Angel Art Doll /Tree Topper

I created this unique Angel Art Doll that can also be used as a tree topper. The only thing that is traditional about this Angel is her wings! She will look incredible on top of a tree during the holidays as well as on display in you home long after the tree has been put away.

The Angel's arms are poseable and the star can be removed.

Available @ http://ElizabethBonura.etsy.com

OOAK {One Of A Kind) Mixed Media Angel Art Doll/Tree Topper
Sculpted Head and Hands
Glass Eyes
Mohair
18" Tall

The Holidays are coming

This month we will be at Gruene on Nov. 15th and 16th. The historic town of Gruene can really put you in the mood for the Holidays. There will be pictures with Cowboy Kringle this month and in Dec. the market is on Dec 5th and 6th. Cowboy Kringle will be back and there will be Holiday Entertainment including the lighting of the Christmas lights, the Pony Express riding through town, and much more. At the Little Meadow Studios booth you will be able to find lots of jewelry, mirorrs, ornaments, and other gift ideas perfect for the holidays. The market is open Saturday and Sunday from 10-5. Come on by, say hey, and get some holiday shopping done.

The Pumpkin Princess!

Pumpkin Princess 012
Originally uploaded by ElizabethBonura

I created this Pumpkin Princess Art Doll for a "pumpkin auction" at the school I teach. Each class is given 2 funkins to decorate for the auction at our Fall Fest...The money raised goes to the teachers to use for classroom supplies :) When the time came for me to donate her, my son became very upset. "You cann't donate her to St. Matthew's! Donate her back to yourself!!!" my 3 year old cried as big tears rolled down his face! He had become just as attached to this Pumpkin Princess as I had. I came home and talked it over with my husband and we decided if the bid wasn't high enough, we would bid on her and consider it a donation to the school.. so, at the end of the auction, my husband did put in the high bid and we took her back home. I have to admit, it felt strange "buying' my own art but I really wanted her back;) I decided to give her to my mom for her birthday. My son and I knew my mom would take care of our Pumpkin Princess and we could visit her anytime!

Creepy Bake Sale Cookies

LadyFingers 008
Originally uploaded by ElizabethBonura

Anyone who knows me, knows I usually don't bake anything unless it's polymer clay. So the fact that I volunteered to make cookies for my son's school's fall fest bake sale is a big deal! The only way I could get excited about baking cookies was to find something that was "sculpted" as in these Severed Finger Cookies. I thought it was a great idea and CJ (my son) seemed to like it OK (although he suggested stars, I went with fingers...) Well, apparently I should have listened to him because he freaked out when he saw the "blood" on the fingers! "What is THAT???? I don't like it! Take it off!" *sigh* My third graders thought they were neat but I guess the severed finger cookies are not appropriate for preschooler! Now I know... Of course I still have to face the other moms at the bake sale. I wonder if they will even put the cookies out? Do at least get credit for trying????

Wicked!

Etsy: Wicked Witch, Pop-Up Art Doll

This OOAK polymer clay pop-up puppet art doll was inspired by Gregory Maguire's book "Wicked, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" The doll was created during a doll retreat with the members of CTADS and TAODA with instructor Marilynn Huston.

This is the first pop-up puppet that I have created and I LOVE IT!!! It is such a fun piece and I love that it actually moves up and down :) It looks great hanging on the wall or it can be held up with a doll stand.

This pop-up puppet is NOT a toy. It is an original art piece and is not intended for play. No molds were used in the sculpting process.


Materials; ProSculpt Brown, 8mm glass eyes, purple mohair, black satin, black crushed velvet, black boa, small gold beads, perlEx powders...

Show Schedule

Elizabeth and I are thrilled to announce that we will be at the Gruene Market Days for Oct, Nov, and Dec. We will be in the same booth spot all three times. Remember to just look for the pink vanity. :) We have lots of fun Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas items planned as well as our usual offering of jewelry and accessories which all make great gifts!

Organization 002

So this is what happens when you start to teach preschool... Everything gets sorted and labeled!

Organization 002
Originally uploaded by ElizabethBonura

Join us at Kerbey Lane North!

Elizabeth and I will be at Kerbey Lane North in Austin, Tx on August 2nd. Kerbey Lane is a local Austin eatery that has several locations. They serve all natural meats and help support local farms. Lunch and Breakfast are such busy times that artists set up shop so that customers can browse and buy while waiting for their tables. Come shop while you wait for a table or just come to shop. :)

What a weekend!

Elizabeth and I had a great time at our first show in Gruene. A big thank you to everybody who stopped by. It was so fun chatting with people as they browsed through our jewelry and accessories. Gruene really is such an adorable place to shop and sell. We met some great artists who were so helpful and encouraging. We hope to be back in Gruene for September.

Sweet 16 Portrait Cake!

Inspired by the life-size portrait wedding cake I created last year, Diamond asked me to create a "mini" version to celebrate her 16th birthday.

Sweet 16 Portrait Cake!
From the waist up is polymer clay(12") while the skirt is cake!
This was a collaborative effort between sculptor, Elizabeth Bonura, and a baker in Atlanta, GA (sorry, I do not know her name!)

