Future meetings are scheduled as follows:

• August 30: Play Day
• September 13: Mokume Gane with Nance
• October 11: Translucent Layering with Jane
• November 8: Open
• November 29: Play Day
• December 13: Open

Angela volunteered to lead a Christmas-themed project for our November meeting. She will try to reserve our Hobby Lobby meeting room for the August 30th play day.

In the business portion of our meeting, we discussed:

Bottles of Hope Project: Coordinator Nance announced that she now has about 30 bottles ready to donate to cancer patients. She requested that members help by e-mailing her some messages of hope that she could place inside the bottles.

TV News9, which taped some of our members making the bottles in July, has postponed airing the segment until a planned interview for the story can be completed. They will call Angela when it is set to air.

We discussed possible places for our first Bottles of Hope donation event. Angela will contact our project liaisson, Cindy Matteson, for recommendations.

Treasurer’s Report: Angela reported that we have a balance of $388.97, and our members currently number 13.

New Business: Bottles of Hope Challenge: The theme of this year’s national BOH challenge is “A Message of Hope.” The deadline for sending entries is December 15. For more information, contact Angela.

Munro Crafts Order: Jane reminded everyone who wishes to add items to her order to send her their lists, as she plans to place the order on Monday, the 11th. Items will be discounted fifty percent because of the size of the order.

Holocaust Children’s Memorial Butterflies: Nance talked about a request for handmade butterflies to be displayed at a memorial to the children of the Holocaust in Texas. She gave specifications for the butterflies and will make information available through our web site.

Meeting space: With our recent increased attendance, our present meeting space is becoming too crowded. Angela asked members for ideas for new meeting places. We discussed various possibilities. Nance will check with a place in Midwest City.

Swap with Tulsa Guild: Angela announced that the Tulsa Guild has chosen vessels as the theme of our inter-guild swap. She sent around a sign-up sheet for those who wish to participate. TheTulsa group has 6 members.

August Swap: Several people brought items for the birthday-themed swap. Jane’s item was birthday brownies, and she even allowed those of us who didn’t bring a swap item to have one! Angela asked for new ideas for the themes of our bi-monthly swaps. Our theme for the October swap will “Harvest”, and for December, “Angels.”

Reminder: Next month, instead of a swap, we will hold a raffle. July winners will provide the raffle items.

Library Drawing: As there were no nominations for the library drawing, we decided to postpone our August drawing until the September meeting.

Show and Tell: What a creative group! Several members brought beautiful items they had made.

• When: Saturday, August 9, 2008, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
• Where: The new Hobby Lobby in Norman, 2417 W. Main, Norman, OK. (The classroom is up front, near the check out stands. Go right after entering & it’s the first door on the right.)
• What to Bring:
  • One-half ounce of white polymer clay (Shirley has used Kato and Premo with good results.)
  • One-half ounce of translucent polymer clay (Will be rolled to the thinnest setting, so if you have a favorite brand that works well at this thickness, do use it.)
  • One pkg. of black polymer clay
  • One-half ounce of scrap clay
  • Liquid polymer clay
  • Elasticized bead cord (black)
  • Brass tube, knitting needle, or some device about 1/8 inch diameter, or wide enough to measure a space through your tile big enough to accommodate a knot in your bead cord.
  • Clay blade
  • Pasta machine
  • Needle tool
  • Scissors for cutting thin slabs of cured clay
  • Bone folder, stiff credit card, or plastic spoon for burnishing image on clay
  • Tile(s) for baking surface
  • Waxed paper, baby wipes, etc. for clean work surface
  • Also helpful: Grid paper or a gridded cutting mat

Note on clay brands: Since the process involves several steps of re-baking, Shirley recommends using only clays with similar baking temperatures on one tile. Additional materials needed to finish the bracelet at home will be listed in the instruction handout.

REMINDER - We will be having a swap this meeting. Since our group seems to have a lot of August “babies,” our swap theme is birthdays. Think cake, babies, age, party hats, or any other festive birthday-themed items. To participate, bring one item. In exchange, you’ll receive one item from another swap participant.

