Meeting Minutes

The meeting opened with Show and Tell.  Penni Jo showed a heart with a faux embroidery method, a tube bead with end caps and appliqued flowers, a pillow with eyelet lace, and a tufted heart box.  The tufted heart box was from the second Central Oklahoma Polymer Clay guild meeting that Angela taught.  Angela shared leaves she made from Christi Friesen’s Flourish book.  They were made from ultra-lite clay, carved and covered with a golden acrylic glaze.  Angel showed a Bottle of Hope covered with a foil technique, a polymer clay pen that her son sanded and a necklace.  Marlys displayed a darling sea otter covered with flocking sitting on an ice floe, also with a flocking finish.  Tom shared his Bottle of Hope decorated with an Egyptian theme.

Angel taught a cardiogram or razor wire cane.  We had lots of fun looking at each other’s color choices and watching the pattern appear as we cut away slices.

The business meeting began with Penni Jo making the motion and Jane seconding the approval of minutes.    All approved.

Connie is the guild’s new Vice-President and program chairman.  The following programs are planned:

February – Tom will teach the Damascus Ladder cane

March – Penni Jo will demonstrate how to use different tools; everyone is to bring a favorite tool and tell how you use it.

April is our annual retreat.

May – Nance will teach how to make faux opals.

It was agreed that Angela and Angel will share the secretary duties.  Angela gave the treasurer’s report.  We have 25 members, including 2 new members.  Dues are payable this month so there will be some fluctuation in next month’s membership report.

The guild library will purchase Helen Breil’s Shapes book.

Nance announced that the Bottles of Hope project has found a consistent supplier of bottles in Mercy Oncology.  She reminded the guild that bottles need to be geared to men and children also.  She asked for volunteers to take the sterilized bottles home to remove the labels.

We were reminded that guild teachers are given a $10 honorarium and up to $25 if they have receipts.  We agreed that you could teach another’s technique if you have their permission to do so.

Retreat business was discussed.  The web registration will be up tomorrow.  The discount code for members was announced.  The early bird fee is available until March 10^th.  After that date, the full fee will apply.

Christi Friesen will be our guest artist.  She will be teaching an articulated mermaid and a panda with lily class.  She will also do some Make and Takes.  Syndee Holt will be Polyform’s representative at the retreat.

The program theme this year will be flora.  It was suggested that we add individual’s pictures to the program to help identify everyone.  Unfortunately, the program is already full.  We may try to do a separate sheet.

The motion was made and seconded that we have the church hire college students to help set up the fellowship hall after the retreat was finished.  This was approved by all.

The meeting closed with the raffle.  Connie, Tom, and Cheryl were winners.

Next month’s meeting will be held on February 15^th rather than the 8^th due to Affair of the Heart.  The meeting will be held from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm at the OKC Contemporary Art Center at the fairgrounds.

Tom opened the meeting.  There were 11 in attendance for our Christmas meeting.  We began with Show and Tell.  Connie told about her miniature nativity set.  She used another nativity set for the textures and Loctite gel control glue to hold it together.  She also showed an angel and a Bottle of Hope.  Kay showed a flower cross.  Both LeeAnn and Tom displayed their Bottles of Hope.  Penni Jo showed Christmas tree earrings.  Jane showed abstract buttons that she entered at the fair.  They were made from ultra-lite clay and decorated with transfers.  Jane said she was not sure that the clay was light enough for buttons.

The treasurer’s report was given.  We currently have 25 members.  We paid the deposit for Christi Friesen to teach at the retreat in April.  The guild’s annual dues of $24 dollars are due in January.  You can pay on-line with PayPal or pay at the January meeting with cash or check.

Jane showed several of her personal books.  She reviewed the Polymer Arts magazine.  She said it packed full of informational items.  The theme for the Polymer Café challenge is “Summertime.”  The deadline for submission is February 28.  We agreed to purchase a Helen Breil e-book.

