Polymer Clay Covered Jars from CreativeCritters

My latest adventures in polymer clay involved finding a creative way to recycle glass baby food jars.  And before anybody starts jumping to conclusions, no I do not have a new baby!  I do however, have a cat who needs to take a pill every day.  The vet prescribed L-Lysine tablets to help clear up Calcifer's clouded blind eye.  I crush the pills and mix them with a little baby food and Calcifer thinks he's getting some gourmet treat ;-)  I end up with one or two empty 2.5 ounce baby food jars each week though, and I can't stand the thought of just throwing them away.  So I got creative with polymer clay and started decorating the jars and turning them into fun little stash jars.  I got my fans on Facebook to help me out with ideas.  They suggested things like dragonflies, lizards, and sunflowers.  Here's the result of those suggestions.

 

 

 

The beads were a fun, sparkly addition to the polymer clay!  And I had a lot of fun with Pearl Ex powders as well.  This Fall Leaf jar was dusted with a mix of red, green, and gold Pearl Ex powders.  I just love the effect the powders give!

 

And I just loved creating these Halloween jars!  Of course they've got glow in the dark effects, which are practically mandatory for my Halloween items!  Naturally I just had to create a Jack O Lantern jar, complete with glow in the dark ghost and a black cat.

 

And this is what it looks like in the dark.

 

 Spooky, isn't it? ;-)  Then I made this Halloween jar complete with more ghosts, black cats, and a spider!

 

I included glow in the dark dimensional paint along with the glow in the dark ghosts for this one.

 

 Each of these little stash jars measures about 3 1/2 inches tall and would be perfect for storing beads or other small items.  And not only do they make handy little containers, they're pretty enough to put on display!  I'll continue to create these fun stash jars, since I'm sure I'll have plenty of baby food jars to recycle.  And if you have any ideas for different types of jars just leave me a comment- I'd love to hear from you!            -Michelle of CreativeCritters                  

HarmonArt- Delightful Handcrafted Gourds, Ceramic, and Jewelry

Wonderful creations can be found at HarmonArt on ArtFire.com, which offers some very beautiful ceramic pieces, jewelry, and absolutely amazing gourds.  Their biography reads: "HarmonArt is the work of husband/wife team, Brian and Emily Harmon.
Brian is an art teacher and enjoys creating art in his spare time from school. Brian has a BA in studio art education and an MA in studio art photography. Besides his earthenware works, Brian also creates and shows photographs, emulsion transfers, jewelry and drawings.
Emily grew up on a farm with a father who enjoyed growing a variety of gourds. As a result, her family was often left with an abundance of dried gourds with which nothing to do. That's when inspiration struck. Emily began painting gourds as a child and has since developed her own style fluently combining organic forms and geometric motifs. Currently, Emily grows and works on all sizes and shapes of gourds creating unique and beautiful works of art."

I really love all the work in this shop.  It's beautiful, unique, and really just amazing.  Their pieces are just perfect for Fall.  I love the rich colors, intricate designs, and glossy glazes.  If you like Fall, you really need to stop by this shop!  Some of their customers have said "Fabulous seller! The gourdaments are gorgeous! Thank you so much. It was a pleasure buying from you!", "Thank you, HarmonArt! I am a completely satisfied customer. Your creation, so stunning on my computer screen, is ever more enchanting and lovely in my life. I love it!", "My Golden Gourd arrived safe and sound so thank you for the care you took with packing it. It is just beautiful. I admire your studio and think your items are all outstanding. Thank you again for sharing your talents.", "I am so thrilled with these 2 pieces! Your ceramic basket with a handle AND your LEAVES!!!! You've made my day! Thank you so much for the gordament!! It too is lovely!", and "WOW! I opened the box and all I could say was WOW! You guys are super talented, and I am SO glad I finally got to buy from your shop. I WILL be back for more! Your art is exquisite!"  Obviously they know how to create high quality pieces that make people say "WOW!"  HarmonArt can also be found at http://harmonart.home.insightbb.com/..., and http://www.facebook.com/HarmonArt....

Below is only a very small sample of what can be found in this shop.  Stop by to see all they have to offer!

So many beautiful pieces!!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

 

 

 

Gorgeous Glass Beads from Deronda Designs on Artfire.com

Deronda lives in Fesenden ND and has been selling her wonderful glass beads on ArtFire since 11-13-09.  Deronda Designs offers a wide variety of fun, beautiful glass beads.  Deronda is a self taught glass artist who loves glass and all of the lampwork and fused pieces made in her studio are kiln annealed to relieve the stress in the glass.  She learned her art through the internet, other lampworkers, tutorials, and books.  She also likes to venture into other artistic mediums, anything from glass painting to metal, to egg art, and window jewelry.  She spends many happy hours in her studio playing with glass and fire.  One look in her studio is enough to see that it is time well spent.  You can read more about Deronda Designs on her blog at derondadesigns.blogspot, or visit her website at derondadesigns.com.  She's also on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and Indipublic.  I absolutely love her work.  Below are just a few of my favorites, but you really have to stop by her studio to see all she has to offer.

-Michelle of CreativeCritters