Central Oklahoma Polymer Clay Guild

Shirley will be teaching August’s lesson on Ink Jet Transfers. We will be transferring two ink-jet-printed images to polymer clay, then creating two small “tiles” which can be used in elasticized tile bracelets. Each tile will use a different technique, resulting in a slightly different look. One technique will result in a transfer with bright, clear colors, and the other will yield an image that is a bit yellowed, giving it an aged look. There are many types of images that would make a nice bracelet: copyright-free artistic designs; old prints or drawings; photos of children, grandchildren, or ancestors; fragments of maps; and vacation mementos. Lots of colorful design images will be provided for you to use, but for those who wish to use their own images, an e-mail message outlining options will follow.

• 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.

This month is an exciting learning opportunity. We will be sharing tips and techniques on creating polymer clay beads.

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!

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

This month, Penni Jo Couch will be showing us how to make a Faux Zebrawood Inro using polymer clay.

• 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!

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.

Our March Play Day will be this Saturday at Angela’s house, and we’ll be discussing Bottles of Hope. Local breast cancer survivor Cindy Matteson will join us to talk about her experiences with the Bottle of Hope program, and to share her own bottle, which she received from a polymer clay artist via a Kansas event. Cindy has very generously provided our group with lots of small glass medicine bottles to cover. She has also offered to help us make connections with local cancer patients to distribute finished Bottles of Hope, either on a one-on-one basis or as part of an organized event.

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.

April Salcedo will be showing us how to create four different extruder canes, her method to mapping extruder canes, how she wraps and preserves her canes. You can visit her Flickr Site if you would like to view more of her extruder canes and other polymer clay items.

When: Saturday, March 8, 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:

• Already conditioned clay (amounts for each cane are listed beneath their pictures. All in all you should bring about 5 packages of clay) April recommends Fimo Classic, or maybe Premo, or Kato (if you can get it good and conditioned) for the canes. The firmer the clay the tougher it is to extrude, however, the less distorted and better the cane will be. April strongly suggests conditioning your clay ahead of time, as we will be pressed for time to complete the 4 different canes in 3 hours…. mostly due to having to extrude the pieces
• Pasta Machine
• Tissue Blade
• Ceramic tile or other hard, flat, smooth surface for reducing.
• Clay extruder and the small square and small triangle dies. (If you have the Makin’s Extruder they come with this extruder) - If you don’t have these dies, I’m sure we can share.
• Circle cutter (close to the size of the barrel of your extruder) optional
• 2-3 Quart size Baggies, scotch tape and scissors (April can share if needed) optional

A simple Jelly Roll Cane She made these beads with this technique:

Clay amount: 1/2 pkg of Color A and 1/2 pkg of Color B

A Checker Board Cane:

Clay amount: 1/2 pkg of Color A and 1/2 pkg of Color B

A simple Quilt Pattern Cane:

Clay amount: 1/2 pkg of Color A and 1/2 pkg of Color B

A “Retro” cane:

Clay amount: 1/2 pkg of Color A and 1/2 pkg of Color B and 1/2 pkg of Color C

April regrets that we won’t have the time to make any actual projects with our canes, but we will have 4 wonderful canes to take home with us!

This month, Angela Mabray, April Salcedo and Cassy Salcedo will be showing us how to make three different types of hearts. They will also be informing the guild about the Hearts 4 Heroes Campaign with a hand out containing information on guidelines for creating the hearts. You can read about Hearts 4 Heroes here.

• When: Saturday, February 9, 2008, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. (Do not forget about the new meeting times)
• 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.)

Angela will be showing us how to use image transfers with polymer clay to make candy hearts.

Supplies:

• Clay: Small amounts of several pastel colors
• Tools: Scissors, needle tool or toothpick, stiff-bristled paintbrush, clay knife
• Rubbing alcohol (optional)
• Corn starch or baby powder (optional)

April will be showing how to construct pillow bead hearts with optional stamped words, patina and a demonstration on using the Kato liquid medium to get a clear glossy finish.

