PCAGOE April Challenge - Wall Art - Time to Vote and Win!

April 2011 Challenge - WALL ART

The theme for this month's challenge is "WALL ART." The only rules were that the entry must be at least 50% polymer clay and must interpret or depict the theme in some way.


Please vote for your top three favorites at:  http://www.pcagoechallenge.blogspot.com/


Voting will be by the public and by PCAGOE team members. Voting begins April 1, 2011 and ends April 7, 2011 at midnight, Eastern U.S. time. Winners in each voting category will be announced at www.pcagoe.com on April 8, 2011.

Five lucky voters from the public, chosen at random, will also win beautiful polymer clay prizes created by one of our many, talented member artists!  Prize choices shown in Prize Pool photo below.


Here are the April Challenge Entries:



1) Becky of BeckySueCreations created this mixed media plaque with a telemarfusion background.

2) Marie of YoungCreative created this 5x5 inch plaque with the Mokume Gane technique and alcohol ink finishes. Water lily and ohm symbol are hand-sculpted. Feather is stamped.
These are words that represent how I want to live. I have them on slips of paper in my desk drawer as a reminder. I thought polymer would give them more presence in my day

3) Susan of 11BoldStreet This piece started as a "Sutton" slice, inspired by window coverings in colors that I've never tired of. It was mounted on a pearl and black stamped polymer base. The hanger piece is a metal tube, covered in more stamped polymer

4) Els of BeadElz tells us that her creations was made in the workshop with Laurie Mika in France.

5) Lisa of HiGirls
This wall plaque (4"x4") started as something quite literal, and ended up as an abstraction in bright spring colors.

6) Jackie of ThePleasantPheasant
This is a beautifully painted 2-ft. wide x 1-ft. tall canvas (painted by my daughter). On it I placed polymer clay buildings, a brass circle moon, and a copper pipe with yellow plastic cover to serve as a street light. The windows in the pointed building are mirrors, other windows are screened, and there is a Dior buckle that is serving as a building decoration. The gold window on the silver building is a circa-1980 earring that was repurposed for the job.

7) Angela of PolymerClayCreations
My first ever fairy door. It was so fun. I'm going to put this up and hope a good fairy will come bless my house and bring me good fortune.

8) Arlene of AshPaints
This mosiac was created with multiple polymer clay "tiles" which were antiqued, finger painted with acrylic paint, highlighted with mica powders and gold finishing wax, then combined into a beautiful inspirational plaque. It is shown displayed on an easle but also has a hanger on the back. It is signed and dated by me.

9) Beth of CreateMyWorld
Family Tree Wallhanging
This was an idea I came up with while playing with extruded bits of clay. The tree is made up of extruded flat strips. The branches support 5 separate small frames to frame the family members.

10) Alison of AlisonEKurek
The title of this piece is "Masquerade". It was inspired by a business suit wearing "professional" whose true personality is closer to what he is depicted as, snout, curly tail and all! But then I guess I shouldn't speak badly of farm animals :-)
The figures are hand sculpted out of polymer clay and accented with acrylic paint. They are mounted onto a black suede mat board and framed in a 14" (w) x 11" (h) shadow box frame



Voter Prize Pool:



First Row, L-R: Jill of JKollmann, Angela of PolymerClayCreations.

Second Row, L-R: Deb of RenGalSA, Debbie of DebbieCrothers, Pippa of PipsJewellery.

Third Row, L-R: Linda of NKDesigns, Penny of PennysLane.


Several of the entries are also available for sale in our members' etsy shops, so please check them out to see these and more one-of-a-kind works of polymer clay art. 

Thanks and Good Luck!

