Handmade Cats from CreativeCritters

Recently I got Christi Friesen's book on sculpting Cats Big and Small in polymer clay and I've been inspired to sculpt several new kitty creations.  I started with these cute orange and white cat earrings. They have surgical steel posts and are lightweight and comfortable to wear.   I love cats, and I know I'm not the only one!  I plan on making more cat earrings in different colors and breeds in the near future.

I've also been making polymer clay covered pens topped with cat head sculptures.  I currently have  two listed right now, and I'll be listing more of these as well.

Not only are these pens cute, but they're comfortable to write with as well.  I make sure they're well balanced and not too top heavy as I'm sculpting them.  They also have replaceable ink cartridges, so they can be used for years.  You can find all sorts of cat items in my shop- everything from sculptures, to jewelry, to stuffed animals.

I have so much fun creating cats, and sharing them with other cat lovers like myself!  Stop in to CreativeCritters to see all my new creations!

-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

Handmade Bunnies of all types from CreativeCritters

Easter's on it's way, and I've been inspired to create all sorts of bunny rabbits lately.    This knit stuffed bunny was created using my own original pattern.  I had some variegated pink and purple yarn that seemed just perfect for creating a cuddly Easter Bunny.  This cute and cuddly stuffed animal is 18 inches tall and has no small parts, making him safe for children.

Then I have this whimsical Easter Bunny with his basket of colorful eggs.  This piece was sculpted by hand from polymer clay and would make a fun Easter decoration.  This sculpture is 3 inches tall and 4 inches long.  This one's cute enough to leave out all year long!

And I even have jewelry with Easter Bunnies.  This pretty blue necklace and earring set features polymer clay rabbits and glass butterfly beads, along with blue and white marbled glass beads.  The earrings feature bunnies in two different poses and have surgical steel posts.  The necklace is 19 inches long and is perfect for Spring and Easter.

And those are just a few of the bunnies hopping around CreativeCritters right now.  Stop by and see what other critters I've added to my shop!  Thanks for visiting! =)

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Spring means flowers, in the garden and in my jewelry and sculptures

I've been planting flowers ever since I was a little girl, and sculpting them nearly as long.  When I was little I would help Grampa plant annual flowers for Gramma each spring.  She always had Marigolds, Irises, Lily of the Valley, Roses, Tulips, and many others.  Flowers and Gramma have always gone together in my mind.  While she never grew Orchids, she did love them.  Whenever she had to stay in the hospital they would give her an Orchid with Sunday breakfast.  I always loved that they did that, because that pretty little flower brightened her whole day.  She always made sure to show me her Orchid, then had me take it home so I could enjoy it too.  It wasn't until these earrings were actually complete that I realized I was sculpting one of Gramma's hospital Orchids.
 
And then there are Gramma's roses.  These roses have survived drought, neglect, and being dug up by the plumbers.  I couldn't believe it when I saw the plant pushing through the hard clay soil last week.  Like Gramma, these flowers are survivors!  After all the plumbing work was done a few years ago I found a little sprout and transplanted it to a better location.  Gramma was so happy to hear that at least one plant had been spared and might have a chance to grow again.  But when I saw that rose coming up in the area that had been destroyed (not the piece I transplanted, but the original rose plant), it brought tears to my eyes.  Gramma's been gone for almost a year now, and that rose just reminded me of how strong she had been for 93 years.  I feel Gramma's spirit in those flowers, which is just one of the reasons I tend them so lovingly.  This sculpture was inspired by Gramma's roses, as well as the yellow roses I had in my own garden. 
With Spring coming I've been thinking more and more of Gramma, and missing her very much.  She always loved Spring, and for her birthday in April I would always pick her a bouquet of Daffodils and Tulips, some of the first flowers to bloom in her yard.  She'd have me put the vase right where she could see it while she sat in her chair, and sometimes those flowers lasted so much longer than they should have.  Maybe they knew how happy they made Gramma.  While I was living with her I always showed her my sculptures after they were done.  She really liked this one
. 
Her only complaint about Tulips was that they didn't last long enough.  She said with this sculpture they'd never drop their petals ;-)  I still miss her every day, but little reminders of her are sprouting all over as the days grow warmer.  And she'll continue to inspire my work, just as she's done since I was little.  Thanks for sharing some very special memories of Gramma with me.
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Find unique handmade Valentine's Day gifts at CreativeCritters

At CreativeCritters you can find a wide variety of gifts for Valentine's Day.  Each item is made by hand and many pieces are one of a kind.  You will find beautifully detailed sculptures, soft and cuddly teddy bears, pretty trinket boxes, and so much more!

Be sure to stop in and see everything available from CreativeCritters on ArtFire.com!
Thanks for stopping by!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Pale Moon Creations

Pale Moon Creations on ArtFire.com creates handmade jewelry for everyday wear and offers free shipping to U.S customers.  She offers watches, altered art, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and bookmarks.  You can also find her online at palemooncreations.com, Facebook, Twitter, and IndiePublic.  Below are a few of my favorite pieces from her shop.  She got a lot to choose from, so be sure to browse around a bit and find your own favorites!
   
