Skip to content

January 2015 Meeting: Jumping Jack Owl

  • by

Our next meeting will be Saturday, January 10, 2015 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. in the Contemporary Arts Center at the fairgrounds. Enter from Gate 5, across from Forest Lumber on May Ave.

This is also our raffle month – so if you won something at the last raffle, bring something for this one! Also, registration for our retreat on April 9-11, 2015 is now live – the information and link to the online registration form is on this page.

Materials

  • A 2 oz. block of base color for the owl. The instructions refer to it as gold but variety is the spice you know.
    Yours can be whatever color you like, I think a short Skinner blend might be interesting.
  • Some scraps, no more than a 1/2″ ball is needed – Yellow and black for the eyes. Brown, beige or other contrasting colors for the feet and horns (ears?).
  • Craft cord – two 12″ lengths ( Tom used AMY Nylon 13+ craft cord and will bring enough for the class)
  • Any other embellishments that you might like -mica powder, glitter, findings, jewels, Marquis-cut diamonds, etc.

Tom will bring the (hardware) movement items: Strong thread, paper fasteners, jump ring, eyelet, and a bead (for the pull).

Tools

  • Your usual clay tools
  • Pasta machine for mixing and the clay
  • Working surface (a 4×4 ceramic tile works well)
  • Craft knife
  • Knitting or darning needle or PJ tool to smooth the holes
  • Scissors
  • Wire cutters

December 2014 Meeting: Show & Tell, Dirty Santa, and Snacks!

  • by

Our next meeting will be Saturday, December 13, 2014 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. in the Contemporary Arts Center at the fairgrounds.

As we usually do for our December guild meeting, we will not have a lesson. Instead, we will bring items for show & tell, and then (optionally) swap our items in a Dirty Santa exchange. You don’t have to swap your item if you want to keep it, though! We’ll also bring goodies to snack on, and just generally have a good time of claymate fellowship.

Tom has adapted the rules of the Dirty Santa game to our purposes, so if anyone isn’t familiar with the rules, here they are:

How to Play Dirty Santa

Everyone playing the game brings a hand-crafted polymer item. Sometimes an item using a technique learned this past year or one you just enjoyed making and sharing. Please, please bring an item. It is so much more fun with many participants.

VARIATION: Since we will be showing off our gifts during Show & Tell, I will bring gift bags to mask the items for the game. Just to keep it in the spirit of Dirty Santa.

Numbers are written on pieces of paper for every gift and places them in a basket, bowl or hat.

Each person draws a number. Getting a higher number is actually better because you will have more chosen gifts to choose from.

The person with #1 picks a gift to open from the array of gift bags. The person with #2 can choose to another bag or steal the gift from #1. If a gift is stolen, the person who had it then steals from someone else or picks another gift to open. Gifts stolen cannot be directly stolen back. They must be in the pool of opened and unopened gifts for at least one turn.

The game continues like this until everyone takes a turn select an item or stealing an item. The last person to go can steal from anyone in the game or select the remaining item.

NOTICE: If the first person has not had their selection stolen during the game, they may steal a gift from anyone else. This may open a new round of stealing, but that’s the nature of Dirty Santa.

Once a gift is stolen three times, it is retired from the game.

So, let’s all come and have a great time!!!

Minutes for November 2014 Meeting

We had 15 members and 1 visitor at our November 8th meeting. We kicked things off with Show and Tell that included a cat and pumpkin pin, a wide variety of personalized magnets, a turtle sculpture, bikini earrings, and a Bottle of Hope.

Our presenter this month was Penni Jo, who showed the group how to make her amazing “dressy earrings” on tiny coat hangers. Her instruction and handouts were superb, as usual. Thank you, Penni Jo!

In the business meeting, October’s minutes were approved with a motion by Penni Jo and a second by Lee Ann.

Connie gave a report on upcoming classes:

  • December: Annual Christmas meeting. Bring snacks. If you want to participate in the Dirty Santa swap, bring something you made from polymer clay. No raffle or inchie swap in December.
  • January: Tom will show how to make an owl similar to his state fair entry. Raffle month.
  • February: Angela will show how to make containers using cookie cutters as the form. Inchie swap month.

