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June Meeting: Leaf Canes

Blue, Purple Leaves by ChristieNever seen blue & purple leaves before? They’re just a sampling of the color combinations you can make with polymer clay! This month, Christie Wright will be teaching us how to make colorful leaf canes. It’s really 3 lessons in one — she’ll be teaching us about caning, about Skinner blends, and about reducing canes.
Christie sells beautiful hand-crafted polymer clay items through DragonflyLane and through her new Etsy shop. Christie’s a member of our group and a repeat teacher. You can check out her blue and purple leaf cane at her Flickr page — where you’ll also find more examples of her leaves and other work.
Here are the meeting details:
* When: Saturday, June 9, 2007, 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
* Where: Hobby Lobby at I-40 and MacArthur, 6104 West Reno, Oklahoma City, OK. (The classroom is in the very back of the store.)
* What to Bring:
* Clay: Christie recommends using KATO, Premo, or FIMO brands for caning. (Avoid Sculpey III as it’s very soft and can be frustrating to reduce.) Bring 1/2 block each of 2-3 colors. Three colors will make a color-blended leaf: Colors A & B for the main color/skinner blend in the leaf; Color C for the veins and border. Two colors will make a solid color leaf: Color A for the solid leaf color and Color B for the veins and border.
* Tools: You’ll need a sharp clay slicing blade and your pasta machine.
Christie recommends looking at Studio Bijou’s gorgeous jewelry to get inspired. Who knew leaves could be so colorful?!

May 2007 Meeting Notes

Watercolor PenFor the May meeting, Angela Mabray (who sells crafts at CraftyGoat.com and blogs about crafts at CraftyGoat’s Notes) taught the group how to cover pens with polymer clay. The pens were a lot of fun, & we ended up with some very nice ones. Check out our Flickr pics for some examples.

Pen-covering Notes

Angela brought the following types of pens, all of which are oven-safe:
* Papermate FlexGrip Ultra (difficult to find) or Papermate Flexgrip Elite (available at Office Depot)
* Amazing Twist Pen from Boston Clayworks
* Keychain Pens from Penn State Industries
Some other potential oven-safe pen candidates are listed below — but you may want to check these in the oven without clay first, to make sure they hold up okay:
* Bic Round Stic (white, not clear)
* Bic Soft Feel Stic
* Pilot Bettergrip
* Rose Art’s Great Grips
* Zebra F-301 ball point pens
Angela showed the group how to cover the barrels and re-assemble the pens. She also pointed out a couple of interesting alternatives to standard pen-covering:
* Covering a copper tube with clay, then inserting a pen refill.
* Covering a bamboo skewer with clay, removing the bamboo skewer while still warm, then inserting a pen refill.
See more about these ideas, along with a full list of potential pens to try, at Glass Attic’s pen page.

Other Group Business

* Angela reminded the group that the Bottles of Hope Challenge deadline was extended til June 1st, so members still have a chance to submit their entries. She also mentioned the National Polymer Clay Guild’s request for Synergy presentation proposals.
* Penni Jo had forwarded information about Munro Crafts, an online craft store that gives a 50% off orders over $200. Angela told the group about it, saying she’d send out the link so folks could decide if they wanted to put together a group order.
We had a new record attendance at the May meeting with 12 people. We’re so glad y’all came out & hope to see you again soon!

May Meeting: Polymer Clay Pens

Since several people had asked about pens recently, May’s meeting will be about covering pens with polymer clay. Angela Mabray will show the group the basics of covering pens with clay and will share some ideas for creating your own. Angela will also demonstrate the mailbox pen she’s making as part of her upcoming taping for That’s Clever.
Here are the meeting details:
* When: Saturday, May 12, 2007, 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
* Where: Hobby Lobby at I-40 and MacArthur, 6104 West Reno, Oklahoma City, OK. (The classroom is in the very back of the store.)
* What to Bring:
* Clay: If you would like to make a mailbox pen, then brown and silver work well. Otherwise, bring whatever you like! Angela will have some Ultralight Sculpey to share if you’re doing a big design.
* Oven-Safe Pens. Note: If you don’t have pens & don’t want to invest in a whole package, Angela will have these options available at cost: PaperMate FlexGrip Elite ($0.75), Penn State Industries Mini Keychain Pen Kit ($3.25), Boston ClayWorks Amazing Twist Pens ($3.25)
* Tools: Pasta Machine, a clay cutting tool, TLS, and anything else you think you might want
Pens are an addictively quick and fun project — we look forward to seeing you there for this great meeting!

Read More »May Meeting: Polymer Clay Pens

NPCG Seeks Proposals for Synergy Conference

The National Polymer Clay Guild (NPCG) is looking for presentations for their February 2008 Synergy Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

“Is there something you are doing or information that you would like to share with the polymer community? If you have an idea for a seminar go to http://www.npcg.org for easy directions on how to submit your proposal. You can submit up to five separate proposals, so be creative!”

The deadline for proposals is May 15th. See the NPCG site for more information and the online proposal form.

April 2007 Meeting Notes

Christie Wright did a great job demonstrating the mica shift technique at April’s guild meeting. Mica shift involves using metallic clays and rubber stamps, then shaving off the top layer to leave an illusion of texture. We had five people there — and at one point of another, I think every person ran their fingers over the clay surface and expressed amazement that it was smooth instead of textured. It’s a fun technique, and Christie was a wonderful teacher. If you couldn’t make the meeting, be sure to catch her mica shift video.
Although time didn’t allow us to properly sand and buff the beads — which really heightens the illusion — Christie brought some of her tools and explained the process. She also gave us a handy tip about a place called Harbor Freight, which has a location just around the corner from the Hobby Lobby where we meet. That’s where she got the tools she showed us — a Chicago 3″ Multipurpose Bench Grinder and an Enkay 5 Pc. Buffing & Polishing Kit. The prices she mentioned sounded great, so it might be worth a visit. You can also order on their website, but Christie said their online selection varies a bit from their in-store selection.
In the business portion of the meeting, we discussed the following items:
* Penni Jo Couch won the group’s logo design contest. She also created the miniature logo we’re now using as our Flickr! group logo, and a “Proud Member” logo that’s available to everyone who’s paid their dues. Thanks to Penni Jo for her excellent logo work!
* Angela has sent out membership profile pages for those who have paid their dues. Members have the option of including their information on okpolyclay.com.
* Our group has 6 members, with $189.37 in the treasury. A check for $25 will be issued for the contest award. [Note: Another member joined after Saturday’s meeting, so we’re now up to 7!]
* Angela recommended a points system for rewarding members’ contributions to the group. Members could earn points over the year by doing things like teaching a lesson or holding an office, then the next year’s dues could be discounted based on points earned. She offered to write an email to the group with more specific suggestions.
* Upcoming Events:
** Bottles of Hope Designer Challenge Contest: Entries must be received by May 1st.
** May 12 Meeting: Artist Trading Cards with Angela Mabray
** June 9 Meeting: Leaf Canes with Christie Wright
** June 30 Play Day: Open
** July 14 Meeting: Accordion Books / UTEE with Penni Jo Couch and Sue Kerr

April Meeting: Mica Shift Beads

Mica Shift Beads BraceletThis month Christie Wright will be teaching us how to make bracelets that feature an exciting technique called mica shift. Mica shift is an optical illusion — the beads appear to have a textured design, but they are as smooth as glass.
Several of you met Christie at our last meeting. She sells hand-crafted polymer clay items through DragonflyLane. Her site also features wonderful video tutorials — including a mica shift video you can watch if you want a sneak preview of Saturday’s lesson.
Here are the meeting details:
* When: Saturday, April 14, 2007, 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
* Where: Hobby Lobby at I-40 and MacArthur, 6104 West Reno, Oklahoma City, OK. (The classroom is in the very back of the store.)
* What to Bring:
* 1 block of metallic clay. Christie uses Premo or Kato metallics. If you prefer, you can make a custom metallic color by mixing a small amount of a bright color clay to Pearl — if you’re doing this, bring 2 colors of clay (one of them metallic).
* A deeply etched stamp
* Pasta machine
* A thin, flexible slicing blade
* Acrylic roller (optional)
* A bead piercing tool (if you prefer to make bead holes before baking)
If you don’t own these supplies, don’t worry. We will have some on hand to share. We will also provide a spray water bottle, wax paper, and a toaster oven.
Mica shift beads don’t show their true beauty til they’ve been sanded and buffed. While Christie will go over how to do this, we probably won’t have time to complete these steps at the meeting. These are the “at home” supplies she recommends:
* 400 & 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper
* A high-speed polishing tool OR an old pair of denim jeans for buffing
* A small drill bit to make bead holes if you did not do so before baking.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn an interesting technique from a great artist!