March Meeting Featured the Altoid Tin Challenge

The Altoid Tin Challenge was a resounding success!
The participation was overwhelming and many people made
more than one, especially Colleen. She beat us all in
numbers—this one featured a clay head.

Calendar Of Events 

 

April 13 (Monday), Anne Klocko Polymer Clay Workshop, 9 A.M. to 5 P.M., Alameda County Office of Education, 313 W. Winton Ave, Hayward, CA. Class is nearly full and pricing will depend upon number of people participating. Contact Stephanie at smitharts2002@yahoo.com for more info.

April 16, Phoebe Meeting, 6:30 P.M., Alameda County Office of Education, 313 W. Winton Ave, Hayward, CA. The completed "make it and take it" puzzle piece from last month will be due for show and tell, as well as the large puzzle piece to be decorated for exchange.

August, Phoebe "Frog Prince" Exhibit at the Book Shop, B Street, Hayward. Sharon will be in charge. Anyone who has made a Frog Prince using Betts Vidal's pattern is invited to participate. Frogs will be due at the June meeting.

September 17, Phoebe Meeting, 6:30 P.M., Alameda County Office of Education, 313 W. Winton Ave, Hayward, CA. The year-long Tilda doll challenge will be due at this meeting. You can make more than one if you wish. Contact Sharon Martin at loveparissm@yahoo.com

November 9 and 10, and November 12 and 13. Two Kate Church Workshops, 2-days each. Class space is limited to 8 people per class. The first class is full, but there are still openings in the second. Contact Daisy at daisybkdoll@comcast.net for information.

December, Phoebe Exhibit at the Book Shop, B Street, Hayward. Betts will be in charge. More information later.

January 2016, Phoebe Tilda Doll Exhibit at the Book Shop, B Street, Hayward. Sharon will be in charge.

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Challenges

 

Anne put one of her fabulous ceramic heads on an Altoid tin. 

Here are three more examples of Anne's creative and expressive heads, hands and feet she combined with various tins to form figurative works of art. 

Colleen made on OOAK polymer head for this Altoid. She made fabric beads and used shell casings to create the arms and legs.

Clay hands and head were combined with fabric beads and watch parts in this Altoid creation by Colleen.

And, all the above mentioned materials (and more) were applied to various unusual tins to complete three additional figures by Colleen.

Donna incorporated shell casings, keys, fabric, beads, machine parts, a house number, a tea caddy, a postcard home and bits of fabric while assembling this tin soldier. 

The tin can be opened to read some words of wisdom and view his purple heart. 

This Altoid tin uses botanical materials inside and out to create a flower fairy. Who did this?

Harlene created a tin man shown here next to Suzanne's Asian doll. What a great idea!

Here is a full view of Suzanne's Asian figure. She collaged Chinese New Year metallic and tissue papers on it. Very clever.

 

 It is so amazing how one challenge can create so many different interpretations. This one incorporates metals, clay, watch parts, and wrapped wire for arms and hands. I believe it is also by Colleen.

 

One of our newest members was inspired by Alice in Wonderland, and this Queen of Hearts soldier opens his felt uniform to reveal.....

an Altoid tin containing the White Rabbit and Alice, herself, complete with the "Drink Me" bottle.

And, another of our new members made this storybook figure from an Altoid tin—he wears his card as a body shield.

 

Stephanie, one of the Phoebe master polymer artists, fashioned her hanging doll from clay and also made a clay medallion from which to hang the figure. 

Sharon, one of our dear Francophiles, used French papers, Eiffel Towers, beads, crystals, and a vintage head to assemble this wonderful French angel.

Altoid, beads, machine parts, shell casings and a wonderful clay head scream success! Colleen again???

 

Zanaib combined found objects, a bobbin, numerous buttons, shell casings, and a fabulous decorative head to create this amazing Altoid creation. Kudos to each and everyone who participated. It was a record number for a challenge response!

 

Show and Tell

 

Daisy is ahead of many of us—she has already completed this Tilda doll for our fall exhibit—which features her signature use of batik fabric and her intricate Zentangle pen surface designs.

Daisy exhibited this totally original dress she made by altering a toilet paper tube and papering it with fortunes from Chinese fortune cookies and paper flowers.

 

And, Daisy also brought along these sample dolls like the ones Phoebes made and sent around the world to children in Third World Nations and areas of natural disasters. She suggested we might want to repeat this process for a future Phoebe outreach project.

Sharon brought the doll she made and exhibited at the recent Castro Valley Library "Black, White and Red (Read) All Over" Phoebe doll display. Another of her charming French-themed angels. Wonderful!

Stephanie continues to amaze us with her intricate polymer jewelry creations. She will be selling these at upcoming art shows in Alameda in June and December.

Stephanie used her caning technique that she taught to us in her recent workshop, to combine numerous clay colors into an amazing collage of design and form.

Stephanie, who spent many years as a successful teddy bear artist, brought one of her mohair traditional teddy bears to show and tell.

VonZetta wowed us with her over-the-top quilt, which features her hand-painted portrait of a man and woman.