My entry for the PCAGOE April Challenge - Wall Art

I set aside some time this month for creating another challenge entry, the idea of which happened upon me by accident. 
Here's how I came up with the idea (with a photo of the trial which led me to my final piece)....  I had a few strips of extruded clay from another project on which I was working (I will post about that project sometime in April).  I was going to just press the left-over strips back into a slab, but before doing so, I played around with them and created this small 2 1/2 inch tree which I liked so much, I baked it.  I think it likely that I will eventually add some leaves and turn it into a pin or maybe even a pendant.   This photo was taken while the tree sat on my ceramic baking plate, so it's not the greatest photo, but it's just to give you an idea of my thought process in creating my final piece... here's the item which sparked the idea for my challenge entry:

This little tree got me thinking, "Wouldn't it be fun to make a larger tree and add places for displaying photos - sort of a Family Tree - for a wall hanging".... and so my PCAGOE Wall Art (for the April Challenge) idea was born.  This piece measures 10 inches tall and 9 inches wide.  I incorporated a heart shape into the "bark" design of the trunk.  And here is the photo of my entry for the Challenge:

For a peek at all of the April Challenge entries go to:  http://www.flickr.com/groups/1089891@N25/
I will be posting again about the challenge, in a few days, when it's time to vote. 

A lovely Prize from the PCAGOE... by artist Lisa Rapp of Hi Girls Design

I was pleasantly surprised to win placement in the March PCAGOE Challenge, but was even more pleasantly surprised to receive a lovely pair of earrings from the PCAGOE for my winning entry!  The earrings were made by PCAGOE member Lisa Rapp of Hi Girls Designs.  Here is a photo of them:

I love the colors and fun design of these earrings.  It was such a sweet surprise for me to receive them!

So since I am sharing this with you, I thought I'd feature Lisa on my blog.  She is a gal after my own heart, as she not only makes polymer clay jewelry but she also sews and makes handbags.  Like myself, she enjoys incorporating polymer clay design elements into her hand made bags.  And if those similarities aren't enough, she too is a Pennsylvania gal!    Here are 2 more of my favorite items from her etsy shop which you can find at this address:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/higirls

This first photo is one of her bags, perfect for the upcoming warm weather season.  I love the design of this particular bag with the outer diagonal pocket and the polymer clay button, as well as the fun fabric pattern.  

And this last photo is one of her beautiful necklaces that is for sale in her etsy shop.  I love the vintage look of this piece partnered with a great color scheme. 

So, go check out Lisa's etsy shop (link above).  And give her some love on facebook by liking her business page at this link:  https://www.facebook.com/higirlsdesigns#!/higirlsdesigns?sk=wall

March PCAGOE Challenge Winners Chosen

Many thanks to all who voted for the PCAGOE Challenge this month.  I was surprised to have my work awarded 1st place by the guild members and 2nd place by the public!  All of the entries were wonderful works of art, and each participant should be honored for submitting their time, ideas and materials to such a worthy cause.   The Voter choices are as follows:

THE WINNERS VOTED ON BY PCAGOE Members:

1st Place - Beth of CreateMyWorld


2nd Place - TIE Susan of 11BoldStreet and Sage of TheSagesArts



3rd Place - Jackie of ThePleasantPheasant



WINNERS VOTED ON BY THE PUBLIC:

1st Place - Angela of PolymerClayCreations



2nd Place - Beth of CreateMyWorld



3rd Place - TIE Phoebe of HappyCreations4U and Sage of TheSageArts

 

If you'd like to see more info on this challenge, including the 5 voters selected to win a free prize, go to this link: http://www.pcagoechallenge.blogspot.com/

Time to Vote! March PCAGOE Challenge "Bottles of Hope"

To vote for your favorite entry for this month's challenge please go to:  http://www.pcagoechallenge.blogspot.com/

This month our members were challenged to create an entry for Bottles of Hope.  The Bottles of Hope is one of our ongoing PCAGOE charities.  Members are encouraged to create these bottles throughout the year.  The bottles are donated by the members and sent to PCAGOE Guild Member Jackie Sieben of ThePleasantPheasant who delivers them to St. Mary's Cancer Center and the Nevada Cancer Institute in Reno. These centers give a bottle to each person as they complete chemotherapy or radiation treatments.

Jackie has collected hundreds of bottles donated from the guilds with which she associates.  The hospital stores the bottles in a glass wall case that is right outside the chemo treatment rooms. The patients look at them and pick their favorites in hopes that particular bottle will still be there when they finish their final treatment. 

Please vote for your top three favorites at the link listed above.  Only one vote per person, please. One (1) vote consists of choosing a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place entry. If you choose an entry for 1st place, please do not also vote for it as your 2nd and/or 3rd place choice. Duplicate votes will not be counted.