Angela gave the treasurer’s report. We now have 27 members.

Nance gave the Bottles of Hope report, and said she has bottles she needs covered. She reported that the BOH are very popular — the hospital is giving them to patients just as they’re starting chemo. She specifically requested BOH for young children.

Jane gave the librarian’s report. Our newest book, Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay, has good sculpting info for people. The new Polymer CAFE arrived and has a Sydney Holt project. This month’s Polymer CAFE challenge theme is nature, with photos due December 31st.

Webmaster Myra reported that she’s waiting on class info so she can put the retreat signup online.

In new business, we discussed the 2015 retreat. Tom passed around the retreat class options from Lisa Pavelka for us to choose from, and folks voted for their favorites. Tom asked for 3 volunteers to contact companies about goody bag/auction donations; Jane, Angela, and Deborah signed up.

Our inchie swap theme for the meeting was Thanks/Thanksgiving.

November 2014 Meeting: Dressy Earrings

  • by

FinishedFancyEarrings

Penni Jo will show us how to create and embellish a tiny dress or gown for pendant, earring, ornament, etc. Dresses can be fancy or plain, your choice. The same technique can be used to make pendants or pins if you do not want earrings.

Materials

  • Wire plain or coated: 22 to 24 gauge
  • Polymer clay: Solid color of your choice for gown. Small amounts of two or three shades of clay for ombre ribbons. Flower & leaf colors. Translucent & white for swirls
  • Mica Powder: micro pearl, or for dark colors, interference gold or other interference colors. If you choose a light colored clay, you’ll need regular Gold Mica powder as Interference Gold will not show up well on light colors. (I will have a variety of mica powders for use in class for use.)
  • Findings: jump rings – 4, earring wires – 2, optional: eye pins and or headpins if dangles are desired.
  • Optional: Bake ‘N Bond or Poly Paste. (Penni Jo will have some in class for use)

Tools

  • Clay tools like Penni Jo’s Clay Tools or your favorite
  • Jewelry tools: round nose pliers and a wooden clip clothespin
  • Scissors

Guild announcements: We will be voting on Lisa Pavelka’s classes for our upcoming retreat at the November meeting. See the choices here. If you can’t come to the November meeting, contact Tom or someone else to act as your proxy. Let your voice be heard! It’s also inchie month, and our theme is Fall/Thanksgiving.

 

Minutes for October 2014 Meeting

  • by

After greeting our visitors, Tom opened the October meeting with Show and Tell. Among the inspiring pieces shown were a prehistoric gecko, necklaces, Bottles of Hope, a panda, candy corns and other Halloween-themed items, and witch pendants from last month’s lesson.

Our program this month had two parts. First, various members shared ideas on how they display or use inchies. Inchies are 1″ by 1″ square pieces of art. Our group regularly hosts themed inchie swaps to give folks a chance to explore different techniques in polymer clay and share the results. Ideas shared were:

  • Wear inchies on a lanyard (perfect for retreat swaps). Display a collection of inchies on a board with artists’ info written below.
  • Display a collection of inchies in a painted frame, using E6000 to glue down the inchies.
  • Re-use inchies to decorate cards or journals. Make your own inchies to embellish extra-special business cards. Make a mosaic of themed inchies.
  • Embellish a picture frame with an anchie. Display a single inchie in an elaborate frame to make tiny art. Wrap a jar with fabric and glue on an inchie. Frame brightly-colored ribbons with inchies attached.

Thanks to members Connie, Marsha, Angela and Penni Jo for sharing these ideas.

Penni Jo taught the second part of the program, demonstrating several different polymer clay candy corn methods. She gave us info on using molds, making canes, and a special Skinner blend that does a perfect job of capturing the candy corn’s color blend. Thanks, Penni Jo, for sharing your talent with us once again!

In the business meeting, September’s minutes were approved with a motion by Penni Jo and a second by Kay.

