Heifer International Charity Pledge 2009 for Organic Odysseys

Bees...................................The one thing about bees that most folks know is to basically stay out of their way! Some are downright terrified of anything that buzzes, and for good reason, some can be deathly allergic to a sting from a bee. But bees are more than little flying stingers, in fact they are very important to everything living, plant, animal and human alike. You may have picked this up if you happened to see Jerry Seinfelds movie last year, The Bee movie. While it was a cute and funny movie, the story line did help to educate many who are not so aware of this.

Something others may not be aware of is that there has been a crisis of late with the bees. Modern technology is believed to be the culprit as it only seems to be happening in high tech countries. Some blame the cellular phones we all can't do without. To learn more about that just google "Bees disappearing" and you will find a wealth of articles on it.

In poor countries where food is not such a convenience, working to grow crops can be daunting and lots of hard work for little pay in vegetables, and grains for bread. This is where having bees in residence and abundance can be a great blessing.

Heifer International realizes this and offers those in need, through donations of caring supporters, bees, equipment and also most importantly, training on how to keep them. Having these bees can greatly increase the yield of their crops, even doubling it in some countries.

That is why Organic Odysseys has pledged Each month of the coming year to sponsor a Hive to those who could use it best through Heifer international. I will be using the proceeds from my shop to fund this. If all I take in is just enough to do so , then so 'bee' it. :) This is a commitment of Organic Odysseys to help others who are trying to help themselves grow good , healthy and abundant crops, somewhere on our planet. We at Organic Odysseys believe in being our brothers keeper and to share in the blessings we receive with those in need.

We ask that you help in this endeavor by visiting our shop and looking at the diversity of organic themed items there, jewelry, functional art, home decor, and even personal apparel and accessories and choose something , knowing that a part of your purchase of art made from produce from an organic farm is going to help others raise food organically so that they too may live a more healthy and productive life!

Winner of Scavenger Hunt!

Announcing the winner of the PCAGOE Scavenger Hunt for the Organic Odysseys shop:

FloatingRabbit!!!!

Congratulations! Please convo me on how you wish to spend your Gift certificate of $20, so I can make a listing just for you!!!!

A Special thank you to all who entered, I hope you had fun on the hunt and will keep posted about any other fun things we are planning! I really enjoyed opening up your entries and for those who left encouraging comments and compliments, I thank you, it was very inspiring for me, my gift from you! Thank you for playing!

Keep tuned in to my blog and the PCAGOE blog for more fun events!

Happy Holidays everyone! And again, thanks for your participation!

Organic Odysseys

Happy Hanukkah!

To friends, family, and anyone who stops by, Wishing you the warmth and light and Joy of this season of miracles.





The first night , the first candle...................
Barukh Atta Adonay Eloheynu Melekh Ha-olam She-asa Nissim La-avoteynu Ba-yyamim Ha-hem Ba-zzman Ha-zze

Barukh Atta Adonay Eloheynu Melekh Ha-olam She-hekheyanu Ve-kiymanu Ve-higgi'anu La-zzman Ha-zze

Gift Certificate Added to store

For those last minute shoppers I have added a gift certificate to my etsy shop which can be used for anything in the shop, including the shipping. All you have to do is to make your purchase as usual by adding this to your cart, then leave me your recipients name and special message in the 'Message to seller' box at checkout and it will be sent to them when you want ( for Christmas or a certain day of Hanukkah!). I got the neat templates from Giftango, check them out if you are looking to do the same.

After the holidays, I shall be offering general gift certificates to give to the someone hard to shop for or to let them have fun picking something out. Hopefully these will work out better than I've heard gift cards do ( mine is good for 11 months) because I've read recently or heard on the news that over half gift cards go unclaimed ( this is why stores push selling them , especially at the check outs, because they know they will get the money up front and they may never be redeemed! ).

I plan on sending a reminder to the recipients so they don't loose out, and since the GC can't be lost in the rubble of life's accoutrement's, they don't have to worry.

I couldn't wait

This is really the only time of year I eat fried foods, I couldn't wait until tomorrow night! I made these Thursday night and stopped before eating some just now to catch this picture before they're all gone! Three kinds, Potato, Sweet Potato, and Mixed with curry! I love them all !

6:32pm December 20th 2008
ZG

Add Some Spice for the Holidays

I love spices, and herbs, wonderful little things from bark, berries, flowers and herbs, these little things take an ordinary dish and elevate it to 5 star dining. Not only do they taste good, flavoring everything from drinks to salads, soups, and meats, vegetables and lots of baked goods, they also add wonderful aromas in every part of our lives, even the non edible.

Who doesn't love a lemon scented soap to make you feel fresh and alive? ( I consider citrus among all these others as it marries so well with them). Or A cucumber sage body wash? Cinnamon scented candles, or ones called something like Pumpkin Pie? I even have one called Root Beer float and it smells exactly like it and true root beer like Virgils, is made from all kinds of botanicals.

We enjoy spices and herbs in our daily lives but don't much pay them the honor they deserve. I was so busy lately with promotion that I somehow missed that I was featured in another treasury. This one is extraordinary, in that it puts the spotlight on the spices of life and it also included my herb flower bracelet. I am honored to be chosen for yet another well made treasury by EvergreenIvy .
So don't forget to try these little but powerful spices, herbs, flowers, citrus, they can be very beneficial health wise so all the more reason, but they sure to make it fun and flavorful!

Peace on ART

Ahh, what a lovely Rosey glow !!
I got a treasury tonight and that's what I named it. I featured some cool things I've found around and about etsy and also lots of beautiful art from my fellow members of the PCAGOE. Take a look and see if you can't not want to buy something!

Many of the Polymer clay artists featured are also participating in the PCAGOE Scavenger Hunt I posted about here last week.

One of our members, SCDIVA has made a treasury featuring them all, you can check it out HERE.

Another Treasury Feature!

One of our newest members to the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Esty ( she joined when I did), Milica Bubanja of Slovenia who is a wonderful Artist and has many fine pieces in her etsy shop , recently made a Treasury featuring Polymer clay pieces with a nature theme. She graciously included my Edamame Brooch made from copper metallic clay, highlighted with a verdigris finish. I am honored to be among such wonderful artists, each with their own style of nature interpretations.

She Calls it "Top Art Jewelry"
Be sure to stop by her shop at etsy: MilicaBubanja.etsy.com and see lovely and very unique pieces like these:
I love this one, The Butterfly Poem which has a great transfer of a delicate butterfly and a handwritten poem framing it. Very beautiful!

Also this caught my eye, these fabulous 'sponge' beads which she makes into retro modern earrings, necklaces and charming charm bracelets like this one seen here.

I love the colors, so fresh but serene! They remind me of warm Tropical seas in a fresh and modern design.

If you like the wonderful art seen in this treasury, be sure to visit the etsy shops of these great artists: JaelsJewels, studiobijou, laurabeestudios, jkollmann, slavko, scdiva, marciapalmer, beadworx, cocojaneandme, utopiabeads, juliespace

Hunt For Trea sure!

GREETINGS!
I am a member of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy, or PCAGOE for short. This holiday season we are having our first ever Scavenger Hunt. Many of the members are participating in this, so be sure to visit the shops listed below. Why not sit back for a moment and join the hunt and maybe win a lovely prize for yourself!

Here's how it works. See the little snowman image? You will be searching for this chilly little fellow in one of the listings in my shop at etsy. OrganicOdysseys.etsy.com He will be found among the pictures , hidden within a listing. To go on the hunt you just need to sit back with a cup of your favorite beverage, in your PJ's even and just look through the listings in my shop. When you find the little snowman seen here, all you do is click under my shops name where it says 'Seller info', click on contact and this will put you into a convo page. Just convo me ( private message) that you have found the snowman in that listing and you will automatically be entered into the drawing!
Please also include how you found out about the contest too!

The Drawing will take place on Dec 22nd by random number selection. If you are a winner you will be notified through your etsy account by convo and an announcement will also be made on my blog on Dec 22 as well.

This is open to all etsy members ( sign up is easy and only takes a moment if you aren't already a member) but not to PCAGOE members.

The Prize I am offering is a $20 gift certificate ( non transferable) good for anything in my store until Dec 31st. You can use it to purchase anything up to $20 ( no cash given if not all used) or you can apply it to something of more value, just convo me as to what you want and I will make a listing for it minus the GC, just for you!

Happy Hunting!

Shops participating in the Scavenger Hunt:

Chicki

Divadea
Juliespace

Lynnslittlecreations
marciapalmer

SCDiva

PCDiva

OrganicOdysseys

TejaesArt

VAharoni
Angeli


Edited to add Angeli, so make sure you stop by her shop! She make yummy non calorie treats!

Mixed Media Pieces ( my version)

Well I finally got this done! I bought the yarn on Nov 11th after weeks and weeks of frustrated search on etsy to find one of these little neck warmers to display my 80's revision of button covers! First it took me awhile to track some down, hardly anyone carry's them, in fact I found some vintage ones on etsy and snatched them up. I had a few of the smaller size back from the 80's when I used to cover them will all kinds of things and sold quite a few sets.

These however are not just glued on things, but rather the cover is embedded into the clay to lie flat and not giveaway that it is a button cover.

While I was at Joannes for a clay sale, I decided to just make one of these scarfs myself, so I choose three different kinds of yarn, and tried to get some on sale, these new yarns are soooo expensive, more so than when I used to knit and crochet years ago. But then again we had very little selection in those days. I hadn't a clue how to go about this and wanted something totally mine, not someone else's pattern. So I sat down with a couple of pattern books ( for stitches, not articles of clothing and such) and dug out my needles and decided I would not go the knit route this time. I realized why I loved crochet so much, you don't have to worry about dropping stitches! So I choose a hook that I thought matched the yarn and just started in. I just used some basic crochet stitches but with the yarn so variegated and slubby, anything more would just get lost. I finished it off with a ruffled edge and then worried about not placing the button holes.

I searched around through my boxes of fabrics, and trims and found some beautiful hand dyed silk ribbon that matched perfectly. So last night I sat down, figured where I wanted these beauties to sit on the scarf and sewed on the buttons. Then I took the silk ribbon and made buttonholes magically appear!


I then buttoned the buttons, and snapped on the button covers, or Button jewelry as I like to call them and Voila` it was finally done! Actually I had finished the scarf and am currently working on another with a totally different design, but I couldn't find a darning needle to sew the button holes with until yesterday! So now I have taken some pictures, not the best, but it is so dark and dreary today, can't get a good natural light one, but I couldn't wait any longer.

I'll be listing this a little later today, and hope it does well, it sure was a long time in the making and I know it's definitely one of a kind because I am not repeating this one! :)

I do know one thing, If it doesn't sell soon, I may take it out of the store and keep it for myself. I really like how this came out and I love the idea of not having ten yards ( or so it seems some times) of extra scarf you don't know what to do with. This serves it's purpose, to keep your neck warm and not hinder your movements, it's bad enough it's winter and you have to bundle up with bulking winter clothes, no need to get frustrated in the middle of it all!

Oh I forgot to mention. This Scarf is beautiful, functional and artistic, but it doesn't' end there. As I said there are buttons sewn to the scarf and they are buttoned like regular buttons, through holes, then the 'Button Jewelry' is snapped on over the buttons. But when you get to your destination, if you've planned right, you can remove the Jewelry from the buttons on the scarf, and now add them to your blouse! The only requirement is that the buttons on your garment will fit the button cover. The one in the leaf is for your average shirt button, while the one for the eggplant will take a bit bigger button. So now you have cool looking button jewelry to wear throughout the day, so you don't have to leave these lovelies hanging out in the coat closet! Pretty cool, huh?

Holiday Treasury

I put this together so early in the morning and went to bed immediately following that, I forgot to mention it here. I got a Treasury in Treasury West the testing version at etsy.com.






It features many talented polymer clay artists of etsy From A to V!, such as ArzuMusa, FolkArtFromtheHeart , laurelsteven, marciapalmer, PolymerClayforaCause, RadicallyRiley , VAharoni.

Polymer Clay for a cause highlights a conglomeration of polymer clay artists pieces sold in this store for a special memorial charity started by one of pcagoe's members ElementalDragons .

And I just learned recently that Valerie Aharoni of VAharoni, Has won the Grand Prize Winner/Best In Show in the Bead Star contest chosen by viewers at Beading Daily.com, and First Place Winner in the Seed Bead Division of Fire Mountain's Beading Contest! From what I understand this is the premier issue of the magazine and a true honor to be picked for that! Congratulations Valerie!

There are many other great polymer clay artists showing their wares at etsy and the best belong to the PCAGOE, please take time to check it out here, many wonderful gifts for the holidays and beyond can be found in their shops!

PCAGOE has its own blog where you can find interviews with the member artists as well as monthly contests where you can win wonderful pieces of Polymer clay art, check them out here. Stop by to see all the wonderful offerings and sign up for the newsletter to keep abreast of all the news, while your there.

Skinner Blends for Botanical Color

I have had an ongoing love/hate relationship with the Skinner blend. I love how Judith executes it, using it with beautiful metallics or blending it to make it look like fabrics in her new book on clay quilts, but I hated the way mine looked, not quite blending as seamlessly as my perfection personality would like. I have tried using the blend on a few of my pieces with the botanicals from the farm, such as the Nasturtium soap dispenser, this pendant of Nasturtiums as well as this one done early last summer with Summer Savory. I choose the bright colorway for the Nasturtiums by their natural state, the orange-y reds, and deep butterscotch yellows. I think it worked, I sold a cheese shaker recently with that blend on there that came out really cute. In working with the materials sent to me from Pointy Paws ( as I wrote about earlier here ) I had started to make a brooch from one of the Live Oak leaves. When I got to the third stage of making it I decided it was a bit too big and it should be incorporated onto a vessel of some sort. My eyes fell on a prepped six sided horseradish jar and started pondering how to cover it to highlight the medallion best.



I decided to try a skinner blend again and choose a color palette I have not seen done before, ecru and a sagey green from the new line of Scupley, Studio. I mixed these a bit more than the usual runs through the pasta machine and am glad to report I am happy with the results. I had a bit left over and decided to try to do a covering for one of my new acquisitions, stainless steel money clips. I have had these savoy cabbage leaves from the farm ( believe it or not! ) and have been dying to imprint them and finally got the chance. I just knew they would impress, impressively! :) I took a few pics to show you, using my new(est) photo set up, a vintage ( I've had it for 30+ years) Tupperware cake holder and two reveal lights. I am happy with how both turned out and may just continue to experiment with how the skinner blend can work with my botanicals.


In my work I usually spend just as much time on the finishing of the piece with paint, pastels, or other color options to get the look I am trying to achieve as I do on sculpting the piece first in the clay. I used black paint over this skinner blend on the vase, a ecru on the Oak leaf and a medium sage on the black leaves surrounding the cameo and the rim. I think that they work well together and look forward to trying out more combination's to offer my customers.

I've also been working on a whole series of new buttons in various colorways. I think I shall try some soon in a skinner blend to see where that leads. Stay tuned!