Celebrate your pet with Personalized Pet Jars from CreativeCritters

 
Although I've been creating custom pet sculptures for years now it took a suggestion from my boyfriend to make me think beyond just a figurine and make the leap to personalized pet jars.  Above is a picture of my own Ginko kitty with the pet jar I made featuring him.  He was very helpful and more than willing to pose for me during the sculpting process ;)
I can sculpt any type of animal you have (cat, dog, bird, skunk, ferret, fish, etc.) once you send me several good pictures of your pet.  The animal is sculpted by hand from Premo polymer clay without the use of any molds and each is a unique, one of a kind creation.  I pay close attention to all the little details that make your pet special.
 
I carefully texture the fur and after the animal is cured I paint the details of their coat with acrylic paint.  I attach the sculpture very securely to a metal mason jar lid and further personalize the glass jar by covering it with polymer clay and adding a plaque with your pet's name stamped into it.
 
I can also stamp paw prints and other decorations into the clay.  For Ginko's jar I used a cavorting cat stamp framed by swirls and stars since that just matched his personality.
 
I used a half pint mason jar with a wide mouth lid for this pet jar, but I can use any size mason jar you like.  This cat sculpture measures four inches tall and the overall height of the entire piece is 6 1/4" tall.  These jars make great storage for pet treats, office or art supplies, or snacks.  The jars can be hand washed and are food safe.  These can also be used as memorial urns for pets that have passed on.  You can use them to keep your pet's ashes, a tuft of fur, their tags or collar, or anything else you want to remember them by.
Our pets are special, and if you're like me you consider them part of your family.  I think this is a wonderful way to celebrate those special animals in your life.  And what cat or dog doesn't want a treat jar that's completely personalized? ;)
You can click on any of the pictures above to be directed to the custom order listing in my shop.  If you have any questions you can contact me at macreativecritters@gmail.com. 
I truly am passionate about pets, and I understand the connection people have with their cats, dogs, ferrets, and other furry friends.  These jars would make a unique and special gift as well. :-)

~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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Find Stocking Stuffers under $10.00 from CreativeCritters

With many people thinking ahead to the upcoming holiday season, I thought I would showcase some of my items that would make great stocking stuffers at Christmas.  All of these items are US $10.00 or less.
  You can find a variety of affordable earrings made from polymer clay and different beads and findings.

I also offer fun magnets and pretty pins that are sure to make you smile!

You can even find cute miniature sculptures for under US $10.00!

And I didn't forget out Kitty either!  I have a large selection of catnip toys, along with bags of my dried organic catnip.

Just click on the pictures to go directly to the listing.  I'm adding new pieces often, and I'm more than willing to create special orders, so be sure to check back regularly!  Shop Handmade for the Holidays and get gifts that will be treasured for years to come! Thanks for stopping by!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

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Animals inspire the artwork of CreativeCritters

A quick browse through my studio will be enough to tell you that I love animals.  My Maine Coone, Calcifer was kind enough to pose as my avatar.  And although they've both passed away, my cats Ozzy and Cedric inspired many of my creations and were the original testers of my catnip toys.  Calcifer has since taken up the role as Catnip Product Tester. The picture above shows my fluffy kitty after a hard day of work ;)  I've had pets ever since I was a young child, and simply can't imagine life without animals. I've shared my heart and my home with everything from dogs and cats to ferrets, turtles, bunnies, and more.
  It wasn't until I got Katherine Dewey's "Creating Lifelike Animals in Polymer Clay" that I felt I could sculpt a truly realistic animal though. You'll find many animal sculptures in my studio that were created with guidance from that book.

  I now am confident enough with my skills to sculpt many different types of animals, and have created several custom pet sculptures for customers.  The sculpture below is Rudy, a Collie/ Irish Wolfhound mix.  This sculpture became an integral part of Rudy's memorial.

  I also enjoy creating whimsical and fantasy animals- I have several dragon sculptures, a unicorn, a griffin, and more available.

  Animals have also found their way into my jewelry.  I offer several one of a kind dragon necklaces and bunny rabbits and cats can be found in jewelry sets, earrings, and necklaces.

And then there are stuffed animals, which I never really grew out of.  Once I learned how to sew and follow a pattern I made all sorts of stuffed animals, some to keep for myself and some to give as gifts.  I love being able to make my own teddy bears and share their cuddliness with my customers!

  When I (finally) figured out how to knit, and consequently found some books on knitting stuffed toys, I found a new avenue for my creativity.  I'm now able to create my own sewing and knitting patterns, making many of my stuffed animals one of a kind original creations. 
 

And I'm always adding more, so be sure to check back often!  Thanks for looking!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

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Save 40% in CreativeCritters Stimulus Sale!

Thanks to a well timed email from CCTexan3, I recently learned that many shops on ArtFire.com are having a Stimulus Sale this month.  Click on this thread to read all the details and view many of the shops participating in this promotion.  Like many other artists here, I have some items that have been in my shop for a while, and could stand a bit of extra promotion.   This was good incentive to do a bit of sprucing up throughout my shop as well.  I created my ArtFire Stimulus Sale category for those items in my shop that need a little extra love.  You can find jewelry, dolls, sculptures, and even miniature houses for sale.  Customers will receive 40% off (my deepest discount yet) everything in my ArtFire Stimulus Sale category when they use coupon code STIMULUS at checkout.  My sale runs the entire month of August, and I may continue to add new items to my Stimulus category throughout the month.  To find shops offering sales and discounts for this promotion search AFSS (ArtFire Stimulus Sale).  And if you're an ArtFire artist who would like to get in on this promotion, check out the ArtFire Stimulus Sale thread in the forums.  You can see who's participating and get ideas on how to set up and promote this sale.  Below are some of the items I have for sale right now.  These are all one of a kind items, and at these prices they should go fast!

