The deadline to enter this month’s challenge is noon Eastern time on August 28, 2010.  So far we have had 12 very beautiful and diverse entries.  Here is just a small sampling of the wonderful entries so far.  This one is a gorgeous box titled “Fairy Tale Theater Trinket Box” by Jill of JKollmann 

This next entry is a unique pendant by Marcia Palmer entitled “Just Hanging Out”.

As you can see the entries are very unique, each one totally different from the other.  To see more go to our flickr photo challenge pool.   Members of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy have until noon Eastern time on August 28, 2010 to upload a photo of their creation to the pool.  Voting will be from September 1st through the 7th, and the winners will be announced on the 8th.  Five lucky voters will be sent one of these beautiful prizes provided by our members.

They are top row, left to right:

1. pendant by ThePleasantPheasant, 2. necklace by WiredOrchid, 3. desk pen set by ClayCenter

Second Row:

1. beads by ClayHappy, 2. bangle by HiGirls, pendant by PolyClarific

Third Row:

1. bracelet by LaurabeeStudios, 2. necklace by RiverValleyDesign, 3. necklace by PipsJewellery

Fourth Row:

1. pendant by NKDesigns, 2. bracelet by RenGalSA, 3. cellphone charm by PolymerClayCreations

THE WINNERS VOTED ON BY THE PUBLIC:

1st Place - Lisa of HiGirls

2nd Place - Mary Ellen of BeeTreeByMe

3rd Place - Tie Between Jan of JanGeisen and Arlene of AshPaints

WINNERS VOTED ON BY PCAGOE MEMBERS:

1st Place - Mary Ellen of BeeTreeByMe

2nd Place - Jan of JanGeisen

3rd Place - Sage of TheSageArts

The 5 voters who won prizes this month:

JuLee Wolfe
Eva Shafer
Sandra Canney
Lisa-Marie
Kay Earles

Winning voters have one week after being contacted to furnish us with your mailing address. If you do not respond within 1 week, your prize will be forfeited and returned to the prize pool.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you so very much to everyone who voted!

137 votes were cast this month, from the the following countries:

USA 120
Spain 1
Slovenia 1
Australia 2
Great Britain 3
Canada 1
Germany 2
Puerto Rico 1
Isreal 3
Italy 1
Turkey 2

If you do not see your country listed, it is because the origin of your vote was blocked from view, either by our server or your internet service provider; but rest assured, your vote is important and was counted in the total of votes cast.

Comments left by the voters:

This gets more difficult all the time! The quality of the work is extremely good, and so very diverse! What an excruciating decision!

Another month with beautiful entries. There is so much you can do with inks, foils and paints. Great job!

Gorgeous entries! I am so impressed with the time and care members put into creating new pieces for this challenge!

Another tough month of choices. I decided to go for the best-executed items in which the specified materials were most obvious.

I absolutely love the colors in Marcia’s bracelet and think it’s such a gorgeous piece. I also love Jackie’s dish. The look she has achieved on the bottom of the dish is quite unique. It was a very hard challenge to choose a winner as all entries are of such a high standard.

Great selection, lots of color and different techniques.

As always, the talent you guys display is so inspiring and amazing.

I wish all of you nice Summer! Thanks for sharing these lovely items.

This month was my toughest choice to vote, so many absolutely beautiful entries.

Loved seeing all your work! I love polymer clay most when it doesn’t look like polymer clay!

I have seen Marcia’s work in the past and think she is a great artist. When I chose her number as my 1st place choice, I had no idea she was the artist behind the work. I look forward to seeing more of her new works. I chose Marcia’s piece because it immediately reminded me of the colorful stepping stones of life, and how we grow with each step. It truly is inspiring. My 2nd place choice, LauraBeeStudios, is also a great talent and true artist. Her detail work is a breath of fresh air. I look forward to seeing more creativity from her. I chose her piece simply for the calm and peacefulness of it. As if the calm and peace after the storm. For her to be able to express that in a piece of clay, in my eyes, is an awesome talent. My 3rd choice, BeeTreeByMe, is a great artists as well as sculptor. I love all the intricacies of her work and look forward to seeing more of her new creations. I chose her piece because it said to me “Go out and get your piece, there is enough for everyone.” My feelings on life and the world. Nice job!

#1 made me nostalgic for The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

My choices are for overall excellence in design, use of colors, shapes, playfulness and interesting techniques.

#2 brooch has beautiful colors and line which make its style unique.

I’m also trying to work with inks and foils this month so the challenge will give me a lot of inspiration

The Swirls Necklace has immediately caught my eye… I love the color combinations in the beads and the lentil shape is one of my favorites. The pendant of SCDiva is wonderful… nice contrast between the copper colour of the ginko leaves and the bluish surface. I also love the pattern of the Small Dish, it reminds me of a fairy garden.

This is not a technique I am familiar with. I am in awe of the results showcased here.

