2004 Sandy Camp
November 10-15
Warner Springs Ranch (link this)
Warner Springs, California

What a year for adventures! Sandy Camp, sponsored by the SDPCG (San Diego Polymer Clay Guild), was originally cancelled because of the EoPC (Evolution of Polymer Clay) Convention, sponsored by the National Polymer Clay Guild, was scheduled in the area for late summer. The EoPC was cancelled at the last minute so the SDPCG quickly stepped into the void and flung together the annual retreat for November, much later than its normal time of year. What a wonderful job these folks did!!

Held at the beautiful private resort of Warner Springs Ranch, the setting, service and amenities couldn't have been more luxurious. The ranch supplied a huge tent set inside the tennis court with a smaller canopy to one side for the daytime demonstrations. Instead of classes, the coordinators called for volunteers to give half hour demonstrations - two back to back to accomodate all the members attending. The line-up was outstanding.

Wednesday
10.00am Judy Summer. Not So Scary Skeletons. "Armatures for sculptural horse pieces. Some bendable copper wire available at any hardware store, from 20 ga to 14 ga depending upon how large the piece will be; also alum. foil, pipe cleaners, straws, hanger tubes. Be creative and think of size and the size of your ovens. I'll bring the rest of the odds and ends. Expanded metal is good, but I am trying to keep it very simple."
5.00pm Jean Sheppard. Bouncy Bangles. "Using techniques taught by Sarah Shriver and with Sarah's permission, I will demonstrate how to create and assemble a two part bangle with elastic cording. Bring a tablet to take notes because I will pack your head with a lot of information."
8.00pm Bonnie Mraz. Troubleshooting Jewelry Assembly.

Thursday
10.00am Sunni Bergeron. Down and Dirty. "A quick disassembly, cleaning and reassembly of the 9 setting Atlas/Amaco machine. I will be looking for a volunteer with a delightful load of clay saved up to use for the demonstration. The only tools I will be using are a phillips screwdriver, a small box-end wrench, a wooden skewer, rubbing alcohol and soft rags."
2.00pm Kim Kennedy. Making Teapot Bottles of Hope.
5.00pm Dotty McMillan. King's Ransom. "Techniques on making wonderfully overly ornate Renaissance Jewelry. If they wish to make a piece of finished jewelry they should bring: a small pack of plain pearl, gold, and black clay, and some corn starch talc. Plus their regular tools. I will have everything else they will need, except the findings and/or chain, cord, etc. which can be attached later at home. However, if anyone has a set of oval cutters they could bring, that would be most helpful. I'll have an abbreviated how-to handout for those that attend. " More about Dotty here.
8.00pm  Dawn Schiller. McDermit the Hermit. "I'll demo McDermit the Hermit (hands and faces), one of my Oddfae. If folks want to work along, they need to bring a large shell; I'll supply the prebaked eyeballs. "

Friday
10.00am Twocan Clay: Janet Pitcher and Kelly Steindorf. Caning. "We figured that we should probably demo caning, but thought maybe we would get into more details of how to select and make drawings to design your own and not end up with a big cane of yuck."
2.00pm Christie Friesen. Jewels of the Sea/Hop To It. "Embellished sculptural turtle beads and embellished sculptural frog beads."
5.00pm Donna Kato. PC Brocade. Using stamps and acrylic paints, she taught us how to make clay look like brocade fabric.
8.00pm Lisa Pavelka. Foolproof Transfers. "I will demonstrate my new waterslide transfers and cover all the tips and techniques for creating quick, easy and beautiful image transfers on polymer clay, time-after-time. I will hand out samples for everyone to play with after the demo. You'll need white, pearl or gold clay and basic clay tools to duplicate this technique. I will have samples of projects made using the transfers to inspire you."

Saturday
10.00am syndee holt. Faux Leather. "How about faux leather with Pearl Ex Stamp Pads? "
2.00pm Marie Segal. Playing With Mica Inks. "I will do something with the two mica inks I am working with right now. I will bring everything."
3.30pm Jean Sheppard by popular demand. Bouncy Bangles. "Using techniques taught by Sarah Shriver and with Sarah's permission, I will demonstrate how to create and assemble a two part bangle with elastic cording. Bring a tablet to take notes because I will pack your head with a lot of information."
5.00pm Judith Skinner. Glitz and Glitter. "They are simple shapes of clay (I use black) rolled in sand, designs marked on the front, then baked. After baking, I use fabric glue and glitter to decorate the pieces. It is a very specific glitter from the Art Institute of Glitter in Cottonwood, AZ. Micro fine, not ultra fine. I can bring the sand and glitter for the people to try. It must be done in a separate work area, not a shared work table - glitter gets into everything, especially raw clay. I'll be very careful during the demo to keep it contained! As crazy as it sounds, the pieces sell like crazy, especially during the holiday season. I know - glitter doesn't sound like something I'd do, but whatever sells is my new motto."
8.00pm Carolyn Potter. Metal Embossed Pendants. "Emboss a tooling foil pendant that includes a hanger. Line the back with polymer clay for strength and beauty. Create a design on the back so both sides are finished. Supplies: copper embossing foil. cheap ball point pen, small clay ball tools, burnishing tool, soft surface to work on (plastic padded place mat) and 2 colors clay."

Sunday
10.00am Christie Friesen. Winged Fantasy. "Embellished sculptural dragon beads. To do these afterwards, folks will want to have some stone, glass or crystal beads, 28 gauge craft wire, wire cutters and pliers. All the rest of the goodies are just clay and tools, and of course they will have those!"
2.00pm Lisa Pavelka. Sutton Slicing. "Watch as I demonstrate this very cool technique that creates dimensional surface effects with polymer clay and rubber stamps. As a bonus, I will also show my textile effect technique. You'll need Heart in Hand Studio texture stamps or similar background pattern rubber stamps with lots of detail (not too much fine detail) and lots of depth, along with two contrasting colors of polymer clay. I will have finished pieces to give you application ideas for these cool techniques."
5.00pm Hava Eisenson. Rain Sticks. "From executive desk toys to personal adornment. I will teach the basics of making polymer clay rainsticks, which can then be decorated in any way your heart desires. The tools/materials list is this: Small wooden dowel- 1/2" or smaller, aluminum foil, head pins- a LOT of them, (cheapo sewing pins will work, too.), wire cutters to cut the pins to size (if you're using sewing pins, make sure the cutter is strong enough to cut them!), seam allowance thingy (not necessary, but helpful for measuring), two feet of string, pin vise with drill bits to match the size of the head pins, No-hole glass beads in assorted sizes (1/2mm and 1mm recommended), small seed beads, scrap clay, superglue, and a pasta machine."

Each demonstration was delightfully crowded with beginners and experienced clayers rubbing elbows and sharing inspirations aroused by what was seen. Inside the tent, all 87 attendees visited, worked, shared, did impromptu demonstrations, corraborated, laughed, availed themselves of the many extra luxuries offered by the ranch, became inspired and inspired others with their enthusiasm. New friendships were established and old ones renewed. Several of the "owners" visiting the ranch over the weekend stopped through to see what all the fuss was over and learn a little about polymer clay and its many uses. Fun was had by all, even if some personal possessions ended up disappearing during the retreat. When the festivities rumbled to an end, the members of the SDPCG were already fielding suggestions for improvement and ideas for the following Sandy Camp! I hope to be there again!

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Copyright 2004
Colleen D. Bergeron.
Last revised: November 27, 2004.