Hi all!
It's time to do the monthly PCAGOE challenge! That is the clay group I am in, and proudly so.
There are less this month, so it's easier to choose. The theme is "Personal Hero." Each entrant interpreted that in their own way, so there are a variety of themes in there! It's quite interesting really. I sure wish I could vote, but I'm a member and can't-LOL!
If you vote and win, you just may win a prize, so it's worth it for sure. You would get a cool assembly of clay items made by our members. Just for voting (if you win that is). It's so easy to do too...just go to
www.pcagoe.com
and it is right there on the front page.
We are now experimenting with color changes on the page. It is white but may change. How do you like it? You can always contact the administrators and let them know if you do or don't, but of course be nice about it if you do! They do a wonderful job I think, with the web site, don't they?

Now in other matters, I am soooo happy that I finally finished a couple of necklaces with my polymer pieces AND improved my photos on my shop. YES, they need changing and upgrading, but wow, they are sooo much better! I have heard that perhaps I should use white paper or light colored paper as a background and I'm thinking of doing that, with outdoor lighting.
OR, since I have no colored paper on hand, and no budget at the moment, perhaps I'll take some
watercolor pencils and do a light wash on a couple sheets to use. Maybe a swirl or two, nothing distracting though.
If anyone would like to comment, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, be nice of course!
I only have a 2.1 Mg. camera right now, and it is the best I can do until more funds come in, which may be awhile...so, please understand that part of it all.
PLUS, if you go there to check those out, check out my Thunderbird necklace. I made the actual Thunderbird piece some time ago, but just made the necklace with it a few days ago. It was fun too. I made the other necklace, the cameo, at my parent's house while visiting a couple of weeks ago. It's a choker, as it's only about 13" in length, but fits my neck, or a teen's neck would be fine also.
I have a SLEW full of sea shells and other water critters that I made, and beads to match, that I still need to string up for sale. I'm going to make two each for my niece(12-she's visiting us for a month), and my daughter (8). They are going to model them for me. That will be fun.
I'd better hurry though-she'll only be here another couple weeks, or less!
We're going to bead tomorrow after their chores are done-what a blast that should be! I'm actually going to let them use some of my polymer clay. I say that because I am limited, though I'm expecting about 4 pounds of scrap clay, plus a couple cane ends from a member in my group, that sold them to me really cheap, at cost really. That was sweet and a true blessing! So I know I have more coming. I hope they come soon! They were mailed a few weeks ago, wow, the Post Office is getting slow lately! Oh well...
So, that's enough for now, if anyone sees this! LOL!
SO, go vote and see my shop here, and leave comments on what you think about what I'm planning for my photos...etc...

www.plumuniqprettiesplus.etsy.com

My other shop (Grandma's Pillows Plus www.grandmaspillowsplus.etsy.com) may not work at the time as I cannot pay the fees. I racked up too many show cases! Learned the hard way.
It may though. If you want to buy something from there and can't, please convo me there or at my other shop, and I'll just list it in the other shop for purchase! I'll even give you a 10% off discount for the trouble! In fact I'm offering 15% off everything in that shop anyway, and 10% off anything in the Plumuniq shop. So, see if you like it, and wait for the redone invoice. Oh, just to remind me (I get forgetful at times) just put 10% off in the seller's notes.
THANKS FOR READING!!!!!!!

June Going Fast!

Wow-June is still here, but nearly over. Well, ended up buying traditional socks for Father's Day for dad, and a T-shirt for Rick, oh well! Gave in to commercialism, instead of claying for them, but as I said before, men ARE hard to clay for, if you don't do sculptures. Which I don't. Some in our clay group do them wonderfully, like Lynn's Little Creations.
Well, hate to say this, but I am sooo quickly losing inspiration in claying. I love it still, don't misunderstand. It's just that Rick is still insistent that Etsy and any handcrafts won't sell and pay off, and my "little hand made things" won't make money enough. It's discouraging.
I need disability, and have tried twice. Denied twice. I've been told that you need to try over and over. That sucks. I'm calling lawyers today. It doesn't help when he talks about moving to Cal. You HAVE to be in one area for at least long enough to get on it, to GET on it, not moving around, or they will cancel the case. I KNOW that as a fact. If not, leave a comment and tell me.
So, you make more there, you pay more too. I love my state of AZ. It's very diverse, and pretty.
Cal sucks in my opinion with their crazy 9th Circuit Court ruling things like that parents don't have the right to educate their own children in their own way? What? Given that Cal is the lowest state on the testing ranks, that is STUPID! The Judge that ruled that needs to go back to school in my humble opinion! How low is that to rule that? What an idiot Judge! Not the first idiot Judge there either. And that's one thing they're doing...
Anyway, my hand crafts are therapeutic for me too, not just for money, if possible. So, I need them in my life. He doesn't get that. Rick doesn't do much in the way of hobbies, though I bought him some leather stuff for Christmas. Well, he does play Solitaire on the computer. That's about it.
He doesn't get how much time goes into doing crafts and pictures and Etsy, etc. Upkeep on Etsy is easy when you don't sale much, like me, but there are things like reading articles on Etsy or wherever or tutorials to learn better techniques, etc. Learning photo tips, etc.
Just I'm just venting. But I need to. So, if anyone reads this and has a hubby or boyfriend or whatever, who is like that, leave a comment...I'm sure we'll understand. It sucks when they don't get it, huh? That's why I like my handcraft groups on Etsy. They get it.

