February 2017

Our next guild meeting will be Saturday, February 18, 2017 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. in the Contemporary Arts Center at the fairgrounds.

This month, we’ll be making miniature succulents, with Almond Eastland as our instructor. Almond will have some extra supplies, and we’re good at sharing, so don’t feel obligated to buy any supplies you don’t have.

Tools

• Pasta Machine
• Work surface
• A container for transporting your unbaked piece, just in case.
• Favorite clay tools, such as:
  • Round miniature cutters (the kind Lori used to sell). These are used to make a bunch of evenly-sized clay balls. You could probably use the tiny leaf-shaped Kemper cutter, too.
  • Ball stylus tools for making indentations in which to plant your succulents.
  • Long straight pin to help place your plants, etc.
  • Small knitting needle
  • Blunt needle tool
  • X-Acto knife

Supplies

• Tiny clay pots – about 1″ tall (Almond will bring several in a few different sizes) and, if desired, a little bit of foil with which to texture the soil and pack the pots. Note that you can also make your own planters out of clay, but they need to be pre-baked, so we’re starting with the clay pots in the interest of time.
• PVA glue (such as Crafter’s Pick or Aleene’s Tacky Glue) and your favorite applicator. This is to help make sure the clay sticks to the foil and the foil sticks to the pot.
• Clay glue, such as Kato Poly Paste, Transluscent Liquid Sculpey, Bake & Bond, etc. and and your favorite applicator.
• Small quantities of clay in various colors. This is a great time to use your scrap clay, since succulents come in a variety of colors, and of course, you can always make up your own fantasy succulents! You might like to bring some translucent clay to mix with it, too.
• A little bit of dark brown clay for the potting soil!
• Chalks or artist soft pastels, along with your favorite applicators.
• Baby wipes or alcohol wipes.