Just when you think "is summer really over?" you're buying your first turkey! Well kids, amongst the busy time of year, it is also time for our biggest and BEST SCFS meeting of the year! I certainly hope you have made time to join us at Pacific Art Glass on the 8th of December for our holiday meeting.

I am sure you all know by now that the wonderful Ms. Sharon Peters will be gracing us with her presence and demoing her unique and amusing flameworked beads. The beads Sharon makes during the meeting will be included in the raffle and sent to the lucky winners after being annealed.

If you don't already have a copy of "The Wild and Wonderful World of Sharon Peters and her Silly Sculptural Shapes" By Jim Kervin, is available for purchase at Pacific Art Glass. Or bring your copy along and get Sharon to personize your book with her autograph!

Our always hospitable, hospitality hostess, Bindy, has already sent out the info about our "Comfort Food" pot luck. We will actually supply the sandwiches if you all can fill in the rest. (soups, desserts, sides, chips, sodas, juice, etc & whatever)

We are encouraging members to bring a purple heart bead (preferably, or what ever beads you prefer to donate) to be donated to the Beads of Courage foundation. A portion of our raffle proceeds will go towards a cash donation to BOC as well. Please visit their website for more information. There is a link from the SCFS site.

Bead Exchange theme, POT LUCK. So basically, anything goes! Please wrap your bead up, bag it, box it, whatever your preference, along with your card or info.

Aside form Sharon's beads, we have lots of goodies and surprises for the raffle so plan on buying LOTS of tickets!

PLAY DATE AT THE MANDREL! We will be holding an old fashioned auction for 4 hour "play date" at The Mandrel in Redondo Beach. The winner and a friend will be able to come to The Mandrel, along with Judy Carlson, Charlie Warner and Donna Conklin, to play and "pick our bead brains". Judy, Charlie and Donna will each demo a bead and then we will all bead together, share ideas and have fun! Bidding will start at $50, so please plan on being part of the auction!

Wow, all that just for a meeting! That's how great it's going to be!

Other news....for all you last minute procratinators. The extended deadline to submit entires to be juried for the "The Art of Beadmaking" is December 3rd. More info on website: www.artofbeadmaking.com

Tucson bead shows are just around the corner. If you have never been, talk about bead overload! There are bead shows going on all over the city at the same time.About 4 of these are packed with lampworkers. Bead makers from all over the world come here to sell their art. It is lots of fun and truly overwhelming...in a good way! You will also find most of your favorite glass vendors, including Frantz, Arrow Springs and Winship Designs at the Best Bead Show. Here is a link to the list of shows:
www.tucsonshowguide.com/tsg/show_index.cfm

The Mandrel has some wonderful classes coming up including Kate Fowle-Melaney and Jennifer Geldard. Check out the workshop schedule here:
www.themandrel.com/classes___workshops.html

And FYI for 2008...
So Cal Flame Surfers 2008 Meeting Schedule:
March 22nd at Pacific Art Glass
June 28th at The Mandrel
September 20th TBD
December 6th at Pacific Art Glass