The Critter Company- Creations in Polymer Clay

Season of Change...

2011-01-15T22:04:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope everyone is having a great start to the year. I can't believe it has been six months since my last update.

This update is very bittersweet as I lost my father rather unexpectedly last month. I can't even begin to tell you how much I miss him.

Although the past month has been one of the most difficult of my life, I have to tell you I am looking forward to the new year and all of the possibilities it brings. I will be heading back into my studio next week to start work on some new designs. I am looking forward to that. I also have a new project in the works that I am very excited about. I will be posting more information in the next few weeks, so stay tuned. :)

Hope for God's Children is preparing for their first launch of the year coming up in March. I am planning to participate again this year and hope to offer some special one of a kind items for the upcoming launch. Please visit the HGC Blog (link is at the top of this page) and learn more about this wonderful organization.

I will wrap this up for now with a promise to do my best to post more often.

All the best,

Some Good and Some Sad News

2010-07-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

For those who follow my blog (and thank you by the way), you may remember that last month I participated in the Hope for God's Children launch to benefit Elizabeth Pitts'; a ten-year-old who was battling cancer.

I'm sorry to report that Elizabeth passed away on Thursday. Please keep her family in your prayers. I can't even begin to imagine what they are going through right now.

On a brighter note- the HGC group far exceeded their goal and raised almost $6,000 to help with Elizabeth's medical bills. Thank you to everyone who participated as a seller or a buyer.

Unfortunately there are too many children battling this awful disease. HGC will be planning another launch to benefit another family sometime this fall. You can learn more about HGC by clicking on the box at the top of my blog.

I have been taking a clay break the past few weeks and have been enjoying the summer. I almost have my studio cleaned up and organized again. I seem to clear out and rearrange everything at least once a year. LOL

The clay is starting to call to me again. :) I should be back creating in the next week or so. If there is anything you would like to see for Fall or Christmas, let me know and I will see what I can come up with. ;)

Have a great 4th of July!

Elizabeth's launch wraps up today!

2010-06-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth's launch wraps up today! It's not too late to participate. 100% of the proceeds from items in my Etsy shop that are listed with "HGC Elizabeth", will go to Elizabeth Pitts' family to help with medical bills. In addition, you can search both Etsy and E-bay for a wonderful selection of items from particpating designers. Search- HGC Elizabeth

It's time to go to the zoo!

2010-06-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

June 3rd- June 17th, Hope for God's Children Corp. is hosting a Custom Boutique Clothing, Accessories, Home Design, Business Products and Art Benefit Launch for Elizabeth Pitts and her family!

Elizabeth, 10, was diagnosed with a brain tumor on October 17, 2006. On July 24, 2009 she was diagnosed with pre B cell ALL Leukemia. On November 24, 2009 she had an allogenic stem cell transplant to cure her ALL. She has no fear and is full of faith that she will be cured of cancer.

Please pray for us. We are praying this current setback is minor in the scheme of things and will get us back to our Season of Living in no time. We are burdened with the fears that we will eventually succumb to in the future. We know what fate we are facing, we just don't know when. Please pray for guidance, faith, and strength. (Melanie Pitts)

As of June 3rd, many talented artists and designers had listed more than 80 benefit items for sale on both Ebay and Etsy! To find these items you can search for "HGC Elizabeth".

The Critter Company is participating in this launch. Please search my Etsy Shop for items titled "HGC Elizabeth".

ALL proceeds from the sale of these items will be donated to Elizabeth Pitts family to help with medical bills.

I will be listing some new items over the next few days, so please check back to see what is new!

You can read about Elizabeth here:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/elizabethpitts

New Items in the Etsy Shop...

2010-03-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

I have been busy updating my Etsy shop with some brand new designs! I have a lot of new spring designs available as well as some new jewelry designs. I hope to have more Easter designs listed this week. Please stop by and see what is new!

The weekend has snuck up on me again...

2010-02-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

I must apologize for my absence this week. It has been a wonderful, albeit very busy week. The weekend just seemed to sneak up on me again. LOL Flashback Friday will return next Friday. I also plan to have some new designs ready next week, so please stay tuned!

