Playful polymer

Schulz on PCDaily

Here are three artists who can help reacquaint you with your inner polymer child. Look at the playful way Austria’s Eva Marion Schulz experiments and dabbles with clay.

If you scroll through her Facebook photos you’ll see that she paints with polymer, sculpts with it and even gives it wings and feathers.

Mishly on PCDaily

In the vase at the left she takes leftover canes, flattens them, backs them with scrap and cuts out ovals. Starting at the bottom of a glass vase, she adheres the ovals using her hand inside for support.

Want to play more? Two free tutorials popped up that are so simple and quick that you won’t be able to resist them.

Watch Iris Mishly’s video about how to make a holiday whirligig from a stack of narrow strips of polymer. Hang it and watch it spin gracefully.

Heather Powers shows you how to make merry little owls with just a pinch and some paint. You’ll feel like a kid again.

Raising a ruckus

Raising the Roof has raised a ruckus thanks to you. Your generosity is amazing. Remember that a donation here makes a great gift that you can print (here’s the donation card) and slip into an envelope to present with a slight bow and a quiet, “Namaste.” (The light in me honors the light in you.)

Cyber and fiber Monday

Morris on PCDaily

PCD has followed Jennifer Morris’ meticulous polymer work from New York to Portland. Her distinctive romantic and bohemian designs are precisely appliqued onto base beads and often embellished with rich beadwork.

Recently Jennifer’s work has taken a geometric turn and she’s being influenced by fabrics – quilts, weaving and needlework. The earrings at the left were inspired by aztec embroidery, the ones on the right by a kilim rug.

Morris on PCDaily

Her Etsy interview gives you a glimpse of her studio, her methods and her life in Portlandia.

Cyber Monday helps raise the roof

Lee Ann Armstrong likes simple solutions. Her search for a well-designed cane slicing device led her to come up with the popular Simple Slicer. Her response to the Raise the Roof project is equally straightforward.

On Monday, December 2, buy a tool from Lee Ann Armstrong and she’ll donate the entire amount to Raise the Roof. Your purchase of any tool from Lee Ann’s Etsy site will help put a roof over the head of a woman in distress. No paperwork, no governmental hoops, it’s another simple solution. Indulge your love of tools guilt-free.

Thanks to Friday’s “first responders” we are well on our way. Lee Ann’s generous gesture keeps the project’s momentum going. Read more Raise the Roof personal stories on their blog and donate directly here.