Showing posts with label a jewelry gift. Show all posts
Showing posts with label a jewelry gift. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Life in polymer clay

Well, that's the topic for the Polymer Clay Smooshers Blogring.  Life...hmm, that can have all sorts of interpretations, can't it?  Of course there's plant, animal, and insect life- things that have always interested me.  Maybe that's what I'll focus on for this post, which is especially appropriate with Spring approaching.  And of course Spring is all about rebirth and life.  Baby animals are born, the plants come back to life, the insects awaken from their winter hibernation and begin buzzing about again.  Yes, I think Life and Spring go hand in hand.  So let's see what I can find in the shops of my fellow Smooshers that represents Life.
A sure sign of Spring in the country is hearing the Spring Peepers singing their mating song in the evening.  This trio of frogs from Art by Susmitha may or may not be peepers, but that's what they make me think of. 
Miniature Polymer Clay Happy Orange Frog Family of 3 
They also remind me of the spring I captured a bunch of tadpoles and raised them until they became frogs.  Not that was a fun lesson on life!  They turned out to be tree frogs and stayed in the yard after I released them.  I loved growing up in the country!
This Flower Baby Sprite from Blue Jane makes me think of all the flowers starting to bloom and come to life in the Spring.
Flower Baby Sprite Face OOAK 
I love getting out in early spring and taking the fall leaves off the flower beds, exposing the tiny green shoots of emerging flowers.  In a matter of days sometimes they open their leaves and petals to the warm sunshine, filling my garden with color and life.
And this Bee Skep with Honey Thief from ColtPixy reminds me how thrilled I always am to see the first honeybee of Spring come back to life.
Bee Skep with Honey Thief Fairy 1:6 play scale 
For a gardener, bees are life.  Without those busy little pollinators, we wouldn't get any fruits or vegetables from our gardens.  And unless you're trying to steal their honey, like this naughty little fairy, bees will generally avoid conflict with people.  I've never been stung, and consider bees my friends. 
So there's a little slice of Life from the very talented Polymer Clay Smooshers guild. ;-)
The pictures are all linked, so just click them to view the listing for any of these items, and while you're there browse the rest of the shop- you won't be disappointed!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Leelu Creations- Jewelry, Bobbies and Bookmarks

Leelu Creations on Artfire.com offers fun, unique jewelry at an affordable price.  She loves anything vintage, from classic and simple to Hollywood glam. Cameos and charm bracelets are her favorites. She makes original one of a kind pieces that are limited edition.  She also likes to work with vintage pieces and turn them into something new.  You can also find Leelu Creations online at http://leelucreations.blogspot.com/, http://www.etsy.com/shop/leelucreations, Facebook, and Twitter. Below are a few of my favorite pieces from her shop.  Be sure to stop and see all she has to offer!
Flutter...Glass Butterfly Hand Beaded Necklace 
Pink Flamingo Beaded Necklace Mum and Bee Verdigris Earrings 
And there's plenty more where these beauties came from!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Thursday, February 3, 2011

A collection of lovely Valentines gifts from the Smooshers

Just thought I'd share a few beautiful creations from the Polymer Clay Smooshers guild on ArtFire.  Any of these would make great Valentines Day gifts.  Give a gift from the heart- shop Handmade! =)

And you can find plenty more beautiful items in each of these shops- stop in and browse around for a bit!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

World of Warcraft trinket box for my brother

I wanted to make something really special for my younger brother for Christmas, and I knew I wanted it to be something related to the World of Warcraft.  I decided a trinket box would be something he could use, and I ended up sculpting two different Murlocs, a Wind Rider cub, and the Horde symbol onto the box after I covered it in polymer clay.  I spent a lot of time on all the little details like glow in the dark spines, teeth, and eyes for the Murlocs.  I also textured their skin.  The Wind Rider cub (inspired by the adorable plushie my mother gave me) is also highly detailed, right down to his tiny little claws and glow in the dark fangs.  The Horde symbol on the end of the box also glows in the dark.  The letters W O W on the lid were sculpted from glow in the dark clay and serve as a handle.
    

I really like the way this turned out, and my brother was pretty impressed as well (and it made it all the way to AZ without anything breaking in transit!).  This is definitely a one of a kind creation, although I may try my hand at other World of Warcraft trinket boxes in the future.  Stay tuned to see what else this Creative Critter comes up with!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Check out these awesome gifts I found on ArtFire!

