The April Phoebe meeting was preceded by a paper mache workshop conducted by well-known artist Melissa Tereck. At 9:30 A.M. we assembled at the Education Building to begin an exciting day filled with learning many techniques for building and embellishing fairy houses using paper and glue. Melissa (right) is seen showing Geri how to assemble the upper story of her fairy house. 

Calendar Of Events 

May 5, 6 and 7, Clay Arts Guild Spring Sale, (Fri. 5 P.M. to 9 P.M., Sat. 10 A.M. to 6 P.M., Sun. 10 A.M.to 5 P.M.)  Civic Park, 1365 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. www.clayartsguild.com

May 6, Doll and Teddy Bear Show (9:30 A.M. to 3:30 P.M.), Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton. www.crossroadsshows.com

May 7 (Sunday), Day-time Phoebe Meeting at Anne Klocko's House. She will be demonstrating a floral caning technique used with polymer clay and in decorative glass-making. In the morning we will meet in the Nick Cave Exhibit on the Stanford campus and then again for lunch at a nearby café, followed by the meeting at Anne's.

May 28 (Sunday), Downtown Pleasanton Antiques and Collectibles Faire, 8 A.M. to 4 P.M., Main Street. Free.

April Workshop

Melissa brought several examples of her fairy houses to fire up our imagination.

She has made pumpkin, gourd and heart-shaped houses... some single story and some multiple story. To cut down the time needed to let the many layers of paper mache dry, she supplied the bottom stump bases which she had pre-made, giving us more time to make our upper stories and any other architectural features we wanted to add.

Harlene, Rosie, Colleen, Sally and Elizabeth are seen intently working on their houses. (Well, maybe not Rosie and Colleen at this particular moment!)

Sharon and Elise watch as Melissa demonstrates the technique of adding wires to the windows to simulate panes.

Sue's is a fast worker, and it looks like her fairy house was completed by the end of the day! Below are more examples of the day's accomplishments. We are looking forward to seeing all of the completed houses at the June meeting.

Mary also showed us her notions doll made from thread spools.

Enrichment

A very special part of the meeting was the enrichment Geri provided. It was a make-it-and-take-it hands on experience. Geri provided blank cards and envelopes, and the most amazing assortment of dried flowers we had ever seen. A few examples are shown below. Truly delicate natural beauty!

Geri went on to explain the process, the various types of glue to use, and supplied beautiful papers for us to use as backgrounds. Above are a couple of the finished ones. Hopefully Phoebes will bring more of them to the June meeting so more photos can be posted.

Show and Tell

A wonderful array of artful creations were displayed during the meeting's show and tell portion. Above is a cell phone bag knitted by Zoe.

Betts assembled fabulous color-related items from her stash, including one of her signature flat dolls dressed in a beautiful gown. They will be mounted in one of Betts exquisite shadow box collages.

Betts also brought her completed doll from her Barbara Willis challenge. So French, so beautiful!

Bonnie has been busy making colorful fabric wall hangers. The green and purple one on the right is a house made with the 2 1/2" strips from the noodle challenge.

Shawn brought some samples from her unique doll collection, including a Pee Wee Herman and a Rosanne doll.

Elizabeth displayed her "dangerous puppet" spider she purchased at Halloween and Vine last fall.

Jennifer and her mother Carolyn brought a little paper basket with a candy-filled egg for each of the Phoebes. So thoughtful! Thanks to you both. Also shown is a chicken made from an egg carton.

The necklace above is Rosie's new twist on her noodle necklaces. The "hand book" was made by Rosie's neighbor, the boy shown in the photo. She has been showing him how to trace his hand to make the cover and pages of the book, and then how to color and decorate each page with art that is meaningful to him. What a lucky boy to have Rosie as a neighbor!

Elise from Washington state was in town and we were all so happy to see her at the meeting. She brought various samples of Christmas decorations she and some of her artist friends have been making and exchanging. Elise is famous for setting up a unique themed Christmas tree in every room in her house during the holidays. I think there are photos of some of them in older posts on this blog. The ornaments above are so beautiful!

Sue's husband, Randy, brought his completed Hawaiian ceremonial helmet. The intricacy of this fine weaving is absolutely amazing!