Fiddlehead Fever

I have finished my sewing project and today I am indulging in some clay playtime. I get lots of requests for these little fiddlehead pins and necklaces so I am gearing up for the spring rush.

For those unfamiliar with fiddleheads:

Fiddleheads, an early spring delicacy in Maine, are the young coiled leaves of the ostrich fern. Ostrich fern fiddleheads, which are about an inch in diameter, can be identified by the brown papery scale-like covering on the uncoiled fern, as well as the smooth fern stem, and the deep ”U”-shaped groove on the inside of the fern stem. They emerge in clusters of about three to twelve fiddleheads each on the banks of rivers, streams, and brooks in April and May. You must cook fiddleheads thoroughly before consuming them.

With another 9" of snow arriving today, it seems these tasty treats will be hibernating underground a few more weeks.... I am anticipating the spring day when the first bag of fiddleheads are dumped into my extra large sink for the 3 or 4 washings before cooking. Spring will truly be here!

A Jewelry Round Robin

Inspired by an article in my last issue of Belle Armoire Jewlery I decided to ask a couple friends I have met online to join me in an exciting Round Robin. The premise is, you begin a piece of jewelry and begin a journal as you create. You send the unfinished piece and journal onto one of your friends and they add to your jewelry and journal in your journal, while you receive one of your friend's pieces and add to it and journal in their journal. It continues around until all the friends have added their part to everyone's jewelry and you get a finished piece at the end of the project!

So my friend C sent her piece to me for the first round.

She lives on the shores of Lake Michigan and is an outdoor kind of gal. (She sells those gorgeous blue beads in her Etsy shop.) So I have been pondering what I can make that is unique to me that would be a compliment to the style she has begun. I began a little experiment this afternoon and I think it is going to work. I can't show you pics, since we want the bracelet reveal to be a nice surprise, but it is earthy and beachy!

My bracelet was mailed to my friend S. Here is the foundation for my bracelet. You know it HAD to be old stuff, didn't you?

Lovely old buttons and trinkets. I like to imagine who the original owner of these little baubles were. They are such silly things, but so pleasant to gaze upon. I will update our progress as we move along in our journey!