies. Thanks for voting!

it's show time

It's challenge time at the polymer clay artists guild of etsy again! Our monthly theme was It's Show Time, and 12 people have created entries having to do with television and movies. To cast your vote, visit http://pcagoe.com/. All voters are entered into two random drawings for prizes. There's a set of beautiful accessories as well as this duo of handmade, one-of-a-kind necklaces by polymer clay artists paperpam and pipsjewellery.



And here's my entry. It's a quotation from my favorite (most days) character, Giles. I (obviously) had trouble getting a decent photo of this one, not sure why.

It's a 7-inch square wall-hanging made in several steps:
1. Peruse brain (and internet) for good Buffy quotes.
2. Make 20 polymer clay canes.
3. Lay out cane slices one at a time and roll flat to make background.
4. Make each letter out of scrap clay and bake.
5. Cover each letter with individual slices of aforementioned canes. and attach to background with liquid Sculpey.
6. Mount on scrap clay for stability and bake.
7. Make and attach embellishments and edging and bake again.
8. Attempt fruitlessly to photograph.

This piece isn't going to be for sale. In fact, it's already on my wall :)