Once again the committee would like to send out a big thank you to the folks who volunteered to man our stand at the recent Stitches and Craft Show at Rose Hill Gardens. We handed out about 600 membership listings to visitors to the show and also had a chance to discuss hobby ceramics with those who were interested in giving it a try.

We would also like to offer our thanks to the following studios who gave us free lessons for our raffle:–

Blue Gum Ceramics

Brookvale Ceramics

Casa-De-Arte

The Ceramic Haven

Cherokee Hobby Ceramics

Fired Up Arts

The Glaze Brush

Harvey’s Hobby Ceramics

Hilldav Industries

Ukandu Hobby Ceramics

In just 2 major craft shows we have handed out nearly 1200 membership listings!

Due to ongoing health issues, Jayalan Moulds Pty Ltd is offered for sale. Interested parties, or for further details, please contact Robert or Helen 02 9624 8523.

 FOOD for THOUGHT

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

3 CUPS PLAIN FLOUR

1 TSPN BICARBONATE OF SODA

2 CUPS CASTOR SUGAR

_ CUP CHOPPED WALNUTS OR PECANS

3 EGGS, LIGHTLY BEATEN

1 CUP OIL

2 TSPNS VANILLA ESSENCE

2 CUPS MASHED RIPE BANANAS (ABOUT 4 OR 5 BANANAS)

425g CAN CRUSHED PINEAPPLE, INCLUDING SYRUP

METHOD:

SIFT FLOUR, BICARB OF SODA, SUGAR, NUTS AND MIX WELL. IN A SEPARATE BOWL, MIX THE EGGS, OIL AND VANILLA. ADD THE EGG MIXTURE TO THE DRY INGREDIENTS. ADD THE BANANAS AND PINEAPPLE. MIX LIGHTLY AS THE MIXTURE IS VERY MOIST.

DIVIDE THE MIXTURE BETWEEN 2 23cm LINED CAKE PANS. BAKE AT 180c FOR 50 MINUTES. COOL IN TINS FOR 10 MINUTES BEFORE INVERTING.

100g OF BUTTER

375g OF SOFTENED CREAM CHEESE

_ CUP ICING SUGAR

1 TSPN VANILLA ESSENCE

2 TSPNS LEMON JUICE

MIX ALL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER UNTIL LIGHT AND FLUFFY

TOP AND FILL COOLED CAKES WITH THE MIXTURE

Special rates for a full year’s advertising!

Our web-clerk, Colin Winrow, would welcome help with maintaining part of the Association's web site. With the Ceramic Show coming up, he will not be able to catch up on the backlog of adding and updating Member web profile pages. If there is anyone of our members (or someone they know) who has some web page development experience would be interested in helping by designing and creating web profile pages when required, please contact Colin direct via e-mail.

We need volunteers for the show! Can you spare us some time on any of the four days? Let Kerrie know on 02 98728899.

Whether entering a piece at the show for the first time or your tenth time, it is always the same, you must feel that the piece that you are entering is the very best you could have done.

Pick your greenware carefully- this is where lots of points are regularly lost eg: make sure that your plate, platter, bowl etc is straight and not warped, both top and bottom- or else points will be lost.

Make sure there are no runs or bumps on the inside of the vessel that you have not removed — or else points lost.

Any mug, cup, teapot, jug or stein etc, must have solid handles — hollow handles will result in points lost.

Preparation and cleaning of greenware is the most important concern — maximum point loss in this area.

Choose a design that is original and not just a copy of something else. Sadly, some of the visually exciting pieces loose points on closer inspection, for less obvious flaws such as poorly cleaned greenware and most people do not know this effects the outcome of the awards.

The piece you are entering must be completed 100% by you and you should not be assisted by your teacher or anyone else in any of the classifications i.e.: your teacher should not do the eyes on your figurine or touch-up your entry in any way. It must be all your own work effort and concentration.

The judges start with 100 points each and deduct from various sections to determine a winner, our aim to be fair and unbiased. We have teams of three judges in a group who judge independently and mark each piece. These marks are added together by the tally team to determine the winners. Should you have any queries on any entries please contact me.

Marilyn Wentzel, NSW Judge Co-Coordinator, ph: 02 9533 5581

Ceramics Businesses!

We need your help! We are looking for companies to donate raffle prizes for this year’s show raffle which helps to pay the bills.

One thing the raffle at the Stitches and Craft Show showed us, was that the more prizes on offer, the more tickets people will buy.

The Show is for EVERYONE and now we are asking for EVERYONE’S help!

This newsletter we will focus on our Vice President

Star sign?   Pisces

Valued Possession?   Family and friends

Favourite Food?   Chocolate!

What has ceramics done for you?  It has given me the chance to meet many different people who have come to share my love of ceramics. It has also given me a chance to express my artistic talents in a medium that has many different uses. To be able to create decorative as well as functional items is so exciting.

And lastly, what is your favourite colour?   If you want to get me jewellery, it’s just got to be gold, but if it's for painting, you can’t go past Chartreuse!

Hi everyone, it's show time again. I hope all studio owners have encouraged your students to enter a piece, after all, it’s their show!

I am very disappointed with our Membership Renewal this year. If things don’t improve, you may not have your Ceramic Association next year, which would be very sad. Central Coast has folded, as has Queensland and South Australia. Victoria has just had their show. So, it is up to us.

We, as a committee, have been working hard to build up interest in ceramics by attending as many craft shows as we can, handing out membership listings and directing interested people to their nearest studio. If you are not a member how can we promote your studio? There will be a few more shows this year, as well as some early next year, we will be attending, so you can see, we are doing our part to promote Hobby Ceramics. Where could you get advertising like we are trying to give you for only $45.00 per annum?

We are also enclosing a copy of the Membership Renewal for those of you who have ‘misfiled’ the original one sent to you.

I know things are hard this year. Quite a few studios have closed and in saying that, there are quite a few new studios that have opened. If you know of any, PLEASE let us know. We should all work together to work through the rough patch. Ceramics will survive as it has for many centuries.

Thank you all, and see you at the show!

Sandra Lee

DELIVERING YOUR SHOW ENTRIES: When you are delivering entries to the show, we kindly ask you to give us about an hour of your time to help put your studio’s entries into their correct categories and to make sure they are displayed as intended.

If you are bringing plate stands to display any pieces, please make sure they are also marked with the entry number. This will ensure that the pieces stay together and will make packing up easier on Sunday night.

For those with No children - this is totally hysterical!
For those who already have children past this age - this is hilarious.
For those who have children at this age - this is not funny.
For those who have children nearing this age - this is a warning.
For those who have not yet had children - this is a form of birth control!

1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 3 bedroom house about 4 inches deep.

2. If you spray hair spray on a nylon duster and then run over it with roller skates / blades, they can ignite.

3. A 3-year old's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a large room.

5. You should not throw balls up when the ceiling fan is on, using the ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can then hit a ball a long way.

6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a ball hit by a ceiling fan.

7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh," it's already too late.

8. Brake fluid mixed with Bleach makes smoke, and lots of it.

9. A six-year old can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old man says they can only do it in the movies.

10. Certain bits of Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old.

11. Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12. Super glue is forever.

13. No matter how much Jelly you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14. Pool filters do not like Jelly.

15. VCR's do not eject toasted sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.

16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17. Marbles in petrol tanks make lots of noise when driving and very expensive to remove.

18. You probably do not want to know what that smell really is.

19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on. Plastic toys do not like ovens.

20. The average response time for the fire brigade is about 20 minutes.

21. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

22. It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24. The mind of a 6-year old is a wonderful and amazing thing. True story: One day the infant school teacher was reading the story of the Three Little Pigs to her class. She came to the part of the story where the first pig was trying to accumulate the building materials for his home. She read, "... And so the pig went up to the man with the wheelbarrow full of straw and said, 'Pardon me sir, but may I have some of that straw to build my house?'" The teacher paused then asked the class, "And what do you think that man said?" One little boy raised his hand and said, "I think he said...'Holy xxxxx! A talking pig!'" The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes.

60% of men who read this will try mixing the bleach and brake fluid.

Don’t forget to get your Membership details back to us ASAP — we need to have our new listings ready for the Show!

Can you afford not to be included in it?

Most of you know her work, so as a special treat Veronica Windeyer-Talbot will be holding a workshop for the CAA on Sunday 7^th November, 2004 at Fired Up Arts, Telopea.  Veronica will be showing "easy portraiture".  Seats are limited, so if you want to come along, give Kerrie a call on 02 9872 8899.

The C.A.A. will be having a "FOR SALE" table at the Show.

Do you have any pieces that are past their use-by date?

Maybe it’s been a design demonstration piece that is no longer is required?

Do your students have pieces they want to get rid of?

All you will have to do is drop them off at time of the Show check-in. Each piece will be given an identifying number. You name your price, we sell it for you. The C.A.A. will then add 25% as our commission.

All pieces not sold must be picked up on the Sunday evening at the end of the Show.