AMACO Friendly Plastic Open Challenge for CHA 2009

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ANNOUNCING THE AMACO(R) FRIENDLY PLASTIC(R) OPEN CHALLENGE FOR CHA 2009
Deadline for Entries December 15th, 2008

Entry Form & Information for
Friendly Plastic Challenge for CHA

Help us celebrate AMACO's 90th Birthday in 2009, make a Friendly Plastic(R) project, and come to a party! We'll celebrate at the Craft & Hobby Association on Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 11 AM in the Anaheim Convention Center. As soon as we are assigned a booth number, we'll e-blast and post information.

We will also celebrate on-line with a projects gallery, anecdotes, photos, and blogged remembrances of shared AMACO history. All Challenge entries will be shown on amaco.com. Former winners of AMACO Bottles of Hope Designer Challenges are welcome to enter.

Charitable Creative Work

This year we will have a category to honor "Bottles of Hope" again with donations to founder Diane Gregoire's Hasbro Children's Hospital, as well as introduce a new charitable project brought to us by Event Coordinators Helen Bradley and Michelle Zimmerman.

The Butterfly Project at the Holocaust Museum Houston is seeking 1,500,000 butterflies for an installation honoring the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust. The butterflies will eventually comprise a breath-taking exhibition, currently scheduled for Spring 2012, for all to remember.

See a quick step by step from Helen Bradley on one way to create a butterfly.

We will have other categories that focus on Friendly Plastic(R) Jewelry, which will be donated to a women's shelter in Northern California to be selected by our Event Coordinators.

Leading Industry Editors Will Judge Awards for Prizes

• All entries will be published in an on-line gallery at the NEW amaco.com website
  New website coming November 1, 2008
• All entrants will receive Friendly Plastic(R) Designer Sticks
• Winners will be presented an etched crystal award at AMACO's 90th Birthday Party at CHA on Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 11 AM, Booth # TBD
• Winners will receive $100 personal check from AMACO
• Winners will receive a matching $100 check to be made payable to your favorite charity
• Winners will have their entries published on-line in the AMACO(R) Craft Library
• Winners will receive enough Friendly Plastic(R), tools and mixed media materials to host their own craft party for 8. Parties are not required and can be donated to charity with AMACO items appropriate for age group.
• Party pictures will be featured in special edition e-blast to designers and editors to showcase new and original designs

Entry Categories for Open Challenge Awards

For this challenge, we are re-introducing you to the 80's retro modeling medium Friendly Plastic(R). You may remember it from CHA 2008 where Jana Ewy demonstrated her technique for creating a dichroic glass-like effect. Because the medium is inexpensive, colorful, easy-to-use, and addictive, we think this is the ideal year to have fun with a new/old friend like Friendly Plastic(R), made by AMACO(R). The categories are:

• Best Bottle of Hope
• Best Focal Bead Jewelry Set Made with AMACO Bead Rollers
• Best Valentine's Jewelry Ensemble
• Best Butterfly Entry for Holocaust Museum Houston
• Best of Show

Entry Requirements Feature Friendly Plastic(R)

• The requirement for a jewelry set or ensemble is that entries must feature a minimum of two coordinated items (a pair of earrings equals 1 item).
• "Focal" bead(s) must be made using an AMACO Bead Roller.
• The bottle dimensions for a Bottle of Hope entry covered with Friendly Plastic(R) is any glass bottle 4" in height or smaller (with no requirement for diameter).
• Bottles of Hope must have accompanying message of hope featuring Friendly Plastic as medium or embellishment.
• Butterflies should be two dimensional and no larger than 8 inches by 10 inches. Please do not use glitter or anything perishable on the butterflies.
• All Entries must be postmarked by December 1st, 2008

For great background history and tips on how to make a bottle of hope with polymer clay-remember only Friendly Plastic may be used for this challenge, visit this site.

For more information about the Butterfly Project at the Houston Holocaust Museum, please visit http://www.hmh.org/minisite/butterfly/index.html.

To learn more about AMACO Bead Rollers with technique videos, please visit this page, and to see projects, you can click here.

Learn About Friendly Plastic(R) Now Available at Hobby Lobby October 1, 2008

Friendly Plastic(R) softens easily in hot water, with a heat gun or craft oven and can be molded, marbled, textured or twisted! The possibilities are endless. To help you get started, please visit our on-line Craft Library for tips and techniques.

Where to buy Friendly Plastic?

• Hobby Lobby will carry the Friendly Plastic(R) Designer Sticks as of October 1 with all 34 colors, in all stores!
• Sunshine Crafts [visit site]
• Munro Wholesale [visit site]
• Rings N Things [visit site]
• Amaco.com [visit site]
• www.createforless.com [visit site]

When you enter, we will send you free Friendly Plastic(R) designer sticks to replenish your stash as our appreciation for your participation! To help with projects, AMACO also makes modeling tools such as, the Marbling Comb, Friller Tool, Needle Tool, Work Mat, Beadmaking Tool Set and PolyCutters, available in craft stores and on-line at Amaco.com.

For more information, contact Helen Bradley and Michelle Zimmerman at helen@http-design.com