My entries in the Smooshers May Flowers Challenge

The theme for the next Polymer Clay Smooshers guild Challenge is May Flowers, and I was able to come up with two pretty awesome entries.  I had decided to make a floral trinket box first, since I've been having a lot of fun creating unique trinket boxes lately.  These trinket boxes are also a great way to recycle all the aluminum cat food cans that would otherwise be thrown away around here.  I start these by thoroughly cleaning and drying the cans, then I cover them with tacky glue.  Once the glue dries the clay sticks much better and I have fewer issues with air bubbles.  For this particular box I mixed a custom shade of purple from blue and purple Premo clay.  I use Premo just about exclusively now, and I always seem to mix my own custom colors, making each creation truly one of a kind. 
The next step in the creation of this piece was to stamp pretty designs into the clay.  I've fallen in love with flexible rubber stamps and polymer clay over the last year or so.  Then add a bit of Pearl Ex powder (in this case Sky Blue mixed with Reflex Violet) and you've got something magical!  Then I went on to create the pink flowers.
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They have textured petals (each shaped by hand), and are attached to a metal filigree finding.  I spent a lot of time digging through my bead stash to find the perfect beads for this box.  These are my last two ceramic bird beads, and also the last of my red glass butterfly beads.
 
All the beads are secured with wire and liquid polymer clay, so there are no worries about anything coming loose.  The lid is made from polymer clay with reinforcing wires baked into the clay.  The large flower was rubbed with blue and purple Pearl Ex powders for a gorgeous color variation. 
To finish the box I covered the bottom with felt and lined the inside with felt as well.  I'm really very happy with the way this turned out.  I may have to make one of these for myself to hold my favorite jewelry ;-)

My second entry is a necklace I call Mai's Flowers.  Christi Friesen's book on sculpting dragons helped inspire this one, as did the Irises blooming in the front yard.  Irises are some of my favorite flowers and I love sculpting them.  The first thing I did to create this piece was to sculpt the Iris beads. 
These took many hours and four separate bakes to complete.  Although they look very fragile, I used the green leaves behind the flower petals to add strength to the flowers.  Each petal was carefully sculpted and textured, then I dusted the center petals with blue Pearl Ex powder and the outer petals with purple Pearl Ex.  Each flower was sculpted individually, and just like in nature, each is unique.  Once the flowers were sculpted it was time to move on to Mai the dragon. 
Isn't she sweet holding her favorite flower?  I used glass beads to embellish her and add a bit of bling (if you're familiar with Christi Friesen, you're familiar with this technique).  She even has blue glass heart beads on her head, since she's such a loving little dragon ;-)  She's named after Mei from the movie My Neighbor Totoro (my favorite Myazaki movie of all time), who is also a sweet, fun loving little girl.
To make this necklace even more special I used blue, pink, and purple Swarovski crystals.  Nothing sparkles quite like Swarovski!


I absolutely adore this necklace, and I might just have to make one for myself!  I definitely see more Christi inspired dragons in my future- sculptures, jewelry, trinket boxes- there's no end to the possibilities!
Both of these items are available for sale in my shop.  Just click on any of the pictures to be directed to the listing.
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing another creative journey with me!

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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The Polymer Clay Smooshers Buds and Blossoms Challenge

The theme for the Polymer Clay Smooshers Challenge this time was Buds and Blossoms, which worked out really well for me.  I've been sculpting lots of new floral themed items, and coming up with ideas for this challenge was no problem!  My first entry was my miniature Flower Garden sculpture.
 
This incredibly detailed piece took quite a while to complete, and I did Work in Progress posts on my blog as I created it.  Every tiny little petal and leaf was cut out and individually shaped.  This garden is also a tribute to Gramma, who passed away last May.  It contains some of her favorite flowers, including roses, hydrangeas, daffodils, tulips, Irises, and hyacinths.
My second entry is a floral wall hanging incorporating vintage jewelry bits, metal charms, and beads along with the polymer clay.
 
