Less than 2 weeks to the last ClayDay of 2018 which is also our annual ClayDay with a full day workshop with a guest. This time the workshop will be conducted by Jude Parker and she will be teaching us how to make these Flight Pendants. 

For this workshop you will need to bring:

• Pasta machine
• Work surface
• Blades (including a flexible blade)
• Roller
• Small tile to bake on
• Scrap paper
• Clay (any brand, but you’ll need a few colours plus some scrap)
• Large cookie cutter in the shape you want your pendant (optional - you can use a paper template and craft knife if you prefer)
• Needle tool (optional)
• Bail of your choice OR wire &
• pliers (optional - I will bring copper wire and some pliers)
• Stringing & clasp of your choice (optional - bring it if you’re like me and like to wear your pieces home)

Current members do not have to pay any additional fees for this full day workshop but we do welcome new members if they would like to attend but would have to pay £30 for the membership fee. 

Our usual tables will be running as usual on the day so make sure you bring your latest makes and anything else you would like to sell to other members. We welcome raffle donations and the Guild Tool library will be open.

Remember to also bring your own name-tag made from polymer clay as it will help the instructor to learn your names and there will also be a prize for the best name-tag. 

Please make sure to RSVP your place by emailing to apcg@live.co.uk

Another successful ClayDay with 3 new members and lots to learn! In the morning Enid taught us how to make cutters using a can and simple tools.

June's demonstration taught us how to make a 'brain cane' with a Skinner blend and some simple steps. It's a highly effective technique and members tried to make their own as well. 

We had all of our usual tables for everyone to enjoy. We hope members took advantage of the Guild tool library and the discounted clay.

We also love to see our members' beautiful creations. Make sure you bring along your latest polymer clay creations to be featured. 

Thank you to all members who attended this meet. We hope that everyone enjoyed themselves and hope the new members will be able to join us for future meets.

Our next ClayDay is only 10 days away! This time we will have a demo from June and Enid is showing us how to make our own cutters (and save some money).

June will be showing us how to make a 'Brain' cane. Just in time for Halloween?
You will need to bring:

• 3 different colours of polymer clay, black clay and white clay
• Pasta machine
• Tissue blade

To learn how to make your own cutters, you will need to bring the following. As usual Enid will also have spares if you don't have them:

• one or two thin empty drinks cans, such as Perrier water or small Schweppes cans,
• sturdy kitchen scissors,
• a ruler
• a fine permanent marker pen
• super glue
• some shapes to bend the metal around (the little sticks Enid gave everyone a few months ago would do fine)
• some scrap clay

You can make your own custom shapes or anything that you may need to create unique pieces.

We will have all of our usual tables and welcome raffle donations. There will also be new silkscreens and cutters that has been added to our guild library. You can also buy cheap supply of clay from the guild or even supplies from members. Bring any magazines or books which you would like to share with members on the day and make sure to also bring your latest make. 

Please remember to RSVP your place by emailing to:
​​apcg@live.co.uk

To kick things off, Shelly showed a demonstration on how easy it is to make faux Labradorite stone by using just polymer clay! It is a shortened version of one available on YouTube by Ludmila Bakulina and the effect is stunning. Everyone had a go in making their own versions of Labradorite using earthy tones and a bit of shimmer clay.

Members were also given a copy of a project from Sue Heaser's book which they could try out as well. The usual ClayDay had our usual tables including a showcase for members' latest makes. There is so much talent in our guild members and it is great that they can share their work with everyone.

Our Guild Tool Library will be expanding so let us know your thoughts and what we should purchase next.

Members could also purchase cheap clay and other craft items from our sale table. We even gave out packs of clays during the raffle and other gifts which were donated by our lovely guild members. 

We hope everyone had a great time and looking forward to the next meet which is 3 weeks away!

The next meet is scheduled in less than 2 weeks! We will have one demo and Sue Heaser has generously allowed us to photocopy a section of her book so we can try it ourselves. 

The demo will be done by Shelley and it is for a faux labradorite veneer. Taken from Ludmila Bakulina's YouTube tutorial, this will be a slightly shortened/adapted demo.
​
For this you will need to bring:

• Tissue blades, both flexi and rigid
• Pasta machine and roller
• Clay - 2/3 different shades of both blue and green
• Pearl, silver, copper, gold, black and scrap.

There will be a project from Sue Heaser's book "The Art and Craft of Polymer Clay" which teaches how to make a container from Chapters 25 and 26, which covers boxes bowls and bottles.  

If you have this book, please do bring it on the day so we know how many photocopies to make (and you can let us know in the RSVP).

Please also bring:

• a ruler and squared paper
• ruler and scissors to make a square box,
• a former, such as a cookie cutter or a small glass jar, to make a different  shaped box,
• a round cutter to make a bowl, 
• an acrylic roller to make a small bottle. It would be helpful to have some veneers to add to the piece or pieces.  

We will have all of the usual activities on the day so do bring a prize for our raffle and anything else that you may want to share with the group. 