This was the hardest challenge to choose. I loved all the entries. The Hydra Choker stood out for me as it is my taste… I can see myself wearing it many times. The Big Bites Pendant was also another artful and clever piece I would so wear… The Brown Flower looks so ceramic and glazed and beautiful… I really loved the dish by Pleasant Pheasant… the Salmon Dragon by ZoeOwyn is work intensive and lovingly made. The entries are all great and inspiring!

Such stunning entries… I voted for Lynda’s gorgeous pendant to win. I love all her work and can always recognize her pieces… they are very distinctive!

I am inspired and yet intimidated by all the wonderful art created by you all.

All the pieces are good, but the one I chose for 1st (#2) is so unique that I have ever seen such a pattern. The Butterflies in Flight was also really good. The Caterpillar was awesome and feel like real. If you ask me some suggestions for next year, I would suggest Water World. Thanks!

This month’s challenge was pure eye candy!

These pieces are take my breath away gorgeous!

I thought this piece was the one that was different (#18) and that’s what counts for me.

I love the texture and colors in Stained by Ian’s Café!

Beautiful jewelry, but I love the art pieces to glamorize my home setting.

I really love these monthly contests, I get to see so many great artists!

Please join us again next month for another of our “Special” challenges. September’s theme is “Image Transfers.” We will have an outside sponsor for this challenge, www.piddix.etsy.com, who has generously agreed to provide the images the members will be using in the challenge, as well as the prizes to the winning entries, including a Grand Prize “Judges’ Winner.”

The entries really showcase the amazing versatility of polymer clay and how it can be enhanced, embellished, and even manipulated into something which looks completely different than what it is.

Please vote for your top three favorites in the pull-down voting box shown at the bottom of this page. Depending on the speed of your internet connection, it may take a few moments to appear. Only one vote per person, please. One (1) vote consists of choosing a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place entry. If you choose an entry for 1st place, please do not also vote for it as your 2nd and/or 3rd place choice. Duplicate votes will not be counted.

Voting is open to the public and to PCAGOE guild members. Voting begins August 1, 2010 and ends at midnight, Eastern U.S. time on August 7, 2010. The winners chosen in each category and the voter prize winners will be announced at here and at www.pcagoechallenge.blogspot.com on August 8, 2010.

Five (5) lucky public voters, chosen at random, will also win a beautiful polymer clay prize created by one of our many talented artists. Please note that winning voters will have one week from the date we contact you and ask for your mailing address so we can send you your prize.

AUGUST CHALLENGE ENTRIES:

1) Big Bites Pendant by BeeTreeByMe

Mary Ellen’s description of her entry: “Life is short, take Big Bites!” Enjoy every moment and stay young at heart! My inspiration for this pendant was the “Very Hungry Caterpillar.” This is my big girl version, a bejeweled caterpillar on a glitzy leaf! I used foil to glam up the leaf. I edged it with a metallic heat set paint. The caterpillar is colored with alcohol inks. I also added a few Swarkies for extra bling! Some Serious Shine on a not too serious pendant. I hope it makes you smile !

2) Brooch B9026 by JanGeisen

Jan’s description of her entry: This brooch was created during a recent, intensive, exploration of crackling paint on polymer clay. Some acrylic paints just don’t crackle, they stretch too much. But that doesn’t mean they don’t create interesting patterns that I can use.

3) Copper and Aqua Gingko Leaves Pendant by SCDiva

Lynda’s description of her entry: I used paints, foil leaf and alcohol ink in my entry. I tinted Pearl Premo metallic clay with Ranger/Adirondack Stream alcohol ink, then burnished a sheet of multi-colored metallic foil leaf onto the surface and stretched it to break up the foil. I stamped the piece with my favorite gingko leaf texture sheet and added a wash of dark copper acrylic paint, cut and shaped the pendant; then cured it, sanded it through 8 grits of wet-dry sandpaper, and dremel-buffed it to a shine.

4) Fairy Floss Bracelet by OneandOnly

Maria’s description of her entry: I have made this piece using Inks to colour the beads,which have been made by using transclucent clay and then adding inks… the cane was also made using this technique. The disks have been painted on the other side using acrylic paints and then finished off using a leafing pen. All strung on silver leather and then finished off with a foiled button! I have called this fairy floss as the colours remind me of a day out at Luna Park with a big Fairy Floss on a stick!

5) Small Dish by ThePleasantPheasant

Jackie’s description of her entry: I used Pinata Inks, texture and Premo Pearl clay to make this small dish, which is perfect as a dish to drop your rings and earrings into after a long day.

6) Brown Flower by DebbieCrothers

Debbie’s description of her entry: I’ve used foils, ink and paint in this piece.

