Knit Blue Kangaroo now available at CreativeCritters

Over the last few years I've knit several different blue kangaroos for a variety of customers, but haven't had one listed in my shop as a regular item.  Most customers learned about my blue kangaroos from my Gallery of past work.  The last knit kangaroo I created was headed all the way to Australia!  I developed my own knitting pattern for these kangaroos and have adapted it several times over as I found new ways to improve the design.  I just listed this cute kangaroo in CreativeCritters today.  I'm not sure how long she'll last- they seem to sell pretty quickly!

I used soft and silky Homespun yarn in Montana Sky Blue for the body and Waterfall for the belly.  I really love Homespun yarn because it's so soft and has such a nice texture when you knit with it.  Anyone who does a lot of knitting or crocheting knows that it's a real pleasure to work with a good quality yarn, and of course it creates a very soft and cuddly stuffed animal.

For this particular kangaroo I completely revamped my old pattern and got pretty creative as I knit.  This is one of the reasons most of the items in my shop are one of a kind creations- I always seem to end up changing how I make them, even if I start out following a pattern.  I guess it's just the artist in me- LOL. 

This particular kangaroo ended up with a lot of personality!  Sometimes these things just sort of seem to happen on their own.  I had a general idea of how I wanted her to look, but really didn't know how she would turn out until I had most of the parts sewn on.  And as always, the true personality really came out once I added her eyes, nose, and ears. 

I used gray fleece fabric for the nose, which is lightly stuffed and securely sewn on.  I used the same fleece behind the eyes, which are black plastic safety eyes, making this safe for children.  I stuffed the kangaroo softly with polyester fiberfill, with the goal of keeping her very soft and cuddly.  Adults and children will both love giving this cute stuffed animal a big hug!  I may be all grown up myself, but I still love to cuddle up with a soft stuffed animal.  I think there are some things we just never grow out of!
If you're interested in purchasing this blue kangaroo just click on any of the pictures to be taken to the listing in my shop.  And if you're looking for something in a different size or color combination, just email me at macreativecritters@gmail.com with your request.  I can also create a variety of other stuffed animals.  If fact, I'm currently working on a knit dragon right now (and this is definitely a challenging project!).
Thanks for sharing the creative cuteness once again!

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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Introducing custom pet sculptures from CreativeCritters

I'm now offering custom cat and dog sculptures made to resemble your pet at CreativeCritters.  You can also find smaller versions of these sculptures on Fiverr.  The custom made cats and dogs I'm offering on ArtFire are about 3 inches tall.  Each pet is individually sculpted by hand in Premo polymer clay without the use of molds, making them one of a kind creations.  I ask that customers send me several good clear pictures of their cat or dog, showing all sides and markings, along with a written description naming the breed (if known) and any distinctive characteristics or markings.  The better and more detailed the pictures and descriptions, the easier it is for me to re-create your pet in polymer clay.  For most animals I texture the fur before baking, then paint the markings and details in acrylic paint after the sculpture has cured.  I seal the sculpture with matte glaze to protect the paint.  Each sculpture takes about a week to complete and I'll email pictures of the finished sculpture before shipping it to you.  These sculptures also make wonderful gifts for friends and family, as well as being a great way to remember and honor pets who have passed on.  To view or purchase a custom cat sculpture just click on the picture below to be directed to the listing on ArtFire.
 
The listing also has pictures of several of the custom orders I've created for people in the past, so you can see examples of my work.
To purchase a custom dog sculpture or view examples of dogs I've sculpted for other customers just click on the picture below. 
 
If you're interested in having me sculpt any other type of animal for you, just contact me at artisticduo@sbcglobal.net.  I've been sculpting animals in polymer clay for many years now and I love working with customers to create sculptures they absolutely love.
Thanks for stopping by! ;-)

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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Custom Cat and Dog Sculptures Lead to Promotional Pups and Pussycats from CreativeCritters on Fiverr

I joined Fiverr a few months ago and have been getting quite a few orders for my custom miniature dog and cat sculptures.  I do my very best to give customers far more than five dollar's worth and each customer had been very happy with the results.  I sculpt a 2 inch tall likeness of their pet in polymer clay based on the pictures they send me.  Here are just a few of the pets I've sculpted over the last several weeks.  You can click on the pictures to go directly to the gig on Fiverr.