Update...

Well, it's June already! Wow-time is flying this year! Anyway, we just ended our latest Polymer
Clay monthly challenge. What a great selection! Check it out at pcagoe.com! A couple winners
got some very nice packages too...how lucky they are!
I have a poll on polymer clay items. Just a fun poll on who likes what in polymer clay. You don't even have to make the stuff, just like looking at it! And, it has multiple choices. Please participate!

On the home front, things are usual. Except that I am working on a Father's Day gift for both dad and Rick. Probably pens-men are hard to clay for I think (I have no cuff link forms), and maybe a tin-who knows? My 8 yr. old daughter is anxious to make dad a ton of cute little crafts found in
Highlights For Kids magazine! Guess who gets to help her this week, yep- me!
It will be fun, I'm sure...I told him to act surprised and ecstatic this coming Sunday! He will...
Oh, and making something for my niece, who turns 12 on Friday, June 13. Ha, ha, good thing we're not superstitious or anything! I'm going to make her a tin with sea shells on it (already started) and a necklace with sea shells and some aquatic life, and beads. I KNOW she'll like them both, especially being from Aunt Pam.
They live in the same state, so it get there by 3 days at the most, hopefully! May be a day late, but she'll understand.
Other than that, I have a LOT of sanding, buffing and polishing to do on ALL the beads and
sea shells and cameos and other things I made...

Oh, on the NON polymer clay front. This is funny. Last night (Sunday-June 8th), Rick and Tamara found a white rat running around outside. By itself. We asked the neighbors and no one had a clue where it came from. Of course Tamara wants to keep it. It's domestic, you can tell because he lets you pet him. I had rats as a kid and teenager, and mice as an adult!
So, I scooped him up and pet him, until Tamara and the apartment kids were comfortable doing so as well...it was fun!
We put sand in a painting bucket (from the volleyball court) and food and water, and poor thing just chowed down! He was one hungry little rat! Gave him a bath today-he didn't like that much, I can tell you! I don't blame him either. Well, I have a bathroom to clean now..!
Thanks for tuning in,
Pam

PCAGOE Blog Ring HTML

PCAGOE Blog Ring
Power By Ringsurf

Go to: PCAGOE.com and vote for the May challenge for the group by May 3rd!

OK-everyone, I am now officially a member of the PCAGOE polymer clay artists group on Etsy.
I couldn't be more thrilled! I've been wanting to join this group, and finally got the dues money!
Yeah! I love the medium.. I like sewing yes, but kind of look at the pillows like more a way for
extra "bigger" money, like a job as it were. An enjoyable job, yes, but a job. The clay is my play
and for extra money, hopefully. I want to do jewelry, and other things. I once made some polymer
necklace holders in the shape of roses, I want to do those and others again. They have a new
Sculpey, which is erasable! Yes, you make erasers of this stuff! So, some time when I have more
money to buy extra stuff like that, I'd love to make some for kids in fun kid shapes...
just explore different polymer projects is what I really want to do. I have found so many great
tutorials now, with the help of my new friends at PCAGOE! I love the art of caning-it's so
beautiful!
I know one thing-eventually I need a pasta maker! Can't wait! I always thought I needed one, just didn't know it would be for clay purposes!! LOL!!!
I made an entry for the May challenge, just in the nick of time with a piece I had just completed
recently with my last bit of good clay. The rest is dried out. But my cell phone does poor pixes,
so it does not look so good! I am working on getting a better camera (digital), it won't be the
greatest quality, but as long as it does close-up enough to see the item without blur it will have to do for the time being.
It is more important to me right now to get clay supplies. I need tools and textures and powders and all those great things. A little at a time of course.
I have been invited to write for the newsletter-how exciting! I am going to do a "research" project. Sort of like a "see it through the eyes of a beginner learning a new technique" sort of
approach. This way I learn a new technique, and get to share the results with everyone! Maybe
I'll discover some new, cool thing, huh, wouldn't that be awesome! LOL!
I was blown away to see that there is a whole encyclopedia for nothing but polymer clay, probably more than one I'm sure! Wow! What a medium-can you tell I'm passionate about it!
Can't wait to get some clay and get going. (A clay sale at Michael's this Sunday I heard).
Well, that's enough for now, plenty enough. Hope you enjoyed this. I will endeavor to do better
with pixes and links from now on, promise!
See how blurry my challenge piece is? Sigh. It is supposed to be a rose on a heart stick. Oh well.
The blue piece is one I did awhile back, but never painted it, so I painted it recently and added
the glitter, it's fabric glitter. I like that because it's fine grade.

