The Phoenix Arises From the Ashes

The Phoenix is described as a bird with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet (or purple, blue, and green according to some legends). It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again. The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self. In some stories, the new phoenix embalms the ashes of its old self in an egg made of myrrh and deposits it in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis (literally "sun-city" in Greek). It is said that the bird's cry is that of a beautiful song.

So what does that have to do with me?  In many ways I'm like that Phoenix.  My old life has been burned away and a brand new Me has arisen from the ashes.   In my old life I had an emotionally abusive husband who kept me isolated and depressed and stifled the person that I truly was.  I knew there was someone much brighter, stronger, and supremely joyful hidden within me, but she was never allowed to come out before.  Since I left my husband and moved across the country that person has been able to blossom.  I wake up happy every day.  I laugh often and loudly, without fear of judgement.  I share my joy with those around me and know they won't demean me for it, or try to take that joy away.  I finally feel as though I'm truly alive.  I've found my path and am following my Light, and life has never been better.  In the past my husband was always coming up with excuses not to do things reasons to avoid experiencing  life (so of course I couldn't do these things either).  Now when someone invites me to try something new I say "Sure, why not?"  And that attitude has lead me to some wonderful discoveries.  I love camping and hiking in the mountains- both brand new experiences for me.  I've even developed a taste for spicy food, which I never really tried before because my husband didn't like it.  Life is full of opportunities and possibilities, and I intend to take advantage of as many as possible!
Ever since I left my husband I had the idea to make a Phoenix necklace for myself.  I rarely make anything for myself, but I knew, deep down, that this was something I needed to do. I've become much more in touch with my instincts and intuition over the last several months, and have learned to follow those instincts. For months the ideas drifted around in my mind, but I waited to start sculpting.  I've learned that everything happens in it's own time, and that I would know when it was the right time to create this piece.  That time happened to come at 1am last week- LOL.  I was hit by an intense urge to sculpt my Phoenix, and I knew exactly how I wanted her to look.  And since I can now sculpt whenever I want to, without anyone complaining about it, I was up until 3am working on this one.  And the feeling while I was sculpting was absolutely euphoric.  The inspiration was intense.  The flames that are the bird's tail were inspired by a camping trip I took a week or so earlier.  I sat by the camp fire (which I made) and watched the full moon rise over the mountains in front of me and was filled with such emotion and an amazingly powerful feeling of gratitude.  I watched the flames of the fire twist and dance like a living thing: green and blue at the hot center, then red, orange, and yellow at the outer edges.  I've always been fascinated by fire, and I can sit for hours gazing at the flames.  You see, there's just so much more to this necklace than a physical pendant.  The emotion embedded in this piece can't be quantified.  This necklace represents my strength and ability to maintain my true self, even after years of hiding that self behind protective walls.  If my husband had seen this part of me he would have destroyed it as quickly as possible.  I am a happy, energetic, creative, loving person who is filled with the joy of life.  And now I'm surrounded by people who appreciate that person and accept me for who I really am.  It may have taken 37 years, but I've finally got it right and am doing exactly what I should be doing, where I should be doing it ;)

And here are the work in progress pictures of my Phoenix necklace.

I started with a wire armature to add strength to the wings.

Then I sculpted the body and head, using a bright blue glass bead for the eyes and adding feather around the eye and on the top of the head.

Next I sculpted feathers for the wings, textured them, and applied gold and red Pearl Ex powders for an iridescent sheen.

I added a row of smaller feathers and applied red Pearl Ex.

To finish I sculpted the flaming tail and textured the rest of the body.  The tail, body, and head are colored with blue, blue-green, red, and gold Pearl Ex powders, mimicking the colors of actual flames.

After the Phoenix pendant was baked  I sealed it with two coats of high gloss glaze and attached it to a gold necklace.

Thanksgiving is next week, and when I think of all the things I have to be thankful for this year it brings me to tears.  My life isn't perfect, and it probably never will be, but that's OK.  I can handle whatever challenges are thrown at me, and I can do it with my head held high knowing I am being the best person I can be.  I've risen from those dark, smothering ashes and am spreading my newly found wings.

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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My entry for the Smooshers In The Ocean Challenge

The theme for the Polymer Clay Smoosher's Challenge this month is In The Ocean.  Once again I had lots of ideas swimming through my head (and not enough time to sculpt them all)!  Eventually I settled on a mermaid.  I always enjoy adding an element of fantasy to projects whenever possible ;-)  Not too long ago I made several beaded pendants using some of my mismatched glass beads.  The beads were all very pretty, but none of them matched.  When I make jewelry I generally like to use matching, or at least similar beads, so this was a good way to display the beads.  I decided that a miniature mermaid wrapped around a pendant made of blue and green beads would be just right for an ocean challenge!