In the meantime, head on over and visit my friend Lori at Sugarberry Sensations. Lori is a very talented clay artist and she is giving away this adorable St. Patrick's Day Bear.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog and have a great weekend!

Flashback Friday- Time for a Little Fun :)

2010-02-05T09:54:00.000-08:00

Need a good laugh today? I have been working with polymer clay since I was eight years-old (which was a few years ago ;) ) and yes I do still have some of those pieces. I thought it might be fun to show you a few of those pieces from way back when. I will try to do this each Friday for at least the next few weeks.

Today I selected some of my very first cane work. I have learned a few things about caning since then but am sorry to say that cane work is still a real challenge for me.

Christmas Heart- My very first cane ( I think). I believe I was 14 when I made this. If you notice around the heart, the color changes slightly. I think I ran out of the clay I was using and used a different color. :) Lesson one- make sure you have enough clay to finish the project! LOL

Toy Soldier Cane- This piece came a few years later. While better than the first example, I still did not really have enough clay (it was not as readily available as it is today), nor did I have the right tools. Things like a tissue or clay blade, a pasta machine, a brayer or a clay roller can make all the difference in the world. One of the lessons I have learned is to use the same brand of clay for each color in the cane. That way the clay will all be the same consistency. It makes a tremendous difference!

And finally....

Long before the Skinner blend, there was a technique called color shading!

I tried this.. once.

I can't believe I actually tried to sell these pieces! Again, this was a lesson in having enough clay and the right tools. From what I remember I had just enough to cut the four slices above and used a cookie cutter to cut the two hearts from the remaining scraps. Oh and probably the most important lesson I learned, let the cane rest before trying to reduce it or slice it. EEK!

I think I will leave the cane work to the professionals. LOL

Thanks for taking a trip back in time with me.

All the best,

Thank you to...

2010-02-04T16:08:00.000-08:00

A wonderful customer, Stephanie of Pixybug Designs, for mentioning The Critter Company on her blog yesterday. Stephanie is a talented jewelry designer and fellow bead addict. I can't wait to see what she has in store for the beads I am currently making for her. Thanks Stephanie!

Happy February

2010-01-31T20:15:00.000-08:00

Wow! Where does the time go?

I can't believe it is already February. I hope 2010 is treating you well. I have been very blessed with some wonderful custom orders recently, so that in part is the reason I have not been updating my blog and Etsy shop as often as I should. That will be changing within the next few weeks as I have some adorable new Spring designs that I can't wait to share with you. I am also planning to take a more active part in keeping my blog and website current.

A few exciting things have taken place recently. On January 10th, I was featured on the new Cute Handmade blog. This is a fairly new blog which is definitely worth a look. As the name suggests it is for all things cute and handmade.

Secondly, I recently set up a new face book fan page! Please be sure to check it out and become a fan. I will be previewing new items, offering some exciting contests and more!

I will wrap this up for now, but please check back in as I will be updating more often. :)

Best wishes,

New Web Site!

2009-12-04T15:01:00.000-08:00

Check out my brand new website!

http://www.crittercompanyclay.com

November News

2009-11-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

Thanks for taking a few minutes to visit my blog!

I have some exciting things coming up over the next few weeks. First up I will be at the Hunt Meadows PTO Christmas Bazaar, which is being held at the Hunt Meadow Elementary School in Easley, SC on November 14th. This will be my only craft show this year. If you are in the area, please stop by to say hello. I will have many new creations, including my line of collectible sculptures, Christmas ornaments and hand sculpted jewelry.

I am currently busy filling orders for Christmas, but will soon have many new bead designs in my Etsy shop. Lots of new Christmas designs and even a few Valentine and Easter designs, for those who like get a head start on their jewelry designs.

And speaking of Etsy.. Drumroll please.... I will be opening a new shop!
As soon as I get a chance, I plan to open a shop specificaly for my jewelry, ornaments and collectable lines. I hope to get this new shop up and running by mid-Novemeber. Please check back as I will post here on my blog as soon as things are up and running.

Thanks again for taking the time to visit my blog and have a great day!

Best wishes,
Jamie

Christmas in July!

2009-07-13T16:48:00.000-07:00

I am taking part in Etsy's Christmas in July Sale!

