Our June meeting included a special, long-awaited event. The Central Oklahoma Polymer Clay Guild presented a number of **Bottles of Hope** to the cancer care center at **Norman Regional Hospital**. These empty medicine bottles, decorated by our members with original clay designs, will be given to cancer patients at Norman Regional as a message of hope and encouragement. This was the first event toward culmination of a long-term project by guild members. The guild hopes to give away many more of its Bottles of Hope to cancer patients or survivors at other facilities. Pictured at right are, **back row** L-R: Penni Jo Couch; Lee Ann Kelley; Guild Bottles of Hope Coordinator Nance Ross; Eva Dilks, representing Norman Regional Hospital; and Guild President Jane Linn. **Front row:** Sue McCarrell and Guild Treasurer Angela Mabray. For an enlarged view, click on the image.
Seven members attended our meeting, and several brought items for **Show and Tell**.
**Jane L.** showed magnetic nametag backs that eliminate the necessity for clothing-piercing pinbacks. They can be ordered in bulk. **Angela M.** brought two projects she had made trying out Bakeshop Clay, using ideas from *Polymer Clay Mixed Media Jewelry,* by Shirley Ruffner. **Sue M.** brought a stamped pendant painted with metallic paint. **Penni Jo C.** brought projects she will be teaching at Southern Oaks Recreation Center in Oklahoma City in September. She also explained a method of laser image transfer using baking parchment. **Jane L. and Shirley C.** showed finished and partially–finished pieces they had made in the Kathleen Dustin workshop in Albuquerque, from which they had just returned the day before. A third member, April G., was still in Albuquerque, attending a second Dustin workshop. We look forward to seeing her projects.
**Program:** Nance R. led the group in a steampunk project. Nance provided some hardware for the steampunk look, and other members brought their own items. Each member designed a project, with some very creative results.
Right: Steampunk projects by (l-r) Penni Jo C., Lee Ann K., and Angela M.:
**Business Meeting:**
**Old Business:**
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**COPCG Banner:** Jane thanked Angela for making a pen and pencil set as a thank you gift for the owner of Fast Signs, the company that made our banner. The group voted to reimburse Angela for expenses incurred.
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**2009 State Fair:** Angela reported that the State Fair booklet has listed our new polymer clay category correctly. She brought entry forms and urged members to enter as many items as possible, in order to support the new category. Entrants are permitted one entry per class.
**There was no new business.**
**Reports:**
**Program Coordinator:** April G. reviewed our upcoming meeting schedule, as follows:
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**July 11**- Flower Canes with April G.
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**August 8** – Mica Shift with guest Christy Wright
**Treasurer:** Angela M. reported a balance of $541.44 in our treasury. We currently have 8 members.
**Librarian:** Librarian Jane L. announced the arrival of our latest library purchase, *The New Clay*, by Nan Roche. Penni Jo gave book reports on two books in our library, *Elegant Gifts in Polymer Clay*, by Lisa Pavelka, and *Creative Canes*, by Barbara McGuire. She told us that the latter is crammed with great projects, but that the instructions are not very thorough. Jane conducted our monthly library drawing, and the winner was : *Ancient Modern: Polymer Clay and Wire Jewelry* by Ronna
Sarvas Weltman. This book will be purchased for the guild library this month.
**Tulsa Guild Swap:** The swap with the Tulsa Polymer Clay Guild was completed, as swap items received from that group were distributed to those of our members who had participated.
**July Raffle:** Members who won the raffle in May will bring items for the July raffle. They are: Angela – one, Nance – one, and Lee Ann – two.
**Announcements:** Our own Angela M. was taped for a segment of HGTV’s *That’s Clever* some months ago. The segment may be aired on HGTV on July 20th.