This medal marked my official entry into ODACA given to me by my friend Ute Vasina , who is also a new member of ODACA! In a fit of pre-critique "nerves" last week I had been lamenting to Ute that it had been a long year of waiting to find out if we would make it in....and if we did, it wasn't like we would get a crown or anything! So Ute went out looking for crowns.....she couldn't find any, so she showed up with medals! Ute is a hoot! I had the pleasure of sharing a table with her at the ODACA/UFCD sales day....and she made the day pass quickly with her wonderful outlook and great sense of humor! And so after a year long process of portfolios and critiques and (for me) huge fits of "nerves", we made it and are now members of ODACA!
The convention was held in Las Vegas this year......where I was assured that the daily temps of 108 or so were "okay", cause it's dry heat! When the temperature goes over 100 there is not enough "dry heat" in the world to make it not feel hot! Coming back to Houston, where it's 94 degrees, I thought I would have to break out a coat....but I digress!
Here in Texas I belong to a doll organization called TAODA (Texas Association of Original Doll Artists). TAODA had had 3 members that were also members of ODACA (Joyce Patterson, Anne Myatt, and Marilynn Huston....all wonderful doll makers!) This year 4 more of us from TAODA (Janet Bodin, Donna Sims, Marsha Krohn and myself) applied to ODACA and all were accepted! It was an amazing weekend.
For the critique, you set your dolls up on tables and then are asked to leave the room and come back in about an hour. During this time the Standards committee critiques your work and makes a written copy for you! Then when they were finished with all their part of the critique, we were ushered back in one by one and told the results. I had thought I was pretty "cool" and prepared mentally for either outcome....but I was one of the last ones called in and started having flashbacks to 3rd grade gym class and picking sides for kickball. I think when they finally called
me in I was a verifiable nervous wreck! LOL
Thanks so much to all of you that have been encouraging over the last year and have sent congrats! Once I get off cloud nine I will post more photos....of Vegas and of my dolls that traveled with me!
