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December 2007 Meeting Notes

Penni Jo @ okpolyclay 12/08/07We 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.

December Meeting: Snowman Light Switch Cover

SnowmanColor.jpgThis 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.

November 2007 Meeting Notes

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.

November Meeting: Torn Paper / Watercolor Effect

Watercolor Technique Bead by kreativekarmaThis 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!

October 2007 Meeting Notes

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!

October Meeting: Halloween Fun

Glow-in-the-dark Beaded SpiderJoin 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 2007 Play Day Notes

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!