Supplies:

• Clay: Approximately a half a block of any type of clay you prefer - you also may want to bring a small amount of scrap clay.
• Tools: a small amount of craft wire, wire cutters, chain nose pliers and round nose pliers (April can share if you don’t have these items), Pasta Machine, small heart cutter (April will have hers to use if needed)
• Rubber gloves (that fight tightly to your fingers - this is to eliminate finger prints on your hearts during construction)
• Lanyard hooks, if you plan on making hearts for heros.
• Optional: Kato liquid medium, clay friendly heat gun, small paint brush.

Cassy will be showing us how to make an encased heart.

Supplies:

• You can use from the supplies listed for the other projects (just bring some additional clay and the color of clay you would like to encase your hearts in, Cassy used black).

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. ~ Lao Tzu

This month, Jane Linn will be showing us how to make two different faux surfaces — pewter and abalone — using polymer clay . Then she’ll be teaching us how to make a gorgeous picture frame using the faux pewter technique.

• When: Saturday, January 12, 2008, 2:00 - 5:00 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: Black (2 packages) and Pearl. Small amounts of several colors of your choosing (e.g., Blue Pearl, Green Pearl, Gold, and Purple).
  • Frame: small or medium, wood or paper mache (no plastic)
  • Rub n’ Buff-Silver Leaf (optional — we’ll have some to share if you don’t have any)
  • Cotton swabs (3-4)
  • Rubber stamps to stamp on picture frame
  • Metal or wood tool with softly rounded point: (optional — you can make one of these by gently sanding the point of a round toothpick)
  • Round toothpicks (3-4)
  • Sharp craft knife, such as Exacto
  • Flexible tissue blade
  • Brushes, and other favorite tools
  • Soft cloth
  • Polymer-friendly varnish-satin
  • Rubber-type gloves and Baby Wipes with alcohol (optional but encouraged — the black clay is really messy)
  • Pasta Machine (optional)
  • Baking Surface: Ceramic tile or cardstock large enough for your picture frame to bake on

Jane recommends conditioning your clay ahead of time (or coming a little early to the meeting and doing it there).

This month, Penni Jo will be showing us how to make a snowman-themed switchplate cover, just in time to help us deck the halls with polymer clay Christmas cheer!

• When: Saturday, December 8, 2007, 2:00 - 5:00 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:
  • Polymer Clay: Metallic Blue Fimo, Metallic White Fimo, Pale Blue, Black. Very tiny amounts of: Orange, Yellow, Brown.
  • Switchplate Cover: Penni Jo used an inexpensive one from Wal-Mart
  • Medium Sand Paper (optional)
  • White Glue: Sobo or The Crafters Pick
  • Metal or wood tool with softly rounded point: You can make one of these by gently sanding the point of a round toothpick.
  • Sharp craft knife, such as Exacto
  • Razor blade or flexible tissue blade to lift the faux knit
  • Brushes, and other favorite tools
  • Pasta Machine (optional)
  • Clay Extruder (we can share if you don’t have one)
  • Baking Surface: 6” ceramic tile or cardstock

Penni Jo recommends having your switch plate ready to cover when you get there.

Update: Here’s the tutorial [PDF]. It includes specifics on how to get your switch plate ready to cover: lightly sand it, then put white glue on it to make the clay adhere better.

Update #2: Penni Jo also sent along her Faux Knit Worksheet [PDF] for any of you go-getters who want to get started before meeting time. And the link to her previous tutorial should be working now, in case anyone else out there was having problems.

This month, April will be showing us how to do a torn paper/watercolor effect with polymer clay. If time permits, she will also give a quick demonstration on finishing pieces by sanding and buffing.

