Clay Carnival 2010 Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Clay Carnival?
Eight fabulous 4 Hour Classes as well as a Sunday Night Pizza Party, Poker Chip Swap and Carnival with the instructors, in Las Vegas, Nevada
Who are the instructors?
Donna Kato, Judy Belcher, Leslie Blackford, Kim Cavender, Cathy Johnston, Sue Kelsey, Julie Eakes and Julie Picarello.
When and where is the Carnival?
November 4th – 7th, 2010 at The Imperial Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
How much is the carnival?
The cost of the event is $485.00, this includes the Pizza Party Carnival as well as all the classes.
How do I get the Clay Carnival discounted room rate at the Imperial Palace Hotel?
To make your reservation call 1-866-523-2781 and mention you are with the Clay Carnival to get the reduced room rate. If you book our block of rooms you will
also get a reduced rate for the Clay Carnival.
Room rates are $60 per night. These rates are based on
double occupancy.
These discounted room rates are based on double occupancy; the hotel charges an additional $30.00 per person, per night for a 3rd and 4th guest. The Imperial Palace is holding this discounted block of rooms for us until October 5th 2010, so be sure to make your reservations before that date.
If you are traveling alone but would like to share a room; you may be able to find a roommate through the Clay Carnival group site by posting to the group and asking if anyone would like to share a room. It would be a good idea to mention things like whether or not you snore or smoke and whether you are a night owl or a morning person.
What kind of clothes should I bring?
Dress for the classes and Carnival Night is casual. Vegas in November and December is usually warm during the day and cool in the evenings. It is a good idea to bring at least 1 jacket or sweater, even if you plan to stay indoors the entire time, as the year round air conditioning in the hotel can be uncomfortably cool for some.
Are there scooters or wheelchairs available for rent at the hotel? (These are the prices for 2007)
There are both scooters and wheelchairs available for rent at the bell desk in the hotel. The 3-day rental fee for a wheelchair is $35.00. The 3-day rental fee for a scooter is $105.00. The wheelchairs and scooters are not owned by the hotel but supplied to them by a third party, so it is a good idea to arrange for the rental with the bell desk several days in advance of your arrival so that they will be sure to have the equipment you need ready and waiting. You can phone the Imperial Palace Bell Desk directly at 702-794-3141 or you can phone the hotel operator at 702-731-3311 and ask to be connected to the bell desk.
Are there coffee pots in the rooms? (These are the prices for 2007)
No, there are no coffee pots in the rooms at the Imperial Palace. Coffee is however available in your room through room service. The charge for a 10oz cup is $3.25. The charge for a 5-cup pot for 1 person is $7.50. If you want to share the pot with others, the hotel charges an additional surcharge of $1.00 for each additional person…presumably for bringing extra cups.
Coffee is also available downstairs in the hotel at Betty’s Deli and at a nearby Starbucks. To get to Starbucks, go out the front door of the hotel and turn right; you will see it a few yards down on the right. And of course, if you get up early enough to go down and play a few slots before class, the waitresses working the gaming floor will bring you coffee for free!
How can I find out what other amenities and services are available at the Imperial Palace Hotel?
For comprehensive information on Imperial Palace services and amenities go to www.imperialpalace.com. The “Common Questions” link at the bottom of the home page is particularly helpful and the “Contact” link beside it has the phone numbers for all of the major departments within the hotel. For those of you without easy Internet access, you can phone the hotel; the hotel reservations number is 1-800-634-6441. For all other inquiries, you can phone the hotel operator at 702-731-3311 and ask to be connected to any department.
What supplies do I need to bring?
(This information will be listed as soon as all of the instructors have submitted their materials lists)
Do I need to bring clay?