Voting is open to the public and to PCAGOE guild members. Voting begins March 1, 2011 and ends at midnight, Eastern U.S. time on March 7, 2011. The winners chosen in each category and the voter prize winners will be announced at www.pcagoe.com around March 8, 2011.

Five (5) lucky public voters, chosen at random, will also win a beautiful polymer clay prize created by one of our many talented artists. Please note that winning voters will have one week from the date we contact you and ask for your mailing address so we can send you your prize.




MARCH CHALLENGE ENTRIES:





1) FAUX LEATHER BOTTLE by 11BoldStreet

Susan's description of her entry: "I created a faux leather polymer version for this Bottle of Hope, in hopes that it might also appeal to a male patient."


2) ABUNDANCE OF LOVE by MaggieDayStudios

Maggie's description of her entry: The top of the bottle is functional and when opened reveals a small gold chain with a gold charm at the end that says "love." Koi represent "abundance;" the lotus blossom on the lid is the symbol for achievement, enlightenment, and inspiration to continue to strive through difficulties. The fish on this bottle are swimming around and upwards from the bottom (hard to show in only one photo).


3) MUSHROOM & GNOME BOTTLE by HappyCreations4U

Phoebe's description of her entry: This adorable gnome and mushroom set were not made with the same tiny bottles as the other entries but a bottle is a bottle and who would not hope to receive this great pair.


4) LILAC GARDEN BOTTLE by KellyPlaysClay

Kelly's description of her entry: First I covered the bottle with green leaves and pressed them until smooth. Then I added one large flower to the front and mutiple small flowers around the back and sides. I used the flower petals to make the bottle top and draped a ribbon of purple around the neck of the bottle.


5) MILLEFIORI BOTTLE by PolymerClayCreations

Angela's description of her entry: I chose to do a colorful floral theme because, what could be more hopeful than a garden brimming with newly bloomed flowers? Signs of bright life bringing hope and joy to whoever sees them.


6) TEXTURED BOTTLE by ThePleasantPheasant

Jackie's description of her entry: Bottles of Hope are a special labor of love for me, since I help supply them to the Nevada Cancer Institute/St. Mary's Cancer Center for distribution to cancer patients.

7) ROSES & HOPE GROW by CreateMyWorld

Beth's description of her entry: My entry for this month's PCAGOE challenge came from an idea revolving around the quote, "Where hope grows, miracles blossom. I thought this was the perfect quote for a Bottle of Hope, to remind its recipient to keep hope strong. With the metaphor of growing and blossoming, I wanted to use the symbol of roses, with a gradual blooming of the rose going up the bottle to the full bloom on the top of the cap. The banner encircling the bottle contains the quote which inspired me... "Where hope grows, miracles blossom."


8) HOPE FILIGREE BOTTLE by TheSageArts

Sage's description of her entry: All silver polymer clay with mica, except the gem and the bottle, of course


9) SUNFLOWER JOY BOTTLE by AshPaints

Arlene's description of her entry: People with cancer need all the sunshine and joy in their lives that they can get. To me the sunflower is a symbol of both and I wanted to share that with a cancer patient. This sunflower started with a marbled blend of soft green to which texture was added. The next step was adding slices of a leaf cane. The petals of the sunflower were made by combining a complex flower petal cane several times to get the rich density of color. Each petal was individually shaped and laced to give a dimensional look. A rich coppery brown was added in the center for a beautifully finished sunflower. The cap sports a smaller version of the leaves and sunflower.


10) KALEIDESCOPE CANE by ArrowdaleArtStudio

Cindy's description of her entry: My entry for the March Challenge of the PCAGOE Bottles of Hope Challenge is made from scraps blended together and then formed into a cane. I liked the result so much you see it here.



March Prize Pool:



1st row, L-R: ClayCenter, ArrowdaleArtStudio, RenGalSA, PipsJewellery
2nd row, L-R: HiGirls, , MarciaPalmer,
AlisonEKurek,

As this month's challenge entries are being donated as noted, you will not find these for sale in our members' etsy shops, but you can check out more one-of-a-kind works of polymer clay art.