This 17 inch tall cloth doll was US $35.95- with your coupon code she's only US $21.57!


This adorable polymer clay Witch sculpture was US $17.95- with coupon only US $10.77!


These unique polymer clay earrings were US $12.95- with coupon only US $7.77!


You can't beat these prices for handmade, one of a kind dolls, sculptures, jewelry, and more!  Thanks for shopping handmade at CreativeCritters, and be sure to check out all the shops participating in this sale!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

ColtPixy creates in polymer clay on ArtFire.com

Featuring Polymer Clay Smooshers Guild Master ColtPixy!

ColtPixy, on ArtFire.com, is one of my favorite polymer clay artists, as well as the guild master of our Polymer Clay Smooshers guild. She's studied arts and crafts all her life. She loves all artistic mediums and for many years did nothing but paint. Her favorite mediums were acrylics and watercolor and she's also spent some time working with quill pens and ink.
Her husband introduced her to stained glass, and while she loved working with glass she hated wasting anything so she started making mosaics to use up the scrap glass.
She enjoys the freedom of using different mediums and the ability to explore, learn and express herself more freely through her art.
Preferring things that are one of a kind, ColtPixy tries to make things that are unique. When she does reproduce something she incorporates subtle differences so that they are not exactly alike.
Right now her focus is mainly on polymer clay. Personally, I couldn't ask for a better guild master. Not only is she a wonderful artist, she's a good person. Some of her very satisfied customers have said, "There are no words for how much I like these bitchy peas. They make me laugh and that is worth millions to me at the moment. Thank you for sharing that talent with me.", "All around perfect and I love both the dragon and the peas. One made me smile, the other ones made me laugh out loud!! Thank you so much!", and "Seller was prompt with contact and keeping me informed throughout the order process. Order arrived promptly and in excellent condition. Order was packaged appropriately and looked lovely. I look forward to using ColtPixy in the future." And that's only a sample of the praise she's received. You can find ColtPixy online at coltpixy.com, Flickr, DeviantArt, and Twitter Below are a few items from her shop. Be sure to stop by and see all she has to offer!

What a wonderfully talented artist!
-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

OOAK lighted glow in the dark pixie oak tree house sculpture

Entry for the Polymer Clay Smooshers Guild Tree Challenge

My Polymer Clay Smooshers Guild on ArtFire has inspired me to create yet another challenging sculpture.  The theme for this particular challenge was "Trees",  which meshed quite nicely with previous ideas I'd had for a lighted tree house.  I've created a few lighted miniature houses, which are available  in my studio, and all of them are quite detailed.  These are the kind of sculptures I can really get lost in as I'm creating them.  These lighted houses are also a good way to recycle glass jars and bottles.  For the Oak tree, I wrapped clay around a glass bottle to make the trunk of the tree, then cut out windows with my oak leaf shaped clay cutter.  I used a battery powered pumpkin light, which looks very pretty shining through the windows.  The oak leaves are various shades of green, and they took a long time to cut and place.  I just love the effect of all those individual leaves though.  About halfway through the sculpting process I came up with the idea of adding the pixies, and sculpting them from glow in the dark clay.  This tree is their home, and they like to frolick in the branches, and take care of the mushrooms and flowers around their home.  The entire sculpture is 9 inches tall and 5 inches wide, with the tiny pixies measuring a petite 1 1/2 inches tall.  This one of a kind fantasy sculpture was a lot of fun to create, and I thank the Smooshers for sparking my creativity yet again.



This is what it looks like in the dark, with the light in the tree turned on.  The pixies glow quite brightly, and add a truly magical touch.  Thanks for checking out my creative adventures in polymer clay!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

My work was featured in Polymer Cafe magazine!

My Pumpkin House was featured in Polymer Cafe magazine!

I always love getting my Polymer Cafe magazine in the mail, but enjoy it even more when one of the items I submit gets featured.  My Lighted Glow in the Dark Pumpkin House sculpture was featured in their Reader's Gallery of the April 2010 issue!  I sent a few pictures of my sculpture to the magazine for their consideration several months ago, then forgot about it as life got busy once again.  I originally got the idea for the pumpkin house sculpture after reading a tutorial in the magazine titled "The Patch Keeper's Cottage".  I started with their basic instructions, then quickly went off in my own direction and turned it into my own creation.  This is the first lighted house I ever attempted, and I really like the effect.  It looks so pretty when the light is plugged in.  I also added a lot of glow in the dark elements, such as the tall flowers flanking the front door, the swirls in the snails shell, the fairy's wings, the caterpillar's stripes, and some of the flowers on either side of the walkway.  The effect in the dark is just enchanting!
The base measures 8" long and 7" wide. The pumpkin house measures 4" tall. To create the house I covered a crackle glass votive with polymer clay, adding windows with frames, a stem, leaves, and vines. The light is a UL listed pumpkin light with a 2 foot cord.
Being featured in Polymer Cafe magazine is very gratifying, since some truly amazing artists show their work in this publication.  I'm in awe of some of the work I see published in this magazine.  And each issue is chock full of fun and challenging new projects to try.  Just look what I was inspired to create!





Thanks so much for stopping by to see my creations!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters