Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy

www.4thesparrowsnest.etsy.com

Recently on Etsy’s front page comes Mai (pronounced May, like the month) of 4thesparrowsnest.  She  delights in creating beautiful, functional treasures that brighten up everyday life.  Newly married, she studied art at Appalachian State University in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina.   She’s an avid crafter, and  has a fervent appreciation for all things handmade–especially felt, unique jewelry, and pottery.

She says, “I find myself most intrigued by nature and the beauty and humor that can be found in it, and I love to translate what I see into whimsical narratives. Allowing the little melodramas of animals to unfold captivates my inner story-teller and brings me to what I love most–the process of creating. I ADORE birds of all kinds, and love to play with woodland/forest themes. I enjoy working in different styles, utilizing a diverse spectrum of materials. I really enjoy switching between jewelry and felt; it keeps my thoughts and ideas fresh and keeps me from getting bored with one particular medium. While working with felt, I often get new ideas for jewelry, and vice versa.”

“My process for my polymer clay creations involves a mix of hand-shaping and constructing, as well as mold/casting techniques. I find sources for molds in many places, and many of my molds are custom created by me (meaning I created or significantly altered the original item myself.) Even after a piece is cast, I always alter it further by sanding, carving, antiquing, and gently polishing. All of my felt frames are crafted using my own hand-drawn patterns. They are embroidered and assembled in a very time lengthy process. If you would like to know more about my creation process, feel free to contact me.

From her feedback:

“I sort of can’t believe these are mine. they are so perfect and wonderful and i will never use another plain bobby pin again. super speedy shipping, perfect packaged with the tiniest sweetest note. just a completely fantastic purchase! thank you!”

The PCAGOE monthly challenge theme for April is faux. So far, we have faux jade, snakeskin, leather, stone, fossils, shells and more. For a sneak peek at the entries so far, visit our flickr pool of challenge photos. You can also peruse entries from previous months in this pool, and there are some amazing polymer clay creations!

************Want to participate?***************

Everyone is invited to enter our challenge! That means YOU can create polymer clay cane work piece and enter it for a chance to win a prize. See the full rules here. Entries are due by EST midnight on the 28th.

Everyone who votes in the challenge is entered in a random drawing for prizes. So check back in with us on April 1, which is when you’ll be able to vote for your favorite entry. Need a reminder so you don’t forget to vote? Sign up (in the right sidebar) to receive the PCAGOE monthly newsletter!

www.oneandonly.etsy.com

Sydney Australia is the home of Maria Psaltis of Oneandonly. She is a wife and the mother of four children.  She is also involved as a youth worker.  She loves polymer clay and thinks it is a wonderful medium to work with.

She says, “It has taken me some time to nurture and share my creativity with the world. Like so many people, women in particular, nurturing children, relationships and mortgages were a priority. But here I am now in my glorious 40’s indulging in what has always been a passion for me, Art.” I have dabbled in so many art forms and media over the years, which now I can see has helped me to evolve into an artist that can explore the use of many media to assist in my creations.”

She works with varied materials, for example, adding polymer clay mokume gane beads to the leather rose below to create this exquisite necklace.

Another passion for Maria has been working as a youth worker.  She loves working with young people and hopes to continue this work through Art. Maria believes that introducing young people to creation can often be the beginning of many things.