November 2012 meeting report

When we arrived for our November meeting the upstairs hall was buzzing with people helping to set up the meeting by putting tables and chairs out and getting the kitchen ready for coffee and biscuits. We were expecting 39 members and 2 newbies. Soon all was set to go including the ‘show and tell’ table, the camera and screen for the demonstrations and the recently purchased Foredom buffing machine. In the far corner Ann was setting up the ovens for baking clay and rather exciting in the opposite corner was the additional new table that held all the gifts made by each member that were going to be the contents for the much anticipated Christmas Brown Bag Swap later on.

Everybody seemed happy and the atmosphere in the room was exhilarating as people chatted, exchanged ideas and eagerly awaited the meeting and the first demonstration of the day to start.

Then, there it was, the familiar sound of the car horn – the meeting was about to begin. Carol apologized for the late start, welcomed all including the two newbies, Ruth and Suzanne. She thanked people from the steering group, all those who had helped set up the room, made the tea and thanked Ann for setting up the new library. She quickly moved onto the 3 main events of the day: the demonstration by Nadege Honey, the Early Bird Raffle and the Brown Bag Swap. She also mentioned that they were looking for volunteers to prepare the refreshments in the kitchen and for admin workers for the London Polymer Clay Group. Carol had interesting news about plans for a Kid’s polymer play day-in 2013 and the introduction of a Tips page for the website and that the website will be revamped and run by Veronika Sturdy who has also started a Facebook page for the LPCG.

Carol said that in the afternoon Ann would be talking about the new library and she mentioned a new stamping catalogue and that there would be a possibility for the clay group to make bulk buys.

Carol wished everyone a nice day and then handed over to Angela Garrod who told us of the German polymer clay artist Anke Humpert who is conducting a survey about trends in the European Polymer Clay scene for a slide show presentation at Synergy3 in Atlanta, March 2013. Her questionnaire can be found at http://www.anke-humpert.de/4synergy3.html It takes about 10 minutes to answer all the questions and this would really help Anke a lot. At the end of the questionnaire you can suggest your own work for the accompanying slide show.

Angela Garrod would like to know of members experiences regarding polymer clay since the recent changes in the recipes due to EU banning certain plasticizers. Please contact her by email at knine@alpengeist.co.uk .

Finally, it was time for the long-awaited demonstration by Nadege Honey. Nadege demonstrated her own way of creating mosaics in polymer clay. She was an excellent tutor who provided very clear instructions and throughout the demonstration offered useful hints and tips to completing the project successfully. Nadege had lots of samples that she created using that same method.

After lunch there was the Early Bird Raffle and the winning ticket was drawn by Nadege and was won by Darlene, the prize was her entrance fee refunded. Suzanne and Ruth joined Emily’s Nursery Class for an introduction to polymer clay and Ann talked briefly about the library – a set of rules to be implemented in early February with regards to borrowing books and DVDs from the library.

The Brown Bag Swap was a huge success that was started off by Angela who had come furthest -from Northern Ireland-picking the first bag. I was thrilled that the bag I picked contained a beautiful bracelet. It makes a perfect Christmas present for one of my nieces and I was equally thrilled that the person who picked the bag containing my necklace loved it.

Finally, as usual a big thank you to everyone who helped make the day a great success and to Nadege for her demo. We hope to see you at our next meeting on Sunday 27th January 2013. Nearer the time we will let you know of the forthcoming events we’re planning. So keep an eye on the website for information and look out for the ‘booking is open’ email in your inbox a month before clay day.

Hope to see you all in January and wishing you a Merry Christmas, a relaxing break and a Happy New Year for 2013.

Report by Verena Butterfield

Photos by Carol Blackburn

Edited by Veronika Sturdy