Creating these adorable pets actually led me to create another type of gig.  Someone saw my miniature dog sculptures and thought they would make wonderful thank you gifts to his customers and asked if I could sculpt them with his logo added somehow.  I did a bit of experimenting and ended up creating these Promotional Pups for him to send to his customers.  I was able to include his message along with his business logo on the sign.  I can put just about any logo, name, or short message on the sign.

And one of the great things about these being handmade is that each one is a little different.  I don't use any molds, so you're always going to get a one of a kind creation.  And of course if I offer Promotional Pups I have to offer Promotional Pussycats!

What a unique and memorable way to thank your customers for their loyalty!  These would be great for birthdays, anniversaries, or as a way to say Congratulations!  A unique handmade gift will always stand out and the recipient will  certainly feel special.  You can check out all the gigs I offer on Fivver at http://fiverr.com/creativecritter, and if you don't find just what you're looking for you can always send me a message.  There's a good chance I'll be able to create just what you need.
Thanks for stopping by!

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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A special necklace becomes a special Christmas gift

 A few weeks ago I made a new Christmas necklace from hand rolled polymer clay beads and some vintage beads and findings from Gramma's jewelry box.  I made the clay beads using leftover red and white clay from some candy cane pens (which can be found in my shop). The teardrop shaped pendant was also sculpted from this red and white mix.  I wanted something special for the center of the pendant so I dug through some of the vintage jewelry Gramma had given me before she passed away.  Gramma was pretty rough on her jewelry, so many of her earrings, necklaces, rings, and bracelets were broken.  Those broken bits and pieces still work for my purposes though.  I managed to find a broken earring with sparkling imitation diamonds that made the perfect centerpiece for the pendant.

The tiny green glass seed beads around the outside of the pendant are from Gramma's bead stash, as are the hollow silver beads, the green acrylic beads, and the white iridescent disc beads.  Before her arthritis got too bad Gramma enjoyed beading ornaments, among other crafty things. This pretty holiday necklace is a combination of my handmade beads and Gramma's vintage beads- there's a lot of love and a lot of history in this necklace. 
Over the holidays my best friend came for a visit, and as always, she checked out all the new things I had made since she last saw me.  She really liked this necklace, and when I told her about Gramma's contribution she liked it even more.  She decided it would make a very special gift for her mom, and to make it more special she decided to have her son give it to her for Christmas.  That way it would be from one Gramma to another.  I'm really glad this special necklace is going to become such a special Christmas gift!

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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Calorie Free Birthday Cake magnet

My mother-in-law's birthday is coming up, and once again we were on the phone joking about how Dad should bake her a birthday cake. This is an ongoing joke between us.  Dad does NOT bake- LOL!  I told her if we didn't live so far away I'd bake her a cake myself.  Then I thought that even though I couldn't make her a cake she could eat, I COULD make her one to put on the fridge.  So I sculpted this pretty Happy Birthday Mom Cake Magnet and mailed it off to her.  Not only is it pretty and calorie free, it's got 5 magnets on the back, so it's really strong.

And this polymer clay cake is a lot prettier than anything I could bake and decorate!  ;-)

-MIchelle of CreativeCritters

A treasure box guarded by dragons

I managed to finish the Dragon trinket box I've been creating for my best friend's son.  It's now ready to be shipped for his birthday.  This piece took MANY hours to complete (all those scales were cut out one by one and carefully attached to each dragon), but it was totally worth the effort.  After I finished sculpting Mother and Father dragon, I went to work on Baby Dragon.   His scales are blue and green, a combination of his mother and father, of course!  Each dragon is a unique individual though, with their own personality ;-)
I used blue glass beads for his eyes and rubbed silver Pearl Ex powder on his belly scales, wings, and claws.  The dragons are just hanging out with their friend the Dragon Kitty, and guarding all the treasures that might be in the box.