 I started by sculpting the mermaid's tiny little head.  It's always a challenge to sculpt on such a small scale, but this one actually went pretty well.  Sometimes I have to remake a head up to 5 times!  I only had to remake this one twice ;-)  I used tiny blue glass beads for her eyes and gave her fairy ears.  I baked the head at this stage so further sculpting wouldn't distort all the tiny details.   A baked and hardened head is so much easier to work with.

 

 Next came the torso. I sculpted this and attached it to the neck, using diluent to make the seams perfectly smooth and invisible.  I wasn't ready to add the arms yet at this point.  I wanted to sculpt her tail and get her positioned on the pendant before I made her arms.  That way I would be able to position them perfectly so she was holding onto the pendant.

 

I swirled together several shades of blue and green Premo polymer clay to create a custom mix for the mermaid's tail and the teardrop shaped beads I planned on adding to the necklace.  Before positioning the mermaid around the beaded pendant I painted her facial features with acrylic paint and colored her lips and cheeks with powdered pink chalk mixed with interference red/ blue Pearl Ex powder.  I really wasn't sure what color I'd get when I mixed the two, but it turned into the perfect shade of pink with just enough of a sheen to make it look very realistic.  To be sure the mermaid was securely attached to the pendant I added liquid polymer clay where her body touched the pendant.  I baked the mermaid and beads at this point.

After the body and tail were baked and cooled I added her arms and hair.  I used wire through the eye pin to suspend the pendant in a coffee cup while it baked for one final time.  This assured that none of her delicate features would be crushed while baking.
The final step in the necklace was to create the beaded components, which were composed of blue and green glass beads, silver bead caps, and the blue and green swirled clay beads.
And this is how the final piece turned out.
 
I've actually only made a few mermaids (so far), but I have to say this is my best one yet.  I'm very happy with the way she turned out, and I'm glad I took my time while creating this entire necklace.  Once again, this is something entirely new for me- definitely a one of a kind creation!
Thanks so much for joining me on another creative journey!

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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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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A special necklace becomes a special Christmas gift

 A few weeks ago I made a new Christmas necklace from hand rolled polymer clay beads and some vintage beads and findings from Gramma's jewelry box.  I made the clay beads using leftover red and white clay from some candy cane pens (which can be found in my shop). The teardrop shaped pendant was also sculpted from this red and white mix.  I wanted something special for the center of the pendant so I dug through some of the vintage jewelry Gramma had given me before she passed away.  Gramma was pretty rough on her jewelry, so many of her earrings, necklaces, rings, and bracelets were broken.  Those broken bits and pieces still work for my purposes though.  I managed to find a broken earring with sparkling imitation diamonds that made the perfect centerpiece for the pendant.

The tiny green glass seed beads around the outside of the pendant are from Gramma's bead stash, as are the hollow silver beads, the green acrylic beads, and the white iridescent disc beads.  Before her arthritis got too bad Gramma enjoyed beading ornaments, among other crafty things. This pretty holiday necklace is a combination of my handmade beads and Gramma's vintage beads- there's a lot of love and a lot of history in this necklace. 
Over the holidays my best friend came for a visit, and as always, she checked out all the new things I had made since she last saw me.  She really liked this necklace, and when I told her about Gramma's contribution she liked it even more.  She decided it would make a very special gift for her mom, and to make it more special she decided to have her son give it to her for Christmas.  That way it would be from one Gramma to another.  I'm really glad this special necklace is going to become such a special Christmas gift!

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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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

My Entries for the Polymer Clay Smooshers Nature Challenge

The theme for the latest Polymer Clay Smooshers Challenge was Nature, which is a perfect theme for me! A lot of my polymer clay pieces have some element of nature in them.  You'll find plenty of polymer clay plants, flowers, and animals in CreativeCritters!   I wanted to create something a bit different for this challenge, and that's where Christi Friesen's new book Woodland Creatures comes into play.  I had just gotten the book and couldn't wait to start in on the projects.  In the book Christi has a project for creating Oak leaves and acorns, and another for sculpting a really cute squirrel.  I ended up combining my version of the squirrel with a few Oak leaves, acorns, and some beads and came up with this unique and adorable necklace.