• When: Saturday, November 10, 2007, 2:00 - 5:00 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:
  • Clay: April suggests either Premo or Kato clay for this project; you don’t want your clay too squishy. Bring 1/2 to 1 block of black, 1/2 to 1 block of white, 1/2 to 1 block of translucent, and 1/2 to 1 block of any other color you would like. (She suggests 1/2 block of clay to save on time and space). Also bring some scrap clay for the base of your projects. Optional — if you plan on making beads, you might want to try pre-baking some beads prior to the meeting, to cover.
  • Pasta Machine: A must for this project! (though we can probably share if you don’t have one to bring)
  • Wax or Deli paper: We will end up with sheets of clay and will want to lay it on a clean surface.
  • Bead Baking Supplies: If you plan on making beads with this technique, then bring items to bake them on.
  • Tissue Blade: To trim our stacks of clay.
  • Brayer or Acrylic Rod
  • Ceramic Tile: If you are choosing to make something other than beads, then you may want to cook your items on a tile.

April will also be showing a very brief demonstration on the world of extruded canes — a little teaser for the upcoming meeting dedicated to extruded canes. No supplies needed for the demo — all you need to do is sit back and watch!

Join us Saturday, October 13th, for an afternoon of Halloween fun. First, one of the guild’s youngest members, Cassy, will be showing us how to make her angel and deviled eggs (see photo here), as well as a simple pumpkin. Then the guild’s founders, Penni Jo & Angela, will team up to show us how to make beaded spiders using glow-in-the-dark clay and alcohol inks.

• When: Saturday, October 13, 2007, 2:00 - 5:00 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:
  • Clay: Cassy’s sculptures don’t require a lot of clay — though it depends on how large & how many you want to make. Colors include red, black, white yellow, orange and a little green or brown for the stem of the pumpkin. The spiders require less than a block of glow-in-the-dark clay.
  • Alcohol Inks: We’ll be using alcohol inks to tint the glow-in-the dark clay. Alcohol inks are sold under a few brand names, including Ranger and Pinata, and are usually found near the stamping section of the craft store. Please bring alcohol inks if you have them (or have been looking for an excuse to buy them!); otherwise, we’ll have a little extra to go around.
  • Gloves: Alcohol inks can be messy — so we recommend bringing gloves if you don’t want tinted fingers. Alcohol inks can also stain clothes — so if you’re the messy type, you may want to bring an apron or wear older clothes…
  • Beads & Beading Supplies: If you have a bead baking set, bring your piercing pins — and we could use an extra bead baking rack too, if someone doesn’t mind bringing theirs. You’ll also need wire (24 gauge works great), and assorted beads/seed beads for spider legs (the pictured example used 40 black seed beads and 8 black 6 mm bicones), along with any wire-working tools you have. If you want to make your spider into a brooch, bring along a pin back too.

We hope you’ll drop in for some frightful fun!

September has 5 Saturdays, so that means it’s play day time! This month, we’ll be learning more about an important skill… how to best photograph your clay creations. Penni Jo Couch (check out her photos here!) has graciously offered her home for the play day meeting place, and she’s also offered to tell us a thing or two about photographing clay work — including things like scanning vs. photographing, and how to use your handy-dandy computer to tweak your images. Some of our members use light boxes for optimal photo lighting, so we’ll discuss those as well. It’ll be a pretty informal information-sharing time, so if you’ve got a favorite photo tip, we hope you’ll come and share it!

• When: Saturday, September 29, 2007, 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.
• Where: Penni Jo’s house (Moore, OK). Note: Address/directions have been sent out to our mailing list. If you’re interested in attending, but aren’t on the list, contact us.
• What to Bring:
  • If you have something you’d like photographed, bring it & we’ll use it to practice with. Otherwise, you don’t need to bring anything. We won’t be doing any clay work at this meeting.

Hope to see you Saturday! And afterwards, I hope to see our Flickr pool filled with lots more clay photos!

September is International Artist Trading Card (ATC) Month — and to celebrate, we’re making polymer clay ATCs at this month’s meeting. Angela Mabray will be teaching the group all the basics of these little works of art — including the rules you shouldn’t break, the etiquette you should follow if you swap them, and some ideas on how you can use transfers, texture & more to make unique ATCs from polymer clay.

Here’s the meeting details:

• When: Saturday, September 8, 2007, 2:00 - 5:00 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:
  • Clay: You won’t need much for each card (1 block of clay will make 2-3 cards). Bring any colors you want. Angela has personally had good luck with Premo for image transfers, so you might bring that brand if you’re interested in doing a transfer.
  • Work Surface: Small tile(s) that you can create your projects on, then put directly in the oven.
  • Pasta Machine or Brayer
  • Tools, Embellishments, Etc.: A clay blade is the main tool you’ll need — bring whatever else you think you’ll want. Rubber stamps & texture sheets are great for texturing the cards. Embellishments could include paper, fabric, beads, metal — anything you want to imbed in your project or glue on afterwards. Feel free to print your own image transfers if you have an idea (& a printer/paper combination that works for transfers) — or Angela will have some images already printed for transfers.

Angela is the current president of our group. She blogs about crafts at CraftyGoat’s Notes and sells crafts at CraftyGoat.com. She also has a few of her ATCs posted in this Flickr photo set, if you want a sneak peek at some of the ATCs you’ll be seeing.

This month, April Salcedo will be be introducing the guild to Christi Friesen’s Sculpture series books. April received permission from Christi to share her work with you for our meeting. While she doesn’t have one particular project to show us, she plans to do a small demonstration on how to make a “starfish” and a “baby turtle.” These are quick & easy (should take about 15 minutes), and will allow us to become comfortable with the style of sculpting & a few other techniques before we tackle the bigger projects. April will also be bringing these books for us to look through and find project(s) to make on our own:

• Dragons - All about dragons
• Welcome to the Jungle - Jungle life and greenery
• Under the Sea - Sea life (April’s personal favorite)
• Cats Big and Small - Cats, cats, and more cats. The newest book - just released!

Here’s the meeting details:

• When: Saturday, August 11, 2007, 2:00 - 5:00 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:
  • Clay: Approximately 2 blocks. April suggests using Premo clay for these projects as Sculpey III can be too soft and brittle to stand up to the projects. April also recommends blending/marbleizing two complimentary colors (e.g., gold and green, blue and white,ecru and white, orange and yellow, etc.) to bring more interest to your project. You might consider bringing more clay if you want to make multiple little project from the books.
  • Tiles: To create your projects on and put directly in the toaster ovens, so you don’t have to move your work.
  • Various Beads: Seed beads or smaller type round beads work well. April also recommends the smaller shell beads. The beads will be cooked in your projects, so make sure they can withstand the cooking heat.
  • Craft Wire: 28 gauge. This will be used to attach your beads to your project. April will also be bringing her wire, and there should be plenty for all to use, as it doesn’t take much.
  • Wire Cutters, Chain Nose Pliers: April will have hers, if you don’t want to buy any. Only used to prep the wire for the beads.
  • Pasta Machine or Brayer
  • Brown or Burnt Umber Acrylic Paint: For finishing and bringing out the details.
  • Glazes (optional): If you want to put on to seal your work. This is a personal preference and you don’t have to do this.
  • Sculpting Tools: Used for details and adding texture. This might be wooden, toothpicks, straws, shells, whatever catches your fancy. No rules here!
  • Paper Towels or Wipes: To clean up with — the paint/patina stage can be quite messy!
  • An open mind and your imagination!

April has a few of her completed turtles in the display case at the front of the Norman Hobby Lobby if you want to see some finished projects. She will have completed examples of her sculptures at the meeting. She highly suggests heading over and taking a look at Christi Friesen’s site before our meeting. It will give you a sense of who Christi Friesen is (if you don’t already know) and a better understanding of what to expect walking into our meeting. The site includes some of her own sculptures and focal beads. There are a few projects for download at a minimal price, info on her classes, and a list of shows and magazines she’s been published in. April will be passing out information at the meeting about a group special buy on her books that Christi has extended to our guild (see a list of books here.) She’ll also have a handout about Christi’s class information to consider if we would like for her to be a guest artist.