You may also sign up for our monthly e-newsletter when you vote. We would love to be able to tell you about our upcoming challenges and special promotions and our charitable projects.

March PCAGOE Challenge Entry "Bottles of Hope"

The PCAGOE challenge for this month is "Bottles of Hope".  "Bottles of Hope" is one of the charities which we, as a guild, support.  The tiny (about 2 1/2" tall) bottles are decorated by the artists of the guild and donated to be given to cancer patients.  The guild members are encouraged to submit decorated bottles throughout the year, but we decided to designate one of our monthly challenges to feature Bottles of Hope.  While I always intend to be more active with the guild and participate in more of the challenges, I find my time so divided that I fail at being as dedicated a member as I would like.  It is for this reason that I heartily welcome the monthly challenges which support our charities, because it gives me further motivation to participate.  I spent a few hours in my studio this past week working on my entry for the March challenge.
My entry for this challenge came from an idea revolving around the quote, "Where hope grows, miracles blossom".  I thought this was the perfect quote for a Bottle of Hope, to remind its recipient to keep hope strong.  With the metaphor of growing and blossoming, I wanted to use the symbol of roses, with a gradual blooming of the rose going up the bottle to the full bloom on the top of the cap.  The banner encircling the bottle contains the quote which inspired me... "Where hope grows, miracles blossom."  Here is one photo:

For more photos of the bottle (at all angles, showing the full banner), check out my Flickr photo stream at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/createmyworlddesigns/


For a sneak peak of the other wonderful entries for this challenge, check out the group Flickr photo stream at:  
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1089891@N25/

I will post again when it is time to cast votes.  Voting each month for your 3 favorite challenge entries is a great way to win FREE prizes of polymer art handcrafted by the artists of the PCAGOE!
To learn more about the PCAGOE, our challenges or our charities, please go to our website:  http://www.pcagoe.com/

PCAGOE December Challenge - Faux Mokume Gane - Vote and Win!

Taken from the PCAGOE Blog:  

Our theme this month is "Faux Mokume Gane."

Mokume gane is an ancient Japanese metalsmithing technique which artists in other mediums, including polymer clay, have adapted. The term Mokume gane literally means woodgrain metal or eye of the wood metal, and refers to the elaborate woodgrain patterns which can be created with the technique.

There are many ways to achieve the look of mokume gane in clay. The traditional method is to stack different colors of clay and/or translucent clay and foils, compress the stack, emboss it with a patterned texture sheet, then shave horizontally the raised areas of the stack to reveal the different colors and patterns. It requires a light, but steady hand. If you shave too deeply, you will ruin the pattern. If the cut is too shallow, you won't reveal all of the color bands.

Some artists stack the colored layers and then use a ripple blade to slice vertically, revealing wavy patterns in the clay.

Each entry must be at least 50% polymer clay.

Please vote for your top 3 favorites at:  http://www.pcagoechallenge.blogspot.com/

Voting begins December 1, 2010 and ends at midnight Eastern U.S. time on December 7, 2010. Winners will be announced on December 8, 2010 at www.pcagoe.com.

Here are this month's beautiful entries:

And here are the prize choicess available for 3 lucky voters to win (one of the prizes was made by me - top row, right side):

Again, just go to: http://www.pcagoechallenge.blogspot.com/  to vote for your 3 favorite entries and a chance to win a prize!

PCAGOE Holiday Promotion 2010!! Shop and Win!! No Purchase Necessary

YES IT’S ON AGAIN SHOPPERS…………………………
THE POLYMER CLAY ARTISTS GUILD OF ETSY HOLIDAY PROMOTION 2010.
WIN… WIN… WIN… WIN……..REALLY BIG!!!