I stamped Morgan's name on the lid to make it even more personalized and special.

On the back I added a plaque with the word "treasure" stamped on it.  All of Morgan's extra special treasures will be well protected by this family of dragons!  I only wish I could be with him when he opened it up.  Unfortunately Monica and her family live out of state, and I don't get to see them nearly as often as I'd like.  Special gifts like these bring them a little closer though, and they'll always be able to look the gifts I've made them and think of me.  I hope all the love I put into this comes through every time Morgan looks at this special treasure box!  Thanks for coming along on another creative journey!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Christmas Dragons for Mother

I had a lot of fun creating Mother's Christmas gift this year.  I had been thinking about something with dragons for her for quite a while, but the entire thing didn't totally come to me until I was about halfway through sculpting.  My mother is pretty cool, you see.  She likes things like dragons, wizards, World of Warcraft, and all sorts of other fun stuff.  I love making gifts for her because we have so many of the same interests.  So much of who I am comes from my mother.  The creativity that runs through me, runs through her as well.  We often think along the same lines, so I was pretty sure she'd like this dragon candy dish.  There's a heavy dose of whimsy added to this piece! 

It took a while for the entire piece to come to together, but once I figured out what to use for a base (a metal plate with a lip which I painted)  the whole thing really started coming together.  At first I was just going to make one dragon, but once the red dragon was almost complete, I decided she needed some company.

The symbolism (Mother and Daughter dragons) came into play after I started making the smaller dragon.   While I was making and placing the dragons I was thinking of how I've always looked up to Mother, and how important she is in my life.  Of course I couldn't get too sappy, because that's just not the way Mother is- LOL!  And that's where the whimsy comes in.  Mother has a wonderfully warped sense of humor, and I knew she'd appreciate the large glow in the dark eyes and fangs.
These dragons were inspired by Dinko and Boris Tilov's dragons in Sculpting Mythical Creatures.  Of course I've been creating dragons with individual scales like these for quite a few years.  I do like their faces though- this was a different approach than usual.  And the wings are different than my usual dragon wings, but I really like this version.  I added glow in the dark plates along the wings just for fun.  Mother really liked it, and I can guarantee that it's a one of a kind piece.  I do plan on adding more dragons to CreativeCritters in 2011, and I'll be employing some of the new techniques I've learned.
I wish all my friends, family, fans, and supporters a Happy and Healthy New Year! :)

Christmas gifts I created for my family

My brother, sister in law, and nieces received their Christmas gifts, so now I can show you what I made! :)  The girls couldn't wait until Christmas to open the package, so they got some of their presents a little early.  For my sister in law, Ana, I made a pretty blue and red heart shaped trinket box.  It started with a metal filigree heart, which I painted with iridescent red paint.  I pressed blue polymer clay against the inside of the heart, allowing it to press through the filigree. I made a lid of polymer clay  and lined the bottom of the heart with felt.  I think it turned out quite nice!

I made a trinket box for my brother Mike as well.  I didn't really have a set plan when I started making Mike's gift.  I just let the clay guide me and  I ended up making a raised diamond pattern on the clay.  After baking the box I filled the diamond shapes with Gallery Glass in various colors to create a stained glass look.  For the lid I filled the diamond shapes with different colors of embossing powder before baking.  I even used some glow in the dark Gallery Glass for a fun effect when you turn out the lights.  My neices got a kick out of that!


  Several months ago my niece Jessica asked if I could make her a stuffed dog, so I knew exactly what she wanted for Christmas. I made a dog for her younger sister as well- I try to make sure the kid's gifts are somewhat similar, so there's no jealousy. When it comes to presents most kids are easy- ask them what they want, and generally they tell you!  Of course the same can't be said for brothers- LOL!  For Jessica I chose to make a more realistic dog using some very nice tan fur fabric I had left over from another project.  For Andrea, the younger sister, I chose to make a more whimsical stuffed dog.  I used super soft blue chenille recycled from a bathrobe and stuffed the dog with plastic pellets and polyester fiberfill.  I was very happy with the way both dogs turned out, and so were the girls.


