Central Oklahoma Polymer Clay Guild

Six members and two guests were present for our August meeting. Shirley led us in using two techniques to create ink jet transfers. Each transfer became a “tile” which can be used to make an elasticized bracelet. The instruction handout is available as a pdf file. Here is a link. InkJet Transfer Handout [PDF]

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.

Nine members and two guests gathered in July for our informal program on making beads. April S. demonstrated tools she has found helpful, including several bead rollers. Several members brought beads they had made in the past and shared tips. Everyone enjoyed experimenting with bead-making techniques.

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.

.

There were twelve people at the June meeting, nine members and three guests. Angela Mabray gave us an extensive handout detailing stamping techniques and various types of ink and their effects. She led us in making coasters using a stamping technique, with optional ink and various ways of coloring the clay. As always, there were lots of interesting and creative results among the members.

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.

.

Nine people attended the May meeting, including 8 members (2 of whom had to leave before the lesson) and 1 returning guest. Penni Jo demonstrated the faux zebra wood technique, then showed us all how to make inros from a PVC pipe mold she provided. As always, the resulting projects were diverse & wonderful. Thanks to Penni Jo for providing such an in-depth lesson!

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.

Ten people attended our April meeting, including three guests, two of whom became our newest members. Welcome, Carole and Sharon! We all had a lot of fun as Nance Ross taught us how to make an articulated teddy bear. She brought three delightful examples, as well as pictures. As expected, each participant’s bear developed its own unique personality. Some participants had time to bake their bears, and others will finish at home.

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.

Thanks so much to everyone who came out to the Bottles of Hope Play Day, and thanks especially to our speaker, Cindy Matteson. Cindy was very sharing about her journey with breast cancer & her ideas for setting up a Bottles of Hope program locally. She even brought each of us a pink ribbon teddy bear!

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!

Seven members were present at our March meeting, along with two guests, Diana and Teresa. What fun we all had, as April Salcedo showed us how to make several types of canes using the extruder. Everyone was pleased to learn how much easier caning can be, using this tool. There were some beautiful results to take home and use in projects. April provided some excellent handouts.

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.

Six members and one guest were present at our February meeting. Guest Nance Ross became our newest member. Welcome, Nance! Several members wore their own new polymer clay nametags, each unique and very creative.

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.

Note: Thanks to our newly-elected secretary Shirley for providing these meeting notes.

Six members and one guest, April Gregory, attended the January meeting. April became our newest member at the end of the meeting, giving us two Aprils among our membership.

Jane Linn led us through the fun process of creating faux pewter picture frames. Everyone had good results, and each person’s frame was unique. She also showed other ideas for faux pewter, including a cleverly constructed wine stopper and an intricately decorated knife handle. Jane also demonstrated how to make faux abalone and showed us multiple beautiful samples she had made as she tested and perfected the technique in preparation for the meeting.

The schedule for the next few meetings is below:

• February 9: Hearts for Heroes, which will be taught by three members.
• March 8: Extruder Canes - April Salcedo
• March 29: 5th Saturday Play Day - Bottles of Hope. Angela will host this meeting.
• April 12: To be announced

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

• Election of officers: The following slate of officers were elected for 2008:
  • President - Angela Mabray
  • Vice President - April Salcedo
  • Secretary - Shirley Conaway
  • Treasurer - Angela Mabray
  • Librarian - Jane Linn
  • Photographer - Cassy Salcedo
  • Web Master - April Salcedo
• Library Fines: The question of setting library fines for overdue books was discussed. The group decided that if a book is not returned after two months, the borrower will be fined $1.00 for each succeeding month. After six months, the borrower will be required to purchase the book.
• Silver Clay: Penni Jo suggested that rather than going to the expense and effort involved in preparation for a lesson about silver clay, those interested might do better to find a local silver clay group to visit. She announced also that she has a set of DVDs about silver clay which anyone may borrow. April mentioned that the Firehouse Art Center in Norman periodically teaches classes.
• Group Clay Purchase: Penni Jo mentioned that no more members had submitted orders for clay.
• Library Drawing: Making Polymer Clay Beads by Carol Blackburn was chosen to be purchased this month for the guild library. Angela announced that last month’s choice, a subscription to Polymer Clay Cafe, has been ordered and should be arriving soon.
• Membership Dues: Angela announced membership dues are due next month from the first three members who joined the guild.

We had 7 members and 1 returning guest at our December meeting, and with Penni Jo’s help, we all got to create cute snowman light switch covers. Penni Jo Couch did a wonderful job teaching the lesson — showing us not only how to cover the light switch plate, but also how to create a faux knit effect with polymer clay. Several members raved about how much fun they were having! If you missed the meeting, you can find all the instructions here.

Our upcoming meetings are:

• Jan. 12: Faux Techniques with Jane
• Feb. 9: Hearts for Heroes with Cassy, April & Angela
• March 8: Extruder Canes with April
• March 29: 5th Saturday Play Day
• April 12: Bottles of Hope (tentative)

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

• Bottle of Hope: Angela recently met with a local cancer survivor who shared information about a Bottles of Hope reception in Kansas City and offered some medicine bottles for our group to cover. The group agreed to schedule a Bottles of Hope-themed meeting, tentatively in April. Angela will check whether her contact would be available to share with the group during that meeting.
• Hope on a Rope Challenge: In other Bottles of Hope-related news, Amaco is holding a Hope on a Rope Challenge. Entries should include a mini-bottle, decorated for children, hanging on a necklace with beads made using AMACO Bead Rollers. Entries are due January 5, 2008.
• Group Clay Purchase: Munro Crafts sells clay and various other crafting supplies, and they offer 50% off retail prices on purchase totals over $200.00. Some of our members plan to put together a group purchase, coordinated by Penni Jo. Please get in touch with her ASAP if you would like to participate.
• National Polymer Clay Guild: Angela mentioned that the NPCG has started sending out regular e-newsletters including member news. If any members have polymer-clay related news (articles published, etc.), please let Angela know so she can pass the info along.
• Group Clay: The group voted to purchase a few bars of “group clay” the next time there’s a sale. The idea is to have some on hand in case members or guests need a little extra of a particular type/color of clay for a meeting project.
• Officers: Officer elections will be next month. People have expressed interest in running for all of the offices except Treasurer and Webmaster. Please contact Angela if you’re interested in running for one of these offices, or if you’re interested in running for President, Vice-President, Secretary, Guild Librarian, or Photographer.

We had 8 people at our November meeting & had a wonderful time learning all sorts of nifty things! April showed us how she does the watercolor/torn paper effect with polymer clay. She also squeezed in a clay extruded cane demo (which was met with much ooh-ing & ahh-ing) plus a demo on sanding and buffing polymer clay pieces for a great shine. Here’s copies of April’s handouts, in case you missed the meeting:

• Watercolor / Torn Paper Steps
• Quick Hand Sanding & Buffing Tips

And for those of you who missed the sanding/buffing demo or just want more info, April recommends checking out fellow member Christie’s sanding & buffing video.

Thanks to April for a great lesson!

Our upcoming meeting schedule is as follows:

• Dec. 8: Covering Switch Plates with Penni Jo
• Jan. 12: Faux Techniques with Jane
• Feb. 9: Hearts for Heroes with various member demos
• March 8: Extruder Canes with April

In the business portion of the meeting, we drew a new item for our library, a 1-year subscription to Polymer Cafe magazine. And speaking of Polymer Cafe, our own Penni Jo is in the latest issue — she’s even mentioned on the cover! Way to go, Penni Jo!

Dana joined the group (welcome, Dana!), so we’re now up to 11 members.

We discussed the Hobby Lobby display. Angela expressed concern that our poster had disappeared, but April found it after the meeting — it had just fallen behind the display case. April and Jane offered to help keep the display “fresh” by updating it with new items after the monthly meetings. If you have an item you would like to loan us for a month to display, please bring it with you to the next meeting.

We also discussed the upcoming officer elections in January. Shirley requested that the officer duties be posted, so that folks can read through them and consider which office they would like to volunteer for. Angela agreed & will be sending this information out to the email group.

We had seven people at our October meeting, & everyone seemed to have a spooky-good time. Cassy kicked things off by showing everyone how to sculpt Halloween pumpkins, then “angel” and “deviled” eggs. After that, Angela & Penni Jo demonstrated how to make a beaded spider using glow-in-the-dark clay & alcohol inks. (See Penni Jo’s beading diagram here.)

It was a free-for-all when card-swapping time rolled around. The five members who signed up for the ATC Swap (based on September’s ATC project) eagerly grabbed up each others’ cards. All the swappers brought — and took home — beautiful creations!

In the business part of the meeting, we discussed the schedule for the next two meetings:

• November 10: April will be teaching the Watercolor/Torn Paper technique (unless there’s a game conflict — in which case Angela will have a fall project to share)
• December 8: Penni Jo will be teaching how to cover light switch plates in polymer clay

Other upcoming classes include the extruder/cane technique and an inro project.

We drew two new book selections for the guild library:

• The Art of Polymer Clay Creative Surface Effects by Donna Kato
• The Art of Jewelry, by Katherine Duncan Aimone

Penni Jo showed us her preview copy of the Fall 2007 Bead Unique magazine, where her “Circling Dragonfly” article will be appearing. The article looks great, & she even mentioned the guild in her bio — so we’re all famous now!

Angela offered guild business cards for members to help spread the word about the group. The business cards, along with the fliers Penni Jo created, are now available on our new “Member Resources” page — so members can feel free to print these out as needed.

Angela also mentioned that officer elections will be held in January, and that we’re looking for interested volunteers to fill these roles: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Photographer, & Guild Librarian. Please be thinking about which role(s) you would be interested in filling.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the November meeting!

Three members showed up for the September Play Day, where we snacked on goodies provided by our host, Penni Jo (thanks!), and learned all about photographing our work. Penni Jo showed us her photography set-up, where we snapped a few photos. We then moved to the computer to learn how to optimize those photos (and scans) using Photoshop. A very informative & enjoyable meeting!

In the business portion of our meeting, we discussed the following items:

• The National Polymer Clay Guild will be having its Synergy Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, February 21-23, 2008. Registration begins tomorrow. Angela handed out postcards to the attendees with additional information (more postcards will be available at the next meeting). Or you can find out more on their website.
• Penni Jo offered additional ideas for future meeting topics: how to make an Inro box, and how to do the torn paper technique. Anyone interested in demonstrating these techniques for the group? If so, give me a holler!
• Jane suggested we might consider holding the Play Days in a different section of town for the members who don’t live in the Moore/Norman area. Those in attendance agreed.
• Angela handed out some business cards she made up with guild information on them. These will also be available at the next meeting.

Thanks to Penni Jo for hosting a very enjoyable Play Day!

Six members and one guest attended the September meeting. We had a fun time making Artist Trading Cards (ATCs), with members trying various techniques — skinner blend backgrounds, transfers, rubber stamps with mica powders, molding, antiquing — and even a beach scene complete with sand & shells! April also shared a successful inkjet transfer she had done using JetprintPhoto Imaging & Photo (Matte) paper (available at Wal-Mart, $10.00 for 100 sheets). Thanks to everyone who attended. And a special thanks to Jeanne Rhea of Heart of Clay for sending along gorgeous sample ATCs for us to drool over!

When we finished playing, we discussed the following business items:

• Group Swap: We will hold a swap at the October 13th meeting for anyone who wants to swap ATCs. You may participate regardless of whether you attended the September meeting. To get an idea of the number of cards each person needs to make, please RSVP by September 22nd if you’re interested. We will be organizing this swap via our mailing list, so be sure to sign up for the list if you haven’t already.
• Other ATC Swaps:
  • There’s a polymer clay tree-themed ATC swap listed on Swap-bot with a sign-up date of September 15th. This one is open to newbies, so it’s a good place to get your feet wet if you haven’t done a swap before. You might even consider incorporating one of your leaf canes from our June meeting.
  • Looking for more swap action? Here’s a list of all of Swap-bot’s current ATC swaps.
• The group modified, then voted on, the points reward system. Here is the system we unanimously decided on:
  • Members will earn 2 points for each book or video they donate to the guild library.
  • Members will earn 4 points for each lesson they teach or co-teach.
  • Members will earn 8 points for holding an office for a year.
  • At the end of the year, points will be calculated. For members who’ve earned 11-20 points, their yearly dues will be discounted $2. For 21-30 points, dues will be discounted $4. And for 31+ points, dues will be discounted $8.
• We held our first drawing to start populating our guild library. The two winning books (which should be ordered in time for the next meeting) were:
  • Faux Surfaces in Polymer Clay: 30 Techniques & Projects That Imitate Stones, Metals, Wood & More, by Irene Semanchuk Dean
  • Polymer Clay Jewelry, by Debbie Jackson.
• We discussed holding a joint meeting with the Tulsa guild, probably next spring. We’ve been emailing them to start arranging something like this and will keep everyone posted.
• We discussed the schedule for the rest of the year, and decided we should not have the 5th Saturday Play Day that would normally be scheduled for December 29th, since most people will probably be out of town or otherwise busy with holiday festivities.
• We decided on plans for the next two meetings & discussed additional ideas for meeting topics. If you are willing to teach us one of the unassigned topics, please get in touch.
  • September 29th Play Day - Photographing your Artwork - Penni Jo.
  • October 13th - Halloween Project - Cassy (Deviled & Angel Eggs) & Angela (glow-in-the-dark clay)
  • Covering Switch Plates - Penni Jo
  • Extruders & Canes - April
  • Christmas Projects
  • Ink-jet Image Transfers
  • Rubber Stamps & Clay
  • Faux Techniques
  • Beads & Bead-Making

We look forward to seeing everyone at our September 29th Play Day!

We had a smallish-turnout for our August meeting — but we still had a lot of fun! There were 4 people present for our “Sculptures Inspired by Christi Friesen” lesson — our teacher April Salcedo & her daughter, Cassie; Angela; and first-time visitor (and brand new member!) Shirley. April explained how to make the starfish first, then a baby turtle. She also went over some of the goodies in Christi Friesen’s various books. Everyone seemed to have a great time creating beautiful marine life.

Because we had such a small group, those in attendance decided to hold off til September on the library and points system discussions. We decided that the September 8th football game would probably not cause traffic problems since the game starts at 11. No other games’ times have been announced, so we’ll play it by ear on the next few meetings.

The next meeting will be September 8th, when Angela Mabray will be teaching how to make polymer clay Artist Trading Cards. Hope to see you then!

Our July meeting was in a new location — the Hobby Lobby in Norman — & I have to say I was impressed. The store is right off the interstate and easy to find. Not only did they give us a nice big spot to advertise in their front display case, but they were also extra-friendly — peeking in on our meeting a couple of times, asking if there was anything they could get for us. The longer meeting time was nice, too — allowing a much more leisurely pace for finishing & baking projects. We had more than enough room for the 7 people in attendance — and we think creative table arrangements would be possible for seating our larger groups. Those in attendance seemed happy with the new meeting location for now, though football season may create some challenges (more on that below).

Penni Jo & Sue did an excellent job teaching us the Explosion Accordion Folded Album. Not only did the group get instructions on folding the paper into an album — but we also learned about using Ultra Thick Embossing Powder (UTEE) with polymer clay to create a glass-like window. As usual, there were lots of different artistic interpretations of the project & plenty of creativity to go around. See a few photos of completed projects here. If you were at the meeting, we’d love to see photos of your project too — feel free to contact us if you need help adding your photo to our Flickr pool.

In the business portion of our meeting, we talked about the following items:

Our leaf cane demonstration went great — with various members “catching the caning bug.” Pictures are available on our Flickr! group — & thanks to our new group photographer, April, we even have pictures from during the meeting! Thanks to everyone who came, and thanks especially to Christie Wright of DragonflyLane for doing a great job teaching.

A few notes from the business portion of our meeting:

• Our next play day will be held June 30 — but it’s being held at a new time and place! Angela has offered to host the June Play Day at her house, starting at 5 p.m. and continuing as long as folks want to stay. We’ll plan to have some snacks & drinks available — if you have something special you’d like, please bring it. And bring a couple of bucks if you’re interested in pitching in for pizza. We thought we’d try having the play day at a home so our time isn’t as limited. Hope you’ll come join the polymer clay party!

For the May meeting, Angela Mabray (who sells crafts at CraftyGoat.com and blogs about crafts at CraftyGoat’s Notes) taught the group how to cover pens with polymer clay. The pens were a lot of fun, & we ended up with some very nice ones. Check out our Flickr pics for some examples.

Pen-covering Notes

Angela brought the following types of pens, all of which are oven-safe:

• Papermate FlexGrip Ultra (difficult to find) or Papermate Flexgrip Elite (available at Office Depot)
• Amazing Twist Pen from Boston Clayworks
• Keychain Pens from Penn State Industries

Some other potential oven-safe pen candidates are listed below — but you may want to check these in the oven without clay first, to make sure they hold up okay:

• Bic Round Stic (white, not clear)
• Bic Soft Feel Stic
• Pilot Bettergrip
• Rose Art’s Great Grips
• Zebra F-301 ball point pens

Angela showed the group how to cover the barrels and re-assemble the pens. She also pointed out a couple of interesting alternatives to standard pen-covering:

• Covering a copper tube with clay, then inserting a pen refill.
• Covering a bamboo skewer with clay, removing the bamboo skewer while still warm, then inserting a pen refill.

See more about these ideas, along with a full list of potential pens to try, at Glass Attic’s pen page.

Other Group Business

• Angela reminded the group that the Bottles of Hope Challenge deadline was extended til June 1st, so members still have a chance to submit their entries. She also mentioned the National Polymer Clay Guild’s request for Synergy presentation proposals.
• Penni Jo had forwarded information about Munro Crafts, an online craft store that gives a 50% off orders over $200. Angela told the group about it, saying she’d send out the link so folks could decide if they wanted to put together a group order.

We had a new record attendance at the May meeting with 12 people. We’re so glad y’all came out & hope to see you again soon!

Christie Wright did a great job demonstrating the mica shift technique at April's guild meeting. Mica shift involves using metallic clays and rubber stamps, then shaving off the top layer to leave an illusion of texture. We had five people there -- and at one point of another, I think every person ran their fingers over the clay surface and expressed amazement that it was smooth instead of textured. It's a fun technique, and Christie was a wonderful teacher. If you couldn't make the meeting, be sure to catch her mica shift video.

Although time didn't allow us to properly sand and buff the beads -- which really heightens the illusion -- Christie brought some of her tools and explained the process. She also gave us a handy tip about a place called Harbor Freight, which has a location just around the corner from the Hobby Lobby where we meet. That's where she got the tools she showed us -- a Chicago 3" Multipurpose Bench Grinder and an Enkay 5 Pc. Buffing & Polishing Kit. The prices she mentioned sounded great, so it might be worth a visit. You can also order on their website, but Christie said their online selection varies a bit from their in-store selection.

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

• Penni Jo Couch won the group's logo design contest. She also created the miniature logo we're now using as our Flickr! group logo, and a "Proud Member" logo that's available to everyone who's paid their dues. Thanks to Penni Jo for her excellent logo work!
• Angela has sent out membership profile pages for those who have paid their dues. Members have the option of including their information on okpolyclay.com.
• Our group has 6 members, with $189.37 in the treasury. A check for $25 will be issued for the contest award. [Note: Another member joined after Saturday's meeting, so we're now up to 7!]
• Angela recommended a points system for rewarding members' contributions to the group. Members could earn points over the year by doing things like teaching a lesson or holding an office, then the next year's dues could be discounted based on points earned. She offered to write an email to the group with more specific suggestions.
• Upcoming Events:
  • Bottles of Hope Designer Challenge Contest: Entries must be received by May 1st.
  • May 12 Meeting: Artist Trading Cards with Angela Mabray
  • June 9 Meeting: Leaf Canes with Christie Wright
  • June 30 Play Day: Open
  • July 14 Meeting: Accordion Books / UTEE with Penni Jo Couch and Sue Kerr

Our March Play Day focused on Bottles of Hope — and while this was our first experience with Bottles of Hope, it almost certainly won’t be our last! We had a wonderful time creating these bottles while sharing stories about loved ones. Amaco (makers of Fimo clay) very generously donated packets of their clay for us to use in creating the Bottles of Hope. And Penni Jo brought Cracker Barrel bottles for everyone to cover. Thanks to everyone for their generosity!

The group brainstormed topics for future meetings — and it sounds like we’ve got a lot to look forward to! In addition to our mica shift project in April, we discussed the following (still-tentative) items:

• May: Artist Trading Cards
• June: Christie will teach us how to make and reduce leaf canes. Her lesson will include the Skinner blend technique
• July: Penni Jo and Sue will demonstrate how to make an accordion book, featuring Ultra-Thick Embossing powder

A couple of other ideas were mentioned, such as suspending something in liquid clay (similar to Donna Kato’s layered dichroic effect) or a glass-like heart necklace. Interested in teaching something? Interested in learning about a different technique? Please get in touch.

The group also discussed discounting membership for multiple members in the same family. The group voted to set the policy as follows: For family members 18 years old and up, the charge for the additional family member will be 50% of regular dues ($18/year). For “junior members” (less than 18 years old), the yearly dues will equal their age — e.g., $10 for a 10-year-old.

Our next meeting will be April 14th, when Christie Wright will be teaching us to make mica shift beads.

Thanks to Penni Jo Couch for writing up the minutes for the March 10th meeting.

Penni Jo started the meeting by showing three necklaces that could be made using similar techniques. Each person picked up a project sheet for the necklace of their choice.

• Faux Silver with AB crystal
• Burgundy Rose with leaves and earrings
• Spring flower cluster with Jonquil crystals and matching butterfly earrings with Peridot crystals

Members then followed these steps:

What a great meeting! We had our biggest crowd yet & the creative juices were really flowing.

Our February project was heart-shaped polymer clay boxes, inspired by one of Lisa Pavelka’s projects in Elegant Gifts in Polymer Clay. Angela Mabray demonstrated making cookie-cutter boxes by wrapping a long strip of polymer clay around the outside of the cookie cutter. Bake the clay on the cookie cutter, then slide it off for a cool all-clay box. The box sides can be used as a template for the matching box top and bottom. And if you need an extra-special touch? Penni Jo Couch showed the group how to glue PolyFill and velvet onto a cardboard cutout to make a wonderful box bottom. This simple step made the boxes look like very nice gift or jewelry boxes.

We had a great time playing with clay at our first 5th Saturday Play Day. Three people attended: Penni Jo, Sue, and Angela. We created — and ate — fortune cookies, and we all learned a thing or two. Read on for more details…

Central Oklahoma Polymer Clay Guild held its December meeting on Saturday, December 9th. We had a brand new meeting place and a bunch more faces -- and we had a blast making Christmas ornaments together. Read on for all the details...

The Central Oklahoma Polymer Clay Guild held its first meeting Wednesday night — and we had a great time! There are still some questions that are up in the air — the most pressing being where to meet (ideas, anyone?). But this meeting was a great start & we’ve got a lot of fun things planned already! Have anything you want to add to the discussion? Please let us know! And we hope you’ll join us for next month’s meeting, on December 9th!

Read on for the notes from the meeting…