How can I win?
Shop in one of the participating stores listed below from November 8th until November 30th, 2010 and your name will go in the drawing to win one of our fantastic prizes. OR send us a postcard - details will be in the Etsy shops' announcements. Purchase 1 item, get 1 chance - purchase 10 items, get 10 chances.  Send one postcard, get one chance - send 10 postcards, get 10 chances. This is definitely one competition you will want to be in!
What do I win?
You will win a beautiful Christmas package stuffed to the brim with polymer clay goodies handmade by our members.
There are 3 prizes to win and with each prize pack comes a gift certificate.
First Prize - $75 gift certificate plus prize pack.
Second Prize - $50 gift certificate plus prize pack.
Third Prize - $25 gift certificate plus prize pack.
Who wouldn’t want to be in this drawing!!! Find out all the details by visiting any of the participating shops listed below:

http://www.ashpaints.etsy.com
http://www.allisonEkurek.etsy.com
http://www.arrowdaleartstudio.etsy.com
http://www.11BOLDstreet.etsy.com
http://www.claycenter.etsy.com
http://www.createmyworld.etsy.com
http://www.debbiecrothers.etsy.com
http://www.elysianfields.etsy.com
http://www.jkollmann.etsy.com
http://www.kellyplaysclay.etsy.com
http://www.laurelsteven.etsy.com
http://www.mandarinmoon.etsy.com
http://www.miramecreations.etsy.com
http://www.nkdesigns.etsy.com
http://www.peggers.etsy.com
http://www.polymerclaycreations.etsy.com
http://www.rengalsa.etsy.com
http://www.rmkdesign.etsy.com
http://www.rozpetalzstudio.etsy.com
http://www.thepleasantpheasant.etsy.com

PCAGOE November Challenge

Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy's November challenge. Our theme this month is "Seasonal."   To vote, please go to:  http://www.pcagoechallenge.blogspot.com/

Our members who chose to enter were asked to create entries depicting either the Fall or Winter seasons, or in the case of our members residing outside the U.S., the climate season they are currently experiencing in their part of the world. In the alternative, the members could choose to create an entry celebrating one of the holidays observed during the Fall and Winter months, or the Season they are currently experiencing.

The only other rule is that each entry must be at least 50% polymer clay. We have 21extremely creative selections for you this month. Please vote for your top 3 favorites in the pull-down menu at the bottom of the page. Depending on the speed of your internet connection, it may take a few minutes to load.

Voting begins November 1 and ends at midnight Eastern U.S. time on November 7, 2010. Winners will be announced on November 8, 2010 at www.pcagoe.com.

Please note each voter is allowed one vote. A vote consists of choosing a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner. Please do not choose one entry for all three places. Duplicate votes will be discarded.

Winning public voters will be notified as soon as practicable after the time to vote closes. If you do not respond within one week, your prize will be returned to the pool as unclaimed.

You may also sign up for our monthly newsletter when you vote.

Our members love to hear your comments about the entries. Please take a moment to complete that section when you vote. We also love to hear how you learned about the challenges.


NOVEMBER CHALLENGE ENTRIES:



1) Winter Wonderland Pendant by BeeTreeByMe

Mary Ellen's description of her entry: Snowy white Poinsettia with frosty sliver leaves and icy crystal accents. My "Seasonal" creation is a bold "Bib" style pendant. On the back are loops on top left and right. Ready to make a Hot design statement for Cold winter days!

2) First Christmas Sock Monkey Ornament by SpiritMama

Waxela's description of her entry: Remember your little one's first Christmas with a sock monkey Santa Christmas ornament. This ornament can also serve as a cake topper, and the number can be changed.

3) Autumn Inspired Wire Embellished Necklace by JKollmann

Jill is known for combining her stunning wire work with polymer clay and her attention to detail. This necklace is a beautiful example, incorporating an Autumn color palette with hand sculpted floral elements and her trademark wire wrapping.

4) Greek God of Wine Bottle Stopper by YoungCreative

Marie's description of her entry: A celebration of autumn: This wine bottle stopper features Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. The head was formed from a Victorian face mold with hand-sculpted additional features. The leaves are hand-stamped and the grapes are totally hand-sculpted. The clay has a light touch of pearl powder. The background is made from my signature red pepper and paprika blend.

5) Red and Copper Foil Shield Copper Necklace by 11BoldStreet

Susan's description of her entry: Not being a holiday-specific person, I figure that this neckpiece could cheerfully attend any holiday function with pizazz! The cube beads began life at a workshop by artist/author Debbie Jackson. They were rolled in fusible fibers, then adorned with strips of foil-adhered polymer. The shield focal is also foil-coated polymer. Plays nice with other metals, thanks to the inclusion of copper, sterling, gunmetal and gold-colored findings and accents. Imagine this piece with an LBD (little black dress) or a white silk shirt at your holiday functions over the next couple of months...