January is the month that we vote on officers.  The positions are as follows:

President – conducts the meetings and sets the agenda

Vice-President – monthly program chairperson

Treasurer – keeps financial records and accepts orders

Secretary – keeps minutes of the meetings and uploads them to the website

Webmaster – assists in uploading items as needed and works with the retreat director in setting up on-line registration

Volunteer Positions include:

Librarian – store and bring the guild’s books, etc.; maintains the sign out sheet

Bottles of Hope – distributes Bottle of Hope to oncology centers; raises awareness about the project

Photographer – takes pictures at meetings and the retreat; posts pictures of same

We discussed the retreat on April 10-12.  Christi Friesen will be our guest artist this year.  She will be teaching a moveable mermaid and a panda with lily for her two classes.  She will be doing two Make ‘n Takes.

Syndee Holt will be Polyform’s representative at the retreat.  She will also do a Make ‘n Take.  This will take the place of one of the demonstrations.

Lisa Pavelka has agreed to be our guest artist in 2015.  Penni Jo has already requested the church for the 2015 date.

We agreed that bringing food in, rather than cooking on site, was very effective and made it easier for everyone.   Penni Jo has suggested that for an additional fee of $100 we have the church set the fellowship hall tables up after we are through on Saturday.  This was met with approval.  It was also suggested that we set up clean-up committees so that a few are not stuck with all the work.

We closed the meeting with a “Dirty Santa” exchange and enjoyed the snacks that were brought.

Our next meeting will be Saturday, January 11 at the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center at the State Fair Park.  The meeting will be held from 1:30 to 4:30 pm.

Tom opened the meeting with Show and Tell. Angela brought a pillow box with a reverse mold leaf gift tag made with alcohol inks and liquid polymer clay. Angel showed the faux malachite pendant and dichroic glass that she made at the class with Patty Barnes. Penni Jo showed the malachite necklace that she won at Fandango. Penni Jo also showed the new kitty mold that they have developed for the Beads of Courage. Lee Ann displayed the ovals and ideas that she tried out. Kathy made a covered Altoid tin with faux abalone and a votive candle holder. Karen displayed her Christi Friesen influenced heart necklace. Elizabeth showed her darling turkey. Nance presented a Hopi gourd mask, made from half of a gourd and decorated with feathers.

Penni Jo made the motion and Angel seconded that the minutes be approved.

Lee Ann announced the following programs:
December – annual display and Dirty Santa “exchange”
January – Angel will teach a cane
February – Tom will teach the Damascus ladder

February’s Affair of the Heart will be the same weekend as our monthly meeting. Cheryl made the motion and Lori seconded that we move the meeting to February 15th. Angela will check with the center to see if we can schedule the room for that date.

Angela gave the treasurer’s report. We currently have 25 members.

Nance said we now have an unlimited source for bottles for the Bottles of Hope program. She asked that we take home bottles to decorate for donation to the oncology center.

Jane shared that the Polymer Café challenge is “Youthful Textures”. To enter, you only need to submit a picture of your project and the entry form from the magazine. She also reviewed the Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Polymer Clay. Jane said there were lots of great ideas and an extruder guide.

It was decided that we would not have the raffle at the December meeting. Those who want can also bring snacks to the meeting.

In New Business, Penni Jo announced that our original polymer clay artist will not be able to attend. We voted to try to have Christi Friesen come again. We agreed to see if Lisa Pavelka would be available for April, 2015. If so, we will set the date and secure the location for that time.

The meeting was adjourned. Our next meeting will be December 14 at 1:30 pm at the fair ground OKC Contemporary Art Center.

Tom opened the October meeting by greeting our guests. We had a family visiting who had spoken to us during the guild’s demo at the State Fair, and whose 9-year-old showed some very nice clay pieces. We also got to meet our newest member, Karen, who recently moved to Oklahoma from California. We had 17 attendees, including 4 visitors.