I made pink polymer clay roses, flowers in shades of pink and blue, and leaves and vines surrounding the piece.  Three little hummingbirds and two purple butterflies (painted metal charms) are spaced evenly among the flowers.
Both these pieces were a lot of fun to make, and tested my skills and creativity as a sculptor.  The rest of the entries for this challenge are just beautiful!  This guild has so many very talented members!  Be sure to check out all the entries in the Buds and Blossoms Challenge, and while you're there, vote for the theme for our next challenge.  I voted for Sci Fi because I've got some new ideas I'd like to try out ;-)
Thanks for stopping by!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Happy Easter!

I just want to wish everyone a happy Easter and share some of my flowers with you!  All of my daffodils are bobbing their sunny yellow heads in the spring breezes now.  Really these are Gramma's daffodils and the bulbs are about 40 years old!  I divided them last year because they were so cramped in the bed behind the house and the bulbs I moved into the front beds bloomed this year.

Such beautiful flowers!  Once my daffodils start blooming I know it's really Spring- no matter what the temperature is!  And then there are my Hyacinths, one of my favorite flowers.  I love the way they smell.  I planted them on either side of the front steps so Gramma could smell them when she stood at the door.

 

And the bees like my Hyacinths too ;-)  And another early Spring bloomer is my Lungwort.  This plant is really cool.  I just got a small clump from my aunt's garden a few years ago and it's spread enough for me to divide it and put it in three other beds.  I love the soft fuzzy leaves with their silvery spots, and the flowers are beautiful shades ranging from pink to blue to purple.

And those are the first flowers to show their pretty faces in my garden.  I hope you enjoyed them as much as I do!  Have a happy Easter! =)

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Progress on my flower garden sculpture

If you read my first post you know I'm sculpting a flower garden in honor of Gramma, who passed away last May.  When I last posted I had sculpted the base, fence, roses, and hydrangeas in polymer clay.  The flowers I wanted to sculpt next were the Irises and daffodils.  Because I'm working on such a small scale I simply bent the end of the stem wires and dipped them in purple paint for the Iris centers and yellow paint for the daffodil centers.  I tried sculpting polymer clay centers around the wire, but they were just to big.  So I figured  the painted wire would work better.  After the paint dried I sculpted the first set of petals for the irises and the trumpets for the daffodils.

I'll be baking these flowers twice before adding them to the sculpture.  Baking them after adding each set of petals makes them much easier to work with.  After the outer petals have been added for all the flowers and baked I painted the edges of the daffodil trumpets orange and the centers of the Iris petals yellow.  You can see how I textured the petals to make them as realistic as possible.

The next step is to give them leaves and "plant" them in the garden..  You might notice there's a tiny bunny hiding between the Hydrangeas.  Gramma has always had bunny rabbits in her yard, so I thought it was only appropriate to add one in this little garden.  The bunnies have usually been pretty good about not eating our plants (the neighbor's poor tulips seem to be their preferred snack- LOL).

I'm trying to keep the flowers looking natural and of course I want the piece to look balanced.  The next flowers I want to add are Tulips and Hyacinths.  From there, I'm not sure what flowers I'll make.  I have quite a few to choose from, but some make be too difficult to sculpt, at least on this scale.  So far I'm very happy with the way this is turning out- it feels "right" and it's flowing well.  Plus studying all sorts of flowers online and in my yard is sure to put me in a good mood ;-)

Thanks for following yet another creative journey!  Stay tuned for the next installment!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

New Work in Progress- Polymer Clay Flower Garden

My newest polymer clay project is a flower garden sculpture, and I'm creating it in honor of my grandmother, who passed away last May.  Gramma always loved her flowers, and I took good care of them for her.  For her birthday I would always pick her a bouquet of daffodils and hyacinths, the first flowers to bloom in her yard each spring.  Each flower I'm sculpting has a special signifigance to Gramma.  This is the beginning of the sculpture.

