Meeting on July 13, 2019

Our next guild meeting will be Saturday, July 13, 2019 from 1:30-4:30 p.m, at New Day Church of the Nazarene, 5949 NW 39th Expressway in Warr Acres. Enter through the glass doors near the back of the building.

This is inchie month, with a theme of “Summer”. We will also have a drawing this month, so if you won something last time, bring some goodies for this one!

Betty will be teaching us how to make either floral or beaded earrings. Both are the same technique. These are fun earrings to make and can be as long or as short as you want, depending on the chain you use and the number of links. Fewer or smaller links will result in shorter earrings while larger or more links will give you longer earrings. The samples were made on 4mm curb chain using 6 links for each earring.

Please have your beads made up before the meeting. We will not be making the beads there. The floral earrings are made with margarite beads, little flowers with a single hole in the middle. If you have Prime, you can order a set of cutters from Amazon if you don’t already have some and they will arrive in plenty of time to get your beads made beforehand. This set contains a great set for making the margarite beads, using the next to largest cutter. In the 3rd photo on this page, they are the second from the top on the right.  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K756GWN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 

The alternative, if you don’t have the flower cutters, or don’t want flowers, is to make 6-8mm beads in the shape of your choice.  You can even use all purchased beads if you don’t have time to make them and just want to learn the technique. The teal colored beads in the photo are 6mm glass pearls. Feel free to contact Betty ahead of time with any questions.

Supplies

Earwires, 1 pair – your choice of finish

Chain in same finish as earwires, medium size links – at least 12 links

24+ flat or ball headpins in same finish

24 small pre-made margarite (flower) beads or beads of your choice

24 3mm crystals or seed beads if not using ball headpins

24 4mm crystals

Additional beads, crystals, etc., as desired

Tools

Round nose pliers or looping pliers

2 pairs of chain nose pliers (can be bent, straight, or both)

Wire cutters

Any other favorite tools or supplies you think you might want to use

Note: You should have at least one each of the above tools in your toolkit. Round nose pliers, though not preferable, can suffice for the second pair of chain nose pliers. Tools can also be shared.

 

June 2019 Meeting Minutes

Minutes for June 08, 2019 meeting of COPCG

Betty, our Guild President, called the meeting to order. We had 11 members in attendance. Betty kicked the meeting off with Show & Tell; then presented May’s minutes. Since a copy of the revised May’s minutes did not make it to our website, Betty sent the minutes out on Slack and brought in paper copies for those who attended today’s meeting. Angel moved to accept the minutes and Laura seconded it. All approved the minutes. A surprise from Connie; she brought an ice cream cone inchie for everyone.

Shirley, our VP, updated everyone on who would be teaching upcoming classes. July will be Betty; August – Kathy; September – Lori; October and November – Cheryl. December is our Christmas party.

Library and Treasurer reports:

Jane, our Librarian, did not receive any new books; and LeeAnn indicated she ordered a 2 for 1, but they have not arrived. LeeAnn read the Treasurer’s report; we have 26 paid members. Penni Jo moved to accept and Katherine seconded. All approved the Treasurer report.

Bottles of Hope:

Tom announced he would soon deliver Bottles of Hope to The Toby Keith Foundation Kids Korral and the Troy and Dollie Smith Wellness Center.

Program:

Penni Jo and Jane were our guest artists. The subject was Classic Elegant Vessel. The project was a six-sided vessel that included a domed top. Each member was presented a ten-page handout that showed very detailed step by step instructions, 53 colored photos, and drawings that could be cut out and placed upon your clay.

New Business:

Retreat 2020. Betty, Tom, and Connie visited Salyer Lake Conference & Retreat Center; and Canyon Camp & Conference Center. Both facilities are located near Hinton, OK. Betty provided a breakdown of the pros and cons of each place; and Tom provided a financial breakdown. The days of the Retreat would change to Friday through Sunday; which next year would be April 17-19, 2020.  After listening to their reports, it appeared Canyon Camp was agreeable to the members present. Jane moved to select Canyon Camp, and Angel seconded. It was unanimously approved. Betty indicated it would be necessary to put a deposit down immediately to guarantee the dates. Since we now have a location and confirmed dates, Tom will be sending out letters to various guest artists. More information to come.

Regarding our website, after a brief discussion; Angel moved we find a new host and Jane seconded it. All approved. Betty will be looking for a new host and welcomes any suggestions. Drawing will be held in July; and bring your Summer inches, too. Betty announced that the Guild will need to select a new secretary at the July meeting. Katherine must step down due to other obligations that shall continue through the end of the year.

The State Fair of Oklahoma is coming up in September and registrations to exhibit will be July 1 – August 15. The Guild will be hosting a demo on September 15, from 2:00 to 6:00 pm. Betty will be posting more information to Slack for our Guild members. Please use Slack to communicate your interest to participate.

Our July meeting will be at New Day Church of the Nazarene in Bethany. Betty will be our guest artist; making flower/beads earrings. She’s requesting the members to make their flower or bead components prior to the meeting. Our July project will be assembling the earrings.

Submitted by Katherine Barnes, Secretary COPCG

June 8 2019 Meeting – SIX SIDED CLASSIC, ELEGANT VESSEL

Our next guild meeting will be Saturday, June 8, 2019 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. in the Contemporary Arts Center at the fairgrounds.

For this months activity we will be making SIX SIDED CLASSIC, ELEGANT VESSEL taught by Penny Jo.

What to bring:

•Vessel body clay: 1 1/2 Blocks of clay in your choice of color (or, a mix of a solid (2 parts,) and a metallic, pearl or fancy clay like Opal,(1 part) etc.)
•Accent Color Clay: ie. Gold, Silver, or other contrasting color.
•Optional: Mica Powders to brighten the accent color if desired
•4 by 4 inch tile on which to create the base and build the sides of your vessel. (We will provide one for everyone in class so no worry if you don’t have one.) (Please do not bring anything larger as the oven is not very big)
•Pasta Machine
•Work Surface
•Exacto Knife or other Craft Knife
•Smallest Etch & Pearl rod or a small, slender, metal rod.(optional, stylus)
•Extruder (we used Makins) & two disks.
1. the disk with four openings for the thinner embellishments
2. the disk with a single small hole about 2 or 2.5 millimeters.
•Straight edge blade, like tissue blade or razor blade, etc
•Sculptors steel rib (scraper) or the scraper in the Penni Jo’s Clay Tools Kit.
•Scissors to Cut Paper
•Bake-N-Bond or Poly Paste
••Fiber-Fil®
•For decorative designs, bring your favorite molds
•Your Favorite Clay Tools

 

May 2019 Meeting Minutes

Minutes for May 11, 2019 meeting of COPCG

 

Betty, our Guild President, called the meeting to order. We had 14 members in attendance. Betty kicked the meeting off with Show & Tell. Penni Jo, Jane, Betty, Connie, Lori, Kathy, Cheryl, and Tom; all brought items. Then March’s minutes were presented. Cheryl moved to accept, and Penni Jo seconded. A surprise from Connie; she brought a green froggy inchie for everyone.

 

Shirley, our Vice President, announced Penni Jo and Jane would teach June’s meeting; and they promised it would be exciting and interesting. And Betty will discuss her flower earrings that we will assemble in July’s meeting.

 

Library and Treasurer reports:

Jane, our Librarian, showed two new books to be added to our extensive library; and asked for input to order new books. Last year’s Retreat DVD was added, too. LeeAnn read the Treasurer’s report; we have 26 paid members. Connie moved to accept and Cheryl seconded.

 

April’s Retreat:

Tom gave his report on how well the Retreat went this year. He discussed the goodie bags, auctions, and door prizes.

 

Bottles of Hope:

We need more bottles to continue making Bottles of Hope. Tom brought several BOH that were donated from the Retreat; and we appreciate all clayers who worked so hard on these lovely creations.

 

Program:

Tom taught our May class. The subject was armatures. He did a detailed breakdown of the use of wire armatures within your polymer clay figures. He provided a tremendous number of tips; such as using floral tape to wrap aluminum wire because clay doesn’t stick to metal; foil doesn’t stick to foil, so wrap it in aluminum tape to build your bodies; and use bamboo skewers for arms and legs, because clay sticks well to wood.

 

New Business:

Betty discussed next year’s Retreat; and why the Retreat Director (who does a tremendous amount of work organizing the event throughout the year) should have their expenses covered; such as paying their Retreat fee and paying for a mid-priced hotel room for the 3 nights. Connie moved to accept this motion, and Jane seconded. It was unanimously approved. Also, Connie will look into possibly finding a new location; and the Guild will consider changing the Retreat from Thursday to Saturday; to a more convenient Friday to Sunday timeframe. And who shall be next year’s guest artist? Possibly Julie Picarello; Tom will contact her and let us know.

 

Connie was nominated to fill the vacate position of Party Planner; and she accepted. Betty discussed the ongoing problem with our website; and she will do some research to see what’s going on. We decided not to do the drawing this month. Anyone who won the last drawing should bring in a goodie bag for June’s Drawing. Lori and Kathy announced they are moving to Virginia; possibly early next year. We were all so sorry to hear this, but they promised to come to Retreat next year.

 

Betty followed up on an earlier discussion regarding the Contemporary Arts Center telling us to vacate their building by June 30, 2019. Our June meeting will be our last at this Center. Regarding our extensive library, Betty has storage space available at her home. As for a place for our members to meet; when space is available, we can meet at New Day Church of the Nazarene in Bethany; or the Yukon Library. Betty has graciously offered her own home to be used by us for monthly meetings, too.