 

And, she went on to totally amaze us with this fabric painted portrait of her parents she plans to incorporate into a future quilt. We already knew VonZetta was a woman of many talents, and now she has revealed to us just how talented she is at fine art portrait painting.

 

 

Last, but not least, Colleen revealed this wire dress doll which features vintage shoe lasts for feet, a fun original glass head made by her sister, and an abundance of found object embellishments. The arms are a pastry brush and a pizza cutter. Don't we all wish we had her creativity and imagination?

 

Each and every one of the items that appear in this blog have inspired the Phoebes as a whole to be daring, think outside the box, try something new, and love and appreciate each other for the enrichment of our artistic lives through shared experiences.

 

Hearts were everywhere at the February meeting

The exchange for the February meeting was
a 5"x7" piece of mat board to be decorated
with, among other items, hearts. Some Phoebes
made boards to keep for themselves too, and
this is the very beautiful one made
and framed by Suzanne.

 

Calendar Of Events 

 

March 19, Phoebe Meeting, 6:30 P.M., Alameda County Office of Education, 313 W. Winton Ave, Hayward, CA. There will also be a play day starting around 10 A.M., prior to the evening meeting. Bring your unfinished projects to work on, or bring your sewing machines to work on outreach dolls. It is always so much more fun to work together! Altoid tin challenge will be due at the evening meeting. Rosie will be conducting a "make it and take it" with puzzle pieces. Bring your tool kit.

April 13 (Monday), Anne Klocko Polymer Clay Workshop, 9 A.M. to 5 P.M., Alameda County Office of Education, 313 W. Winton Ave, Hayward, CA. Class is nearly full and pricing will depend upon number of people participating. Contact Stephanie at smitharts2002@yahoo.com for more info.

April 16, Phoebe Meeting, 6:30 P.M., Alameda County Office of Education, 313 W. Winton Ave, Hayward, CA. A puzzle piece exchange will be due (don't miss the March meeting to get your puzzle piece and learn ideas from Rosie for this exchange).

September 17, Phoebe Meeting, 6:30 P.M., Alameda County Office of Education, 313 W. Winton Ave, Hayward, CA. The year-long Tilda doll challenge will be due at this meeting. You can make more than one if you wish.

November 9 and 10, and November 12 and 13. Two Kate Church Workshops, 2-days each. Class space is limited to 8 people per class. The first class is full, but there are still openings in the second. Contact Daisy at daisybkdoll@comcast.net for information.

December, Phoebe Exhibit at the Book Shop, B Street, Hayward. Betts will be in charge.

January 2016, Phoebe Tilda Doll Exhibit at the Book Shop, B Street, Hayward. Sharon will be in charge.

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Challenges

 

The Altoid tin challenge will be due at the March meeting. Rosie brought several more examples of possibilities to the February meeting. We are hoping for a big participation in this one—there are so many possibilities and they are so much fun to make.

 

 In March Rosie will be conducting a "make it and take it" event at the meeting and will show us possibilities for the up-coming puzzle piece exchange in April.

 

Exchanges

Sally handed out templates for envelopes at the last meeting. Many people them it to make beautiful, one-of-a-kind envelopes which they brought for show and tell. Also, above and below are examples of items made for the heart challenge/exchange.

 

All types of mixed media materials were used in the heart exchange. Here is a colorful example of fabric collage.

 

Stephanie made a heart wall-hanger with three lavender and white fabric hearts.

 

 

 Harlene made a collage of zentangle 3D paper hearts and also included a darling heart pin on her exchange mat board.

 

Show and Tell

 

 

Colleen proudly showed off the incredibly beautiful quilt she was commissioned to create. The detail is amazing... museum quality work!

Stephanie brought several of her latest plush animals. This bear is so adorable.

 

Equally cute is this bear which Stephanie skillfully assembled and adorned with a tie. I'll bet there will be some of these for sale at the Artist's Craft Open House in Alameda next fall!

 

Stephanie has also been busy creating more of her fantastic polymer jewelry. This necklace and earring set features a center bead with a recessed circle containing some bling! I'm sure she will have no problem selling this and the set shown below.

 

This set is created from polymer beads of different sizes and shapes... all made with the cane technique.

 

Tani showed us a vintage boudoir doll from her collection. She restored the doll by adding a new wig and gave us detailed information on how she went about creating it. The costuming is superb and matched Tani's beautifully sewn garment she wore to the meeting.

 

Daisy's over-the-top three-figure creation is amazing. The figures are of sculpted cloth which is then hand decorated with original "tangle" designs. They are perfectly balanced on a metal bicycle... a gift from Anne.  

 

It takes several photos to get the full impact of the detail included in these figures. 

 

 

Harlene displayed one of her latest necklaces. This one is made by attaching beautiful beads to a crocheted wire base.

 

 

 

One of our guests at the meeting was Linda Wong-Norris, who had joined us in taking the Leslie Molen Workshop last year. Linda brought along the workshop doll she had completed. What a wonderful job, Linda!

 

Donna brought three of her latest embellished domino necklaces.

