PATCH ENVY - PART 2

I previously confessed to my frequent breaking of the 11th commandment -- "Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Daughter's Patches."  As a Camp Fire Girl dropout, I have no vest tucked away in my hope chest dripping with patches and beads marking childhood accomplishments.  Foghorn recently bridged from a Girl Scout Daisy to a Brownie and the royal blue smock with its colorful patches has been hung in the spare closet and replaced with a brown vest.  At the moment the vest has only her troop number and a few insignia pins, although she may be on her way to filling this garment if she receives a patch for her appearance in yesterday's 4th of July parade.

Foghorn showing her lack of patriotic fervor by refusing to pass out flags to the spectators.

My sister, Nancy,  may be one of the few people who can understand my lust for recognition.  She could care less about patches.  Her obsession is for ribbons and medals.  While I sat gawking at a particularly fetching military man in dress whites who was nearby in the crowd, my sister noticed only the plethora of medals dangling from his chest.  

Given my feelings of inadequacy, a full 29 years after dropping out of 6th grade Camp Fire Girls, it's no surprise that I'm enamored of a new item in my sister's Etsy shop.  Nancy does beautiful crocheted jewelry and doilies, cool wall hangings combining vintage elements, and even a bracelet inspired by Emily Dickinson.  But what has my eye at the moment is this necklace:

It is fashioned from vintage wooden Camp Fire Girl beads and includes some of the red, white, and blue beads.  My one and only bead that I ever earned, and which was sewn on the front of my vest looking lonely against that huge expanse of dark blue fabric, was just such a bead.  Actually, my bead was much less cool, being made of plastic and about the size of my pinky fingernail.  These are larger and chunky and wood and combine my love of beady recognition with vintage goodness.  I keep trying to think of a way to earn this for myself.  If I go the whole summer with The Inmates and don't run screaming down the street naked in an insane fit or stow away on my neighbor's next Airstream excursion, isn't it just possible I deserve a little reward?


You might also be interested in:

*  PATCH ENVY

*  ULTRA COOL VINTAGE CAM PFIRE GIRLS NECKLACE