I hope this new year finds you working on all sorts of wonderful things! Between late-night feedings and diaper changes, the main thing I've been spending my free time on is preparing for the OKPolyClay Twisters Retreat, which my local guild will be hosting April 19-21, 2012, in Norman, Oklahoma. Christi Friesen will be teaching two half-day classes, plus we'll have demos, vendors, food, and plenty of space for claying. I'm particularly excited about our goody bags, since I've been in charge of finding donors for those (they're gonna be filled to the brim with great stuff!).

If you're in the middle part of the country — or have been looking for an excuse to visit Oklahoma (and who isn't?!) — I hope you'll consider registering for our retreat. I'd love to meet you!

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Baby Jessica and I are now home from the hospital and hibernating — happily and healthily — from the cold. (Yay for online shopping!) Thanks for all the well-wishes.

If you're looking to introduce someone you love to polymer clay this holiday season, I hope you'll consider gifting them with a copy of my other baby, Polymer Clay 101. This book/DVD combo covers tons of polymer clay techniques and projects and is great for beginner (or even intermediate) clayers. Just wanted to mention it since it wasn't widely available until after Christmas last year. You can buy it at Amazon or these other fine retailers.

Hope this holiday season finds you healthy & happy too!

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Just wanted to let you know my newest creation popped out of the oven (as it were) this morning. Jessica, who was born at 11:09, weighed 7 lb, 2 oz and is 19" long. She has blue eyes (with beautiful long eyelashes) and dark hair.

We're healthy and thrilled. Got a few pics here.

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If you don't have school-aged kids or follow the deals sites, you may not realize that back-to-school sales are already in full swing. But not only are the next few weeks a great time to get school supplies, they're also a great time to buy claying supplies. You can stock up on a lot of the things you'll need for holiday craft shows, Christmas gifts, or even supplies for your own clay classes. Here are a few supplies you might want to look for at this year's back-to-school sales:

Continue reading "Back to School / Back to Claying!" »

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I've mentioned my local polymer clay group, the Central Oklahoma Polymer Clay Guild, a few times. We started the group about five years ago — and even though I'm not generally what you'd consider a "joiner," I've found it to be beneficial to me in many ways.

I recently wrote a couple of guest posts for Deluxe, a local indie craft fair, about my experiences starting the group:

• This post talks about the group's beginning and its growth.
• And here's some practical tips for starting your own local group.

I'll add one little extra note... if you're looking for a place for your group to meet, try your local craft stores. We've been very fortunate that Hobby Lobby has allowed us to use their classroom for free. And I just saw a post saying Jo-Ann also allows groups to meet in their stores (sounds like there's a fee, though). If you don't have one of those nearby, member's houses are always nice... and as a bonus, you usually get get to peek at their creating space!

If you've ever considered starting a group — whether it's polymer clay or another favorite craft — I hope you'll check out my articles. Good luck!

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