6) Autumn Jewels Necklace by PipsJewellery

Pippa's description of her entry: Seeing as it is right in the middle of Autumn over here in the UK I thought this might be just right! Drum Beads inspired by Klew. Polymer clay, no glaze, no varnish, just very gently hand sanded and then polished.

7) Autumn Harvest Mokume Gane Pumpkin Decoration by PolymerClayCreations

Angela's description of her entry: I love the golds and coppers of the Fall. The colors are all so warm and rich. My daughter-in-law also loves pumpkins and fall, so I created these pumpkins for a birthday gift for her. They are made by first sculpting a pumpkin shape over a glass Christmas ball. Next I made a mokume gane sheet with gold, copper and pearl premo metallic clays. It was stamped with a leaf design. I then covered the pumpkin with the sheet.

8) Pookies Winter Wonderland by Peggers

Peggy's description of her entry: Making a snow man is so much fun. Pookie Pets are taking a break and admiring their new snowman. The entire scene is polymer clay including the tree.

9) Santa Candy Bracelet Set by RenGalSA

Deb's description of her entry: Not only is this piece my challenge piece for the month of November, but one set is also a prize that can be won in the PCAGOE Holiday Promotion. (Details at www.pcagoe.com.) It has colorful Millefiori Holiday Trees and Santas with czech glass accents. Great seasonal reds, greens, and whites. A perfect compliment to your favorite holiday sweater!

10) Three Santas by ArrowdaleArtStudio

Cindy's description of her entry: My entry for the November 2010 Challenge of the PCAGOE was rather a no-brainer. The subject is "Seasonal," and Christmas is by far my favorite "season," and when first began exploring polymer clay, Santa was the first thing I sculpted. A lot of Santas, in fact. So many that my husband called a moratorium for a few years. This piece is based on a sketch that has managed to find its way into my sketch books over and over in various forms. Hopefully now it'll go away from my brain! One hundred percent polymer clay, except for the tiniest dusting of chalk across cheeks and noses for a bit of color.

11) Peace, Love and Joy Ornaments by DebbieCrothers

Debbie's description of her entry: I guess I'm in Christmas mode already - so my challenge entry depicts Christmas. These are ornaments made to hang on your tree. Made completely from polymer clay. Christmas to me means all these thing - peace on earth, love and joy to all. What a great time of the year for me.

12) Christmas Polymer Clay Ornament by MirameCreations

Lupe's description of her entry: This polymer clay ornament was done using the Sutton Slice Technique

13) Winter White Vase by ThePleasantPheasant

Jackie's description of her entry: This matte and textured winter white vase is my November entry to the PCAGOE Monthly Challenge.

14) Autumn Leaves Bracelet by ClayCenter

Berit's description of her entry: A simple seasonal bracelet made from my autumn leaf canes.

15) Another Part of the Forest by RMKDesign

Randee's description of her entry: Amazingly, this is only three colors of clay--copper, gold, and green pearl; the re-rolled scrap pieces from the cut skinner blend made the best leaves, I think.

16) Christmas Angel by WiredOrchid

Lorraine's description of her entry: Christmas is my favorite holiday season, so I decided to create a peaceful Christmas Angel. She is made entirely of polymer clay, except for the beaded halo. Burnt umber, white and pearl clays were used. The dress was stamped and washed with a powder/sealant combination.

17) Asha by AyeletBeads

Ayelet's description of her entry: I created This pendant from my black and white polymer clay canes. Spring started late this Year (Ayelet lives in New Zealand), its snowed more in spring the in winter, so this was the color of spring, I Named it Asha (hope) because I posted it on the day they rescue the miners in Chile.

18) Thankful for Family Brooch by LauraBeeStudios

Laura's description of her entry: This is my challenge piece for the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy. The challenge was seasonal. I chose Thanksgiving as my seasonal subject.