I started by prebaking the white fence, which had wire running through it for added strength.  I set the baked fence into the clay of my base, then started adding rose vines and rose leaves.

Here you can see I've added most of the leaves on the rose vines and started on two Hydrangea bushes.  Every one of these leaves was cut out one by one and thinned and shaped by hand.  I know this is going to be a very time consuming piece.  This sculpture has a lot of meaning for me, and I plan to do the best job I can.

Now lots of pretty red roses have been added.  Each of these flowers is unique and was sculpted by hand.  Gramma has always had red roses growing in the back yard, and they would get absolutely full of blooms in early summer.  I'd pick her big bouquets of pretty red roses so she could enjoy them in the house.

Now I've started adding the blue Hydrangea flowers.  Gramma had a Hydrangea plant right next to the front door.  That was the one plant she was able to take care of herself, for the most part.  She used to take small buckets of water and make sure her Hydrangea always had plenty of water.  Of course once I moved in I made sure all the plants and flowers were well taken care of.  Gramma loved her plants, but she wasn't physically able to take care of them.  She had bad arthritis ever since I was a child.  It made her happy to know that her plants were being taken care of though.

I created the Hydrangea flowers by attaching lots of tiny blue flower shapes to balls of clay.  The effect is very realistic.  It really helps that I'm very familiar with all the flowers I'll be sculpting.  I see these plants on a daily basis, and enjoy taking care of them.  They're like family ;-)

And this is where I'm at right now.  The roses are finished, and the Hydrangeas have plenty of big beautiful blooms.  I think I'll add some daffodils and irises next.  With some of these flowers I'll have to figure out how to sculpt them as I go.  I've been spending a lot of time studying the flowers in the yard very closely to see what shapes they're composed of and how they're put together. 

Stay tuned to see how this piece progresses! =)

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Sharing a collection of Beautiful Handmade Flowers

I guess it was a good thing I enjoyed the nice weather while it was here, because it's cold and rainy today.  To cheer myself up I put together a collection of beautiful and colorful handmade flowers from some of the very talented artists on ArtFire.  I hope these brighten your day as well!

Flowers for Spring

   Curated By: CreativeCritt...

ArtFire.com

Fine Art Photography

Whatever your weather, have a wonderful day! =)
-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
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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

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. 
 
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.
 
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.
 
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

Another fun Alice in Wonderland inspired creation

My latest addition to CreativeCritters is this whimsical plush Doormouse in a teapot, measuring 7 inches tall and 8 inches wide. The hand sewn teapot was sewn from bright red felt and is decorated with yellow and orange felt flowers. The flowers, which have contrasting centers, are glued and sewn to the teapot. The whimsical Doormouse was sewn by hand from gray felt and has the lid of the teapot perched on his head as a hat. The mouse is securely sewn to the top of the teapot and both are firmly stuffed with polyester fiberfill. The base of the teapot is firm, so it sits level. This would be a great addition to any Alice in Wonderland collection!






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

Handmade floral themed creations

Spring flowers from CreativeCritters

The flowers in my garden are putting on a beautiful show now that the weather has warmed, so I thought I'd share some of the flowery creations from my studio on ArtFire.com. I have several pairs of earrings which feature flowers, and were sculpted by hand from polymer clay with glass, polymer clay, and acrylic beads for added interest.
My miniature house sculptures are all carefully sculpted by hand from polymer clay and are covered in tiny intricate flowers in a variety of colors and shapes. These miniature house sculptures are all one of a kind pieces, sculpted with great attention to detail.
Several of my fantasy polymer clay sculptures incorporate flowers as well. Fairies and flowers just belong together, in my opinion. And that's just a sample of some of the flowers growing in my shop. Now that it's spring, I'll be creating a lot more floral themed items, so be sure to check back often. Thanks for stopping by!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters