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April Meeting: Articulated Teddy Bear

bear.jpg
Nance Ross will be showing us how to create an Articulated Teddy Bear. It is small, fits in your pocket, and yes, the arms and legs move. They are cute and fun to make. They are baked in pieces and then assembled.
**When: Saturday, April 12, 2008, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.** (Do not forget about the new meeting time)
**Where: The new Hobby Lobby in Norman, 2417 W. Main, Norman, OK**. (The classroom is up front, near the check stands. Go right after entering & it’s the first door on the right.)
**What to Bring:**
***Supplies:***
– 1 package any color Premo you wish for a color for your bear….ecru, black, white, brown etc.
– Scraps in a good complimentary color for pads on paws, inside ears
– Scrap in pink or red for tongue, if you plan to have your bear’s mouth open!
– Two eye pins in silver or gold, whichever will look better on the color bear you make.
– Little black bead for a nose
– Little fiber optic or tigereye beads for eyes ~ She will have some extra with her, if you are not able to bring any.
– 1 toothpick
***Tools:***
– Needle tool
– Your favorite sculpting tool
– Wire cutter
– Needlenose pliers
***Optional:***
– Scrap colors to make a lei around the bear’s neck, if you wish
– canes to decorate bear’s body, if you wish
– Pearlex and brush, if you wish to glitter your creation up a bit
Nance is a new member to our guild, she has come to us from Orange County California, and was a two year member of the Orange County Polymer Clay Guild. She informed us that she has had the joy of knowing Dottie MacMillan, Trina Williams, Kathy Davis and so many more helpful mentors, and look forward to getting to know us and finding new ideas and people with whom we can all share. We are glad to have Nance as a part of our guild and very thankful for offering to teach us this lesson.

March 2008 Play Day Notes

Breast cancer bear with pendantThanks so much to everyone who came out to the Bottles of Hope Play Day, and thanks especially to our speaker, Cindy Matteson. Cindy was very sharing about her journey with breast cancer & her ideas for setting up a Bottles of Hope program locally. She even brought each of us a pink ribbon teddy bear!
We discussed the following:
* Cindy would love to see us have a special event in conjunction with a local hospital (perhaps Baptist or Integris Cancer Centers), where we deliver our Bottles of Hope to cancer patients & survivors. According to the organizer of the Kansas City event, we would need 75-100 bottles to make such an event worthwhile.
* Cindy suggested we might get high school art classes involved — not only would they enjoy learning about the clay and helping create the bottles, but this would help us build up our bottle supply. She knows some folks at the local high school and will help us look into this. Other similar possibilities mentioned were girl scouts and the YMCA.
* Cindy mentioned the possibility of putting together a few sample bottles, then making contact with the media, to start getting the word out about the program.
Angela created a handout with information on Bottles of Hope. She has made the handout and a video available on her site.
We had five people in attendance, and after Cindy’s talk, folks stayed around for several hours creating gorgeous Bottles of Hope. We ended up adding several bottles to our collection, and each person took home a few bottles to cover at home. We have *lots* of bottles (over 200), which will be available at all of our meetings for folks to take home and cover.
Thanks to all for a creative & fun-filled play day!

March Play Day: Bottles of Hope Program

Our March Play Day will be this Saturday at Angela’s house, and we’ll be discussing Bottles of Hope. Local breast cancer survivor **Cindy Matteson** will join us to talk about her experiences with the Bottle of Hope program, and to share her own bottle, which she received from a polymer clay artist via a Kansas event. Cindy has very generously provided our group with lots of small glass medicine bottles to cover.
She has also offered to help us make connections with local cancer patients to distribute finished Bottles of Hope, either on a one-on-one basis or as part of an organized event.
In addition to our Bottles of Hope discussion, we’ll also be doing “normal” Play Day meeting stuff… which is anything you want! Our play day meetings don’t have a specific teacher or lesson — they’re intended to be more laid-back. You can bring along whatever project you’re working on, or you can just come and chat. And if you forget something, Angela’s craft room is right down the hall.
– **When: Saturday, March 29, 2008, 1:00 p.m. (Stay as long as you want!)**
– **Where: Angela Mabray’s house (Yukon, OK)**. The address & directions are being sent to the [group’s mailing list](http://lists.okpolyclay.com/mailman/listinfo/okpolyclay) — feel free to use our [contact form](https://okpolyclay.com/contact.php) to request directions if you’re not on the mailing list.
– **What to Bring:** Angela will have bottles on hand if you want to cover them to make Bottles of Hope. (*These bottles are available at every meeting, actually. If you don’t see them sitting out, just ask Angela*.) Feel free to bring your clay, tools, and any other project you’d like to work on.
We’ll have some snacks & drinks available — if you’d like something special, feel free to bring it.