All of my Christmas and winter themed items are currently on sale for 10-50% off!

It is going to take me several days to get everything listed, so please check back to see what is new.

New Items in the Etsy Shop...

2009-07-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

Lots of new items in the Etsy Shop! I will also be listing some snow cutie sets on E-bay this evening. Stay tuned to see what is new!

Update- I'm sorry I have not been able to get the sets listed on E-bay yet. I am working on this and will get them listed as soon as time allows. I will post in my blog as soon as the new sets are on-line.

New Items in the Etsy Shop...

2009-07-08T17:46:00.000-07:00

I have some new items listed in my Etsy shop. I have added some new items as well as some old favorites. Check it out!

The Snow Cuties are back! I am happy to bring back one of my most popular designs. This year I will be adding some new colors as well as some new patterns. I will also continue to offer colors from years past. If you have a request for a snow cutie in a particular color, please feel free to contact me.

The Snow Cuties are now available as both individual beads and in the regular bead sets. Please check back often as I will be adding new colors and designs over the next few months.

Fall and Halloween designs are now arriving! Please bear with me as I have a new camera and I'm still learning how to use it, so the picture quality may not be great :).

I will be offering many new designs over the coming weeks, including: beads, jewelry, hair accessories, home and holiday items. I can't wait to show you what all I have been working on!

Thank you for visiting The Critter Company and have a great day!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

Here is wishing everyone a very happy Independence Day!

I just wanted to post a quick update and let everyone know I have not fallen off the face of the earth LOL.

I should have some new items listed in my Etsy shop sometime next week. I have several new designs in the works and will soon begin listing items for Fall and Winter. If you are looking for something in particular please feel free to contact me. I am always happy to take custom orders!

New Items in the Etsy Shop...

2009-04-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

My Etsy shop is now up and running and open for business!

I am happy to announce that due to the lower overhead of this shop I have been able to lower the prices on many of my items. I am now also offering a reduced shipping rate if you are buying individual beads (not bead sets).

I have just finished uploading some adorable new spring designs along with some old favorites, so be sure to check it out. The Critter Company Etsy Shop

On the horizon....

This is one of the things I love about having a blog; I can now let everyone know what I am currently working on and the projected listing dates.

So on the horizon we have:

-Sweet and adorable Made to Match bead sets that include pineapples, monkeys and giraffes!

-The Critter Company is going on Safari, look for a new line of "Safari Girl" beads with adorable matching animals!

- A silly smiling daisy bead set. This set will match the new daisy beads that I currently have in my shop.

-I Pledge Allegiance- an absolutely precious patriotic/Memorial Day/4th of July set. This is one of my favorite designs so far. I have been working on this one for a while and can't wait to share it with everyone.

- New "Critter" Designs along with some new collectible critters.

I should have most of these designs in my store and/or up on E-bay early next week. Stay tuned for further listing announcements :) .

If you have a special request for an item or design you would like for me to make, or if there is an old favorite that you would like to see brought back, please feel free to contact me.

Have a creative day!
Jamie

Welcome!

2009-04-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

To all of my wonderful customers, old friends and new, I would like to welcome you to my new blog! I have a lot of exciting things coming up and through this new blog I hope to keep everyone apprised of the latest happenings.

For starters I have a new Etsy shop! Over the next few days I will be adding a large selection of new bead designs as well as some old favorites. I also hope to offer a variety of my jewelry designs and some unique one of a kind collectibles.

I am also working on a new Critter Company website. The basics are there but I still have some work to do before it is finished. You can take a sneak preview by clicking here: The Critter Company

The new site will have a photo gallery of most of my current and past designs. I am working on setting up a shopping cart and order form to make ordering easier. For now if you see something that you would like to order, just shoot me an e-mail and I will get in touch with you.

As you may have noticed I have closed my E-bay store. I will still be listing auctions regularly on E-bay, probably on Wednesday or Friday evenings. I will update my blog when new items are listed, so be sure to check in frequently.

Last but certainly not least, to celebrate the opening of the new shop and website I will be holding a contest for all of my wonderful customers! I will be posting all of the details here very soon, so please be sure to check back.

Until next time,
Jamie