Show and Tell: Members brought some beautiful things to show. Penni Jo brought clay thunderbirds she had designed for a customer. Nance and April showed beads they had made. Jane and Angela brought Bottles of Hope.

During our business meeting, Vice President April S. reviewed the upcoming meeting schedule, which follows:

• August 9: Ink-Jet Image Transfers with Shirley
• August 30: Play Day
• September 13: Mokume Gane with Nance
• October 11: Translucent Layering with Jane
• November 8: Open
• November 29: Play Day
• December 13: Open

It was noted that the August play day falls on Labor Day Weekend. We will discuss this at our August meeting.

Reports:

Library: Librarian Jane L. announced that the June selection for our library, The Human Figure in Clay, had arrived. She commented that it has wonderful detail.

Bottles of Hope: Coordinator Nance R. announced that she now has accumulated lots of finished bottles for our project. She still has lots of empty ones for anyone else who wants to decorate them. The Norman Newcomers Club may do more bottles this summer, and we will include them in our publicity when the time comes. Angela commented that Cindy Matteson has inquired about our progress with the project.

Treasurer’s Report:: Angela reported our balance as $405.44. Lisa became our newest member in June, bringing our membership to 13.

New Business:

Liability for Minors: Penni Jo voiced concern about the safety of children working with polymer clay tools at our meetings and the resulting liability issues for the guild. She suggested that we add wording to our “About ” page on our Web site, specifying an age (possibly 18) below which a person could not attend our meetings without a parent or supervising adult. There was general agreement that we should do this.

Tulsa Guild: Angela announced that the Tulsa group would like to get together for a play day. We discussed our scheduled play days as possible dates and churches or libraries as possible venues in the Oklahoma City area. Angela will call the guild to discuss possible dates.

Angela asked whether anyone would be interested in giving private lessons in jewelry making. We have received an inquiry through our Web site.

Library Drawing: The book selected for purchase this month is Polymer Clay Beads: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration, by Grant Diffendaffer.

Raffle: Penni Jo, April S. and Nance brought raffle items. Winners were Angela, Lee Ann, and Shirley. The winners will bring raffle items for our next raffle, which will be at our September meeting. We will have a swap at our August meeting.

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Many members have expressed an interest in learning how to make polymer clay beads. There are so many different ways and kinds of beads that we thought it was time to have a meeting where we can all share tips on what works, what doesn’t work, how to operate some of the bead making rollers and anything else that comes up about polymer clay beads.

If you don’t have any idea how to do any of these things, this would be a wonderful opportunity to come learn, play and ask any questions you may have, I’m sure there will be plenty of members that can share experiences.

• When: Saturday, July 12, 2008, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
• Where: The new Hobby Lobby in Norman, 2417 W. Main, Norman, OK. (The classroom is up front, near the check out stands. Go right after entering & it’s the first door on the right.)

• What to Bring:

  • Polymer Clay: Bring whatever polymer clay you would like to use in attempting to make polymer clay beads. Some clays will lend themselves better to certain techniques and others are better for other techniques. The main thing is to come, experiment and share and learn. On a personal note, I’ve found that Sculpy III tends to be to soft of a clay for any beads that I try to make, so tend to stick to using Premo, Fimo and Kato clay’s.
  • Wax Paper or other clean working surface.
  • A Bead Baking Tray if you have one - no need to go out and buy one just for this lesson, as there will be a couple available.
  • Any Bead Rollers that you may have - no need to go out and buy them just for this lesson, there should be plenty to share.

• Optional:

  • Pasta Machine (for conditioning clay)
  • Clay blade
  • Any texture or detail type tools that you may want to experiment with
  • Canes that you may want to apply to any beads
  • Latex or non Latex, thin gloves (if you want to try to eliminate fingerprints)

If you have made any Polymer Clay Beads, we would love for you to bring them to the meeting and show what you have made. On the same note, if you have found any books/resources about polymer clay beads, we would love for you to either bring them or the names/locations to share.

REMINDER - We will be having a raffle this coming meeting. The prizes this meeting are to be provided by Penni Jo and April S. If anyone else would like to contribute to the prizes, feel free to. Members will purchase tickets and place their tickets in a container for the prizes they would like to win. The winners take home the prize and are to provide a prize the next time we have a raffle (every other month).

We hope to see you there!

Business meeting: The meeting schedule, as far as planned, will be:

• July 12: Beads (all members sharing tips about bead rollers, making beads, etc.)

• August 9: Ink-Jet Image Transfers with Shirley

• August 30: Play Day

• September 13: Mokume Gane with Nance

• October 11: Translucent Layering with Jane

Treasurer’s Report and Membership: Angela reported that we have a balance of $418.20. She withdrew $14.00 in petty cash to help make change on raffle days. One member has had to drop out, bringing our membership to 12.

Library and Drawing: Jane reported that May’s library choice, Creative Canes: 30-plus Cane Techniques with Polymer Clay, by Barbara McGuire, had been received. This month, the book selected for the library is The Human Figure in Clay, by Mark A. Dennis.

Show and Tell: In addition to several Bottles of Hope brought by members, Penni Jo, April S., and Nance brought things for show and tell. Penni Jo announced that she will be teaching a polymer clay class for Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation. She also showed more of her inro projects and announced that she will be hired as an artist to teach inro at the Orlando Clay Fandango in Florida next March. Nan reported that her Bottles of Hope lesson at the Norman Newcomers Club was a great success.

Swap: This month was our first swap, and items followed a floral theme. Nance, April S., April G., Lee Ann, Jane, Penni Jo, and Angela swapped some beautiful floral clay creations.

Angela reminded the group that next month we will return to the raffle. Prizes will be provided by Penni Jo and April S.

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This month, Angela Mabray will be giving tips on using rubber stamps with polymer clay, then showing how to make a Rubber Stamped Coaster.

• When: Saturday, June 14, 2008, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
• Where: The new Hobby Lobby in Norman, 2417 W. Main, Norman, OK. (The classroom is up front, near the check out stands. Go right after entering & it’s the first door on the right.)
• What to Bring:
  • Polymer Clay: Our main project will use about 1/2 block of white clay (makes one 4” coaster). Angela will be discussing various techniques, so bring along extra clay if you want to make other coasters.
  • Rubber Stamps: Angela will have lots of stamps available, but feel free to bring a few favorites to use and share. Deeply cut stamps tend to work best with polymer clay.
  • Cork Coasters: You can buy pre-cut round or square cork coasters at Hobby Lobby (a package of 6 costs $2.77). These are usually on the same aisle as bulletin boards & other cork boards. If you prefer, you can buy the rolls of cork and cut them down to size.
  • Pasta Machine
  • Glue: Super glue or Sobo
  • Work surface and baking tile (at least 4” x 4”)
  • Clay blade
  • Scissors
  • StazOn ink pad, chalks, stamp cleaner: Angela will have some available to share if you don’t have these
  • Optional (for projects other than the coaster pictured above): Kato or TLS liquid clay, alcohol inks, black acrylic paint, colorful acrylic paint

Swap: Don’t forget — this month is our first swap. Bring one item to swap that fits this month’s theme, which is floral

If you missed the meeting (or just need a refresher on some of the steps), you can find the handouts here.

Our upcoming meetings are:

• May 31: 5th Saturday Play Day at Penni Jo’s home
• June 14: Rubber Stamp Techniques with Angela
• July 12: Beads (all members sharing tips about bead rollers, making beads, etc.)
• August 9: Ink-Jet Image Transfers with Shirley
• August 30: Play Day
• September 13: Mokume Gane with Nance
• October 11: Translucent Layering with Jane

During the business portion of the meeting, we discussed the following items:

• Swap Theme: Starting in June, we will be doing a swap every other month (alternating months with the raffle). Our June theme will be Florals. If you would like to take part, just bring 1 polymer clay item that fits that theme. Everyone who brings an item will swap with another member. The type of object you make is completely up to you, as long as it fits with the theme. Participation is completely optional.
• Membership: Lee Ann K. became our newest member, which brings our member count to 14. Our balance is $417.26.
• Bottles of Hope: Several members brought back finished Bottles of Hope. Penni Jo told the group about a possible lead for obtaining classroom space to teach Bottles of Hope workshops. April G. entered one of her Bottles in the Integris Hospital Celebration of Life & Art Exhibit.
• Show & Tell: We took a few minutes after the business portion of the meeting to do a quick Show & Tell. It was a lot of fun to see what members have been working on. Jane suggested members also bring their completed projects from the previous month to show.
• Drawings: Nance donated 2 prizes for this month’s raffle. Penni Jo and April were the winners. The new library book selection is Creative Canes by Barbara McGuire.