Connie gave a report on upcoming classes:

  • November: Penni Jo will be teaching dress earrings on a hanger
  • December: annual Christmas meeting with dirty Santa swap and snacks

Angela gave the treasurer’s report. We now have 27 members, including our newest member Katherine, who joined this month.

Jane gave the librarian’s report. We received a book, Design Basics, and the latest Polymer CAFE. We took suggestions from the group on library books, and selected Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay: Tools and Techniques for Sculpting Realistic Figures by Katherine Dewey.

In old business, we discussed the state fair. Six members participated in the group’s state fair demo. Connie asked about trying shifts again for next year, instead of asking members to stay for the entire demo. Penni Jo and Tom have been talking to the director of creative arts about providing our own judge for our sponsored polymer clay division. The group suggested local and out-of-state ideas for judges.

In new business, we discussed the 2015 retreat. Tom asked for 3-4 helpers to contact donors about goody bag/auction donations. We also need to vote to choose which classes we want guest artist Lisa Pavleka to teach at the retreat. The options will be sent out prior to the November meeting.

We finished our meeting with a raffle. The winners were Kay, Laura, Angela, and Myra.

Our next meeting will be November 8 at 1:30pm at the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center on the State Fairgrounds. Our theme for the November inchie swap is give thanks / Thanksgiving / fall. Please bring inchies to swap if you want to participate.

Minutes for September 2014 Meeting

Minutes recorded by Cheryl Rains.

With 19 members in attendance, Tom opened the meeting with Show and Tell. LeeAnn showed a Bottle of Hope and a pendant made from Helen Breil’s new book. Nance showed her fall leaf brooch. Tom displayed two Bottles of Hope.

Chris and her friend taught a dual class on making a witch pendant and a fall leaf pendant using glass pebbles as a focal point for the piece. It was a lot of fun.

In the business meeting, August’s minutes were approved with a motion by Connie and a second by Lori.

Connie gave a report on upcoming classes. October’s meeting will be a sharing of ideas of how to use inchies and a demonstration by Penni Jo. In November, Penni Jo will be teaching us how to make her darling dress earrings with the hanger as part of the findings. Connie asked that the treasurer send a $40 check for the rental of the church for this month’s meeting.

The treasurer’s report was given. We currently have 25 paid members.

There will be five attendees to demonstrate at the State Fair.

Jane reported that our new book, Design Basics by David Kraus has not arrived yet. Penni Jo said that the book really helped her own design process and would be a great addition to our library.

There was no old business.

In new business, Penni Jo told about a company, CaBezel. CaBezel is a tool to help you create consistent bezels and cabochons every time. They have teamed up with Best Flexible molds. The CaBezel CJM013 works with the Almond Cabs and More, PJ001, to make bezels that fit the cabochons.

October will be raffle month. If you won in August, please bring a prize for the raffle. November will be inchie swap. Our theme will be Thanksgiving.

Our next meeting will be October 11 at 1:30pm at the Arts Center on the State Fairgrounds.

October 2014 Meeting: Inchie Tips and Candy Corn

  • by

Our next meeting will be Saturday, October 11, 2014 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. in the Contemporary Arts Center at the fairgrounds.

The topic for our October meeting is what to do with your inchies, and how to display them. Penni Jo will have some thoughts on displaying these miniature pieces of art, and as a special treat, she also will show us how to make Chris Crossland’s adorable candy corn!

This is also our raffle month, so if you won something last time, bring some goodies to the raffle this time!

Supply List

To make the candy corn, bring the following:

  • Polymer clay – translucent, orange, yellow, and white
  • Triangles push mold – PJ049 Caboshapes III  (Penni Jo will bring some molds for folks to play with or new ones if they wish to purchase the mold.)
  • Your usual clay tools
  • Water spritzer
  • Pasta machine for mixing the clay for the candy corn
  • Working surface

NOTE: Construction is still likely on May Avenue next to the fairgrounds. Enter through Gate 5 further south on May, across from Forest Lumber. See this map for reference.