The box of homemade Snickerdoodle cookies were well received too!  Jessica had a mouth full of them when she called to thank me for the gifts- LOL!  I love making gifts for people, especially my nieces.  When they see what I can create, they're inspired to be creative as well.  And if I can inspire a child to delve into arts and crafts and embrace their creativity, that's the best gift I could ever get!
I hope everyone has a very Happy Holiday and Santa leaves plenty of presents for one and all! :)
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Busy creating!

Like many others, this is a very busy time of year for me.  Not only do I need to make sure I've got plenty of inventory in CreativeCritters, and step up the promoting and networking, but I also have to finish my gifts for family and friends in time to be shipped.  Of course I have one brother in California, and another brother and my mother in Arizona (all the way across the country from me).  So I've probably got less than a week to finish their gifts and get them shipped if I want them to get there by Christmas.  I've finished gifts for my brother and his wife, and am hurrying to finish gifts for my two nieces.  I THINK I can get everything done in time.  I'll probably send some homemade cookies and candy as well.  As for my mother and youngest brother... hopefully they'll forgive me if their packages come a little late.  I've started working on Mother's gift, but it's a big project ( I wanted to make her something really cool).  Rather than rushing and creating something that isn't my best, I'd prefer to make this the best gift I can, even if it does show up a little late.  And for my youngest brother?  I'm still not sure!  I have some ideas though, and I know I'll come up with something really good (although a few ideas from the man himself wouldn't hurt- LOL).
I have other gifts to create as well, but I don't have to ship those, so I have a bit longer to get them done.  And of course everyone who has cats will get catnip toys and extra catnip- can't forget the kitties!
I'm still working on my custom order Tauren as well.  I guess it's a good thing I like to keep busy- LOL! 
I hope everyone is enjoying the season and not stressing out TOO much.  Don't forget to slow down, if just for a minute, and reflect on all things that make the holidays wonderful.
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Got the wallets I ordered on ArtFire :)

Since I just won't have the time to make ALL my Christmas gifts this year, I'll be buying about half of my gifts and making the rest.  Every gift will be crafted by hand and bought from individual artists.  I recently ordered two wallets from http://nicaeli.artfire.com and received them today.  I'm amazed at the quality and detail in these gorgeous leather wallets!  This beautiful black and red lady's wallet is a gift for my aunt.
I love the embossed design on the red leather, and the lining is just as pretty.  I know she'll love it, and I KNOW she doesn't have anything else like it.  For my uncle, who likes the outdoors and hunting, I chose  this camouflage billfold made from recycle leather.  It looks very woodsy, and the lining is so cool! 

This artist really pays attention to every little detail.  You just don't find stuff like this, of this quality, at place like Walmart. I may not be making each gift I give this year, but I will be giving lovely, high quality handcrafted items.  Another nice thing about the products in this shop is that they're very reasonably priced.  Make Your family and friends ooh and ahh this Christmas by giving handmade gifts crafted with care and creativity.
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Hurry in for great deals for Cyber Monday on ArtFire

Check out some of the great deals being offered for Cyber Monday on ArtFire.  Find unique handmade gifts for the holidays at great prices!

Cyber Monday Deals on handmade gifts for...

   Curated By: CreativeCritt...

ArtFire.com

Craft Tutorials

For more great deals browse the entire Cyber Monday Trend Page.  Thanks for shopping handmade on ArtFire!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Handmade Christmas Gifts from the Polymer Clay Smooshers

Here's a wonderful selection of items from the Polymer Clay Smooshers!  Any of these pieces would make a great Christmas gift.  Make your gifts more meaningful and shop handmade this holiday season!

Handmade Christmas Gifts from the Polyme...

   Curated By: CreativeCritt...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Soap

-Michelle of CreativeCritters