7) Under The Deep Blue by ArrowdaleArtStudio

Cindy’s description of her entry: I painted the canvas with alcohol inks, which gives that terrific, transparent muddled blue/green color. I was very happy with that. I’d made the fish canes for a mobile project I have going, but this idea side tracked me. I embossed the background bushes and coral with embossing powders and my heat gun, then toned out their color with pigment ink pad color. The jewels in the treasure chest are plastic gems I broke into pieces and scattered with the gold-leafed gold clay I’d made the coins from. The clay for the pink coral bush and the Giant Kelp are tinted with alcohol inks, which is especially effective on the kelp. The wee seahorses are also from translucent clay tinted with alcohol inks. The board is wrapped with copper foil tape, which gives it a nice, finished appearance. My piece is more than 50% polymer clay. Each of the elements on the board are dimensional, several of them more than 3/8″ thick - the kelp tree is closer to 5/8″ thick in places, as is the octopus’ body. The board is very thin - it’s a canvas panel, less than 1/8″ thick. The plastic portion is just a few small (half inch) plastic jewels that I broke up because they’d have been out of proportion, and I put a few pieces from each color in and around the treasure chest. So by weight, easily it’s more than 50%, and I’m sure that if I’d placed all the various cane pieces and other clay elements across the board flat before assembling them properly, they’d have covered the board and then some, and thicker than the panel. Just to make sure everyone knows I followed the rules!

8) Roe Doubt by ZoeOwyn

Laura’s description of her entry: This is Roe Doubt, a salmon-colored shoulder dragon. His scales are a rich salmon hue modeled with flecks of gold, and shimmering highlights in other colors. He is tall and pround, and sits comfortably on your shoulders. His name is homage to Douglas Adams, I was reading a collection of his last works called Salmon of Doubt, while working on this guy. And this guy is very very salmony colored. On a technical note: His hide was created with translucent clay, gold foil, and lots of inks, and mica pigments. His scales and wings were created with the same materials, only different techniques and no. mica pigments.

9) Gold Leaf Bangle by HiGirlsLisa’s description of her entry: My entry was inspired by the Cleopatra exhibit in Philadelphia. It was made with polymer clay over a wooden base with gold leaf applied over all and partially removed to reveal the color underneath.

10) Rose Copper Silver Enameled Pendant No. 105 by 11BoldStreetSusan’s description of her entry: This all-polymer pendant was stamped and the chambers filled with mica-tinted liquid polymer and silver leaf. The stamped bail is finished with more of the LPC and the edges are tinged with silver paint.

11) Blue Sky Bead by LauraBeeStudiosLaura’s description of her entry: The technique I used is layers of inks and foil and came from a Donna Kato book. It was inspired by the beautiful summer sky and my favorite stamp, the French script shown on the bead.

12) Colorful Watercolor Swirls Necklace by PolymerClayCreationsAngela’s description of her entry: The large beads in this necklace are hollow lentils handmade using silver leaf, mica powders and alcohol inks. They are finished off with a baked on coating of liquid polymer clay. It is strung with colorful faceted crystals, silver spacers and finished with a silver toggle with Swarovki crystals.

13) Foil and Ink Polymer Clay Pendant by MirameCreationsLupe’s description of her entry: The pendant was made with a stamp, foil and adirondack inks. Some silver leaf was added to the pendant.

14) Rocky Path Tutorial Pendant by RiverValleyDesignChristi’s description of her entry: I used lots of alcohol to dilute the colors and not too much pearl ex powders - the leaf really shows through.

15) Stained by IansCafeIan’s description of his entry: This pendant was created using plain polymer clay and then stained using alcohol inks, then coated with a matte sealant to protect it.

16) Fiery Beads by LaurelSteven
Laurel’s description of her entry: Created for the PCAGOE challenge using paints, inks, & foils. A base of white clay, followed by silver leaf, alcohol inks, and rubber stamped images, baked and buffed to a high shine.

17) Inspire Mosaic Pendant by MarciaPalmer

Marcia’s description of her entry: This mosaic pendant was inspired by the PCAGOE August Challenge theme: paints, foils, leafs, and inks. Some segments of the pendant were created with translucent clay colored with alcohol inks. Other segments were created with varigated leaf and acrylic paint on the surface of the clay. The trim and back of the pendant are highlighted with antique gold paint.

18) Elabradorite and Hydra Choker by SageBray

Sage’s description of her entry: Faux labradorite made with silver leaf, alcohol inks and polymer clays on faux antique silver polymer beads, accented with tiny dragon heads.

19) Wheels Within Wheels by BlessedBeadJewelry

Janice’s description of her entry: This entry started with an experiment making molds out of some giant mushroom tops that I found in an art store in the mountains of North Carolina. The inner “wheels” are these pieces, with the clay having been covered in multicolored fabric foil, then molded, then the foil removed from the outer surfaces, the piece stamped with metallic ink and then the wheel shapes cut out. These pieces were cured and then framed in raw clay which was foiled and then impressed with a leaf pattern., the second wheel. The second wheel was then framed with extruded and twisted and brushed with silver pearlex silver clay which made up the third “wheel. Alternating pink and blue jump ring chains were then made into the fourth and final “wheels and impressed deeply into the raw clay for the final look with a spiralled piece of stamped and painted with Pearlex. Matching pink and blue necklace chain.