All of the clay that you will need for the classes is being supplied for you free of charge by Van Aken, makers of Kato Polyclay. If you think you might want to make additional projects, you can purchase extra clay on site in our store or you are of course welcome to bring some from home
If you are flying and plan to bring clay with you, please bear in mind that, due to heightened airport security measures, it is best to pack only new, unopened packages of clay as some artists have had open, unlabeled clay confiscated by security officials who were afraid that it might be C4. Some artists who travel frequently recommend that you pack a Material Safety Data Sheet with your clay, so that security personnel will have detailed information about exactly what you are carrying and be reassured as to it’s suitability for transport. You can request these data sheets from the manufacturer and may even be able to find them on the web.
What kind of work surface should I bring?
There are a number of work surfaces that are ideal for travel. Fiskers makes a great 9″ x 12″ flexible, self-healing plastic Craft Mat that has a measurement grid on it. It is usually located with the scrapbook supplies and is available at Wal-Mart and Michael’s. Another great solution is the flexible cutting mats available where kitchen supplies are sold. These cutting mats are generally located next to the cutting boards at places like Bed Bath and Beyond and Wal-Mart. The ones at Wal-Mart are 12” by 15” and are sold in a package of 3 for less than $3.00. You will find them easy on your blades and, because they are very thin, they can either be packed flat or rolled up.
Will there be a Clay Carnival Store?
Yes. As in the past, there will be a Clay Carnival Store where you will be able to purchase supplies and artwork from the instructors.
Are there any special discounts on supplies being offered to Clay Carnival Participants?
You Bet! Prairie Craft is offering a 10% discount to all Clay Carnival participants who are ordering supplies for the retreat. All of the marvelous things that Prairie Craft has to offer can be found at www.prairiecraft.com or by phoning them at 1-866-603-8332. Just remember that you need to use the coupon code KEPALOMA when you place your order to receive the discount. All Prairie Craft orders will be shipped Priority Mail.
Can I bring my tools, supplies and liquid materials on the airplane?
Yes, but only in your checked luggage not in a carry-on bag.
Please be aware that these days, anytime you pack a bunch of metal objects in your suitcase, it is going to be searched. Some artists have had tools lost or damaged during these searches. One strategy that may help to minimize search damage is to place everything in Ziploc bags; that way searchers can see exactly what you have without having to dump it out. However, be aware that if you overfill the bags, rather than including only a single layer of materials that are easily viewable from either side, they will still dump them out.
Jacqueline Lee, who has had a number of tools damaged during airport security searches, now includes the following sign inside her luggage:
“Dear security officer, I am an artist on my way to a conference. Many of the tools and supplies in these bags are fragile. I know you are in a hurry but I would be very grateful if you could pack them back in here carefully so they won’t get damaged. Thank you for helping to make us safe, Jacqueline Lee”
Since she began including that note, she has not had anything else lost or broken.
If you do fly with your supplies, please be aware that you will need to exercise care when opening any sealed containers containing a liquid or viscous substance. The pressure changes these items were subjected to will often cause paints and glues etc. to fountain out of the container; this is especially true of anything in a tube. You can minimize this somewhat by getting as much air out of the container as possible before you pack them.
If, after reading all of this, you decide that you would rather not trust your tools and supplies to the tender mercies of the airlines, please see the questions “Can I ship my tools and supplies ahead to the hotel?” and “Can I ship my tools and supplies back home from the hotel?” below: they contain all the information you will need for shipping your supplies to and from the Clay Carnival.
Can I ship my tools and supplies ahead to the hotel? (These are the prices for 2007)
Yes, if you are uncomfortable trying to fly with your supplies you can ship them to the hotel to be held for you until your arrival. The hotel will hold packages for guests for up to 30 days prior to their arrival. Please be aware that the hotel charges a handling fee of $5.00 per box for each box held for you. Please label your boxes in the following manner:
Hold For Guest: (your name)
Arriving: (date of your arrival)
C/o Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino
3535 Las Vegas Boulevard So.
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
By the way, the United States Postal Service offers several sizes of flat rate Priority Mail boxes: all the clay and heavy tools you can cram in the box for $8.10!