• When: Saturday, May 10, 2008, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
• Where: The new Hobby Lobby in Norman, 2417 W. Main, Norman, OK. (The classroom is up front, near the check stands. Go right after entering & it’s the first door on the right.)
• What to Bring:
  • Strong Polymer Clay: Please have your clay conditioned before class and use only a strong brand of clay for this project. The Faux Zebrawood inro pictured uses 1/2 block gold, 1/4 block of dark brown and 1/2 block of black. For the inside, metallic clay is nice as it is bright when the box is opened. Gold may be very soft, so you may want to mix it 50/50 with translucent for the inside.
  • Paper, scotch tape, scissors
  • Cord: like 1 mm or 2 mm rolled leather cord or other heavy cord approx. 1/16” in diameter. The drill bit will need to be about the same diameter as your cord.
  • Hand drill with 1/16” drill bit in a handle.
  • Blades: Exacto knife with new, sharp blade. Rigid tissue blade or razor blade for straight cuts.
  • Pasta machine or Acrylic roller and spacers
  • Deli paper or wax paper: The deli or wax paper is needed to prevent the clay from sticking to your work surface.
  • Poly-fill, small amount to stuff inside the inro.
  • Liquid clay - Kato or TLS.
  • Release Agent: Baby powder or cornstarch and a small brush for applying OR Kato Repel Gel.
  • Brushes: Small brush dedicated to liquid polymer clay. (No need to clean it out. It can be stored in a baggie between uses.)
  • Thin, stiff wire or needle to make holes in the beads.
  • Baking Surface - Small (4” by 4” or 2” by 2”) tile or heavy cardboard. Remember, we share the ovens at guild so bring something just larger than your project so that many can be put into the oven at the same time.
  • Varnish - Future or other polymer clay friendly varnish.
  • Optional Items: Extruder to make the ropes that go around the box, under the lid and above the bottom. Closure if you wish for the necklace to separate in the back.
  • Optional Embellishments: Canes - Assortment of canes, Pearl Ex or other mica powders, Mokume Gane slices, or other faux finishes.

As this is a fairly involved class with specialized supplies, Penni Jo has put together a kit that has some of the necessary items for $1.00 each. She needs to know in advance which members want the kits so she can have these prepared. Please reserve a kit via our mailing list. If you’re not on the mailing list, you can also use contact form.

Inro Kit Contents (available from Penni Jo for $1):

• 1 1/4” tall PVC pipe form with paper taped around it, bottom clipped and ready to use.
• 1/4” Paper strip for cut line
• Small piece of paper for patterns
• Tiny bag of baby powder for release agent
• Tiny bag of liquid Kato Medium®
• Two sheets of Deli Paper
• Small amount of Fiber-fil®
• Toothpicks, two cut in half, ready to use
• Full color lesson with pictures.

If you would like a sneak peak at what we’ll be doing, check out these PDFs from Penni Jo:

• InroMaterialsList.pdf
• InroClassInstructions.pdf

It’s going to be an exciting meeting — we hope to see you there!

Our raffle featured four drawings with items donated by April S., Nance, Penni Jo, and April G. Cassy won one drawing. It is alleged that the other three drawings were won by Nance’s three teddy bears, but they’re not talking, and neither is Nance!

The book selected in the library drawing was 400 Polymer Clay Designs, published by Lark Books. It will be purchased for our guild library this month.

Our upcoming schedule is as follows:

• May 10:Inro Box with Penni Jo
• May 31: Play Day. Location TBA.
• June 14: Rubber Stamping Techniques with Angela
• July 12: TBA
• August 9: Ink Jet Transfers with Shirley

During the business portion of our meeting, we discussed the following:

Angela, our treasurer, reported that our checking account total is $357.24. We now have a total of 14 members.