In addition to our regular Show & Tell, several members brought their prize-winning state fair entries for us to admire. Great work, everyone!

Nance Ross taught the October lesson, a jack-o-lantern pin with glow-in-the-dark elements. She also demonstrated how to make a leaf cane. Her lesson was enjoyable, her handout was excellent, and everyone seemed to have fun make their own “Spooky Jacks.”

During the business portion of the meeting, Tom made a motion that the August meeting minutes be accepted. Penni Jo seconded.

Lee Ann announced the following meeting topics:

• November: Penni Jo and Lisa – Gourds and Polymer Clay Together. Penni Jo piqued our interest by showing a beautiful gourd she taught in a gourd class recently.
• December: Annual Christmas Exchange
• January: Angel – Cane (or something wonderful)
• February: Tom – Damascus Ladder

Angela gave the treasurer’s report. The guild now has 25 members.

Nance had bottles available to cover for Bottles of Hope. She said she likes to save up 30-35 completed bottles before taking them someplace, and spoke of the warm reception she’d gotten from her last Bottles of Hope recipients.

Jane talked about the newest additions to the library, including Polymer Clay Global Perspectives and the latest issue of two magazines. She informed us that the next Polymer Cafe challenge theme is “Texture,” for those who are looking for an opportunity to have their work published. We drew for a new library book, and selected The Absolute Beginners Guide: Working with Polymer Clay.

Patty Barnes will be teaching an all-day class on Faux Dichroic Glass and Faux Malachite in Norman on Saturday, October 19th. Cost for members is $60 ($75 for non-members). Please contact Jane if you wish to register for one of the remaining spaces. Participants may bring approximately $10 if they wish to order from Jersey Mike’s for lunch.

Penni Jo reported that she confirmed with Memorial Presbyterian Church in Norman that we are on their calendar for next year’s retreat. Lisa Pavelka will be our teacher, and Penni Jo will be contacting her for more info on class projects.

Penni Jo and Lisa announced two current calls for entries:

• Steampunk 4 (deadline November 5th): Submit a photo of a steampunk piece for possible publication.
• IPCA’s 2014 International Polymer Clay Awards (deadline January 20, 2014): Submit up to 3 pieces in the following categories:
  • jewelry (functional as well as art to wear)
  • functional containers (also includes vessels, receptacles, reliquaries and purses)
  • non functional sculpture and figurines
  • 2 dimensional hanging art

   

Penni Jo, Connie, and Tom brought wonderful raffle prizes, and we also raffled off one of the extra goody bags from the retreat. The winners were Tom, Karen, Connie, and Penni Jo. They will be responsible for bringing the prizes for our next raffle in a couple of months.

The theme for our inchie swap in November will be water.

The meeting adjourned. Our next meeting will be November 9th from 1:30 to 4:30 at the OKC Contemporary Arts Center on the state fairgrounds.

Tom opened the meeting with Show and Tell. Myra showed a metallic mosaic vase. Lisa displayed her experiment with Viva paints, one using translucent clay and paint in a jelly roll cane. She also showed her completed faux mother of pearl piece we did at last month’s meeting. Jane shared her extruded bracelet from Betina Welker’s new bracelet book. She also showed her two Bottles of Hope. One was covered in the leaf and alcohol ink process that Lisa taught. The other was carved and then back filled with clay. They were very pretty. Penni Jo presented their new mold, Caboshapes III – Triangles. She displayed a necklace she made using the triangular shapes with the embroidery technique she taught several months ago.

LeeAnn taught Texture Encrusted Whatzits. Proof of the fun was the uncharacteristic quiet as everyone worked away covering our items. Lots of exciting ideas and fun uses for molds abounded.

The July minutes were approved with a motion by Tom and a second by Jane.