Well, after having the flu for 2 weeks in March, I got way behind! Having fibromyagia, it makes the flu worse and last longer! Ugghhh! Anyway, I finally got my pink background with yellow skulls and aces cards pillow done! Whoo! It looks good. I put metallic thread and bright fashion pink thread for top-stitching all around ALL the pictures. PLUS, ALL the yellow skulls are stuffed.
A lot are stuffed! I wasn't going to stuff that many at first, but wanted it to look really good. It has a cool purple lace trim around it. Well, my husband and 8 year old daughter really like it, but like most all my pillows! My daughter wants to keep them all! She already has two, and the collection will grow, I'm sure!
I am charging 49.95, though I put a LOT of hours into it.
I sure hope someone sees it that really likes it, as much as my family, if not more!!! Someone who will pay that is!

I have some extra left-over scrap material from it that I am highly thinking of turning into a really mini-pillow, or a pin-cushion. Probably the pin-cusion, or maybe two. Maybe that would sell. After all, it is Grandmas Pillows PLUS, not just pillows!
As for my other Etsy site, Plumuniq Pretties Plus, nothing has sold. It needs more promotion though. I need business cards and other promo materials, but need money for those! I know a
few people who would hand them out, but I can't afford them yet. I still need to get more cotton!

First priority is for to go see my son in a couple of weeks. That will take some gas. He lives about 5 hours away, and with gas prices and eating there and back, well...cotton and biz cards will have to wait. His birthday is April 20, TODAY, and he is 21!!! I am so proud of him and my daughter, just because they are who they are. I miss him, and of course also in that little town
are my parents, younger brother and his two kids, that have been near me since their birth, 9 and 11 years ago.
I have been in Tucson now since around September of 07, reunited with my x. Our daughter is sure happy about that, and so am I! We may not stay here, not sure. Depends upon what happens when his house in Texas sells. Depends upon where he can get better work. I wish we could move back to Prescott Valley, where my family is, and where it's about 12 degrees
cooler! Beautiful mountains too, but oh well. This is priority right now.
That's all for now...

Post For An Assignment For Trade-A-Holics

HI. This post is NOT about me or my stuff, but about someone else and THEIR stuff!
This is an assignment for a group I belong to on etsy (names given after the post).

This "youngish" person likes pirates I'd have to say, and no doubt so does her little boy and husband.
She has some very cute things on her shop. I think they are high quality, especially with the
time she has to make them, considering she works outside her home, in the field of accounting.

She lives in Denver, Co, where I bet it is still cold! Unlike here in Tucson, where REALLY cold is a foreign concept (I'm finding out in my 7 months here)! I envy this person for the snow she
must have-I miss that!

"Loving you is semi-sweet" or so it says on one of her hand mades! What a cute concept-an
altered package on something I personally love, a Cadbury bar!
I could use one of those gift card holders, believe me, to help me organize myself! Hmmm...organizing, that is also a goal of THIS person as well!
So is being able to put more time into her etsy shop. I do hope she sells lots of stuff so can quit her job and do that, as I am thinking she could probably be happy to stay at home and do nothing but etsy (judging from her blog)! I understand that!
I don't consider myself a "rock star" or even close, but oh that sweet little "sweet cuff" in her shop is so divine! Totally awesome, girl!
And of course, being a musician, I do like the altered music composition book!
This very tactful person is admittedly a good employee (and I believe it too)! She likes making things for her family, like the photo frame for her husband. She reminds me of myself, in that she thinks she takes longer to do things than planned (hello-I hear that)!
But the results look very nice on the shop I think!
She also enjoys photography, with an apparently new camera for Christmas. Hey, I think the photos are great, especially the trees and that beautiful sky! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22146119@N02/2254801999/). It reminds me of an AZ
monsoon.
Well, I need to catch up on my correspondence to friends and family, so some of that luscious looking green neon notepaper would be grand for the job, or the hotpink! Love those colors!
Or, for all you skulls and crossbones fans out there, lots of stuff for you too, like journals and
altered notebooks-so cute and nifty! And, hey, even I can afford those! (Just as soon as I pay off my etsy fees that is)!
This loving mom and wife says she wants to lose 30 pounds this year (I get that alright)! Well, keep up the good work on your things, and that will work off the calories!

I look forward to the many more original items to come from this wonderful seller, named
Amanda, from her shop, named: presentsforpirates.etsy.com. Check it out!