Angela read an e-mail message thanking the guild for its donations to Hearts for Heroes.

Angela announced that she is making application to the IRS for 501(a) non-profit status for the guild and asked for help from anyone who had been through the process before.

Angela recapped our play day discussion with Cindy Matteson regarding the guild’s future involvement with the Bottles of Hope project. She voiced her hope that we would commit to it, perhaps doing a once-a-year event at which we would donate our bottles to cancer patients. Nance has volunteered to be coordinator of our effort. It was suggested that members find out whether their local church youth groups might be willing to participate. Nance volunteered to teach these groups how to work with clay. Some members took home more bottles to decorate. Angela suggested that if members know a current cancer patient, they could give their bottle directly, rather than saving it for our event.

April G. brought up the possibility of bringing in a nationally known polymer clay artist to present a workshop, as the North Texas Guild has done. It was noted that the cost would be prohibitive for our small group, but we may look at the possibility of partnering with other groups in the region at some future time.

Nance Ross will be showing us how to create an Articulated Teddy Bear. It is small, fits in your pocket, and yes, the arms and legs move. They are cute and fun to make. They are baked in pieces and then assembled.

When: Saturday, April 12, 2008, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. (Do not forget about the new meeting time)

Where: The new Hobby Lobby in Norman, 2417 W. Main, Norman, OK. (The classroom is up front, near the check stands. Go right after entering & it’s the first door on the right.)

What to Bring:

Supplies:

• 1 package any color Premo you wish for a color for your bear….ecru, black, white, brown etc.
• Scraps in a good complimentary color for pads on paws, inside ears
• Scrap in pink or red for tongue, if you plan to have your bear’s mouth open!
• Two eye pins in silver or gold, whichever will look better on the color bear you make.
• Little black bead for a nose
• Little fiber optic or tigereye beads for eyes ~ She will have some extra with her, if you are not able to bring any.
• 1 toothpick

Tools:

• Needle tool
• Your favorite sculpting tool
• Wire cutter
• Needlenose pliers

Optional:

• Scrap colors to make a lei around the bear’s neck, if you wish
• canes to decorate bear’s body, if you wish
• Pearlex and brush, if you wish to glitter your creation up a bit

Nance is a new member to our guild, she has come to us from Orange County California, and was a two year member of the Orange County Polymer Clay Guild. She informed us that she has had the joy of knowing Dottie MacMillan, Trina Williams, Kathy Davis and so many more helpful mentors, and look forward to getting to know us and finding new ideas and people with whom we can all share. We are glad to have Nance as a part of our guild and very thankful for offering to teach us this lesson.

We discussed the following:

• Cindy would love to see us have a special event in conjunction with a local hospital (perhaps Baptist or Integris Cancer Centers), where we deliver our Bottles of Hope to cancer patients & survivors. According to the organizer of the Kansas City event, we would need 75-100 bottles to make such an event worthwhile.
• Cindy suggested we might get high school art classes involved — not only would they enjoy learning about the clay and helping create the bottles, but this would help us build up our bottle supply. She knows some folks at the local high school and will help us look into this. Other similar possibilities mentioned were girl scouts and the YMCA.
• Cindy mentioned the possibility of putting together a few sample bottles, then making contact with the media, to start getting the word out about the program.

Angela created a handout with information on Bottles of Hope. She has made the handout and a video available on her site.

We had five people in attendance, and after Cindy’s talk, folks stayed around for several hours creating gorgeous Bottles of Hope. We ended up adding several bottles to our collection, and each person took home a few bottles to cover at home. We have lots of bottles (over 200), which will be available at all of our meetings for folks to take home and cover.

Thanks to all for a creative & fun-filled play day!

In addition to our Bottles of Hope discussion, we’ll also be doing “normal” Play Day meeting stuff… which is anything you want! Our play day meetings don’t have a specific teacher or lesson — they’re intended to be more laid-back. You can bring along whatever project you’re working on, or you can just come and chat. And if you forget something, Angela’s craft room is right down the hall.