We decided to not have a Saturday meeting in September. Our meeting would have been the day before our demonstration at the fair. Because we have to find another location for the meeting and because of the proximity of the date, we felt it would be best to just do the fair demonstration as our meeting.

LeeAnn announced the upcoming programs:

October – Nance will teach; be prepared for spooks!

November – Penni Jo and Lisa will teach polymer clay on gourds

December – our annual exchange

January – Angel will teach a cane

Angela gave the treasurer’s report. The guild has 24 members.

Nance gave several Bottles of Hope to the Mercy Oncology Center. She said it is the first time that we have received an expression of appreciation. She was told that one woman was moved to tears with the gift. She asked everyone to please work on creating bottles because they are asking for more.

Penni Jo reported that Patty Barnes will be coming Oct 19 to teach a Saturday class on faux malachite and faux dichroic glass. The class will be from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. We will meet at the Canadian Shores Mobile Home Park’s club house in Norman. The cost is $60 for members and $75 for non-members. Jane is collecting monies for the class.

We discussed covering the cost of transportation and housing for the class teacher. A motion was made by Cheryl to use our treasury funds to cover these costs. Lisa seconded it. It was approved by all.
Penni Jo mentioned that we need to have someone who will take on the responsibility of corresponding with teachers and taking care of registration for future classes.

We discussed next year’s retreat. Penni Jo said that because their business is growing so fast, she will need to have someone else be responsible for requesting donations for the retreat raffle and goody bags. Penni Jo will continue to try and make contact with the artist who said she would love to come to teach at the annual retreat. If she is not successful in reaching her, Penni Jo will send out a call for a teacher.

Angela reported that our demonstration at the fair will be Sunday, September 15 from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Because of the limited space, if we have enough volunteers, we will split into two shifts. The deadline for entry into the fair’s polymer clay competition is August 15th. More information is available on the State Fair website.

We agreed to order the new book, Polymer Clay Global Perspectives by Cynthia Tinapple.

We did the inchie exchange. In October, Alex, Tom and Cheryl will bring prizes for the raffle. The November inchie theme will be water.

The meeting adjourned. Our next meeting will be October 12th from 1:30 to 4:30 at the OKC Contemporary Arts Center on the state fairgrounds.

Tom opened the meeting with Show and Tell. Lisa showed tools that she made using the alcohol inks and gold leaf techniques we learned last month. She is sending them and some pens to another guild for their retreat. LeeAnn passed around a jar she made by slicing layers from button molds and then placing them on an underlying sheet. It was a natural color with the details highlighted with acrylic paint. Penni Jo showed her turtle mold and the cabs that she had made to fit in its shell. She also displayed the newest cab mold they have developed. Jane showed the necklace that Penni Jo brought her from Fandango. It was a skinner blend with gold leaf crackle. It was woven with chain as the weft and clay as the warp. It had companion earrings. Kay presented a square bead that was baked in multiple sessions adding round embellishments as she went. Gregg showed his completed fisherman’s sculpture. It is absolutely magnificent with the dog standing in the boat holding a net and the fisherman pulling in a great fish.

Myra presented the technique of inlaying mother of pearl. We used mica powders to create the mother of pearl look and put it into stamped pendants. It was finished by sanding thoroughly. It is a very pretty look.

The June minutes were approved with a motion by Penni Jo and a second by Nance.

LeeAnn announced that our August program is open and asked for volunteers. In September Nance will teach. Lisa and Penni Jo will teach polymer clay on gourds in October. Connie will teach in November and Angel will teach in January. The December meeting will be our annual show and tell and exchange.

Angela gave the treasurer’s report. The guild now has 24 members. She noted that next month’s race held at the fairgrounds should not interfere with parking for our meeting.

Nance said she would be very busy at work in the foreseeable future. She will continue as Bottle of Hope coordinator but will no longer be able to hold classes at hospitals.