March 2008 Meeting Notes

Seven members were present at our March meeting, along with two guests, Diana and Teresa. What fun we all had, as April Salcedo showed us how to make several types of canes using the extruder. Everyone was pleased to learn how much easier caning can be, using this tool. There were some beautiful results to take home and use in projects. April provided some excellent handouts.
We held our first raffle to benefit the library fund, and it brought in $16.00. Angela, April S., and Nance donated mold putty samples, texture sheets, a book, and a necklace. Raffle winners were Angela, April S., April G, and Nance. As we discussed in February, this month’s winners will bring the items for next month’s raffle.
The schedule for future meetings is:

**March 29**: Play day hosted by Angela. Bottles of Hope will be discussed.

**April 12**: Articulated Teddy Bear with Nance

**May 10**: Inro Box with Penni Jo

**June 14**: Rubber Stamping Effects with Angela
**During the business portion of the meeting we discussed the following items:**

**Treasury and Membership** – Angela announced that we now have twelve members. Our treasury balance is $312.15.

**Dues** – Because member points are awarded for service, we voted to make our membership year coincide with our administrative year, for easier accounting. Those whose membership renewal falls due before next January will pay a pro-rated amount. A full year’s dues will be collected from all members next January.
The library drawing was held as a raffle this month, with the winner choosing our next purchase. *Stamping Effects in Polymer Clay*, by Sandra McCall, was chosen.
Angela reminded the group of contest deadlines she had previously forwarded by email from the National Polymer Clay Guild. The deadline for Bead Dreams is April 14 and for Fire Mountain Beading Contest, April 15.
It was announced that www.artdolls.com is offering a free disk about Pro-Sculpt Clay with a dual order of art doll books.

March Meeting: Extruder Canes

April Salcedo will be showing us how to create four different extruder canes, her method to mapping extruder canes, how she wraps and preserves her canes. You can visit her [Flickr Site](http://flickr.com/photos/kreativekarma/) if you would like to view more of her extruder canes and other polymer clay items.
**When:** Saturday, March 8, 2008, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. (Do not forget about the new meeting time)
**Where:** The new Hobby Lobby in Norman, [2417 W. Main, Norman, OK](http://www.google.com/maps?q=2417+W+Main+St,+Norman,+OK+73069,+USA&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title). (The classroom is up front, near the check stands. Go right after entering & it’s the first door on the right.)
**What to Bring:**
– **Already conditioned clay** (amounts for each cane are listed beneath their pictures. All in all you should bring about 5 packages of clay) April recommends Fimo Classic, or maybe Premo, or Kato (if you can get it good and conditioned) for the canes. The firmer the clay the tougher it is to extrude, however, the less distorted and better the cane will be. *April strongly suggests conditioning your clay ahead of time, as we will be pressed for time to complete the 4 different canes in 3 hours…. mostly due to having to extrude the pieces*
– **Pasta Machine**
– **Tissue Blade**
– **Ceramic tile or other hard, flat, smooth surface for reducing**.
– **Clay extruder and the small square and small triangle dies**. (If you have the Makin’s Extruder they come with this extruder) – If you don’t have these dies, I’m sure we can share.
– **Circle cutter** (close to the size of the barrel of your extruder) *optional*
– **2-3 Quart size Baggies, scotch tape and scissors** (April can share if needed) *optional*
**A simple Jelly Roll Cane** She made these beads with this technique:
jellyrollbeads.jpg
*Clay amount:
1/2 pkg of Color A and 1/2 pkg of Color B*
**A Checker Board Cane:**
checker.jpg
*Clay amount:
1/2 pkg of Color A and 1/2 pkg of Color B*
**A simple Quilt Pattern Cane:**
quilt.jpg
*Clay amount:
1/2 pkg of Color A and 1/2 pkg of Color B*
**A “Retro” cane:**
retro.jpg
*Clay amount:
1/2 pkg of Color A and 1/2 pkg of Color B and 1/2 pkg of Color C*
***April regrets that we won’t have the time to make any actual projects with our canes, but we will have 4 wonderful canes to take home with us!***