19) Japanese Winter Scene Pocket Mirror by NKDesigns

Linda's description of her entry: This beautiful image was given to me by Christi of Rivervalleydesign. It is a two mirror compact with an image transfer of a Japanese Winter Scene. I covered the mirror top with resin for a lasting finish. I have made a similar one for my daughter-in-law who is half-Asian.

20) Pumpkin Pencil Cup by AshPaints

Arlene's description of her entry: What says fall better than a pumpkin? Jack-o-lanters for Halloween, then on to pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas! A rich skinner blend of a deep custom blended burnt orange to a soft golden orange is wrapped around a piece of PVC pipe then the segment lines were impressed. Next a custom blended leaf green is extruded to create curling vines around the top and bottom with a few trailing stems and leaves down the sides. Texture was added and a soft antiquiqing glaze added to bring out the details.

21) Flying Pig Ornament by AlisonEKurek

Ali's description of her entry: All things are possible during the holidays. This little pig is hand sculpted out of polymer clay. She is wearing her winter cap and flexing her wings in preparation for the upcoming holidays.

Many of the entries are available in the member's Etsy shop. Click on the member's name or the title link to check any entry you are interested in purchasing.

Five (5) lucky winners chosen at random will also receive one of the prizes shown in the prize mosaic below, all of which were created by our very talented members.

NOVEMBER PRIZE MOSAIC::



1st row, L-R: WiredOrchid, BeeTreeByMe, RenGalSA, PipsJewellery
2nd row, L-R: RiverValleyDesign, NKDesigns, ThePleasantPheasant, 11BoldStreet
3rd row, L-R: ClayCenter, SCDiva, JKollmann, ClayHappy


Thank you again for your votes. We hope you will join us again next month. December's theme is "Mokume Gane Technique for Polymer Clay," which is hugely popular with our members. We hope to have many beautiful entries to inspire and delight you, and maybe even fill your holiday gift list!

We have also voted on our 2011 themes. Here is a partial list of themes to look forward to next year!

3 Color Combo
Wall Art
Under The Sea
The 4 Elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, & Ice
Masks

Memorandum

Well, I'm trying to get back into crafting mode.  I think the best way to describe my work style is that I work in spurts, or as some people would say "fits and starts" (sort of how my blogging goes, huh?... lol).  I suppose that I should be more diligent about creating when my muse speaks to me...  I often get wonderful, inspiring ideas... ideas which I think I'll remember or I sketch out on a random scrap of paper to (hopefully) revisit whenever I get time to spend in the studio.  These great inspirations have a way of either being forgotten (sometimes sadly forever) or piling up.  At the moment I'm feeling a little overwhelmed because I have a lot of great ideas that are waiting to become reality.  This piling up of ideas isn't a bad thing, at least it wouldn't be if I actually treated myself to more studio time... Ah, my constant enemy, the clock!  I always feel pulled in a thousand different directions and actually lose sleep thinking about all the things I have to (or want to) do.  Presently I'm reading E.B. White's book One Man's Meat, and there is a funny chapter (entitled "Memorandum" - a list of some 200 chores around the place that demanded immediate attention) which feels pretty much like every day of my life! 

I guess the good news in there is that I intend to devote myself to more studio time soon and that means new ideas will be forthcoming.

This week I really tried to get myself back into business mode.  I created a new store front on Artfire, you can find it here:  http://www.artfire.com/users/createmyworlddesigns
New items will be listed there throughout the upcoming week and (hopefully) consistently thereafter.
Please check out the new site and let me know what you think!  And check out the many other wonderful artists also on Artfire.  Though Artfire seems to have less traffic than Etsy, I have high hopes for its future success. 

I still have my site on Etsy, and intend to keep that going as well.  This week I took my Etsy out of vacation mode and listed a few new items (different from those which are listed on Artfire), with more to come over the next week.  I am also trying to be more involved over at the PCAGOE (Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy)....  I have signed up to take part in their special Holiday Promotion and am gearing up my Etsy shop for the promo.  I am very excited about taking part in this promotion.  Very soon, I'll be posting more info about the promotion and how you can win hundreds of dollars worth of fantastic polymer clay pieces made by participating PCAGOE members.... so check back in a week or two for the details!!