Gruene Market Days

Gruene, Tx
Originally uploaded by dcdesigns

It's official! Denise and I are very excited to announce Little Meadow Studios' first showing at the Market Days in the historic district of Gruene! Gruene (pronounced "green") is located only thirty minutes outside San Antonio and just an hour from Austin. Gruene is part of New Braunfels, Tx. We will have a booth set up the weekend of July 19th and 20th. The Market is open from 10-5 on both Saturday and Sunday. Gruene and New Braunfels both have lots of fun things to do and great places to stay. It's a great road trip if you are in the area. Stop by and say "Hi!" We'd love to see y'all there :)

Inspiration gone backwards

Usually when I buy jewelry components I buy them for a specific polymer clay focal that I've already made. However, lately I find myself buying a lot of vintage glass beads and vintage metal components with absolutely no plan for how I'm going to use them. This is really out of character for me as I am certainly a planner-type of gal.
So I find myself with these three little boxes full of treasures and no idea what I'm going to do with them. Well, I know I will make some jewelry of course. :) I've decided to let the little vintage treasures inspire the polymer clay which is totally backwards of how I normally work. I have two new pieces so far from this new way of working and I've decided to start a whole new collection inspired by my three little boxes. I'm calling it the Elemental Charms collection. I'm super excited about it because now I have a great excuse to buy even more treasures.

PolymerCafe August 2008 Cover!

PolymerCafeCoverAugust2008
Originally uploaded by ElizabethBonura

I am so excited to share the new cover of PolymerCAFE which features one of my clay Cymbiduim Orchids!!! Special thanks to Rachel Fuller for taking this cover shot and all of the photos for the article. Subscribers should be getting their issues today and it will hit the shelves of Michael's and select book stores soon.

Family Secrets

Elizabeth and I are sister-in-laws. She is married to my big brother who use to make me pay him $5 just to take me and my friends down the street to the mall and back. Who knew he was charging 2008 gas prices back in 1990. *giggles* He is much nicer now of course and has even gotten a wee bit cool, you should check out the band he plays in. Anyway, Elizabeth and I both covet my Mom's Cream Cheese Cookies. She made them for the first time for a baby shower about a year ago. Of course I was unable to attend said baby shower and soon began hearing of these new cookies Mom was making. Next Christmas my Mom walked in the door and two of my cousins immediately begin yelling. " Aunt Ann's here!" exclaimed John. "Did she bring the cream cheese cookies?" hollered Geoff. Then I watched as my Mom got tackle hugged by her two college-aged nephews who tried to relieve her of the burden of four boxes of cookies! Mom batted there hands away and said,"Stop it I've got to put them on the plate! Nancy get your sons off me!" So I go quietly follow Mom into the laundry room where she is plating her cookies in peace. I ask her if these are the infamous cookies I've heard so much about as she slides two into my hand. These little discs of happiness truly do melt in your mouth. They are so incredibly good. After exclaiming how delicious they are and giving her a quick peck on the check I begin to beg for the recipe. "Nope it's a secret!" says Mom quite smugly if I do say so myself. I continue to badger her for the recipe at every family event. Finally, at the next Thanksgiving I find out she gave the recipe to my Aunt Nancy! As I have a school potluck (I teach kindergarten) coming up I beg and beg and beg for the recipe. Finally Mom caves. Huzzah! The recipe is mine. Of course looking at the recipe I can tell that Mom really puts in more vanilla and a few other things need to be changed until I have reproduced Mom's Heaven in a cookie. At the potluck the cookies vanish and I start getting emails begging for the recipe. Of course, I've been sworn to secrecy! So just for you dear blog readers..........(don't worry Mom I'm just kidding). I won't give out the real secret recipe but here are some links to some interesting cream cheese cookie recipes that will hopefully help you find your own new secret cookie recipe.
Whole Foods Organic Cream Cheese Cookies
Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
Coconut Bream Cheese Cookies
Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies
Low Sugar Cream Cheese Cookies

Passionate About Poppies!

RedPoppyNecklace CloseUp
Originally uploaded by ElizabethBonura

Are you passionate about poppies??? I love how there are so many different ways to represent these beautiful flowers! This handmade poppy was created out of an air dry polymer clay that allows the petals to look delicate but remain flexible. Each petal was cut, textured and then painted by hand. The poppy is about 3" in diameter and it is hanging on an 18" black soft glass cord with a metal connector.

Available @ ElizabethBonura,etsy.com

In Search of Venues

Elizabeth and I are currently hitting the pavement and checking out various different craft shows and market days looking for the best venues to house our booth filled with whimsical jewelry. Today's hunt brought us to the historic district of Gruene, Tx. Gruene is shock full of antique stores, locally owned eateries, produce stands, Harley Davidsons, local music, and some of the best tubin this side of the river.

Vendors at The Gruene Market Days were all offering their own handmade items. The Market takes place every third weekend of the month on both Saturday and Sunday. This weekend featured a diverse group of vendors and even though it was over 85 degrees and started to rain lightly the market was both busy and had evidence of buyers (lots of people toting around their purchases).

The Gruene Mansion Inn has the most adorable little cottages right along the river. Gruene is located about an hour from Austin and about thirty-five minutes from San Antonio. It is very close to New Braunfels. Check back soon as the quest to find great markets and craft shows continues.
If you are interested in seeing more interesting pictures of Gruene check out my flicker set.