outfits;fits out

1.patti smith+lizzy mercier,1977.
2.telepathe
3.the knife
4.golden girls/natural fibre wonders

sword+fern on crazy internet connections rollercoaster ride popularly known as 'facebook'

find sword+fern on facebook for lots of updates, sales and photos.
become my friend!

new things: springsprungsprang bang pop dance+dress

top: the flyer i made for our new dance night:FAME! come and GET IT ON!
i DJ old skool dance hits and 90'club faves,forgotten disco, + frankie knuckles/janet jackson/expose..lovin the steez of new york 1981/ detroit 1986 lately, so come out and listen! our rotating DJ crew equals canadian takeover and lots of fun.it's every wednesday and there's no cover!!i DJ next on April 22nd.
bottom: i want this dress to wear to lord bison's wedding on april 18. it's at stand up comedy right next door to me.

THE WAY WE LIVE+thinking of you

1.hexagon
2.shiny disco ball
3.high fivin'
4.braille tattoo
5.what the number 84 looks like
a song for KF:
sleepy disco dancer/you wait to sing before you fall/ asleep is when i kiss you/after night calls/you and 4/4 make new real future love /while you hold the crystal ball..
streets share beats
and alleys make heat
when you light my dancefloor room eyes up.

a swarm of bees in my spring equinox head.

on lovely kerby: ceremony necklace, $72.
pyramids of light and strength.new drawings by me.
red triangle mobiles in the spring welcome window. come leave me a note.
vintage scarves for spring. explode into colors. $10 each.
a swarm of bees in my belly and around my neck. never to be stung only to sing in chorus and gloriously..to you always.. new pieces $35-$65 each.

And, ubiquitously yours.

on the walls of sword+fern:
a new drawing installation; geometry dreams and long lost old knots to tie up.
the oddities shelf at sword+fern:
everything vintage is 50% off til march 15th.
cold, wet precipitation:
soon; goodbye.
on kerby:
ceremony necklace in gold;$72, fern earrings in gold; $35. available at swordandfern.etsy.com

this morning; a lovely write up from PortlandPicks.com:

Vintage Booty~Sword+Fern We’ll admit it. We’re probably some of the only people in the country who didn’t see “Pirates of the Caribbean.” We don’t observe Talk Like a Pirate Day. And walk the plank? We can hardly swim! Instead, we get our booty close to home, at Sword + Fern. A combination artist studio and retail space full of reclaimed goodness, Sword + Fern offers a treasure trove of cool loot. Everything is sustainably crafted or vintage: think jewelry made from car parts, natural perfumes, vintage chains. Nothing is mass-produced; goods are either found at estate sales or handmade by super-sweet owner Emily or her friends. We loved the pottery on the shelf, as well as the old books and sea-swept prints adorning the walls. Only open about six months, we’re pretty sure this eco-savvy boutique has already planted deep roots in its East Burnside locale. And following our visit, we have since learned the Sword Fern is a ubiquitous plant in this area. Coinkidink? We think not.

february. it finally snagged me.. i have been sick for 3 days and the shop had to stay closed and lonely.. i hope you didn't miss it too much. it feels so good to know that spring is right around the corner, and all of winter's loose, cold ends are getting tied back up. this was a difficult, cold, and sunny odd winter for me. i was saved by the nest of new and old friends near and far, ira glass, playing music, christopher's dinners, charley and amy's visits, bwana's smile, rachel's sweetness, scrapper's drunk shopguy antics, alli's hugs, customer's love+appreciation, kimberly's patience, jeremy+julia's support, marta's texts, audrey's shopgirl help, claudia and helen stoking the home fires, gretchen, erin a + m, katz, doozie, heather, and stoken's unconditional love and friendship, crowell's breakfasts and genius ideas, and endless magical karaoke nights with jen, mandy, kerby, bob, and kupp. i am looking forward to all the promises spring brings and a new fresh breath of air blowing at my back.
i have installations and ideas crowding my mind in honor of ringing spring in. reds. knots. anna's lights. erin's new baby. new music projects and tours to go on with all our bands. portland bike rides and picnics by the river. i'll miss the light coming through the bare branches.. but i am excited to get warm again. erin crowell modeled some new pieces i created last week.. enjoy

w i n t e r s a l e

sword+fern jewelry now for sale on big cartel

melanie valera took this photo of us kicking it at her new house the other night. a lot of things have been rough lately but this is a portrait of good times with friends that makes everything this cold winter is bringing a bit better.
new days are coming...spring is around the corner..
and you can now find my jewelry for sale on big cartel.com
swordandfern.bigcartel.com
of course.
enjoy the sun through bare branches while you can, and cuddle up.
winter will be gone before you know it, and we'll all be topless and warm again.

seattle snow day plans

i'm headed home to seattle for the holidays.. and a visit to the volunteer park conservatory on capital hill is in order to get warmed up.
i took these photos when i used to work there 2003-2005.

ERIN GREY CROWELL.NEW PHOTOGRAPHS.opening friday december 5

Photographer Erin Grey Crowell
brings her chromera prints to sword+fern for the month of December.
Join us on Friday, December 5 from 5 til 9 to meet Erin,
view her pieces and share a holiday drink.
About Erin +her photos:
Taken this may in Northern California - the pastoral scenes depict an old school house from the
1890's as well as an old homestead. Close to these sites was a pioneer graveyard and a stage coach stop - all broken shards of pottery andcrumbling tombstones, one newer then the rest carved from iron, the
shape of mustangs running across a woman's grave
that only died a year or so before -
she was by about a century the youngest member of the cemetery
and it made me wonder how she had decided this to be her
final resting place.
The sun was just starting to disappear as the rain clouds grew denser
- making the light filter through like honey or amber...
I really enjoy photographing a real scene that seems too beautiful to
be real - rather it seems to be staged - the light and environmental
conditions a product of cinematic creation, but its not created
necessarily - the image i see is how i remember it to be, which of
course can always be contested in art theory -

I grew up in between New Zealand, Texas and Oregon - returning to NZ
for high school where I studied photography - In Oregon I graduated
with a BA in liberal arts with a focus in Anthropology from Reed
College, I also studied photography at Reed. I am Applying to
school for a Masters in Architecture- hopefully I will still find the
time to document these surreal scenes, and be able to appreciate them
when they present themselves.

willamette week gift guide!

nice things to buy for your friends.

new handbags, wallets from rogue&dandy

CLUTCH/BELTBAG, $50.

GLORIA BAG, $375.
tobi de goede, seattle leather artist, has delivered her first crop of beautifully handcrafted leather clutch/belt bags, wallets, and handbags to sword+fern.
they all feature distressed leather and hand weathered, antique, and often one of a kind finishings.
there are a select few pieces here now, at affordable prices.watch this girl, she is taking off.

trunk show at weiden + kennedy

if you work at W+K..
come by our special holiday trunk show,monday november 24th from 1-4 pm.

Join us for our Lower East End Black Friday Event

Lower East End Black Friday Event:
Holiday Fashion Show, Street-wide Sale, Free Prize Drawing

On Friday, November 28, 2008 from 10am to 9pm, the businesses on East Burnside in the newly renamed Lower East End (LEE) neighborhood will be holding a street-wide Black Friday event. Lille Boutique, Frank James and Rock n’ Rose will be opening early and offering 30% off their entire stock from 10am to 12pm. From 12pm to close, every item will be included in the Buy One Get One Half Off Sale*. In addition to the boutique sale, LEE restaurants, salons, bars and coffee shops will be offering special discounts for the two-day event. This is a wonderful opportunity for customers to support local businesses, take advantage of great deals and avoid the hassle at the mall.

The Sale will continue on Saturday, November 29, from 10am to 7:00pm, culminating in a joint holiday fashion show held at Frank James at 729 E. Burnside, #103 at 7:30pm. The show will combine new and vintage clothing with fine lingerie to illustrate quintessential Portland styles. Any customer who makes a purchase on Friday or Saturday (minimum $20) will be entered into a drawing to be held that evening for a variety of free prizes, including gift certificates and merchandise from the participating LEE establishments listed below.

Lille Boutique (1007 E. Burnside)
Frank James (729 E. Burnside)
Rock n’ Rose (616 E. Burnside)
Grendel’s Coffee House (729 E. Burnside)
Le Pigeon (738 E. Burnside)
Doug Fir (830 E. Burnside)
Burnside Proper Salon (626 E. Burnside)
Wax On Spa (734 E. Burnside)
Sword + Fern (811 E. Burnside)

shop to better women's lives this holiday on buildanest.com

i'm really happy to tell you about an awesome non-profit i have been affiliated with for the past couple of years. it's called NEST, and the genius ladies behind this great website have just recently re-designed their site . please visit my shop on buildanest.com! 15-30% of each purchase gets sent directly to women artists in developing countries.
more about NEST...

....Nest is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of women in developing countries. The mission of Nest is to support women artists and artisans in the developing world by helping them create sustainable entrepreneurial businesses. To do this, Nest provides micro-credit loans to be used for the purchase of the supplies and materials necessary to begin and/or maintain art or craft-based businesses.

The funds for these loans are generated by selling a unique line of clothing, accessories and merchandise for the home produced exclusively for Nest by a group of artists and designers. The Nest line also includes ceramic pottery, women’s clothing and other items with the Nest logo. In addition to these exclusive items created by well-known designers, the recipients of Nest loans in developing countries also make their crafts available to Nest as repayment for the micro-credit loans. These items, too, are incorporated into the Nest line of merchandise. In this way, Nest draws together artists from across the globe into a cooperative network with a shared vision of mutual support.

When you buy from Nest, you have not only have purchased a unique and beautiful item for yourself or your home, you have participated in a proven effort to better the lives of women all across the globe. Through our work, and your participation, women all over the world are able to plant their roots in a refuge filled with warmth, solace, comfort and joy. It is our sincere hope that Nest can help you create a home, both for yourself and women the world over, filled with energy, beauty and peace.

please see the website and my shop for more information and more emily baker jewelry for sale.
my shop on NEST
it's a great choice this holiday season!

awesome

thanks to AW for design collaboration and amazing talent.

YES!!!!

new etsy shop open now

shop here..sword+fern on etsy
new styles available.