​Remember to send your RSVP to:
​apcg@live.co.uk

ClayDay started off with Enid's demo. She showed how to use 'wet sanding' technique and how to buff it even more using a Dremel tool. There are different grades of sandpaper which has to be used if you want it to have that natural shine!

Members tried the same technique on their own polymer clay creations and had success.

Before Sue started her demo, she briefed the members about colour theory and showed them the colour wheel and how to choose the right matching ones.

After the lesson, she taught how to do a colourful colour wash technique

It was so interesting so obviously members had to have a go at it. Everyone produced such unique results.

We had all of our usual tables and members are getting more and more talented as they are now more experienced - just look at their latest creations!

We hope all members had a good time and patiently wait for the next ClayDay next month!

The next ClayDay is less than 2 weeks away! Since it has been a year since we implemented the annual membership fee, please make sure that you check your membership card and bring £30 if your membership is expiring.

The first demo will be from Enid and she will be showing us how to polish beads like a pro! Enid's workmanship is a labour of love and you will learn her technique of sanding, buffing and polishing. Make sure you bring some beads that you want to polish so you can try it out too.

Although this is her second time showing this demo, it works as a refresher course for some and new members will definitely benefit from her technique. 
​
Members would need to bring:

• Some beads and/or a pendant to work on
• Two small shallow dishes for water
• An old face flannel or a piece of towelling
• A Dremel Drill, if they have one

 
Enid will provide some sanding materials if you do not have any.

The next demo will be from our new member, Sue. She will be demonstrating a variation of Maggie Maggio's colour-wash technique. She  will also talk a bit about colour theory and bring her colour wheel sphere to talk about the 3 dimensions of colour! We can't stress enough the importance of understanding colour since polymer clay is an art form.

For the demo everyone needs to bring a small piece of 3 different colours that go well together - they should be strong colours, with no white added. 
If you are unsure about which 3 colours to choose from, do not fret as we are sure that Sue will be able to advice you on the day.

Also bring:

• white, black and scrap clay
• a cutter
• some grease proof paper or baking parchment
• pasta machine/clay conditioning machine

So make sure to reserve your place for the next ClayDay as it will teach you extremely useful knowledge that will be used in your everyday claying.

​ Send your RSVP to 
​apcg@live.co.uk

The clocks changed and we had another successful meeting at the village hall. We are thrilled to welcome another new member to the guild.

Enid demonstrated first on how to make a new cane. She made mirrored patterns like Kaleidoscope in clay. By stretching and dividing and rejoining again - it is so easy to make simple repeated patterns to create a stunning piece. 

Anne demonstrated how to make a pattern that look like watercolours. She starts off with laminating a piece of clay tinted in alcohol inks and layering a thin piece of translucent clay on top. Using cutters, she cuts out shapes and layers them. When the clay is baked, the inks look like it is painted on

Our members tried out the new techniques and produced good results:

Members had also brought some of their recent makes to the meet. 

Sculpey generously donated some clay to us again. Everyone received a block of Bake Shop to try. We also had a chance to re-stock our own clay supply by purchasing discounted polymer clay which is sold by the guild. 

The meet had all the usual tables and we hope that everyone had a good day and enjoyed themselves. 

Time sure flies since our next ClayDay is only a week away! Be sure to book your places for another exciting day of claying with other polymer clay enthusiasts.

Enid will be teaching how to make these gorgeous square canes since members have requested that we learned how to do more canes. 
Please bring polymer clay in black, white and 2 coloured clays of choice, a ruler or squared surface, and two pieces of acrylic or wood about 5 x 15 cm to help square up the cane.

The other demo will be from Anne and she is demonstrating a watercolour technique to make a veneer. You will need usual clay tools, small round graded cutters, a small paintbrush to apply inks, white, black, pearl and translucent clay and alcohol inks.

We will have all of our usual activities so make sure you bring your latest make, anything you would like to sell or even donations for the raffle. But before that, do make sure to book your place by sending an email to 
​apcg@live.co.uk

Our first ClayDay for the year kick-started with our usual activities, demonstrations plus we also had a new member joining us for 2018! Unfortunately we also had to say goodbye to Anne Murray as she was moving back to Scotland so it was her last ClayDay but she taught us a new skill before parting ways. 

Members also received a giant block of Premo clay courtesy of Polyform and everyone was grateful to receive their favourite brand of clay for free! Here is a short picture summary of our 2 demos from Enid and Anne. If you did miss out and wanted to know more about the process, do visit the APCG Facebook page to get step-by-step instructions for each process. Shelley has curated every single step on the guild's Facebook page so you will never miss out. 

In Anne's demo, she showed how to make this faux ceramics easily using liquid clay, alcohol inks and a textured sheet:

Enid showed us her technique of making a hallow bead - in a rectangular box shape! She mixes scrap clay with Sculpey Ultralight and covers the finished bead with a veneer. The result is a large bead which is hallow and doesn't feel heavy which is perfect for jewellery making. 

Members of the APCG are a talented bunch since they produce so many beautiful and unique items. ClayDay is the perfect opportunity for members to share their makes with other members.

We are pleased that our guild had a good start for 2018 so we hope all of our members can look forward to a whole year of claying. ​