 

Submitted by Katherine Barnes, Secretary COPCG

May 11th 2019 Meeting – Armature demonstration

Our next guild meeting will be Saturday, May 11, 2019 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. in the Contemporary Arts Center at the fairgrounds.  It will be in the Children’s Clay Room so follow the signs to get to the right room!

Tom will be demonstrating how to make armatures for sculpting.  No supplies will be needed this month!

In addition to general guild business we will be discussing the location of future guild meetings.

Please bring lots of show and tell, especially from the retreat!

This is drawing month so if you won something last time bring something for this months drawing!

April 2019 Retreat

No meeting this month, instead we have our wonderful retreat!  I thought it would be good to post the list of items you will need to bring for the classes.

There are  a few things that we need to do in preparation for our retreat.

Eugena has listed a few items that will be needed for her classes.

For an expanded description of the classes check out her blogposting:

http://polymertutorials.blogspot.com/p/eugenas-classes.html

In the OPENWORK PENDANTS class, you will be making a pendant using just one 2-oz pack

of Premo polymer clay in any color.

Eugena will provide the second material needed for this technique.

The only tools needed for this class are the following:
– a working surface (a ceramic tile, for example);
– a roller or a pasta machine (optional);
– a small knife or spatula;
– a round cutter, about 1″ to 1.5″ in diameter;
– a tool for shaping concave polymer clay pendants*.

* There is a detailed description of such tools in the following post in my blog:
Cool Tools, Concave Forms for Polymer Clay

In the SEA CREATURES class, the tools and materials needed for this class include the following:
– at least one 2-oz pack of Premo polymer clay in white color;
– some black acrylic paint;
– alcohol inks in at least three colors that look nicely together;
– small brushes for applying the paint and the inks (cheap ones from a Dollar Store will work);
– some paper towels;
– a working surface (a ceramic tile, for example);
– a roller or a pasta machine (optional);
– a small knife or spatula;
– any tools you may have for sculpting polymer clay (such as knitting needles of various diameter, tooth picks,  disposable drinking and mixing straws, etc.);
– a tool for shaping concave polymer clay pendants*.  (see link above)

 

Also REMEMBER to bring a seat cushion, we’ll be on folding chairs.  See you all there!

March 2019 meeting notes

Minutes for March 09, 2019 meeting of COPCG

Betty, our Guild President, called the meeting to order. We had 14 members in attendance and one visitor. Betty offered up the minutes from our last meeting. Penni Jo moved to accept and Laura seconded. Shirley announced who would be teaching the upcoming classes: May – Tom will teach how to use armatures; June – Penni Jo and Jane (TBA); July – Roundtable discussion on tips and techniques of artwork submissions; August – Kathy will teach a pendant class.

 

Betty discussed using “Slack” instead of using Yahoo email to communicate with Guild members. Also, she reminded everyone that there’s no monthly meeting in April, because of the April Retreat. We decided not to do the drawing this month. Anyone who won the last drawing should bring in a goodie bag for May’s Drawing.

Surprise from Penni Jo. She brought in one of her “Penni Jo’s Clay Tools” set for a drawing. Everyone put their names in the hat, and she pulled out the winner. Congrats, Lori!

For Show and Tell:

5 Bottles of Hope were brought in and turned over to Tom. Also we enjoyed seeing a hinged memory board, a pin, and a bracelet.

Treasurer:

LeAnn had to leave early, so Betty read the Treasurer report into record. We currently have 24 paid members.

Bottles of Hope:

Tom ordered more mini bags. Since each Bottle of Hope is a gift, Tom enriches the experience by placing each one in a special gift bag. He announced we are still having trouble finding bottles for our Guild members to cover with polymer clay.

Library:

Jane announced we do not have any books on order; and asked members to come up with suggestions for our next meeting.

Retreat:

Tom discussed the need for volunteers. He reminded all that there would not be an actual breakfast served this year. Stuffing goodie bags will be at Jane’s house on the Saturday before Retreat; please be there by 1:00 pm. General discussion by members on the things they were donating for the goodie bags.

New Business:

Betty announced she had received an email from the Contemporary Arts Center telling us to vacate their building by June 30, 2019. For many months, we were aware that the Contemporary Arts Center at the fairgrounds was moving to a new location Downtown OKC in the Fall of 2019. But this was still a shock because we were not expecting to secure a new location so early in the year. After much discussion, we decided to hold our May meeting in the Kids Play Room at the Center, and the June meeting in our current room. Betty and Connie had several ideas and will be contacting various locations with the hopes of finding us a new location where we can meet.

Program:

Laura taught a class on translucent caning. She contacted Teresa Salgado of Tiny Pandora, and asked if she could teach from her YouTube video “Translucent Caning Made Easy”. Laura took her time and went over each step needed to create the cane. Since each member selected different colors to use with the translucent clay; the canes produced were very different. This was a fine example of how the slightest color change can produce stunning canes.

Submitted by Katherine Barnes, Secretary COPCG