And, we're off!

Our first meeting of the year was a resounding success!

Outgoing President Laurel gave a brief recap of the 4-year history of CMMAG, from its 'humble beginnings,' through various group activities, including a number of play days, exhibits, challenges, shows and swaps, to the present-day dynamic organization we've become.

And, we've elected our new slate of officers: President: Penny, Vice President: Michelle, Treasurer: Jeanne, Secretary: Nanette and Members at Large: (or "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" as they dubbed themselves) Debbie and Roberta. Past president Laurel remains on the Board, and we look forward to two years of great leadership from everyone.

We also welcomed several guests and five new members: Janet, Courtney, Maggi, Cathie and Sabrina, who are all excited about joining our dynamic group of creative souls.

The meeting room at Jerry's Artarama was an outstanding location; we were able to stretch out, see everyone at the same time, and have space enough to display our 'show and tell' pieces. Thanks to Sharon and everyone at Jerry's--we love our new meeting "home".

Another highlight of our first meeting was the launch of our latest challenge, the "Mixed Media Madness Mission Art-Possible" (Code Name: M-4). A kit composed of 33 disparate objects was assembled by Penny and Jean, of Artist Alley, with contributions from Nanette and Jeanne. Twenty-one CMMAG members have accepted the challenge of creating a work of art from at least 31 of these items which include: bullet casings, lace, empty glass fragrance bottle, sewing pattern pieces, book pages, cigar box label, Scrabble tiles, map, and embroidery floss; no small feat, to say the least. Completed works will be displayed at Artist Alley in March, and possibly published in a Stampington and Company magazine. We wish all our kit challenge members luck and creative inspiration as they make their way through the task...we can't wait to see the finished products!

So, we're off to a roaring start! Stay tuned to see what else is in store...we've got great plans for this new year.

Year-End Roundup, and a Look Forward

2008 was an exciting year for CMMAG! Here are just some of the things we accomplished:

• We welcomed many new members, and our current active roster is 30 artists.
• We worked to complete our Guild bylaws, and ratified them at our December meeting.
• We held a number of play days, learned to create our own rubber stamps, designed and created glass objects, created batik greeting cards, and explored the wonders of alcohol inks.
• Members participated in swaps: creating a fabulous charm necklace from one of them (which sold!); creating holiday ornaments (see photo below), and ATCs.

• Our Fall was highlighted by our participation in Art of the Carolinas, where we assisted Jerry's Artarama staff; displayed members' work; raffled off a free CMMAG membership and conducted a 'make and take' ATC activity table.

And, to cap off a great year, we celebrated in fine fashion at December's meeting:

Looking forward to 2009, we will have a permanent meeting location: Jerry's Artarama, in Raleigh. As in years past, our meetings will be held at 7pm on the second Thursday of each month. Our first meeting will include the election of officers, welcome of new members, sharing of work, review of 2009 calendar of events, collection of dues, and much more.

We look forward to another great year of creativity, sharing and fun!

It's Almost Party Time!

"Trio of Well Travelled Ornaments" by Ruby Clover, on Etsy

CMMAG members note:

Our December meeting will be held on Thursday, December 11th, and Vivianne's lovely studio. We'll take care of the business first: ratification of the By-laws, presentation of the slate of officers, and the final Treasurer's report of the year.

Then, it will be time to party! We will feast upon creations brought by everyone, there'll be a handmade ornament swap, we'll learn the details of next year's kit challenge, and who knows what other surprises will be in store? For full information, head over to our Yahoo group, and don't forget to sign up for your food contribution on the database.

It'll be a great time, a lovely way to celebrate the past year, and a peek into the exciting Guild year to come. See you there!