Amy Lilley creates adorable stuffed animals, jewelry, and accessories

Amy Lilley on ArtFire.com creates handmade OOAK miniature bears and animals, jewelry, accessories and more.  Her biography reads "My name is Amy Lilley and I can honestly say that I adore making all of the little creations that you will find in my shop. Creating them is always a fun and exciting experience that leaves me reminiscent of my childhood. It was here that my love for these creations began.
It was my mother who first introduced me to the jointed (artist's) bear. She owned a little lion (Leo) and a bear (Bruno), whom she had acquired during her childhood. They were both charmingly tatty and fragile. I looked on them with envy as I knew they were one childhood posession that my mother would not relinquish to my pleading. I settled for having them visit my bedside every time that I was unwell or scared at night: they both had excellent bedside manner. Failing to inherit Leo and Bruno as I grew older, I sought after a little jointed companion of my own. They were annoyingly hard to come by! The completion of this search was anticipated on every beachside-holiday (as a result of my mother explaining that the 'quirky' shops by the seafront may sell them). I did make several purchases, but none were quite the same as the little lion and bear whom I loved. It was not until I discovered Etsy (at the age of 21), that I realised that these creatures were available to 'adopt'! They were called 'Artist's Bears,' and were handmade, OOAK (one of a kind) creations (most of which had little moveable joints-the feature I loved best about Leo and Bruno). I rang my mum and asked her to buy me a little jointed elephant from one Etsy shop as a Christmas gift. I was delighted that I could finally have a little jointed companion of my own! I began researching 'Teddy Bear art,' and started to make my own little bears and animals. I have always loved making things and I had loved these critters for so long that it seemed the perfect art-form for me to pursue. I have done so ever since."

Below are just a few of the wonderful creations that can be found in Amy's shop.

 

You can follow Amy's blog at www.teacupsandteddies.blogspot.com/.  And be sure to check out the rest of her wonderful creations at AmyLilley on ArtFire.com!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Spring Beauties from the Polymer Clay Smooshers

When I think of Spring I think of flowers blooming, little critters being born, insects coming out of hiberbation, and the whole world waking up from a long winter of cold dreary weather.  I just love this unique pendant from ArtmakersWorlds.  Once I see the first bee of the season I know Spring is really here!

And this sculpture from Claycatshop pretty much says it all!  This is how I feel when I stand in the warm spring sunshine and feel the fresh breeze blowing through my hair.  A picture is worth a thousand words, but a sculpture is worth at million! ;-)

And this pendant from DanasJewelryEtc reminds me of the noisy black birds that start chattering in the trees as soon as the weather starts to warm up.  I know the bird in this pendant is actually a parrot, but the first thing that came to mind when I saw it was the black birds in my yard ;-)

And this is only a tiny sample of the wonderful items from the Polymer Clay Smooshers guild that make me think of Spring.  Be sure to stop by these shops and check out everything they have to offer!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

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

Sky Girl Cards- handcrafted cards, stamps, and scrapbook supplies

Deborah, of Sky Girl Cards on ArtFire.com offers a wide variety of handmade cards for all occasions.  She's been creating with paper for over 20 years and loves using diecuts as her primary focus.  You can follow her blog at cricutprojectoftheday.blogspot.com or follow her on Twitter. Below is just a sample of some of the adorable cards and fun stamps and scrapbooking supplies that can be found in her shop.  Be sure to stop in and see all she has to offer!

And there's plenty more where these came from!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Low Calorie Raspberry Mousse Almond Crumb Cake Recipe

I got this recipe from fitnessmagazine.com and it's so good I just had to share!  And the fact that it's low calorie makes it even better!

 

Fresh Raspberry Mousse Almond Crumb Cake

Ingredients

• 1  cup  unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/3  cup  sugar
• 1/8  teaspoon  sea salt
• 5  tablespoons  unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces
• 1/2  cup  low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 1/4  teaspoon  pure vanilla extract
• 1/2  teaspoon  almond extract
• 1  large  egg
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  baking soda
• 4  ounces  light cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3  cup  raspberry jam or preserves (preferably seedless)
• 3/4  cup  fresh raspberries (optional)
• 3  tablespoons  sliced almonds

• Directions

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or potato masher until crumbly. Reserve 1/2 cup for later use.

  Add yogurt, vanilla and almond extracts, egg, baking powder, and baking soda to mixture. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until blended. Pour into 8-inch-round nonstick baking pan.

  In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and jam; beat at low speed until blended. Spread evenly over batter. Top with reserved flour mixture, sprinkling of raspberries (optional) and almonds.

  Bake for 45 minutes, or until edges are browned and center is nearly set. Cool on a rack. Refrigerate 3 hours, or until well chilled. Cut into 8 wedges.

  Enjoy! =)

  -Michelle of CreativeCritters

Video Tutorial on How To Sculpt Roses in Polymer Clay

This three part video series will show you how to sculpt detailed realistic roses from polymer clay.  You can subscribe to CreativeCritters on YouTube to keep up with all my latest tutorials.

And when I finished these roses I created this pretty necklace and earring set.  I had Mother's Day in mind when I started sculpting these roses.  I knew I wanted to create pretty and feminine jewelry, and I really love the pastel pink mixed with the white beads.
 
Of course you can do anything you like with your roses, and if you want them to have stems just use floral wire instead of the toothpick.  Bend a small loop at the end of the wire, coat it with Tacky glue, and form the rose bud around that.  Happy crafting! =)
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Signs of Elegance- where words become Art

Signs of Elegance on ArtFire.com creates handcrafted signs that will add elegance to any room in your home or business. Created with words and phrases around a theme, these signs are sure to touch your heart.  You can choose one of the many signs in their shop, or create your own. Signs of Elegance  will customize and personalize any sign using words and phrases that are meaningful to you.
She says "Each sign is painted on pine board (no vinyl lettering) and finished with a sawtooth hanger~~ready to display in your home. We usually do not 'distress' our signs to make them appear older/vintage (but will do that upon request)...and we do not try to correct natural wood markings, knots etc. as we feel this adds to the character of our signs."  You can find Signs of Elegance online on Facebook and Twitter, as well as her ArtFire shop.  Below is a sample of what you can find in her shop, and don't forget, she does cusotm orders too!

These signs just make me smile! :-)  Be sure to check out all she has to offer!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters