New arrival: Early Jewelry

gold and antler necklace 

phases of the moon gold+sterling hoop earrings

brass/wool/leather bangles

bone and sterling hoop earrings

raw silk and horseshoe nail necklace

alpaca wool necklace with dyed black antler

quartz and sterling earrings

Welcome to the shop: Early jewelry, by recent Lawrence, KS>>Portland transplant, Kylie Grater. 

Kylie's been a solid fixture in the independent jewelry design community since 2007, working in varied organic materials- wood, bone, antler, leather, and gemstones.

Now, living in Portland, the designer is kindling a love for all things Pacific Northwest. 

Come by and view her new works: dark, striking statement pieces with dyed black antler, bone+brushed alpaca wool, and simple, everyday sterling+gold fill hoop earrings created in the shapes of moon phases. These pieces are truly special.

More about Early:

Kylie Earlene Grater’s farm beginnings in Riley, Kansas lend a unique aesthetic to her original pieces. Growing up in the rural Midwest, she was able to look out onto the Plains, their vast horizons, and crops that rotated with the seasons.The simplicity of rural life, the changing of the weather, and the cycles of planting, and harvesting have all influenced Kylie’s approach to creating jewelry. Her close contact with these organic influences, in part, determines her materials: feather, bone, and leather, to name a few.

Some of my favorite new things in the shop: paper, ceramics, wearables

amethyst cards: renee press, seattle

porcelain rings, bangles, and hanging planters: cla, scotland

mysterious forest poster print: debbie carlos, chicago 

indigo moon totes: bright beige, brooklyn

hand painted unisex tees: jessalin beutler, seattle

hanging air plant pods: jennifer fish, san francisco

Upcoming: Customer Appreciation S A L E the weekend after Thanksgiving

customer appreciation yearly sale: november 25-27.

sword+fern loves you with all her heart, and the entire store will be 25% off the weekend after thanksgiving, in honor of all the good people who have kept it all afloat these last three years.

thanks be to you and you and you!

store OPEN hours:

friday:11-7

saturday:11-7

sunday:12-6

see you then!

Recommended Inspiration: Mottainai: The Fabric of Life- Lessons in Frugality from Traditional Japan

rope and textiles made form kudzu

yarn from cast-off cotton scraps

sashiko  stitching, used to re-inforce older fabrics for continued use

We woke up early this morning to view the fall colors at the Portland Japanese Garden and had the good fortune of happening upon the  Mottainai Installation -- if you are a textile junkie like me, it's not to be missed!
A display of intricate, gorgeous textiles created in Japan over a century ago with found, natural elements like linden bark, wisteria vines, and kudzu, woven with cast-off cotton scraps in an effort to use everything and waste nothing.. "All of the textiles and garments on view were made from bast fibers foraged from the forest, or patched and quilted together from second-hand scraps of cotton garments of city-dwellers who traded their hand-me-downs with the farmers for rice and vegetables."
On view now at the Portland Japanese Garden

Happenings: Tonight,Tomorrow,This month

First Friday Tonight with my neighbors at the 811 building: Opening tonight at Nationale and 13 local designers have a Sample Sale at Haunt 
plus I'll be open late--til 9 pm, with hot chai tea+chocolate for you

Stay at the ACE Hotel Portland now through December+receive 10%off at S+F and more local retailers-flash me your room key!

Come see Lovers with me tomorrow night, at Backspace, 9pm, $7, ALL AGES

wishing you warm -n-witchy rosehip brew + big howlin' wolf love this halloween.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! EYE <3 YOUUUUUUUUUUU

Well said.

Christine: Is it hard sending the pieces out after you have a relationship with them?

Randi: Um…well, yes. We lay all the pieces out before we send them out. I do a quality check on them, twist something, do something to make sure every piece has it’s own voice, and then… We talk to them.

Christine: What do you tell them?

Randi: We wish them a good life: ‘We hope the person who buys you loves you,’ ; ‘I remember, your bale broke four times…’ Totally dorky stuff. But…it’s hard… For me it’s such an intimate thing, to be wearing something against your body, to send something you made out into the unknown. It’s hard to keep the intention when you start making larger quantities, even though in the studio we all share the same feeling towards imbuing each piece with intention. The pieces are quite personal, individualistic and intimate in some way, and it is important that this comes across in each piece; one way of doing this is through making sure the relationship with the maker is felt.

-Randi of Aesa talking to Dossier Journal about the 'saying goodbye process' when sending off her jewelry designs to be sold.

just some beautiful thoughts from a beautiful maker. 

...i can relate.

New Arrivals: Osei-Duro

Osei Duro is fashion that's not just sustainable, but also progressive, sewn by the Dzidefo Women’s Cooperative in the Volta Region of Ghana.
"Designers Maryanne Mathias and Molly Keogh developed Osei-Duro to create socially responsible and sustainable clothing that encourages international and intercultural cooperation. Working with the Dzidefo Women's Cooperative in Ghana this collection offers unusual yet very flattering cuts in fabrics and prints not found anywhere else"-refinery 29
Now in the shop-two styles of Bogolan Bags from Osei -Duro:

I know you're feeling Blue

fading Parthenocissus quinquefolia greets you at the door

Organic lotions from Mirasol Farms: Rosemary-Mint, Cedarwood-Cypress, Gardeners' (floral/woodsy), Lemon-Chamomile, Mother Earth (earthy/green) $18 each

Slate blue printed cotton carry-alls from Zanna Textiles: $18-22 each

Hand woven placemats by artists at Project Grow, $48/set of 4

One of a kind S+F fringey long necklace with antique dusty blue ceramic beads

Grey-blue pillows by Appetite Home, $35

Men's +Women's hand-painted t-shirts by Jessalin Beutler, $30

S+F recycled glass pyramids necklace

Blue Sailor's knot bracelets

small sword earrings in sky blue, $48

'Cyanosis'  blue lipstick from Portland Black Lipstick Co., $9

Vintage blue hankie

old postcards, $1

Printed tea towels, feathers+kelp, by Zanna textiles, $12 each

Vintage Afghan blue glass +brass ring, size 9, $35

Blue flourite octahedrons & blue Kyanite, I can put them on a necklace for you. Blue Kyanite carries the property of tranquility, it has a calming effect on the whole being & it encourages psychic abilities and communication on all levels. It cuts through fears and blockages, helping to speak one’s truth. It drives away anger, frustration, confusion and stress and helps to provide a capacity for linear and logical thought. Blue fluorite has the quality of protecting the emotions and restoring emotional balance.

Mini-mesh deep navy waxed canvas bag by PlainMADE, $86

Stay warm while you protest! Denim blue handknitted mobius cowl scarf, $48

Vintage deer&sailboat cups, $22/set of 4

Sad old matchbooks, with logos from our sad, old industrial world. If that's not Helplessness Blues, I don't know what is.

A lonely grey porcelain pony. All alone on the horizon of nothingness.Handmade by Song & Branch, $14

At the end of the world, we'll all look like this. S+F bronze hoops with turquoise skulls, $38

Long robin's egg blue + silver/brown leather S+F necklace

A broken wing on a chain. Nothing could be sadder.