April and her daughter were two of our earliest guild members, and April now serves as our guild photographer. You can see some of April’s works on her Kreative Karma site, at her Etsy store, as well as on her Flickr photo page. April says:

“When I first got into Polymer Clay about a year ago, I did a search online and found Christi’s site. I was and still am very impressed by her art work, but more I really love her books. I like the humor, and the way she guides you through the creative process. I’m not one that has a ton of patience for meticulous work, and with these particular sculptures, you don’t have to be exact spot on, and you’re not 100% replicating a process. She gives tons of suggestions and encourages you to be your own creative self.”

Hope you’ll come be creative with us!

This month, at a new time & new location, Penni Jo Couch and Sue Kerr will be showing us how to make an Explosion Accordion Folded Album with a polymer clay cover.

Penni Jo and Sue were some of the very first members of the Central Oklahoma Polymer Clay Guild. Penni Jo creates beautiful designs — with works ranging from her molded designs for Sweetbrier Studio to her fantastic jewelry at her new Etsy shop. Sue has expertise in a variety of mediums — like quilting and rubber stamping — and uses that background to do very creative things with polymer clay.

Here are the meeting details:

• When: NEW TIME! Saturday, July 14, 2007, 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.
• Where: NEW PLACE! 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:
  • Clay: Approx. 3 blocks for the 4” album
  • Wax Paper
  • Pattern paper: Can be regular paper or tracing paper
  • Texture sheets (or other texture makers like lace, fabric, etc.)
  • Tissue blade
  • Sharp Kraft knife
  • Pasta Machine or brayer
  • Clear UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel)
  • Charm, tiny photo, or other item (to embed in UTEE)
  • Baking surface: Two tiles or two pieces of cardstock large enough on which to bake each cover. For the large cover you will need two approx. 8” square tiles or cardstock. For smaller cover, you will need at least two 6” tiles or cardstock
  • Ribbon or Cord: Matching Ribbon for ties: Small Album - 24” of 1/2” ribbon. Large album - 28” to 30”
  • Glue: Glue stick or PVA glue to glue the cardstock pages together; E-6000 or Weldbond glue for polymer clay
  • Album Pages: Three square sheets of double sided cardstock. Can be printed or plain paper. Use 8.5 by 8.5 inch cardstock for small 4 1/4” pages. Use 12 by 12 inch cardstock for large 6” pages. You may use three colors of paper or three sheets of one color for the pages

Penni Jo mentioned she has a large bottle of UTEE she can share. She also pointed out that Hobby Lobby has a 40% off coupon on their website this week — so if you need any of these supplies, come early & get ‘em at a discount.

Hope to see you there!

Update: Here’s instructions for the project — if you want to get started before-hand, Penni Jo suggests pre-conditioning your clay and/or doing the paper-folding: Explosion Album Instructions [PDF]

June has 5 Saturdays... so that means it's time for a 5th Saturday Play Day! And since we're holding this play day in a home instead of our usual classroom, we won't be nearly as rushed as normal. This polymer clay play day might just turn into a polymer clay PARTY!

Our play days don't have a particular project or teacher, so feel free to bring whatever you're currently working on. Someone mentioned maybe figuring out how to clean pasta machines -- so if you're interested in doing that, feel free to bring along your dirty ol' machine. Or just come & hang out!

Here's the details:

• When: Saturday, June 30, 2007, 3:30 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 the contact form to request directions if you're not on the mailing list.
• What to Bring:
  * Clay, tools, etc.
  * We'll have some snacks & drinks available -- if you'd like something special, feel free to bring it. You can also bring a couple of bucks if you're interested in pitching in for pizza.

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Never seen blue & purple leaves before? They’re just a sampling of the color combinations you can make with polymer clay! This month, Christie Wright will be teaching us how to make colorful leaf canes. It’s really 3 lessons in one — she’ll be teaching us about caning, about Skinner blends, and about reducing canes.

Christie sells beautiful hand-crafted polymer clay items through DragonflyLane and through her new Etsy shop. Christie’s a member of our group and a repeat teacher. You can check out her blue and purple leaf cane at her Flickr page — where you’ll also find more examples of her leaves and other work.

Here are the meeting details:

• When: Saturday, June 9, 2007, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
• Where: Hobby Lobby at I-40 and MacArthur, 6104 West Reno, Oklahoma City, OK. (The classroom is in the very back of the store.)
• What to Bring:
  • Clay: Christie recommends using KATO, Premo, or FIMO brands for caning. (Avoid Sculpey III as it’s very soft and can be frustrating to reduce.) Bring 1/2 block each of 2-3 colors. Three colors will make a color-blended leaf: Colors A & B for the main color/skinner blend in the leaf; Color C for the veins and border. Two colors will make a solid color leaf: Color A for the solid leaf color and Color B for the veins and border.
  • Tools: You’ll need a sharp clay slicing blade and your pasta machine.

Christie recommends looking at Studio Bijou’s gorgeous jewelry to get inspired. Who knew leaves could be so colorful?!

Since several people had asked about pens recently, May’s meeting will be about covering pens with polymer clay. Angela Mabray will show the group the basics of covering pens with clay and will share some ideas for creating your own. Angela will also demonstrate the mailbox pen she’s making as part of her upcoming taping for That’s Clever.

Here are the meeting details:

• When: Saturday, May 12, 2007, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
• Where: Hobby Lobby at I-40 and MacArthur, 6104 West Reno, Oklahoma City, OK. (The classroom is in the very back of the store.)
• What to Bring:
  • Clay: If you would like to make a mailbox pen, then brown and silver work well. Otherwise, bring whatever you like! Angela will have some Ultralight Sculpey to share if you’re doing a big design.
  • Oven-Safe Pens. Note: If you don’t have pens & don’t want to invest in a whole package, Angela will have these options available at cost: PaperMate FlexGrip Elite ($0.75), Penn State Industries Mini Keychain Pen Kit ($3.25), Boston ClayWorks Amazing Twist Pens ($3.25)
  • Tools: Pasta Machine, a clay cutting tool, TLS, and anything else you think you might want

Pens are an addictively quick and fun project — we look forward to seeing you there for this great meeting!

This month Christie Wright will be teaching us how to make bracelets that feature an exciting technique called mica shift. Mica shift is an optical illusion — the beads appear to have a textured design, but they are as smooth as glass.

Several of you met Christie at our last meeting. She sells hand-crafted polymer clay items through DragonflyLane. Her site also features wonderful video tutorials — including a mica shift video you can watch if you want a sneak preview of Saturday’s lesson.

Here are the meeting details:

• When: Saturday, April 14, 2007, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
• Where: Hobby Lobby at I-40 and MacArthur, 6104 West Reno, Oklahoma City, OK. (The classroom is in the very back of the store.)
• What to Bring:
  • 1 block of metallic clay. Christie uses Premo or Kato metallics. If you prefer, you can make a custom metallic color by mixing a small amount of a bright color clay to Pearl — if you’re doing this, bring 2 colors of clay (one of them metallic).
  • A deeply etched stamp
  • Pasta machine
  • A thin, flexible slicing blade
  • Acrylic roller (optional)
  • A bead piercing tool (if you prefer to make bead holes before baking)

If you don’t own these supplies, don’t worry. We will have some on hand to share. We will also provide a spray water bottle, wax paper, and a toaster oven.

Mica shift beads don’t show their true beauty til they’ve been sanded and buffed. While Christie will go over how to do this, we probably won’t have time to complete these steps at the meeting. These are the “at home” supplies she recommends:

• 400 & 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper
• A high-speed polishing tool OR an old pair of denim jeans for buffing
• A small drill bit to make bead holes if you did not do so before baking.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn an interesting technique from a great artist!

March has 5 Saturdays… and that means it’s time for a 5th Saturday Play Day!

While our play days don’t have a specific project or teacher, a few members are planning on making Bottles of Hope during this meeting. The Southern Connecticut Polymer Clay Guild started donating small glass medicine bottles covered with clay to cancer patients as a symbol of hope. The “bottles of hope” idea caught on, and clay artists and guilds from around the country have joined in. Amaco (makers of Fimo clay) is sponsoring a Bottles of Hope Designer Challenge to help create awareness of the project. Entries are due May 1st.

Whether you’re interested in making your own Bottle of Hope, or you just want to come work on your own clay project, we hope you’ll join us. Here’s the details:

• When: Saturday, March 31, 2007, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
• Where: Hobby Lobby at I-40 and MacArthur, 6104 West Reno, Oklahoma City, OK. (The classroom is in the very back of the store.)
• What to Bring:
  • Clay. Note: If you’re planning on entering Amaco’s contest, their rules require you to use Fimo clay. Both Michael’s and Hobby Lobby have their clay on sale this week, if you need to get some.
  • Any clay tools, embellishments, etc. you need. If you’re making Bottles of Hope, you might want to bring glue for adhering the clay to the bottles.
  • Ideas. We’ll be talking about future meeting topics, so think about project you’ve wanted to try or techniques you’ve been wanting to learn.

Penni Jo has offered to share some of her extra bottles with folks who don’t have any. We will have a couple of toaster ovens and at least one pasta machine.

Hope you’ll join us for a fun time!

This month’s project is a choker-style necklace designed by Sweetbrier Studio’s “Miss Martha” Root. Penni Jo Couch will be teaching the lesson, and she’s also bringing along molds (or folks can sculpt their own pendants), a bead-baking rack, and her oven.

Here are the meeting details:

• When: Saturday, March 10, 2007, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
• Where: Hobby Lobby at I-40 and MacArthur, 6104 West Reno, Oklahoma City, OK. (The classroom is in the very back of the store.)
• What to Bring:
  • Clay: Color or colors of your choice — Penni Jo used pearl and silver clay mixed 50/50 for the ‘silver’ pendant.
  • Translucent Liquid Sculpey: Just a few drops, so if you do not already have some, Penni Jo will have some she can share.
  • Pearl powders: Penni Jo will also bring some to share with the group.
  • Small brushes: about 1/8” for pearl powders, about 1/4” for varnish to seal the jewelry.
  • Decorative jewel(s): The jewel shown on the sample is a glass iron on jewel (found in Walmart’s section for decorating clothes with jewels) that was pushed into the clay before baking. The heat set glue on the back of the glass jewel bonds to the clay.
  • Large hole beads: Available at Wal-Mart. (Or you can make your own beads to match your jewelry.)
  • Skewer or round tooth pick to make large holes in your beads.
  • Poly-fil: for baking the pendant the second time to add the ribbon carriers to the back.
  • Baking surface: tile, cardstock, etc.
  • 1/8” satin ribbon: about 2 feet long for stringing your pendant and beads.
  • Earring backs (optional): If you want to make matching earrings you will need a pair of your favorite style of backs; glue on clippies or glue on pierced posts or french hooks.
  • Dues — we’re all set up to receive ‘em now. (See the details here.)

This month we’re using a humble cookie cutter to create a great Valentine’s Day box. Angela Mabray will be showing the group how to make a box by baking it right on the cookie cutter. Then Penni Jo Couch will demonstrate how to line the box with velvet for an extra-special touch. Once you’re done, you can toss a few chocolate kisses in the box & have a great handmade gift.

Here are the meeting details:

• When: Saturday, February 10, 2007, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
• Where: Hobby Lobby at I-40 and MacArthur, 6104 West Reno, Oklahoma City, OK. (The classroom is in the very back of the store.)
• What to Bring:
  • Clay (any colors you like) and any clay tools you think you’ll want.
  • Metal cookie cutter. Hobby Lobby has the heart-shaped cutters for $0.50 each, so you can come early and buy one if you don’t already have one. If you would prefer to make a round, square, etc. box, bring that shape of cookie cutter instead. Remember, once you’ve used it for clay, it shouldn’t be used for cooking again.
  • Dues! It’s time to pay club dues of $36/year. (If you need to break it up into smaller payments, that’s fine.)

We will provide a couple of toaster ovens and a couple of pasta machines. Come join us for a “sweet” meeting!

Good news! I just heard from Mary Davis in Tulsa, and she reports that the new Tulsa Polymer Clay Guild will have their first meeting on March 3, 2007. They’ll be meeting at the Martin Regional Library on the first Saturday of every month. I’ve added the listing to our calendar (see sidebar) so folks can keep track of the meetings.

Mary asked about the possibility of a joint meeting sometime, which sounds like fun — and I know Penni Jo’s already expressed interest in a swap with our neighbors to the north — so it’s great to hear that the group is coming together. Best of luck, Mary!

* UPDATE 1/12/07: Due to the ice storm that’s just rolled into town, we’re cancelling the January 13th meeting. We’re looking into the possibility of re-scheduling, so watch this space (or sign up for our mailing list) for updates. *

Have you heard of Artist Trading Cards (ATCs)? They’re 2.5” x 3.5” cards that artists make and trade — a great way to meet other artists, share techniques, and show your personal style. (Read more about ATCs here.)

At the Central Oklahoma Polymer Clay Guild’s January meeting, we’ll learn how to make Artist Trading Cards from polymer clay. Deena Parsons has offered to demonstrate how to make these cards, so we can all be ready for the ATC swap we’ll be doing at our next meeting!

If you haven’t taken one of Deena’s polymer clay classes (she teaches at and Bear Makes 3 in Moore and the Firehouse Art Center in Norman, along with various other places around the country), you’ve gotta come see what you’ve been missing! Deena was active in the Dayton area polymer clay guild before she moved back to Oklahoma (hmm… maybe she can give our guild some pointers, too!). Now she’s a full-time artist, and she owns an up-and-coming rubber stamp company called DP Artworks. Deena’s a lot of fun — we guarantee you’ll have fun and learn a ton when she’s in the room.

Angela will be bringing a few ATCs she received in a recent swap to show as examples. If you’ve got some, feel free to bring them along, too.

Here are the meeting details:

• When: Saturday, January 13, 2007, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. [See weather update above]
• Where: Hobby Lobby at I-40 and MacArthur, 6104 West Reno, Oklahoma City, OK. (The classroom is in the very back of the store.)
• What to Bring:
  • Clay (any colors you like) and any clay tools you think you’ll want.
  • Any embellishments you might want for your ATCs — i.e., small beads, trinkets or charms. If you want to transfer words or images, bring toner-based mirror-image print-outs/copies.
  • Dues! It’s time to pay club dues of $36/year. (If you need to break it up into smaller payments, that’s fine.)

We will provide a couple of toaster ovens and a couple of pasta machines… and lots of fun and encouragement! It’s going to be a great meeting. Don’t miss it!

Feeling a little stressed from all of the holiday events? Come play with clay with us — it’s guaranteed to be relaxing and fun! This December has 5 Saturdays, so we’re holding our (first) “5th Saturday Play Day.” Play days are less structured than our regular meetings — a chance to come and work on whatever you like.

Since the new year is upon us, a few members plan to make one of these Chinese New Year bracelets. If you want to make one too, the necessary supplies are listed on the project instruction page — but keep in mind that you may need extra supplies if you want handmade vs. store-bought beads. Or if you want to work on your own thing, bring whatever you’ll need for th