A little of my history

Why the “Polymer Polka” you may ask? Polka Dot Creations is my name and Polymer Clay is my game. Here’s a little bit about me, so you know who you are dealing with:

My introduction to polymer clay came on Christmas Day 1995. It was our first Christmas together, and my husband began a tradition of buying me something crafty to try. The gift he chose was a Klutz Press children’s book by Sherri Haab which included a number of small bars of Sculpey III. In the months that followed, I made and gave away an awful lot of little clay heart pendants. I bought myself a couple more books, learned some new techniques, and started selling some of my colorful jewelry on the corner of my desk at my “real” job where I was a programmer. Before I knew it, it was Christmas again, and I started making adorable ornaments that I had seen in project books (I did a lot of Cecilia Determan figurines around that time). I’m not sure what my husband’s crafty gift was that year - some kind of paper-cutting or something, I think. The clay had taken over. Within a couple of years I was making more interesting jewelry, and designing my own Christmas ornaments.

In 1999, I was pregnant with my first child, and an internet friend suggested I make pregnant ornaments for our group. I loved the idea, and the Expectant Mother ornament was born. Leaving the corporate world to become a mother, I began to concentrate more on my claywork than ever before. I developed a more focused direction, and designed a new web site to show it off. My compulsion to buy every new polymer clay book and video that came along was what induced me to add a book store to my site.

At this point, the sale of books and videos has certainly eclipsed the creative side of my business. It’s been a long time since I’ve had any kind of “spare time,” but as my children and my business grow, I’m getting better at streamlining and juggling. With a 5-year-old and 2-year-old, I’m still “Mom” above all else, but I truly enjoy this side business I’ve got going and the great connections I’ve made in the clay community. I hope to be in business here for many years to come!

Lisa

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Categories: chit chat, polka dot creations, polymer clay