20) Butterflies in Flight by AshPaints

Arlene’s description of her entry: This pendant uses a layering technique that starts with ecru clay, then adds gold foil and then a combination of several colors of alcohol inks that mix and mingle into a rainbow of glorious color. The pendant is finished with resin both to protect the surface and to give the pendant depth.

21) Rock ‘n Roll Bangle by RenGalSA

Deb’s description of her entry: Fun bangle bracelet with guitars all around in shades of yellow, red, and blue. The guitars are made from layered canes using a combination of metallic and colored clays and ink dyed translucents. The background is mokume gane pattern with gold foil, dyed translucents, metallic and other clays on a black background.

Several of the entries are also available for sale in our members’ etsy shops, so please check them out to see these and more one-of-a-kind works of polymer clay art.

You may also sign up for our monthly e-newsletter when you vote. We would love to be able to tell you about our upcoming challenges and special promotions and our charitable projects.

Our members love to hear your comments. Please take a moment to do that while you vote. Thank you!

The challenge is open to all members of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy.  The entries are all due in to the challenge pool no later then Noon Eastern time on July 28th.  The voting will be from August 1st through midnight Eastern August 7th.  CLICK HERE to cast your vote.

Here is the pool of beautiful items that members of our guild have donated to be awarded to 5 lucky voters just for voting for their favorite entry.

1st Row, left to right: pendant by PipsJewellery, pendant by beetreebyme, pendant by LaurelSteven

2nd Row, l-r: earrings by RenGalSA, pen set by 11BoldStreet, pendant by ArrowdaleArtStudio

3rd Row, l-r: earrings by ClayCenter, pendant by polyclarific, bracelet by rozpetalzstudio

4th Row, l-r: pen by ToniNZ, pendant by youngcreative, pendant by SCDiva

Go HERE to cast vote for your top three favorites in the pull-down voting box shown AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN. DEPENDING ON THE SPEED OF YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION, IT MAY TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO LOAD.

Only one vote per person, please. One (1) vote consists of choosing a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place entry. If you choose an entry for 1st place, please do not also vote for it as your 2nd and/or 3rd place choice. Duplicate votes will not be counted.

Voting will be by the public and by PCAGOE team members. Voting begins July 1, 2010 and ends July 7, 2010 at midnight, Eastern U.S. time. Winners in each voting category will be announced at here on July 8, 2010.

Five lucky voters from the public, chosen at random, will also win beautiful polymer clay prizes created by one of our many, talented member artists! Winning voters will be notified at the close of voting and have one week from the date we contact you to furnish us with your mailing address so we can send you your prize. If you do not respond within one week, another name will be pulled from the pool of voters.

1) Tide Pool Pendant by BeeTreeByMe

Mary Ellen’s description of her entry: I am fascinated by the possibilities of combining the look of a heavy rock with the lightness of polymer clay. For the challenge I wanted to make a very Special rock! My inspiration was a unique rock tide pool in Bahia Honda State Park, Florida. The ocean tides have slowly carved the stone into marvelous nooks and crannies. This amazing Sea Sculpture is accented with wonderful little creatures that have made a home there. This pendant is my tribute to Mother Ocean’s creation The Tide Pool.

2) Faux Raku Pendant and Beads by RiverValleyDesign

Christi’s description of her entry: This is my interpretation of raku, made with polymer clay, acrylics, alcohol and a texture plate. This piece was finished with handmade beads of the same veneer, and green glass beads. Pendant and beads received liquid polymer clay as a sealer, and then were machine buffed to a high gloss finish.

3) Faux Chinese Turquoise and Antique Copper Necklace by SCDiva

Lynda’s description of her entry: I love Turquoise. Of all the gemstones I work with, it is my favorite. I prefer Turquoise with little or no matrix, like the 16mm round Chinese turquoise beads shown in my entry. I created the copper banded turquoise focal beads to match, using translucent clay, embossing powder, and my signature blends of turquoise and copper clay. The beads were cured, sanded through 8 grits of wet-dry sandpaper and buffed to a glossy finish. There is no applied finish or glaze on these beads.

4) Faux Pebble Bracelet by OneandOnly

5) Faux Turquoise and Pebbles Bracelet by CraftsbyCAG

6) Faux Amber and Lapis Lazuli Necklace by StudioSChiek

Arlene’s description of her entry: Faux Amber and Lapis Lazuli beads strung on sinew with silver accent beads

7) Faux Opal, Bronze and Coral Necklace by RMKDesign

8) Faux White Leather Cuff by 11BoldStreet

Susan’s description of her entry: Slightly tapered, the top layer was tooled with a spiral pattern and antiqued to simulate old leather that really fools the eye. A copper wire was embedded for strength.

