Win great prizes in the Polymer clay Smooshers scavenger hunt!

It seems like the holidays come around sooner every year!  I usually start making my Christmas gifts in October, and by this time I start buying any handcrafted gifts I want to give. Many people have started looking for Christmas gifts and the Polymer Clay Smooshers guild would like to give you a chance to win a wonderful handcrafted gift for yourself or someone you love. Nine prizes are up for grabs and you have several ways to win. Here's the first way to win one of these great prizes.
In the left column of the Polymer Clay Smooshers blog you will see "Smooshers' Shops". Search those shops and find this little guy...

The person who finds him in the most shops will win one of the prizes. Simply make a list of all of the shops you find him in. Email your list to PolymerClaySmooshers (@) gmail dot com
For a chance to win one of these beautiful prizes...

Prizes created by CDowdleDesigns, DesertWindDesigns, GingerBells, HaffinaCreations, LaurelSteven, MichiganMud and ValldawnsJewelryDesigns. All prizes will be chosen at random.
What fun!  Talk about making your holiday gift giving easy!  So start searching for that cute little guy, and don't forget to check out all the great handmade gifts all the Smooshers have to offer!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

PooLou Designs- handcrafted accessories

Kristen, of PooLou Designs on ArtFire.com is a stay at home mother of two young children.  You'll find handmade jewelry, purses, clutches, and pouches in her shop.  Kirsten says,  "I have always had a dream of becoming a fashion designer, even though I didn't even know how to sew! I love coming up with designs in my head and then trying to create it. It doesn't always work out, but it was fun trying!  I  love designing jewelry and purses and I think I will stick with it!I love crafting and creating things. I am self taught in everything I create. I dream about what I am going to create the next day! My only complaint is that there were more hours in the day!"  Kristen be found online at hoffmanjklc.blogspot.com, pooloudesigns.blogspot.com, www.facebook.com/pooloudesigns, and twitter.com/klkestner.  Below is a sample of just a few of the wonderful items in her shop.  Be sure to stop in and see all she has to offer!


-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Romance

Romance can mean many things to many people.  Your partner giving you flowers for no reason is romantic, as is a candle light dinner for two.  And sometimes even mundane little things can be romantic.  Your husband washing the dishes without having to be asked, or making dinner when you're swamped with work.  Sometimes a certain look in his eyes can be incredibly romantic.  I've been reading a lot of Katie MacAlister lately, and her books fall into the Paranormal Romance category.  Yes, vampires and other such beings can be very romantic, especially the ones populating these books!  I love her idea of a Beloved for vampires.  A Beloved is the one true love, the one that vampire was meant to be with for all eternity.  Of course there are tests to be passed before one can become a Beloved, and it's not an easy path, but in the end it's always worth it.  And the bond that is formed is unbreakable.  The vampire literally cannot live without his Beloved: hers is the only blood he can drink.  With many of her characters, the vampire and his Beloved can read each each others minds and share each others feelings.  Katie MacAlister does Romance right, at least in my opinion!
And the Polymer Clay Smooshers do Romance right as well.
This Sunset Heart pendant from Two Good Claymates is certainly romantic!

 
This can be worn as a pendant or a brooch, making it versatile as well as beautiful.  I love the colors and the textures, and the entire "feel" of the piece.
 I've always found the moon romantic.  I once had a boyfriend who'd take walks at night on the beach with me.  There's just something magical about the night and the moon.  That's why I chose to share this Crescent Moon pendant from ArtsyClay.
 
This is just beautifully done.  It's simple, yet elegant.
I recently saw some of Sassy Clay Creations Goddesses, and I immediately loved them.  This one is especially romantic.  The pale colors and flowers add a very feminine feel to this Goddess. 
This shimmering one of a kind wall hanging is a gorgeous display of Romance!
And then there's the old fashion love note- what could be more romantic?  After all these years, Gramma still had some of the love letters Grampa had written her during the war.  This Clear Stamp from Tonya's Treasures makes me think of hand written love letters.

The stamp is Old Italian Script- the language of love itself!
So that's my take on Romance.  There are plenty of examples of romantic pieces in the shops of the Polymer Clay Smooshers, so take a peek and see what you can find!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Come Like CreativeCritters on Facebook!

I finally set up a Fan Page on Facebook for CreativeCritters. It's something I've been wanting to do for quite some time now.   This will make it easier for people to see what's going on in my shop, my latest creations, sales, and anything else having to do with CreativeCritters.  And I am a busy little critter- LOL!  You can click CreativeCritters fan page to visit my page and see what I've been up to lately.  Right now I'm busy planning for the holidays, making Christmas presents, and planning holiday sales for my shop.  And of course if you have a fan page yourself, I'll be sure to return the favor and Like your page as well. Stay tuned for more from CreativeCritters, and thanks for Liking me! :D
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Finding Joy in the Polymer Clay Smooshers Guild

A feeling of joy and the Polymer Clay Smooshers go hand in hand for me.  Not only do I get great joy from my fellow guild members themselves, but from their wonderful work, as well.  So many items I see in their shops make my jaw drop, or bring a big smile to my face.  This guild is full of amazing and talented people, who are also kind, funny, and inspirational.  I'd like to share just a few pieces from these wonderful artists that bring me joy.  DesertRubble is a recent addition to the Smooshers, and I fell in love with her work the minute I saw it, especially this Steampunk Dragonfly.
 
