Athena Hues - Artist Feature and a giveaway

I am extremely happy and excited to be doing this feature on my blog and hosting the very first giveaway here at Novice Decorator.

Couple years ago I reconnected with my engineering school classmates thanks to Facebook.  Creator of Athena Hues, Malathy Kumaran is my classmate’s wife.  We both connected over Facebook as well and have been in touch for a couple of years now.   When we chatted last time, we talked about featuring her work on my blog and she agreed readily.

I am pleased to present an interview with Malathy along with a photo essay of her work.  

Athena Hues

Exclusive handmade jewelry for today's woman...for price details, send in a message to Athena Hues...

Arathi [A] Hi Malathy, Thank you for allowing me to feature your work on my blog. It is a privilege and pleasure as well.   Please tell me about yourself.

Malathy [M] Hi Arathi, I am a paramedic with a Master’s degree in Medical Genetics with over a decades experience in research and academia, married to an officer in the Indian Air Force and mom of a 15 year old.



Black and white beauty



Peacock wall decor

A: Wow, That’s quite a leap from Medical Genetics to Polymer clay.  How did you get started with polymer clay?  Can you tell me what attracted you to this craft?

M: I got introduced to polymer clay while we were in Israel. Painting, sketching any anything to do with colors has always drawn my attention and polymer clay is all about colors and it was easy for me to get addicted to this wonderful medium.

A:  Have you always been doing polymer clay jewelry or how did it evolve?

M:  My experience with polymer clay started as a hobby and it was great fun to make jewelry and give it away as gifts to friends. I do make non- jewelry items, but jewelry has been my area of focus.



Turtles as paper weights

Wall Décor

A:  Okay Malathy, let’s now talk about Jewelry pieces, is there a theme to your jewelry you make? What inspires you to make this jewelry?

M: There is no specific theme, but I always try to create pieces to suit the occasion. For example, on women's day it is a necklace with a woman's face, yellow flowers for Vishu festival, and Santa’s face for Christmas and so on. They are also based on the season (colors of the season).   Most of my jewelry is inspired by nature. The colors, shapes are all inspired by what I see around me.

A: How much do you spend on an average per piece? Do you work on multiple pieces at once?

M:  Each set takes about 3 hours on an average. My work involves two phases. I start with clay work and then the assembly of baked pieces. Usually the first half of each week is spent doing clay work, followed by the assembly during the second half. So, essentially I do work on multiple pieces.

Krishna set

A: What’s your daily routine like?  Who gives you feed back on your work?

M: My day starts with posting a picture on my Facebook page, and then I move to my work table, where I spend about 3 to 4 hours during the day. About an hour is spent answering queries, packing and dispatching of the sold jewelry and procuring supplies.  My husband and Son are the ones who give me the feedback.

A: Thank You Malathy,  I wish the very best in your endeavor.  I hope to meet you soon in Bangalore. 



Ganesha Set

I hope you all enjoyed the interview as much as I did.  Contact Malathy for any custom Jewelry you may want to get done.  Also folks, these make a great return party favors.    You can view more designs on Athena Hues Facebook page.

Athena Hues and Novice Decorator are holding a joint giveaway.

You can win this beautiful earring.

Giveaway Earrings

This giveaway will run till June 6th 2014.

You need to be following both Novice Decorator via Google Friend Connect and Athena Hues on their Facebook page.  If you are already following leave a comment to enter the giveaway.  This giveaway is open to readers in India and USA only.

For additional entries:

• Follow Novice Decorator on Pinterest.  Leave a comment with your Pinterest ID.
• Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment

The Winner will be chosen via Random.org and winner will be announced on June 9th 2014

    Good luck and thank you all….

   Folks, I am in awe of such talent.  I hope these beautiful handmade Jewelry pieces brought a smile on your face and inspired you.   It sure made me feel happy, delighted and inspired. 

All product inquiries to Athena Hues: https://www.facebook.com/athenahues

 All images are copyrighted to Athena Hues

Partying with these good Folks:

• Metamorphosis Monday
• Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
• Inspire Me Tuesday
• Youre gonna love it
• Do Tell Tuesday
• Whats it Wednesday