9) Faux Serpentine Necklace by VyaKyasha

Polly’s description of her entry: The necklace is made from olive green and translucent clay for added depth and inclusions of black embossing powder to give the look of stone. The pendant is textured with leaves. The mounting of the olive pendant is black polymer clay textured with a block pattern which extends over the bails onto the back of the pendant. The accessory beads include a variety of shapes made from the olive faux stone including drum beads with an abstract design, circle beads with the leaf texture, and small round beads. Several black polymer clay beads are included as well as black pressed glass beads.

10) Oriental Totem by JanGeisen

Jan’s description of her entry: It is made entirely of polymer clay, except for the metal vertigris chinese coin.

11) Faux Venitian Glass Mosaic Pendant by PatiBannister

Pati’s description of her entry: It is entirely polymer clay with the exception of the antique gold-bronze mottled glaze on the reverse.

12) Faux Cinnebar Trinket Box by JKollmann

13) Faux Jade Pendant by KellyPlaysClay

Kelly’s description of her entry: I made this pendant for my daughter’s 5th grade Stepping Up Graduation ceremony. Her dress was the perfect shade of green to make green faux jade. The chinese words are “I Love You.”

14) Faux Rock Box by ArrowdaleArtStudio

Cindy’s description of her entry: My faux rock box came about because with a heatwave in the Northeast, and our air conditioning out of commission, I’ve been reluctant to turn on the oven, and until it is baked, my first piece couldn’t be assembled. One of the other Guild members suggested that my entry need not be cured to be photographed so I set out to begin again. Hmmm…faux. Faux. Faux what? Faux jade? Turquoise? Amber? All rocks. Faux rocks. Faux rock box! So there it was.

15) Dagwood Sandwich by Polyclarific

Amanda’s description of her entry: Each sandwich half is around 10mm long x 6mm wide and have holes in the corner so they can be used as beads. Inside the sandwich you will find cucumber, cheese, lettuce, tomato and salami. Enjoy!

16) Faux Jade Fish by ThePleasantPheasant

17) Brick by Brick Necklace by HiGirls

Lisa’s description of her necklace: This piece just evolved. I was mulling what to do for the challenge while I was waiting at Starbucks drivethru. I looked out and there were bricks-aha!

18) Faux Amber Beads by MarciaPalmer

Marcia’s description of her entry: I have been wanting to attempt these for quite sometime. The PCAGOE July Faux Challenge was just the motivation I needed.

19) Fe Faux Necklace by LaurelSteven

Laurel’s description of her entry: Faux turquoise slab nestled between faux carved white rocks and ringed with faux brown stones. A smattering of silver beads and spacers. Very “Fe.”

20) Faux Stained Glass Votive Candle Holder by ClayCenter

Berit’s description of her entry: I paint faux stained glass window clings, so my thought was to translate this to Polymer Clay. I made a kaleidoscope cane of clays mixed with translucent and covered the glass votive with it. Then I embellished it with some faux bling.

21) Imitation Lapis Lazuli Beaded Cabochon by MirameCreations

22) Faux Amethyst Agate Necklace by BlessedBeadJewelry

Janice’s description of her entry: Faux Agate in different shades of purple with lavender and purple velvet Swarovski crystals on sterling plated chain with purple jump ring accents.

23) Faux Southwestern Mosaic Inlay Tin by RenGalSA

Deb’s description of her entry: This was fun and I think I learned a lot while doing this. I wanted to make it look like an inlay piece between the borders of silver. Experimenting with different mixtures and adding different color and texture to the different ‘faux’ inlay stones was a learning experience. I never knew what would happen with the final result and decided that with faux stone - especially the malachite - you can never use enough translucent. The color takes it over and you just get more ‘glow.’ The stones used for most inlays are matrixes - splashes of color held together by resin. In this piece yellow jasper, coral, lapis, and turquoise. My one exception was the malachite where I wanted to play with the layering and add an extra design element. I made a fun big cane and will probably use it for other fun designs as well.

24) Faux Dichroic Glass Polymer Clay Beads and Pendant by PolymerClayCreations

Angela’s description of her entry: A new experiment using colorful foils and liquid polymer clay to achieve a faux dichroic look. The colorful glass-like beads and pendant are strung on a triple strand necklace with a variety of glass and crystal beads.

Voting is from July 1st through July 7th, 2010.  Please click this LINK to cast your vote for your top three favorite entries.

Remember 5 lucky voters win one of the fabulous prizes shown below.

They are from left to right, top to bottom:

1st Row, L-R:  pendant - ArrowdaleArtStudio; cell phone fob - 11BoldStreet; pendant - ClayHappy

2nd Row, L-R:  faux wood - JKollmann; bracelet - CraftsbyCAG; barrette - NKDesigns

3rd Row, L-R:  earrings - RenGalSA; necklace - PipsJewellery; earrings - PolymerClayCreations

4th Row, L-R:  pendant - SCDiva; pendant - RozPetalzStudios; pendant - RiverValleyDesigns

Come back here on July 1st to cast your vote for your favorite entry and be in to win one of these fabulous prizes.