And all of these beautiful creations are on sale too!  So hurry in and get in on the sale prices!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Autumn Inspired Handmade Items from CreativeCritters

These items were all inspired by Autumn, which is one of my favorite seasons. As the weather cools, my creativity seems to heat up.  I've been adding new Fall items regularly.

Autumn Inspirations from CreativeCritters

   Curated By: CreativeCritt...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Soap

Thanks for stopping by to check out my creations!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Beautiful Creations from LisianBlue

 Kris of  LisianBlue, on ArtFire.com creates absolutely gorgeous hand painted Christmas ornaments, stained glass, pendants, earrings, glassware, and wind chimes.  You'll find a lot of items inspired by her love of birds, animals, plants and flowers.  She says: "My Grandmother taught me how to crochet and knit when I was about 8, and to never stop learning. My mother taught me a love of nature, along with the joy of making presents for our loved ones. My dad taught me to do whatever I do, to do it well. We made a lot of candles, painted many a card, decorated soaps, sewed a variety of items, each item was made for a specific person in mind.

Creating has always been my strongest ability. I made boats during our monsoons to float down the street, my 1st skateboard from my old roller skates, little chairs and tables for my dolls, and thankfully my dad allowed me to use the tools as long as I put them away!
So, I keep learning new things, I still love making things for those I love, and I keep working at whatever I do, until I can do it well, maybe not always perfect."
You can also find LisianBlue online at www.lisianblue.com, lisianblue.blogspot.com, Flickr, and Twitter. Below is just a sample of the beautiful items you can find in her shop.  Be sure to stop in and see all she has to offer!

Her work is just so pretty!  I love the natures themes and colors she uses too!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Featuring HaffinaCreations- amazing jewelry in polymer clay and more

Today I'm featuring HaffinaCreations, another fellow Polymer Clay Smoosher guild member, and a truly amazing artist.  I've been a fan of her work ever since I joined ArtFire, and she continues to amaze me with the beauty and complexity of her jewelry.  Plus she likes purple as much as I do, so I can find plenty of items in the perfect color combination.  This very busy lady says "I'm a busy mum of 5 with a love of jewellery and creating... and now I'm offering it for others to enjoy. I live in Australia.  I gain inspiration from everything at different times. I have very eclectic tastes and this will be apparent in the variation of items available in this studio.  Sometimes my family get involved too, especially my mum, she knits amazingly quickly.  Recently three of my sons, 13 year old twins and a 10 year old, decided to help out. So I have given them their own pages, everything on those pages is made by them, with minimal help from me.  I am the Guildmaster for the ArtFire Chainmaille Guild, a member of the Polymer Clay Smooshers Guild, The ArtFire Cafemom Team, Australians on Fire Guild and the We Love ArtFire Guild and a columnist for the Craft Techniques Department of handmadenews.org.  I am an Administrator on an online forum - Alundra's Conundrum, Moderator on the Handmade Artists Forum and a member of BeadingForum dot com dot au.

I love what I do, even though I am very busy. I am happy to receive custom orders, so if you see something you like, but you want it a different colour or slightly different style then contact me and we can work together to make you something unique that you will cherish. Please note that my items are One Of A Kind, and whilst I can make similar articles, I don't make exact copies. I am also more than happy to trade."  Wow, did I say busy?  And she still finds time to create these wonderful pieces!  You can also find Haffina online at www.haffinacreations.com, blogspot, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, IndiePublic, and her WordPress blog.

Featuring the amazing work of Polymer Cl...

   Curated By: CreativeCritt...

ArtFire.com

Fine Art Paintings

  I don't know about you, but I want them all!

 

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

The Space Challenge for the Polymer Clay Smooshers Guild

The Polymer Clay Smooshers Guild on ArtFire is having a Space themed Challenge! I just love doing these challenges- I tend to try new things I may not have thought of otherwise.   The first two things to come to my mind when I think of Space are aliens and stars.  I've been making trinket boxes lately and  wanted to incorporate them into the Space theme in some way. Of course I had to make something using glow in the dark clay!  I decided to try my hand at sculpting a space ship with an alien for the lid.  I recycled an empty steel mushroom can by shaping polymer clay around it in the form of the spaceship. It measures 6 inches tall (to the top of the alien) and 7 inches wide at the widest point. I used a combination of regular blue clay and glow in the dark clay to decorate the flying saucer. The lid of the trinket box features an alien sculpted from glow in the dark clay. He has pebbly skin and large black eyes. You can tell he's friendly because of the smile.
And this is what it looks like glowing in the dark.


For my second entry I decided to make a pair of glow in the dark Moon, Earth, and Stars Celestial earrings.

For the moon and stars I used glow in the dark clay. For the Earth beads in the center I swirled shades of blue and green clay together. I stamped the center of the stars with a sun stamp, and after baking I painted the moon and stars with glow in the dark paint before sealing with high gloss glaze. This causes them to glow even more brightly in the dark. These earrings have silver posts and measure 3 inches long. Fire polished blue green glass beads hang between the moon and stars for added sparkle. Day or night, these Celestial earrings are beautiful!  And here's what they look like in the dark.

There are lots of great entries in the Space Challenge, and you can check them all out at The Polymer Clay Smooshers Guild blog.  And while you're there you can vote for our next Challenge theme.  Thanks for stopping by!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters