Saturday, May 1, 2010

May PCAGOE Monthly Challenge

The theme for our Team May challenge is “History or Historical Event.” The only rules were that the entry must be at least 50% polymer clay and must interpret or depict the theme in some way.
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.”
This is my entry :) ...........
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 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!