This is one talented Smoosher!  I love the color and the iridescence.  And a dragonfly seems to fit naturally into the Steampunk trend.  She's got plenty of other unique and beautiful items in her shop as well, and I love them all.

This sculpture from KBish is just so sweet!  It makes me smile every time I see it.
 
Even dragons need a best friend!  I just love the whimsy of the piece, and the expressive dragon with his cute little green friend. 

When I first saw this piece from Kneaded Things I laughed out loud because it was just so cool!  Talk about character!  This mushroom is loaded with character!
 
This is one of the coolest incense burners I've seen.  First, Mr. Mushroom is just totally awesome, second the colors are beautiful and  vibrant, and third, I adore the flowers in the grass.  Just a delightful item!

And then there's LaDeDa- this gal's always able to make me smile- LOL!  The first time I saw her Punk Rock Christmas ornaments I loved them instantly, especially this one.  I think it's the spiked hair and sunglasses that really grab me. 
These are definitely unique Christmas ornaments!  They're just fun, and they make me smile. :)
And these are just a few of the pieces from the Smooshers that bring me joy, make me laugh, or smile, or say "wow, that's really cool!".  I want to thank these artists for bringing a little extra joy into my life. ;)
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Handmade Holidays

My Handmade Holidays

My holidays have just about always been handmade.  When I was young I had no money to buy gifts, so I made little presents for my parents and grandparents. Thirty years later, some of my first creations can still be found on Gramma's shelves!  I've always been a creative person, and as I got older I grew more skilled at sewing, sculpting, and crafting in general.  I was able to tailor the gifts for each person's tastes.  I even learned new art forms in order to create gifts for certain people.   For me, the joy of giving a gift I made myself just can't be beat.  Whether it's homemade cookies or an elaborate and meaningful sculpture, people appreciate something that comes not only from my heart, but from my hands.  This holiday season I'll be pretty busy, so I may actually break down and buy some gifts.  But every gift I give will be handmade.  That's become very important to me.  And I love supporting my fellow artisans as well- sales always make for a merrier Christmas!   When I buy on ArtFire, I feel like I'm buying from friends, and I've always been quite pleased with everything I've purchased on ArtFire.
Like many, I've already started making some of the Christmas gifts I plan to give.  My best friend and her family will be visiting for Thanksgiving, so we'll exchange gifts then.  She has a young son who loves dragons, and I'm working on a plush green dragon for him.  I may add a knight or wizard if I have time.  I really enjoy making gifts for children, and seeing that smile on their face when they open up their present.  I remember being a little girl and Gramma making dolls and stuffed animals for me.  Those were the most special gifts, because Gramma made them just for me.  I'd sit at her knee and watch her sew the pattern pieces together by hand, and just feel like I must have been so special for her to make something like that for me.  You know, that's what Christmas is about for me- the love of family and friends and the joy of being together with them.  And the gifts I give come from my heart and hands, not WalMart.
Here's wishing everyone a happy handmade holiday! 
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

My custom order plush World of Warcraft Tauren is done

After many long hours of work, my custom order World of Warcraft plush Tauren is complete and has been shipped to her new owner.  I must admit, I'm rather proud of this creation.  I put so much work into this piece- I wanted her to be perfect.  She's meant to resemble the character Chirose, and I was working off of a picture the customer sent me.  I tried to capture the Tauren's sweet nature, and making her pretty brown eyes more realistic really helped.  I painted the iris and pupil onto acrylic beads and then sealed them with gloss glaze before sewing them on.  I also added eyelids from bits of fur fabric.  That really allowed me to control her expression.  I also needle sculpted the head as well.

I made the bracers on her arms and the legguards on her legs from polymer clay, baking the armor right onto the arms and legs before attaching them to the body.  I discovered that you can actually bake fur fabric and polyester fiberfill safely at 275 degrees. I tried it on one of my earlier Taurens, and have baked clay and fabric together with other projects in the past. Her outfit is a combination of imitation and real leather, gold trim, and embossed felt.

The rose was also made out of polymer clay and was the customer's idea.  I think it adds the perfect touch.  The staff was made from polymer clay as well and has glass beads and glow in the dark accents (that's my way of representing the magic of the staff).  It attaches to her hand with a snap.  And since this is a combination birthday/ holiday gift, the customer requested the addition of a Santa hat.  That fit my taste for whimsy just perfectly!  And the really funny thing is that I was thinking she'd look really cute in a Santa hat, a full day BEFORE I got the customer's email requesting that addition!  I do love working with creative people- we tend to think along the same lines.
All in all this custom order was a great success, and I learned a few new things along the way.  I'm constantly trying to improve my work and create even better pieces.  I really like the way the eyes turned out, and intend to use that method in the future.  All of my World of Warcraft plush characters are created using my own original pattern, which I tweak every so often to make it better.  I made a new ear pattern for this one, and changed the head pattern slightly as well.  These are all definitely one of a kind creations. 
Don't forget, Christmas is not far off, so if you're looking for something extra special for that certain someone on your list, stop in to CreativeCritters and see all I have to offer.  If you'd like me to create something just for you (or your loved one), simply send me a message from my studio.  Thanks for stopping by!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters