Crafty

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, 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!

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).