I must say, I do love shopping on ArtFire!  I found some really awesome handcrafted gifts for my family.  Emily, of Exquisite Studios, makes beautiful jewelry and candle holders.  I happened to catch one of her posts in the forum about a free gift with a purchase.  Since I was looking for something special for my aunt I figured I'd take a browse through her shop.  Her Green Pebble candle holder caught my eye right away, especially the picture of the candle light glowing through the glass.
Green Pebble Candleholder
My aunt burns candles all the time, and I know she'll love this beautifully made candle holder.  And the earrings I got as a free gift are just lovely.  I love them so much I wear them all the time.  I've known Emily ever since I joined ArtFire and not only is she a talented artist, but a truly wonderful person.  Stop by her shop and check out her jewelry and candle holders- you won't be disappointed!
While searching for a gift for my Aunt Merle I found KeriMae who creates adorable felted animals and birds, crocheted items, jewelry, purses, and sock dolls.  Aunt Merle collects bird houses and birds, so I had plenty of great items to choose from in this shop.  Out of the many felted birds KeriMae offers I chose this pretty Blue Jay ornament.  He actually matches the polymer clay bird house that I made for her last year!
Bird Christmas Ornament-Blue Jay- Handmade-Needle felted-Decoration
I know she doesn't have anything like this either, and I enjoy giving unique gifts.
While shopping for the cousins' husbands I found Mountain Brook Store and Sandra Healy. Mountain Brook Store makes wooden silhouettes.  Rich enjoys deer hunting, so I think he'll like this deer silhouette.   I love the large variety of animal silhouettes offered from this shop, as well as all the other types of silhouettes they make.
Pair of Deer Decorative Wood Silhouette Great Gift
Sandra Healy is another artist who makes animals.  She creates small wild animal sculptures and magnets, hand carved and painted from her own original designs.  I just adore every critter in her shop!  She's got so many different animal sculptures and magnets to choose from.  everything from kangaroos, to snow leopards, to this cool Bald Eagle magnet I got for Jay.
Bald Eagle Magnet Carved Wood Relief Sculpture
It's got two strong magnets on the back and is beautifully detailed.  I think everyone will be very happy with their gifts this year!  And I have all these shops bookmarked, and will certainly return any time I need great handmade gifts.  Each of these artists was a pleasure to deal with, offered fast shipping and great communication.  Check out everything they have to offer!
Happy Holidays!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Win great prizes in the Polymer clay Smooshers scavenger hunt!

It seems like the holidays come around sooner every year!  I usually start making my Christmas gifts in October, and by this time I start buying any handcrafted gifts I want to give. Many people have started looking for Christmas gifts and the Polymer Clay Smooshers guild would like to give you a chance to win a wonderful handcrafted gift for yourself or someone you love. Nine prizes are up for grabs and you have several ways to win. Here's the first way to win one of these great prizes.
In the left column of the Polymer Clay Smooshers blog you will see "Smooshers' Shops". Search those shops and find this little guy...


image

The person who finds him in the most shops will win one of the prizes. Simply make a list of all of the shops you find him in. Email your list to PolymerClaySmooshers (@) gmail dot com
For a chance to win one of these beautiful prizes...

2010 Smooshers Holiday Scavenger Hunt Prizes


Prizes created by CDowdleDesigns, DesertWindDesigns, GingerBells, HaffinaCreations, LaurelSteven, MichiganMud and ValldawnsJewelryDesigns. All prizes will be chosen at random.
What fun!  Talk about making your holiday gift giving easy!  So start searching for that cute little guy, and don't forget to check out all the great handmade gifts all the Smooshers have to offer!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Monday, September 13, 2010

The Whimsical Fantasy World of CreativeCritters

These are a few of my fun fantasy creations, everything from polymer clay and plush dragons, World of Warcraft plush Taurens and Murlocs, trinket boxes, to miniature houses with lights, and more delightful handmade creations. If you've got a fantasy lover on your Christmas list, CreativeCritters is the place to shop!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Look what I got in the mail today!

One of my dear friends, also a wonderful polymer clay artist, Victor, of  WireRunsThroughIt on ArtFire.com sent me these two books because he thought I might get some use out of them.  Polymer Clay Extravaganza by Lisa Pavelka has 21 projects showing how to incorporate beads, foil, rubber stamping, and wire to create unique decorative effects (and you know I am all about UNIQUE).  This book has projects to create jewelry, picture frames, greeting cards, garden accessories, and much more.  Create a Polymer Clay Impression by Sarajane Helm has 20 different projects such as miniatures, jewelry, masks, home decor, and unique gifts.  I can see myself having a lot of fun with both these books.  I was so happy when the mail came today (this beats bills any day- LOL!).  Even Calcifer gave his approval by trying to eat the books, then trying to fit his fluffy butt in the padded mailer.  Now of course my head is full of new ideas and projects I want to try. I can't thank him enough for his thoughtfulness!  Victor really is a great guy and an absolutely amazing artist.  He inspires me all the time and his work just blows me away.  Check out some of the stuff in his shop.

Polymer Clay Pendant, Lapis, Nautical InspiredBarrette, Miniature Mask, Cameroon InspiredScatter Pin, Mayan, Hieroglyphs, InspiredBracelet, Cuff, African Inspired, Nubian QueenSingle Earring For Him, ShellNecklace/Earrings Set, Wire WrappedNecklace Avatar Inspired, Polymer Clay, Mokume GaneChandelier Earrings, Shell, Hoot Owl,What this man can do with clay and wire just blows my mind!  This stuff is not easy to create, and takes many hours of work and attention to detail.  This is definitely wearable art and will get you noticed!  I know I get tons of compliments every time I wear the barrette and earrings I got from Victor.  Check out his blog for some great tutorials- he's even willing to share his vast knowledge with anyone interested!  You can also follow WireRunsThroughIt on IndiePublic, Facebook, and Twitter.   Victor is a great guy and a very talented artist with a shop FULL of wonderful wearable art.
-Michelle of CreativeCritters