Sun Lakes Rock, Gem and Silver Club: I’d love to do that but I have no talent

Displays and creating at the Cottonwood shop

Displays and creating at the Cottonwood shop

We’ve seen you – gazing longingly at the beautiful window displays at the Cottonwood Shop, the showcase at the Cottonwood restaurant and in the hallway of the Sun Lakes Country Club (SLCC). We’ve invited you into the shops to see what we’re working on. Some of you join us and learn to produce your own beautiful things. But the rest of you?

Now that the holidays are over, it’s a good time to think about how you can make some wonderful gifts for the 2017 holidays. For example:

A wide variety of silver jewelry with and without stones

Decorated gourds

Fabulous fused or stained glass pieces

Utensils and accessories with gorgeous stone handles

Take field trips to find rocks and turn them into beautiful pendants

But we hear you sighing, “I have no talent!” Each member of the SLRGS thought that too before joining the club. When you join, you first speak with instructors who have helped dozens of people to develop talent in the form of new skills. Hands-on lessons are provided for each craft by instructors who were beginners once, too. The instructors skillfully and gently guide you through the creative process until you are ready to work independently in an open shop where there are monitors who can help you with your project and use of equipment. Soon you’ll find you have talent, enjoy using it and holiday gift worries are a thing of the past.

The SLRGS is a great place to make new friends as you learn to create together. The SLRGS welcomes new members at our monthly meetings held at 10:00 a.m. on the third Monday of the month in the Navajo Room of the Sun Lakes Country Club. At 10:00 a.m. you can have coffee and cookies and view the various crafts and classes, speak with the instructors, and sign up for a class. At 10:30 a.m. there is a business meeting and often a presentation on a topic of interest to club members. Membership in the SLRGS costs $25 a year. Classes are an additional fee, usually $20 for a group of lessons.

Another way to join is to go to our website www.SLRGS.com where you can sign up, see the list of classes and pictures of student work. But, if you prefer to talk with someone you can join by stopping in one of the shops at Oakwood, Cottonwood or SLCC and speak with the monitor. There are membership applications at each shop. Or finally, you can contact the President of the club, Dianna Ahart, at 636-346-6070 or [email protected].

Joining the SLRGS club is a great way to meet new people, develop your innate talent, have a very good time, and make sure you are never at a loss for what to give for a holiday gift. The SLRGS motto is, “The fun is in the doing!”