Welcome to our very special June challenge! This month, our theme is “Think outside the box.” For this challenge, all the entrants started out with the same sized, rectangular aluminum tin, which measureS 2.5″ wide by 2″ tall. This is the tin the members started with, and just look at what we did with it! 29 works of incredible polymer art!

And to make this challenge even more special, you will also be able to bid on your favorite tin or tins to have as your very own! All the entries will be auctioned off during challenge week to the highest bidder, to raise money for our team charity, Polymer Clay For A Cause. The bid form is also located at the bottom of this page, below the voting pull-down menu.

Beginning June 1, 2010 and ending at midnight, Eastern US time June 7, 2010, you may bid on one or more of the entries. Bidding for each tin will open at $10 U.S. currency. Payment will be by PayPal only. The highest bidder for each tin will be notified as soon as possible after the challenge ends. Payment will be due immediately. PCAGOE reserves the right to cancel a high bid if payment is not made within 24 hours, and in that event, the next highest bidder will be notified.

Polymer Clay For A Cause was created by PCAGOE member Angela Anderson in memory of her daughter, Cortney, who passed away at the age of 14 after a long battle with Muscular Dystrophy. Angela says of Cortney: “Cortney had an incredibly artistic mind, but due to her Muscular Dystrophy we were not able to find a medium that she could do. So in turn during her years of living at Childrens Hospital she would tell me GREAT stories and I would try to bring them to life through polymer clay. Clay became both of our worlds, just in different ways. Cortney left this world at the age of 14 to go dance for the first time, but I try to continue her spirit through clay and charities.” (Cortney would grow her hair out, just to donate it to locks of love.)

And please check out the PCFAC shop at Etsy, too. PCAGOE members regularly donate items we create to the shop, and Angela donates the proceeds from the sale of these items to a designated children’s charity. To date, we have raised more than $500 in Cortney’s memory. We hope you will help us honor her memory by bidding on your favorite tin or tins.

The mosaic for the entries can be found here at our PCAGOE Challenge website.  The mosaic of the challenge entries this month is a large one and, depending on the speed of your internet connection, it may take a few minutes to fully load, so please be patient and wait for it to fully load. We wanted to give you the best possible views of all the entries this month! The wait will be worth it, we promise, but if you can’t wait, you may also see the mosaic here. Thank you!

Five lucky voters will also receive one of these beautiful polymer clay items created by our member artists. Winning voters will be contacted as soon as practicable after the challenge ends. Winning voters have one week after notification to claim their prize by furnishing your mailing address.

JUNE CHALLENGE PRIZES:

1st Row, L-R: ThePleasantPheasant, RenGalSA, NKDesigns, ToniNZ
2nd Row, L-R: ArrowdaleArtStudio, HiGirls, 11BoldStreet, CraftsByCAG
3rd Row, L-R: ClayHappy, YoungCreative, PolymerClayCreations, LaurelSteven
4th Row, L-R: BeeTreeByMe, ClayCenter, NKDesigns, Polyclarific

Beginning June 1, 2010 and ending at midnight, Eastern US time June 7, 2010, you may bid on one or more of the entries. Bidding for each tin will open at $10 U.S. currency. Payment will be by PayPal only. The highest bidder for each tin will be notified as soon as possible after the challenge ends. Payment will be due immediately. PCAGOE reserves the right to cancel a high bid if payment is not made within 24 hours, and in that event, the next highest bidder will be notified.

VOTE HERE now until midnight Eastern June 7th, 2010.

This was a very exciting challenge for many of us. It is fascinating to see what moments in history, public or private, historical events or time periods influenced the members’ entries. We think you will agree, however that they are all stunning and beautifully executed. Some members chose to interpret an event or time period which affected them personally. Some entries depict history in a humorous, light-hearted way. Some are profoundly moving testimonies to survival and perserverance. All are certainly memorable.

Please vote for your top three favorites in the pull-down voting box shown AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN ON THIS PAGE. DEPENDING ON THE SPEED OF YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION, IT MAY TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO LOAD. (This link will take you to another website)

Only one vote per person, please. One (1) vote consists of choosing a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place entry. If you choose an entry for 1st place, please do not also vote for it as your 2nd and/or 3rd place choice. Duplicate votes will not be counted.

1) Fly Me To The Moon Pendant by BeeTreeByMe

Mary Ellen’s description of her entry: “My inspiration is July 20, 1969, MAN WALKS ON THE MOON! I watched live coverage on my black and white TV. Every kid wanted to be an astronaut! The Space-age inspired, awed and humbled us. This is my tribute to people who made dreams come true.”

2) Australian ANZAC Slouch Hat Brooch by Polyclarific

Amanda’s description of her entry: “This month we remember our fallen soldiers on ANZAC Day (April 25). We remember fallen Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War II.”

