Season of Change...

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

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!

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!

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...

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...

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 :)

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,