Jane reported that we received Betina Welker’s new bracelet book. We also received a Polymer Arts magazine and a Polymer Café magazine. Polymer Café’s challenge for this time is “Canes, Canes and More Canes.” The deadline for submission is August 31st.

Angela said that the deadline for registration for your fair entry is August 15th. You can register online and she sent out the link by email. There are several categories in the polymer clay division. The details are on the state fair site. We have not yet received confirmation that we are invited to demonstrate at the fair. When Angela receives confirmation, she will email us to see who will be able to attend.

In new business, Penni Jo presented the possibility of inviting Patty Barnes to hold a class on making polymer faux dichroic glass and malachite. The all day class would cost $60. The guild would pay for her travel and hotel expenses. There was a lot of interest in the class. We would hold it in October. Penni Jo will check with Patty to see what dates she would be available.

The church has penciled us in for the second weekend in April for our annual retreat. We will continue to see if there is an all in one location that might be available. Penni Jo will check with the artist who said she would love to come to see if she is available that date. If she is not, then we will send out a call for teachers.  We will stay with the Safari theme. Nance mentioned that her work has more African stuffed animals if anyone was interested in purchasing them and then loaning them to the guild for retreat.

We discussed moving our guild meeting to the Bridge room in the OKC Arts Center. The lighting is better and the sound is better. There is a possibility that we would have to do more set up. Angela will check on it.

The meeting adjourned. Our next meeting will be August 10th from 1:30 to 4:30 at the OKC Arts Center on the state fairgrounds.

Our June meeting opened with Show & Tell. Gregg showed the armature he is making for the fishing scene he is creating. He also shared his Bottle of Hope where he used gold metallic and black acrylic paint to do a bronze technique. Jane displayed a ruffle bracelet she made from the instructions in the Polymer Arts magazine. She showed a tool she covered using the labordorite lesson we had at our May meeting. She also displayed a reversible transfer bracelet colored with Inktense pencils. Cheryl showed a necklace also made using the labordorite technique. Those who created pearl themed inchies show them.

Tom announced that Penni Jo, our retreat director, requested that we review the retreat in July when she will be able to attend. However, she asked that we decide about the location for next year so we could reserve a place quickly. A general discussion ensued regarding the positive and negative factors of our current facility. We agreed that placing the ovens outside of the kitchen worked much better. The general consensus was that we would try to reserve the same location for next year.

The May minutes were approved with the correction that both Lisa and Penni Jo will teach the October class on polymer clay and gourds. Jane made the motion which was seconded by Lisa.

LeeAnn announced the lessons for the next meetings will be:
July – Myra will teach mother of pearl inlay.
August – Angel will teach the hound’s tooth cane.
October – Lisa & Penni Jo will present polymer clay on gourds.
We need volunteers to teach in September and November.

Janice will see about reserving the club house at her complex for the September meeting. We will be required to hold our meeting at another location because of the state fair. It was also suggested that we move our February meeting to a different Saturday so we can avoid the traffic of the Affair of the Heart.

Angela gave the treasurer’s report. She also announced that we now have 24 members with Kathy being our latest addition.

There is a fair amount of treasury monies. We discussed reducing the annual dues to $24 per year. It was proposed that we do away with the point system that has been used in the past to reduce dues. It was also recommended that we reimburse teachers for supplies when they teach. The guild will reimburse them $10 without receipts and up to $25 if they submit receipts. These changes will be effective immediately. Marsha made the motion and Angel seconded it. The motion was passed.

The new library purchase for this month will be Betina Welker’s new bracelet book.

In new business, the state fair has asked if the guild will again do a demonstration on Sunday, September 15, from 2 – 6 pm. Angela will send out an email to determine how many members will be able to attend.

Lisa presented the lesson on making your own alcohol inks. We each made several colors and then tried them out on translucent clay and clay with metallic leaf. It was a lot of fun.

The meeting was adjourned. Our next meeting will be July 13 at 1:30 pm at the OKC Arts Center on the state fair grounds.