Fri 16 Nov 2007
Who inspires you?
The people I share my life with, specifically my husband. He was the reason I began sculpting professionally. When we were getting married, I wanted something special to capture how happy the two of us were and his appearance, including his curly hair and goatee. He inspired me to create my first portrait wedding sculpture, which, in turn, led to me starting my own website for other brides looking for custom cake toppers (http://www.weddingsculptures.com). My husband and son were also the inspiration for the “Polymer Clay Portrait Sculpture” project I demonstrated while on HGTV’s That’s Clever!” (http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_clay_figures/article/0,,HGTV_3237_4206336,00.html).
What inspires you?
Life inspires me! I love to capture special moments in clay. When creating my custom wedding cake toppers, inspiration comes from the photos shared by customers. Often they send me multiple images in order to create a specific moment or look. For example, many send pictures of their faces with the expression they want sculpted, or a pose they want or their hair, etc. I use this collection of pictures to put the individual details together to create an accurate portrait before their wedding day. It’s not always easy, but it is without 
question hugely rewarding to be part of someone’s vision of their special day.
Where do you create?
I create in my home studio - which I share with my son(an almost 3yrs old). One of my favorite things is to be creating a sculpture while my son paints next to me!
How long have you been working with polymer clay?
I have been working with polymer clay since 1994 after discovering the book,”The New Clay”. I loved the color pallet of polymer clay and how it could be cured in a home oven - no kiln needed! I sold my first custom wedding cake topper in 2000 after my husband gave me the url “weddingsculpture.com” for Valentine’s Day. I created my first art doll in 2003 and in 2007, I opened my etsy shop http://ElizabethBonura.etsy.com:)