Can I ship my tools and supplies back home from the hotel? (2007 Prices)
Yes. The Imperial Palace has a Business Center located in the hotel that will package and ship anything for you using any of the following carriers: Fed Ex, Airborne Express and UPS. Please be aware however that there is a handling charge (over and above the shipping fee charged by the carrier) for this service. The handling rates are as follows:
Up to 30 pounds $10.00
31 to 50 pounds $15.00
51 to 80 pounds $20.00
80 to 100 pounds $40.00
101 to 150 pounds $60.00
Over 150 pounds: inquire at the Business Center
If you have any further questions about the services offered by the Business Center, please phone them directly at 702-697-8580.
How are the classrooms set up?
The students will be divided into 4 groups and each group will be assigned to a room for all of the classes; this way students will not have to move their supplies at the end of each class: the instructors will be the ones moving from room to room instead. Each instructor will also have another person in the room with them (one of the other instructors who is not teaching that day) to help out; this insures that everyone can get help and individual attention when needed.
What is the Polymer Clay Poker Chip Swap?
You’ve heard of ATCs (Artist Trading Cards)? Well, this is our own special version, Vegas style! We’ll be trading APC’s otherwise known as Artist Poker Chips. All participants are enthusiastically invited to take part but the swap is completely optional.
How many chips will I need?
Since the swap will be unstructured, there is no set number of chips that you need to bring; trade as many or as few as you would like. However, for those of you who wish to be certain that you will have enough to trade with everyone, we should be able to post a figure for the total number of participants expected as the time for the Carnival draws near. Our last Clay Carnival had 68 students and 8 instructors, but not everyone participated.
Are there any guidelines for making the Poker Chips?
Standard poker chips are about 1/8” thick (the thickest setting on your pasta machine) and about 1 ½” in diameter. You can use a 1 ½” circle cutter to cut them out. Several manufacturers make a circle cutter of this size including Makins Clay and Ateco. You can purchase them from a wide range of retailers including Prairie Craft, Polymer Clay Express, Michael’s Crafts Stores, Wal-Mart and kitchen stores.
Your chips can all be the same or you can make them all different. They can be stamped, molded, carved, painted, tinted with chalks, powders, inks or decorated with cane slices or transfers. There are no hard and fast rules, just use your imagination and have fun.
Be sure to sign your chips. You can use a name stamp if you have one or a permanent pen or marker. The Koh-I-Noor Nexus Art Pens (made by Chartpak Inc. and available at Michael’s) work beautifully and unlike Sharpies they never clog.
Above all, please remember that your chips don’t have to be masterpieces; this is just for fun so relax and enjoy yourself.
When will the Poker Chip Swap take place?
The swap will take place during the Pizza Party Carnival (time and day still to be announced). The swap is unstructured; you just introduce yourself to someone and ask them if they have chips that they would like to swap. This worked out great last time and gave everyone the opportunity to meet all the other participants.
Since joining the group I seem to have more cookies on my computer. Can I prevent Yahoo from adding cookies to my computer?
If you belong to ANY Yahoo! Groups – be aware that Yahoo! is now using “Web Beacons” to track every Yahoo! Group user. They’re similar to cookies, but allow Yahoo! to record every Web site and every group you visit, even when you’re not connected to Yahoo!.
Look at its updated privacy statement here. http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/ About halfway down the page, in the section on cookies, you will see a link that says WEB BEACONS. Click on the phrase “Web Beacons.” On the page that opens, find a paragraph entitled “Outside the Yahoo! Network.” In that section find a little “Click Here to Opt Out” link that will let you “opt-out” of its snooping. Be careful NOT to click on the next button shown. It is an “Opt Back In” button that, if clicked, will UNDO the opt-out.
Note that Yahoo!’s invasion of your privacy – and your ability to opt-out of it – is not user-specific. It is MACHINE specific. That means you will have to opt-out on every computer (and browser) you use.
What if my question was not answered here?
If you have a question that was not answered here, please post it to the Clay Carnival group site on Yahoo and we will quickly get back to you with the answer. We will then add your question to this file.