1969 Clarinda Girls Okoboji Reunion

16 or so girls from Clarinda High School Class of 1969 met at the Inn at Okoboji in Mildford, Iowa for a weekend get-together to celebrate our shared milestone birthday!

back row, l-r: Pam Tritsch, Marta Brockman, Karen Carlson, Elizabeth Adams, Rebecca Roe, Ramona Kanne, Dee Hartman, Kay Varley, Ruth Davis, Diana Troester, Joy Hartstack
front row, l-r: Lynette Fisk, Catherine Herzberg, Nancy Beattie, Mary Kay Nieman

Wine, snacks, chocolate, dinners out, walks around the lake, shopping and LOTS and LOTS of talking! What a great, fun weekend. And we're not done - tomorrow lines will be drawn in the sand as the Iowa/Iowa State game takes place and then we kiss and make up to take a boat ride on the lake.

Thanks to Becky (Black) Roe for making all the arrangements! Thanks to Nancy Beattie who made the extra effort to come despite her recent surgery. Thanks to everyone who drove, who brought goodies, scrapbooks and lawn chairs.

We're having a great time reminiscing, sharing photos, bragging about grandkids. And we're still going. Ready for cake and ice cream. Happy Birthday to us!! 60 is Hot!

Blue Moon

This new piece is going into the Arts on Grand gallery in Spencer, Iowa.....

It's fun to repurpose old costume jewelry - but I do get distracted by the tiniest of details. You would not believe the time spent in August just on rhinestones: researching the best prices for replacement stones, measuring, comparing colors with online photos, ordering and waiting, being disappointed in the quality from one vendor, ordering again....then popping off old or loose stones, cleaning and removing old glue, resetting or gluing in replacement stones! (I use 2-part epoxy - those puppies will not fall out!).

But IMHO (in my humble opinion...) you can't have too much bling on this type of piece.
This piece includes:

• large blue rhinestone brooch
• small blue and pearl brooch
• large pot metal shoe clip - all stones gone
• rhinestone circle earring with blue rivoli added
• moonstone sterling earring drop
• rhinestone ball bead
• silver metal stamped earring
• length of vintage silver metal, pearl and AB rhinestone bracelet
• pieces of beaded chain in silver with pearls and blue links
• vintage 2-hole rhinestone spacer bar
• 3mm blue Swarovski bicone crystals
• large blue Czech glass bead
• vintage pearls, crystal, and glass beads
• fine silver balled headpins
• silver jump rings
• silver craft wire
• vintage clasp
• pieces of rhinestone chain
• rhinestone earring (faux Diana style)
• blue, cream an crystal drops

I am getting the hang of the asymmetrical  design - the trick is to design on a dress form, not on a flat bench. Time is lost crawling around on the floor searching for dropped jump rings or beads, but it's the best way to create something that hangs properly on the neck.