3) The Day The World Changed Forever by NKDesigns

Linda’w description of her entry: “On 9/11/2001, 2973 innocent people perished in a horrendous act of terrorism at the World Trade Center. Living in New York, this is very close to my heart. This tin will not be for sale in my shop. It sits on my desk to remind me of the Day the World Changed Forever. Inside the tin is a Flag of Honor with tiny names of the 2973 victims of 9-11 who gave their life.”

4) Medieval Manuscript Cane Set by ZoeOwyn

Laura’s description of her entry: “This set of 4 canes are all based on pieces/design elements that you could find in medaevil illuminated manuscripts. I took a class to the museum to see an exibit, and I fell in love with the little detail work in the illuminations.”

5) Headline 1920: U.S. Women Get The Right To Vote! Commemorative Brooch by SCDiva

Lynda’s Description of her entry: “My entry commemorates the ratification and passing of the 19th amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which finally gave women in this country the right to vote in 1920. It also honors the first women in my family who were legally able to exercise their right to vote, my Great Grandmothers: Caralie Douglas Medlock Stoney, Julia Elizabeth Craft Moseley, Cora Lee Taylor Page and Pezzie Hinson Forrester.”

6) My Great Grandmother’s Steamer Trunk by ArrowdaleArtStudio

Cindy’s description of her entry: “This trunk represents the hard choices all of our great-(?)-grandparents had to make when they left their homes and families - all that they knew, to come to a new life in America. My great-grandparents came in the latter half of the 19th century, along with 33 other families after massive flooding for several along the Rhine left their farms useless. As I think about them packing up what little they probably had left after selling everything to survive, I imagine that final packing must have been so difficult.”

7) Ancient Shards Earrings by OneAndOnly

Maria’s description of her entry: “These have been made using inspiration from the minoanss in Greece, the palace of Knossos has still some amazing frescoes that were made 1700BC, flowers and the spiral designs are evident in may of the works.”

8) Italian-Inspired Terracotta Necklace by YoungCreative

Marie’s description of her entry: “Indulge your daydreams of Italy with this bella necklace reminiscent of ancient terracotta pottery. The focal point is a pendant, featuring inset hand-stamped images of Michelangelo’s David beside a map of Italy.”

9) Famous Painters of the Renaissance by PolymerClayCreations

Angela’s description of her entry: “My choice was this tin with photos of three of the most famous painters and paintings of the Renaissance. Botticeli, Da Vinci and Michelangelo on a tin covered with gold, copper and pearl mokume gane.”

10) Sunface Kachina Pendant or Wall Hanging by RenGalSA

Deb’s description of her entry: “My entry is a tribute to Native Americans. It is the Hopi Kachina, Sunface. The Sunface Kachina represents warmth, shelter for the old, bright future, and playfulness for the young.”

11) Bathtub Gin Bootleggers by AlisonEKurek

Ali’s description of her entry: “1920 through 1933 marked a period of decreed alcohol abstinence in the United States. It also marked a period of bootlegging, bath tub gin, gangsters and general upheaval in American society.”

12) Caveman’s Wheel Pendant by IansCafe

Ian’s description of his entry: “You can’t talk history of modern invention without a homage to the birth of the wheel.”

13) Come To The Tea Party by AshPaints

Arlene’s description of her entry: “Not a political statement, just a reminder of one of the turning points in American history when patriots joined together to fight oppression.”

14) Popular Toys of the 20th Century by BlessedBeadJewelry

Janice’s description of her entry: “All of these toys, the crayons, the lincoln logs, Raggedy Ann, the teddy bear, Mr. Potato Head, and the Slinky were invented before after 1900 but before 1960! Mr. Potato Head was the latest one, in the early 1950’s.”

Voting will be by the public and by PCAGOE team members. Voting begins May 1, 2010 and ends May 7, 2010 at midnight, Eastern U.S. time. Winners in each voting category will be announced here and at pcagoechallenge.blogspot.com on May 8, 2010.

Five lucky voters from the public, chosen at random, will also win beautiful polymer clay prizes created by one of our many, talented member artists! Winning voters will be notified at the close of voting and have one week from the date we contact you to furnish us with your mailing address so we can send you your prize. If you do not respond within one week, another name will be pulled from the pool of voters.

First Row, L-R: Barrette by Polyclarific, Covered Tin by ClayCenter, Bracelet by YoungCreative, Necklace by ArrowdaleArtStudio.

Second Row, L-R: Bracelet by HiGirls, Necklace by 11BoldStreet, Earrings by PolymerClayCreations, Earrings by ClayHappy.

Third Row, L-R: Pendant by JKollmann, Pendant by NKDesigns, Pendant by SCDiva, Charm by JenCom72.

Fourth Row, L-R: Pendant by BeeTreeByMe, Pendant by RiverValleyDesign, Pendant by LaurelSteven, Raw polymer clay cane by ToniNZ

Several of the entries are also available for sale in our members’ etsy shops, so please check them out to see these and more one-of-a-kind works of polymer clay art.