I've had so much fun playing with Pearl Ex powders lately!  That's how I achieved the coloring and shine on the Oak Leaves.  So my first entry in the Nature Challenge was my Squirrel Necklace, which was really fun to create.  My next entry is a sculpture of St. Francis of Assisi, sometimes known as the patron saint of animals.  Many years ago I sculpted a version of St. Francis (which unfortunately got broken), but this one turned out much better.  Naturally St. Francis is surrounded by some of  his animal friends, including two birds, a squirrel, and a wolf.
 
I can't think of a more perfect piece for me to enter in a Nature Challenge than this one! 
There were many wonderful entries in this challenge, and all the amazing pieces can be viewed on the Smooshers blog.  And while you're there be sure to vote for the theme for our next challenge (the poll is in the upper left corner of the page).  Personally, I'm hoping Sci Fi will win (I've already got some cool ideas for Sci Fi entries!).  Thanks for stopping by and voting for Sci Fi for our next challenge. ;-)
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

jaxGEMS on ArtFire

Jax, of jaxGEMS on Artfire.com. create handmade, one of a kind jewelry from natural materials, sometimes with accents of glass or Swarovski crystals. Genuine gemstone, sterling silver, leather, etc are the main components used.  Jax ennjoys working with genuine gemstones and sterling silver and those are the main area of focus for her jewelry.  She says "I tend to focus on necklaces. I really do not like matchy-match sets of jewelry, so when I do make earrings or bracelets, they may go with some of my other pieces but rarely will they be a matched set."
She's recently developed an interest in glass, Swarovski crystal elements and other types of components that she will soon be incorporating into her designs.  jaxGEMS can be found online at http://www.jaxgems.com and on Facebook. Below are just a few of my favorite pieces from this shop.  Make sure to stop in and discover your own favorites!
 
This necklace is so beautiful, and the flower is absolutely vibrant!  This one makes me thing of summer! 
I love the water, and that's what this necklace reminds me of.

 
I love the colors in this one (anything with purple is always good)!
Click on the pictures to go directly to the item listing, and don't forget to browse the rest of the shop while you're there!
-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

Featuring Polymer Clay Smoosher Emily Claire Creations

EmilyClaireCreations sculpts lovely textured polymer clay jewelry

Valerie, of EmilyClaireCreations, says "Making jewelry makes me supremely happy. It is a one true medium where I can express myself. I follow my bliss. I believe it shows in my designs. Jewelry should be something anyone can wear no matter what size, shape, age or color you are, it is a statement to accentuate your personality.
I enjoy working with semi-precious stones, copper, silver, and glass. Recently I have discovered a passion for polymer clay. I love making my own beads and pendants. I have barely scratched the surface of polymer clay, and I hope to expand into mixed media, using various metals, imagery and found objects.
I am born and raised in the rust belt of Ohio. I come from a declining industrial area, which I believe has colored my influences and attitude. I find beauty in nature and industrial decay. Northeast Ohio boasts of both and it makes for an eclectic and inspirational pallet
Nature inspires me, so I incorporate earth tones, with earthy materials, to create unique pieces." Valerie is a fellow member of the Polymer Clay Smooshers guild on ArtFire and can also be found online at emilyclairecreations.blogspot.com, Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter. She's even having a 15% off sale right, so this is the time to stop in and purchase some of the beautiful pieces Valerie has for sale. She has MANY very satisfied customers singing her praises as well! Here is just a tiny sample of what they've had to say about their buying experience at EmilyClaireCreations. "I am so excited about my bat earrings! They are so cute and so incredibly light weight. Thank you Valerie, I cannot wait to see your Christmas items", "My leafy pendant has beautiful color and texture... I have plans to incorporate it into a special necklace! Thanks so much for your talent and fast, friendly service", "My earrings are absolutely gorgeous~~ so lifelike and full of earthy detail, color & texture! Valerie is one of the most talented polymer clay artists I've seen & I highly recommend her lovely wares!" and "Stunningly Beautiful work. Excellent communication and fast shipping. Perfect Transaction. The jewellery created by this designer is lovely, elegant and whimsical. Thank you so much". Obviously Valerie is a very talented artist, and a wonderful person to deal with. Below are some of my favorite pieces from her shop. Make sure you stop in and see all she has to offer!

Didn't I tell you her work was gorgeous?! And very affordable too, especially when you use your 15% off coupon (use code 15PERCENTOFF during checkout).
-Michelle of CreativeCritters