• When: Saturday, March 29, 2008, 1:00 p.m. (Stay as long as you want!)
• Where: Angela Mabray’s house (Yukon, OK). The address & directions are being sent to the group’s mailing list — feel free to use our contact form to request directions if you’re not on the mailing list.
• What to Bring: Angela will have bottles on hand if you want to cover them to make Bottles of Hope. (These bottles are available at every meeting, actually. If you don’t see them sitting out, just ask Angela.) Feel free to bring your clay, tools, and any other project you’d like to work on.

We’ll have some snacks & drinks available — if you’d like something special, feel free to bring it.

We held our first raffle to benefit the library fund, and it brought in $16.00. Angela, April S., and Nance donated mold putty samples, texture sheets, a book, and a necklace. Raffle winners were Angela, April S., April G, and Nance. As we discussed in February, this month’s winners will bring the items for next month’s raffle.

The schedule for future meetings is:

• March 29: Play day hosted by Angela. Bottles of Hope will be discussed.

• April 12: Articulated Teddy Bear with Nance

• May 10: Inro Box with Penni Jo

• June 14: Rubber Stamping Effects with Angela

During the business portion of the meeting we discussed the following items:

• Treasury and Membership - Angela announced that we now have twelve members. Our treasury balance is $312.15.

• Dues - Because member points are awarded for service, we voted to make our membership year coincide with our administrative year, for easier accounting. Those whose membership renewal falls due before next January will pay a pro-rated amount. A full year’s dues will be collected from all members next January.

The library drawing was held as a raffle this month, with the winner choosing our next purchase. Stamping Effects in Polymer Clay, by Sandra McCall, was chosen.

Angela reminded the group of contest deadlines she had previously forwarded by email from the National Polymer Clay Guild. The deadline for Bead Dreams is April 14 and for Fire Mountain Beading Contest, April 15.

It was announced that www.artdolls.com is offering a free disk about Pro-Sculpt Clay with a dual order of art doll books.

In keeping with the season, heart projects were the order of the day. April Salcedo taught a technique for making pillow hearts with inserted wire loops for hanging. Most made hearts no larger than a quarter, regulation size for the Hearts for Heroes Campaign, and we produced quite a number to donate. Angela Mabray then taught how to make candy hearts, using molds she had made from actual candies. She provided laser-printed transfer sheets with typical candy heart messages, and in the end, we had produced some very realistic candy hearts suitable for a necklace or charm bracelet. Last, Cassy Salcedo demonstrated how to make a beautifully encased heart.

Our tentative schedule for the next few meetings is:

• March 8: Extruder Canes - April Salcedo
• March 29: Saturday Play Day - Bottles of Hope. Angela will host.
• April 12: TBA
• May 10: Inro Box - Penni Jo Couch

During the business meeting, we discussed the following:

President Angela Mabray announced that the first issue of Polymer Cafe had arrived for our library. She also reported that she had also used some of our funds to purchase a supply of clay for the group, as agreed last month. This clay can be used when needed for new attendees or for other purposes.

New member Nance brings experience from her former guild in California. At her suggestion, we decided to try holding a raffle at each monthly meeting. Members may bring anything they wish to donate that is related to polymer clay. The winner of the raffle will then be obligated to bring something for the raffle the following month. Although a price of three for $1.00 was suggested, no decision was made as to price. Nance and Angela volunteered to bring items for the March meeting.

Annual membership dues, which are $36, are coming due for some of the earliest members. According to the points-for-service schedule agreed upon in 2007, the first allocation of points has been made, resulting in a discount on this year’s dues for some members.

April reported that a representative of the Makins Corporation said the company would sponsor any event our group might decide to hold, by sending tote bags and other items. She also said that they stand by their products and will work with any customer who has problems.

The Norman Hobby Lobby, which provides our meeting space, also generously provides a small display space where we can promote the guild. We discussed recurring difficulties with the stand for display of our guild poster. April was again able to get it to stay upright, but the stand is showing wear. No decision was made about replacing it.

We held our monthly drawing for an additional purchase for the guild library. The DVD, “Sculpting Babies in Clay” was the winner for this month.