You may sign up for our monthly e-newsletter when you vote. We would love to be able to tell you about our upcoming challenges and our special promotions and charitable projects.

Our members love to hear your comments. Please take a moment to do that while you vote. Thank you!

Please join us again in June for a very special challenge. Our theme for June is “Think Outside The Box”. The members all started with the same sized blank aluminum tin and have been challenged to cover and decorate it with polymer clay however they choose. The entries will all be auctioned off to the highest bidder during challenge week June 1-7, to raise money for our team charity, Polymer Clay For A Cause, which was created by one of our members in memory of her daughter. You will be able to vote for your favorite tins and bid on them as well! Our members really put their creative thinking caps on for this one, and all of the entries are fantastic. If you are a subscriber to our newsletter, you will get a sneak peak at the tins in our May newsletter!

To celebrate the Mother’s in your life, several members of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy are having promotions in their respective stores.  Listed below are the stores participating in this year’s promotion.

VixenJewels                                 11BoldStreet                           CreativeArtCenter

NKDesigns                                    PolymerClayCreations          BlessedBeadJewelry

CraftsbyCAG                                ClayCenter                              RenGalSA

YoungCreative                            ClayHappy

Several of these stores are offering between 15 to 20 percent off and some are even offering free shipping.  Please visit each store to see the wonderful selections of gifts for the favorite woman in your life.  What Mother doesn’t deserve a unique, handmade treasure?

April PCAGOE Challenge Winners

The votes have been counted and here are the winners!

THE WINNERS VOTED ON BY THE PUBLIC:

1st Place - VyaKyasha

2nd Place - BeeTreeByMe

3rd Place - PhoenixRose

WINNERS VOTED ON BY PCAGOE MEMBERS:

1st Place - BeeTreeByMe

2nd Place - PhoenixRose

3rd Place - PolymerClayCreations

Congratulations to all our winners!

128 votes were cast this month, from the following countries:

Unites States - 113
Canada - 1
United Kingdom - 4
Guam - 3
Isreal - 3
Australia - 2
Turkey - 1
Austria - 1

Comments From The Voters::

All of the competitors have really done a marvelous job. I am so impressed.

What beautiful things! It’s amazing how you captured the feel of fabric in clay!

What a wonderful way to promote the work of so many different artists! It is so nice to see such a variety of styles and techniques used.

I chose the pieces that most appealed to me if I were purchasing them, and the ones I felt were unique and original.

It is just amazing that you can achieve fabric effects with this medium.

All such wonderful entries! It was a joy to participate in voting.

I loved them all! The reason I think #10 deserved to win: She used the fabric designs to show all the different sections of the kimono…it accented the way a real kimono is put together…really creative!

This was a tricky theme, but what gorgeous results!

Hard choices, but the innovative work by 11BoldStreet is a standout! She’s really been pushing the envelope with these, as PolymerClayDaily noted a little while back.

I love them all and it was really hard to make a decision. Always so impressed by the talent of this group. To me the Serape necklace just really looks like a real woven serape. I also think that the flower quilt looks so much like real quilted fabric. The kimono brooch is wonderful too. These 3 entries look the most like fabric to me.

I think all the work is really top quality and must have taken a lot of time. I’m just starting out with clay and I’m impressed to see how those with talent have been able to mold and scuplt it. Really nice job.

I love the texture and design of #6. Really professional. #16 is really original and so cute. What a great idea. This would make a nice gift. I love the color harmony and paterns used for #10.

Loved the #6 design! Absolutely my cup of tea! #12 is beautifully done! #3 for hard work of polishing it till perfection!

Each piece is amazing but the ones that look like real fabric and not clay are like optical illusions.

Each month is a pleasure to get inspired by the wonderful work submitted.

It is so awesome to see how artists are given a theme and how diverse they make it with one medium. Beautiful pieces everyone.

I love that the Fun Flower Quilt is “puffy” and has “stitches”. Such attention to detail is what sets the work apart. I love the clean color and pattern in the Serape necklace, and the paisley is just great.

Beautiful work by all, it was so hard to choose just 3, and then ranking them was even worse! I finally chose Butterflies in Flight as first place because of the impressionist/batik look of the piece, but would love to have more of a description about it right there on the page. I also like the attention to detail in pieces #1 & 9, and they definitely say “fabric” to me.

As usual so hard to choose. I chose the entries I did because they reminded me most of fabric. The Fun Flower Quilt Pendant has the look of fabric both in texture and pattern.I can see the fabric pattern in the mod Retro Look necklace and the piece is nicely composed, it has interest. The Kimono brooch has lovely patterns. Congratulations to all the entrants on some great polymer clay work!

Thank you again to everyone who voted in and entered the challenge this month. Please join us again next month for our May challenge, the theme of which is “History/Historical Event”. We can’t wait!

Our voter winners this month:

Mia Austin Scoggins
Jennifer Becker
Marlene Brady
Jerise Fogel
Gayle White