 

Donna also displayed her altered fairy book, featuring paper fairies peeking out from the folded pages. 

 

 

 

This is the tiny Tilda doll Marcella brought, which is a part of her purchased collections. This Tida is so impeccably dressed and has an embroidered face.

 

Tilda Rules in 2015

 

The Phoebe challenge for the year will be a Tilda doll.

 

She will be due at the September meeting. Use any unaltered Tilda pattern you can find on line; make her between 10" and 16" tall; include a stand or chair to pose; props and accessories may be added to tell her story. Tilda is currently a hot item among doll makers around the world, especially in Russia. This one appears to be from Romania.

 

Calendar Of Events 

 

February 1 through 28, Castro Valley Library Exhibit,  We will be returning, by popular demand, for a one month doll exhibit. We will be conducting a "make it and take it" event there on February 21, 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. If you are volunteering, please be there by 10:30 A.M. The theme of our exhibit will be "Black, White and Red (Read) All Over.

February 19, (third Thursday), Phoebe Meeting, 6:30 P.M., Alameda County Office of Education, 313 W. Winton Ave, Hayward, CA. Bring trims, faces, and glitz for the library "make it and take it" if you have them. There will be a board meeting scheduled the same day at 4 P.M. at the Education Building. Bring your dinner, as there won't be time to go out between meetings. Using the pattern handout from Sally, please bring your creative envelopes with you. And, bring your 5'x7' mat board handed out at the last meeting, decorated with hearts.

February 27 and 28, Scrapbook Expo, Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton. Friday 10 to 6; Saturday 9 to 5. $10 entry and $10 parking in fairground lot. Other street parking usually available.

March 19, Phoebe Meeting, 6:30 P.M., Alameda County Office of Education, 313 W. Winton Ave, Hayward, CA. Altoid tin challenge will be due at this meeting.

September 17, Phoebe Meeting, 6:30 P.M., Alameda County Office of Education, 313 W. Winton Ave, Hayward, CA. The year-long Tilda doll challenge will be due at this meeting.

November 9 and 10, and November 12 and 13. Two Kate Church Workshops, 2-days each. Class space is limited to 8 people per class. Take one or both (they are each different). Contact Daisy at daisybkdoll@comcast.net for information.

June 28, Alameda County Fair Make-It-And-Take-It Event


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Challenges and Exchanges

Sharon has stepped up to be the head of challenges and exchanges. She has been busy planning exciting things for us to make during the coming year.

 

If you have not participated in the past, please take a moment to rethink participation. For one, think about the original art made by your Phoebe friends that you will acquire. Where else would you have this opportunity to obtain items FREE!

 

Second, this is not a competition! Participating in this activity is a way we can feel free to try new things, learn new techniques, and grow as artists. We have all passed along the same road... learning and daring to expand our horizons as we go. You will discover that each technique learned along the way can be applied to projects in other mediums. It is magic! A little of this and a little of that—it all combines to form a really unique and creative end, no mater if you are working on a doll, card, or any other type of art.

 

March Challenge

Sharon handed out the items for the March challenge at the January meeting. These include an Altoid tin, a piece of decorative stamped metal, and some bottle caps.  Other than the tin, you don't have to use the other items in the kit—you can use anything you would like.

 

Rosie, who has had a lot of experience making these, talked to us about the techniques that may be used in their assembly.She also brought along some examples from her collection. Take a look and get inspired. You have a full two months to make this item.

 

 

 

Stephanie Smith's Polymer Workshop

 

Stephanie's workshop proved to be a wonderfully fun and educating day! We learned to make hollow, wrapped, and solid beads. The main event was learning to make the canes for the veneers that added the colorful surface patterns to the beads.

 

Zanaib made some beautiful beads at the workshop.

So did Sharon. Just look at the possibilities!

Show and Tell

Pame brought her finished Frog Prince from Betts' workshop. Fabulous job—he's a very handsome prince.

We were all so happy to see Sally at the meeting and recovering well from her terrible accident. She brought some samples of paper surface decoration she learned at Roxanne's workshop. Painting them brought her great pleasure and helped her pass the time while recuperating.

 

Daisy brought a new black and white doll she made for the Castro Valley Library exhibit next month. And, she did another face. It turned out so wonderful!

Zanaib made a minion doll for the exhibit in the black, white and red colors required for the display. Cute!!!

And, she made another one in red and green.

And, still another very regal doll for the exhibit!
Wow, and she works full time, too!

 

Harlene was one of the several people who completed and brought in her eyeglass case challenge, which was due at the meeting. She attached beautiful butterflies to make a piece of lovely decorative art.

 Suzanne also brought her amazing challenge item. She transformed the eyeglass case into a roadster, complete with bottle cap wheels that turn and a little driver, scarf flying in the air, and his cat riding along behind him. A very clever idea and a lot of engineering!  

 

Donna has been obsessed by dominos. She brought one of the three domino books she recently made for show and tell. The other two were ultimately given as Christmas gifts.

Here is one of two pins she made—the other she gave to her friend Shelley for Christmas.

 

Above and below are three necklaces Donna recently made from dominos.