February 2008 Meeting Notes

Six members and one guest were present at our February meeting. Guest Nance Ross became our newest member. Welcome, Nance! Several members wore their own new polymer clay nametags, each unique and very creative.
In keeping with the season, heart projects were the order of the day. April Salcedo taught a technique for making **pillow hearts** with inserted wire loops for hanging. Most made hearts no larger than a quarter, regulation size for the **Hearts for Heroes Campaign**, and we produced quite a number to donate. Angela Mabray then taught how to make **candy hearts**, using molds she had made from actual candies. She provided laser-printed transfer sheets with typical candy heart messages, and in the end, we had produced some very realistic candy hearts suitable for a necklace or charm bracelet. Last, Cassy Salcedo demonstrated how to make a beautifully **encased heart**.
Our tentative schedule for the next few meetings is:
– **March 8:** Extruder Canes – April Salcedo
– **March 29:** Saturday Play Day – Bottles of Hope. Angela will host.
– **April 12:** TBA
– **May 10:** Inro Box – Penni Jo Couch
During the business meeting, we discussed the following:
President Angela Mabray announced that the first issue of *Polymer Cafe* had arrived for our library. She also reported that she had also used some of our funds to purchase a supply of clay for the group, as agreed last month. This clay can be used when needed for new attendees or for other purposes.
New member Nance brings experience from her former guild in California. At her suggestion, we decided to try holding a raffle at each monthly meeting. Members may bring anything they wish to donate that is related to polymer clay. The winner of the raffle will then be obligated to bring something for the raffle the following month. Although a price of three for $1.00 was suggested, no decision was made as to price. Nance and Angela volunteered to bring items for the March meeting.
Annual membership dues, which are $36, are coming due for some of the earliest members. According to the points-for-service schedule agreed upon in 2007, the first allocation of points has been made, resulting in a discount on this year’s dues for some members.
April reported that a representative of the Makins Corporation said the company would sponsor any event our group might decide to hold, by sending tote bags and other items. She also said that they stand by their products and will work with any customer who has problems.
The Norman Hobby Lobby, which provides our meeting space, also generously provides a small display space where we can promote the guild. We discussed recurring difficulties with the stand for display of our guild poster. April was again able to get it to stay upright, but the stand is showing wear. No decision was made about replacing it.
We held our monthly drawing for an additional purchase for the guild library. The DVD, “Sculpting Babies in Clay” was the winner for this month.

February Meeting: Hearts

This month, Angela Mabray, April Salcedo and Cassy Salcedo will be showing us how to make three different types of hearts. They will also be informing the guild about the Hearts 4 Heroes Campaign with a hand out containing information on guidelines for creating the hearts. You can read about Hearts 4 Heroes [here](http://www.itsjesterclay.com/fromtheheart.htm).
– **When: Saturday, February 9, 2008, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. (Do not forget about the new meeting times)**
– **Where: The new Hobby Lobby in Norman**, [2417 W. Main, Norman, OK](http://www.google.com/maps?q=2417+W+Main+St,+Norman,+OK+73069,+USA&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title). (The classroom is up front, near the check stands. Go right after entering & it’s the first door on the right.)
**Angela will be showing us how to use image transfers with polymer clay
to make candy hearts.**
2240583431_aa47b9927a_m.jpg
Supplies:
– Clay: Small amounts of several pastel colors
– Tools: Scissors, needle tool or toothpick, stiff-bristled paintbrush, clay knife
– Rubbing alcohol (optional)
– Corn starch or baby powder (optional)
**April will be showing how to construct pillow bead hearts with optional stamped words, patina and a demonstration on using the Kato liquid medium to get a clear glossy finish.**
2215367015_903f91cb50_m.jpg
Supplies:
– Clay: Approximately a half a block of any type of clay you prefer – you also may want to bring a small amount of scrap clay.
– Tools: a small amount of craft wire, wire cutters, chain nose pliers and round nose pliers (April can share if you don’t have these items), Pasta Machine, small heart cutter (April will have hers to use if needed)
– Rubber gloves (that fight tightly to your fingers – this is to eliminate finger prints on your hearts during construction)
– Lanyard hooks, if you plan on making hearts for heros.
– Optional: Kato liquid medium, clay friendly heat gun, small paint brush.
**Cassy will be showing us how to make an encased heart.**
2221134950_e90cf8ac18_m.jpg
Supplies:
– You can use from the supplies listed for the other projects (just bring some additional clay and the color of clay you would like to encase your hearts in, Cassy used black).
*Kindness in words creates confidence.
Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.
Kindness in giving creates love.*
*~ Lao Tzu*