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Minutes for May 2012 Meeting

We had 10 members present for our May 2012 meeting. We started with Show & Tell, where several members brought items they’d made or started at the retreat. Tom showed his dragon sculpture, complete with glowing eyes, and his pheonix from Christi Friesen’s class. Ruth and Lisa showed a necklace they had collaborated on. Myra showed a necklace she made using animal print beads. Angela showed a notepad cover made using Pluffy clay and her CF-inspired moth and Make & Take items. Everyone shared great tips on how they made their show & tell items.
**Questions & Answers**
Instead of doing a lesson this month, we had an informal Q&A session. Some of the topics discussed included using polymer clay on canvas, different ways of using mica powders, and how to create armatures. We’re so fortunate to have such knowledgeable members who are so willing to share!
**Raffle**
Our bimonthly raffle included a prize from Alex plus a retreat goody bag and a mish-mash of leftover retreat items. The winners were Lisa, Tom, and Lori. They will be bringing July’s raffle prizes.
**Next Meeting**
The next meeting will be **Saturday, June 9, 2012 from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm** at the Hobby Lobby in Moore, when Kay will show us how to stamp and texture name tags.

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Fun on the Safari: 2012 Twisters Retreat in Review

retreatphoto1.jpgThe tables and chairs may be all put away… but the excitement from the 2012 Twisters Retreat remains. We had 30 retreat attendees, 6 scheduled demos (plus countless impromptu ones), 2 Christi Friesen classes, and 3 days of fun. In fitting with our “Safari” theme, we had epic battles (in the Polyform-sponsored bead competition and the silent auction bidding), grazed on all sorts of goodies, and even learned some animal print canes!

Here’s what some of the attendees had to say:

  • “All 3 days were great, well organized, kept on time, good vendor presentation etc., etc., etc. I could go on beyond e-mail ability. In other words we had a GREAT time and will remember it all year.” – Julie
  • “The creative energy in that room just washed over me like a warm wave. I don’t get to work on my clay as much as I like because….well, because my life interferes! IF I have my way, next year, I will be at the retreat from “the opening bell” till the end because I was grieving just a little knowing all the information and creativity that I was missing this time. Thanks so much for your kindness to me…..I felt right at home.” – Chris

Check out these photos, plus lots more, in our Facebook photo album (we’d love it if you shared your favorite on our Facebook page, too!)

retreatphoto_animalprint.jpgretreatphoto_chat.jpg

retreatphoto_demo.jpgretreatphoto_pennijo-christi.jpg

We want to say a special thanks to our sponsors for all the goodies they donated. We’d love for you to visit their websites and say thanks for their generosity.

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Thanks, too, to all who attended and to those who spent so much time and effort making our retreat enjoyable. While the bags full of goodies and swapped inchies are nice souvenirs of our time on the safari, the real treasures are new friends, new ideas and memories that last forever.

January 2012 Meeting: Faux Wood

**UPDATE 1/23/12: Meeting is rescheduled to Saturday, January 28th, at the regular time 1:30pm to 4:30pm. Lee Ann will be teaching her Faux Wood technique, the materials list is below. We look forward to seeing you there!**
Update 1/13/12: Due to a scheduling conflict at our regular meeting place, we’ve been forced to cancel the January 14th meeting. We’re still trying to figure out a new date and will post here once it’s scheduled. Our apologies for the last-minute change!
Lee Ann faux wood projectsThis month, **Lee Ann Kelly** has generously offered to teach us a beautiful **Faux Wood** technique. Lee Ann’s artistry in polymer clay is always an inspiration, and we know this project will be no exception!
Our meeting will be held **Saturday, January 14, 2012, from 1:30-4:30**, at the Hobby Lobby on I-35 and South 19th in Moore (2650 Service Road, Moore, OK 73160).
**Supplies to bring:**
– Half a block of each: gold,burnt umber and black
– Bic Stick pen
– Pasta machine
– Craft knife and/or tissue blade
– Pliers — needle nose preferred
– Ruler
**Raffle**
This month we’ll be holding a raffle, so bring a few extra dollars if you want to participate. November’s winners (Kay, Stacie, Lee Ann, Sue and Penni Jo) will be supplying the prizes.

December 2011 Meeting: Share A Project!

December is our always-popular **Share A Project** meeting, where members take turns talking about a favorite project. Bring a Christmas ornament, a handmade Christmas gift, or just something cool you’ve made this year with polymer clay. Share a little about how you made it. And if you want, you can include your project in the swap at the meeting’s end. It’s an informal meeting where we all get to share ideas and get inspired.
Our meeting will be held **Saturday, December 10, 2011, from 1:30-4:30**, at the Hobby Lobby on I-35 and South 19th in Moore (2650 Service Road, Moore, OK 73160).
**What to bring:**
– A finished polymer clay project
– There’s no lesson this month, so you don’t need any particular supplies. But you’re welcome to bring your clay and play anyway!
**Swap Theme**
If you would like, you may include your “share a project” item in the swap at the end of the meeting.
**Retreat Meeting**
This month’s 2012 Retreat Planning Meeting will be held at 12:30 in the Hobby Lobby classroom before the guild meeting.

November 2011 Meeting: Pandora-Style Beads

Beads by Myra.jpgThis month, **Myra Cleveland** has generously offered to teach us how to make **Pandora-Style Beads**. Myra, who joined our group earlier this year, blogs at Clay Harmony and sells her work on Artfire. We’re eager to learn how she makes these beautiful beads!
Our meeting will be held **Saturday, November 12, 2011, from 1:30-4:30**, at the Hobby Lobby on I-35 and South 19th in Moore (2650 Service Road, Moore, OK 73160).
**Supplies to bring:**
– Scrap clay (for practice beads)
– Clay in desired colors (including translucent, if desired) – Kato is best
– Small cutters (to make multiple beads of the same size)
– Piece of clear Plexiglas or plastic (the front of a CD cover is perfect)
– Sculpey Etch ‘n’ Pearl tool (large or medium size)
– Small canes to decorate beads (optional)
**Myra will provide:**
– Grommets/eyelets (2 per bead). Myra has generously offered to provide each person with 10 grommets, enough to make five beads, and will have more available for sale at the meeting. She will also have snake chain bracelets, silver spacer beads, and charms for sale, so people can leave the class with all the parts needed for a complete bracelet, if they wish.
Bracelet by Myra**Raffle**
This month we’ll be holding a raffle, so bring a few extra dollars if you want to participate. September’s winners (Angela, Angel, and Stacie) will be supplying the prizes.
**Retreat Meeting**
We’ll hold a planning meeting for our 2012 Retreat before the guild meeting from 12:20-1:10. Since the Hobby Lobby classroom will be occupied during that time, we’ll be meeting at a little restaurant called “Sunny Side Up.” It is east of I-35 on the south side of 19th street, behind the shopping center where Hobby Lobby is.

October 2011 Meeting: Faux Embroidery

EmbroideryProjectModified.jpgWe are very fortunate this month to have nationally-known sculptor & instructor (not to mention our own group’s co-founder!) **Penni Jo Couch** teaching the lesson. She’ll be showing us **Faux Embroidery** — a technique many paid to learn from her at this year’s Fandango retreat. (But we get to learn it for free!) We’ll find out how to use skinner blend scraps or solid clay to create “stitches,” which can then be used to create patterns and decorative designs.
Our meeting will be held **Saturday, October 8, 2011, from 1:30-4:30**, at the Hobby Lobby on I-35 and South 19th in Moore (2650 Service Road, Moore, OK 73160).
**Supplies to bring**
* **Polymer clay**:
* Brown or wood grain for hanger
* Background clay, shown is ecru lightened with white
* Ivory clay for the tassels, borders and loops
* Small amounts of skinner blends in your choice of colors or flower color (shown is red)
* Stem and leaf colors (shown is green)
* **Molds & Textures**: If desired, the borders and tassels can be molded. Tiny embellishments can be purchased or molded. Any strong woven pattern of fabric can make good texture. Penni Jo will have both molds and texture sheets for use in class.
* **Jewelry Findings**:
* Pin back for a pin.
* If necklace, cord or chain of choice.
* For tassels, two head pins.
* **Charms/Jewels**: Iron on gems or tiny charms for embellishments.
* **Tools**
* Your favorite clay tools, plus…
* Single edge safety razor for cutting slivers.
* Wire cutters
* Round nose and regular small pliers.
* Small, sharp pointy tool like a smooth skewer etc. for lifting and ‘stitching’ the leaves and flowers.
* **Optional**:
* Mica powders for embellishing the hanging loops.
* Pasta machine for clay.
* Extruder for fine ropes.
**Note**: If you have the “Faux Ribbon Embroidery” tutorial printout that Jane gave everyone at the meeting a couple of months ago, please bring it.
**Swap Theme**
This month we’re doing a swap with the theme “**Come on Fall!**” Everyone who wishes to participate should bring one handmade item that fits with the theme.
**Retreat Meeting**
We will *not* be holding a retreat planning meeting before our regular meeting this month.

Welcome, State Fair Visitors!

OSFLogoGreat_RGB_WithStarEMAIL_reasonably_small.png**Welcome** to those of you who are stopping by after seeing our display and/or our demo at the Oklahoma State Fair! We hope you’ll consider attending our next meeting, which will be held Saturday, October 8th. All levels of clayers are welcome!
If this is your first visit to our website, you may be interested in these pages:

  • About Us: Answers questions about our group’s meetings, membership fees, and more.
  • Annual Retreat: Our 2nd OK Poly-Clay Twisters Retreat will be held April 19-21, 2012. Features classes with Christi Friesen!

You may also want to sign up for our email list or connect with us on Facebook — both great ways to get notifications of upcoming meetings and other polymer clay items of interest.