AMACO Friendly Plastic Open Design Challenge Deadline Extended to December 15th

Calling all craft designers! The deadline date for entries to AMACO’s Friendly Plastic Open Design Challenge has been moved back to December 15, 2008 – so there’s still time to get your entry in! The judging categories are: Best Valentine’s Day Jewelry Ensemble; Best Bottle of Hope (entries will be donated to Hasbro Children’s Hospital); Best Focal Bead Jewelry Set (made with AMACO Bead Rollers); Best Butterfly (entries will be donated to Houston’s Holocaust Museum Butterfly memorial); and Best of Show.

The Design Challenge celebrates AMACO’s 90th birthday as the biggest and best distributor of art supplies and equipment for designers who make clay art, pottery, glass, and, of course, Friendly Plastic! Winners will receive a personal check for $100 from AMACO plus a matching check for $100 to be paid to your favorite charity. Etched crystal awards will also be presented to category winners. The Awards Presentation will take place at a special reception at the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) Convention in Anaheim on January 26, 2008. All entries to the Challenge will be displayed at AMACO.com’s online gallery; and all entrants will receive Friendly Plastic Designer Sticks. Category winners will receive enough Friendly Plastic, mixed media materials, and tools to be able to throw their own craft party for eight! So get your entry in now! And do not miss AMACO’s 90th Birthday Celebration at CHA at 11 am, Monday January 26th!

Friendly Plastic is a unique medium for children and professional artists alike. Colorful pellets or sticks of Friendly Plastic quickly soften in warm water to be shaped by hand or using simple tools. This allows for a universe of design possibilities – from jewelry to faux stained glass to butterflies. All butterfly entries to AMACO’s Design Challenge will be donated to the Holocaust Museum in Houston, which is collecting one and a half million butterflies to symbolize the children who died in the Holocaust. The butterflies will be part of an exhibit scheduled to open in spring 2012 at the Holocaust Museum. AMACO is honored to be associated with this project of remembrance and hope.

For more information on the AMACO Design Challenge, see: http://www.amaco.com/friendly-plastic-judging-gallery. You can download an entry form at: http://www.amaco.com/pdfs/AMACO-FP-OPEN-CHALLENGE.pdf. Friendly Plastic Designer Sticks can be purchased at: Hobby Lobby, Munro Wholesale, Sunshine Crafts, Rings N Things, and AMACO.com.