Acorn + Archer

Spring 2016

2015-12-08T18:38:00.002-06:00

Well, November came and went! We traveled (locally) and got to spend some time with family and reflect on what we have to be thankful for (TONS!) and also started looking to Spring and the wonderful color palette that nature brings us!
Even though it is December and I'm so grateful for the holiday orders from the online shop, I am itching to get back to the creativity that drives from within and see what these two hands can come up with. Here's some sneak peeks of what is in the works for Spring!

I can't wait to continue tinkering with new glazes and techniques and see what the end result is to share with you.

Fashion Show

2015-09-25T20:47:00.000-05:00

The Arts Institute of Nashville put on a fashion show last night and I was lucky enough to get to be a part of it. I didn't know what to expect but I ended up choking back tears of elated-ness due to watching work I had created come down a legit runway on legit models wearing legit fashion. It was completely amazing and overwhelming.

My amazing friend Shannon of People Like Art is always looking out for me. She was asked to show in the Curated fashion show and submitted photos of my jewelry with her work. And the next thing I know, it was happening.

This isn't the first time that Shannon has used my pieces before on her website and even has a few Acorn + Archer pieces of her own that she wears proudly and drums up business for us. Come to think of, I owe this girl a new necklace!

Enjoy her People Like Art clothing below paired with Acorn + Archer jewelry!

All photos by Ruth Chapa

New stockist!

2015-09-10T20:52:00.000-05:00

I'm so happy to share that there is a new place to find your Acorn + Archer accessories in East Nashville and that is Sisters of Nature. My favorite thing about about Sisters of Nature is their commitment to ethically made and/or sourced products. Among the quality goods they carry you can also find our friends People Like Art, Valentine Valentine, Jamie and the Jones and Consider the Wldflwrs - all made here in Nashville, TN!

Located in the heart of East Nashville, Sisters of Nature remains a destination for women wanting a curated mix of clothing, accessories, gifts and home décor that reflects their personal style and fuels their lives' passions of art, music, travel, and exploring in nature.

Located at:

521 Gallatin Ave #5

Nashville, TN 37206

615-270-9219

Hours:

Tuesday-Saturday 11-6

Sunday 1-5

New studio!!!!

2015-08-27T19:59:00.000-05:00

Within these walls is the new home of Acorn + Archer!!

You dream something and hope that one day it will become a reality and as of today, I have my first studio space that isn't inside my house! It feels fantastic! I am so excited to see what the future holds and to get to be around other creatives day in and day out!! Also, super stoked to get to realize this dream with one of my best friends, Jessica! I imagine lots of impromptu dance parties in our future here.

Bling!

2015-07-17T20:18:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed some new stuff online, our Summer 2015 line is live and it involves hits of metal mixed in with the wood and ceramics. Check it out!

Pennyweight x Wilder Pop-Up

2015-06-14T15:48:00.000-05:00

We were honored to be a part of the Pennyweight x Wilder pop-up that is taking place all summer at one of the coolest shops in ~~Nashville~~ the U.S.!

Elise Joseph, friend and curator, organized an amazing collection of ready-to-wear, housewares, and accessories from both local and national talent. All of this goodness took place inside the already amazing Wilder, new to the Germantown neighborhood of Nashville within the past year. These two things together are top notch!! The pop-up runs until August 16th, so you still have time to check it out!

Among the mod home and personal items, you might spy these Acorn + Archer pieces!

We were even so lucky to be included in a special video that is part of a promotion for the event.

(*Note: Find similar pieces here and here.)

Pennyweight x Wilder from Pennyweight on Vimeo.

Porter Flea Summer Market Lineup

2015-05-29T17:20:00.002-05:00

It's that time of year again, time for Porter Flea Summer Market! Do you know how much I love to do this well-curated artisan market? I've blogged about it before, but to me, it is the time of year that I get back to the drawing board of designing new products and re-imagining my booth design to please and attract my local customers. It's also like going to summer camp with all of your other artistic buddies. It's kinda my favorite thing.

As always, I recommend buying tickets to the Preview Party on Friday night. I've been asked before, "Why would I purchase a ticket to attend a craft fair, especially when I can get in for free the next day?" I always assure peeps that this is the way to go. No lines to get in, there's a DJ, the best stuff hasn't already sold out yet AND there's usually some craft beer involved with the purchase of your admission!! I think when you factor in the price of the beer, you're actually getting in for free-ish. AND it's something different to do and you get to hang out with all of the cool kids.

Speaking of cool kids, I have made so many friends in the Nashville creative community through Porter Flea. I was fortunate enough to get in to the very first Porter Flea (when it was actually on Porter Road) and have had the good luck of being invited back for every single one since then. Along the way, I have met so many rad makers that have inspired me as well as I've been able to collaborate with a few here and there. The talent in Nashville is something special, and to be able to get together and chat about our shared experiences of some of the same setbacks we have encountered, as well as sharing tips with each other from resources, creative/styling, photography tips, wholesale or website tips, etc. there's just so much to learn and it's a great pool of talent to learn from. Many of these wonderful humans will be at the Flea next weekend so you should come check them out!

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My buddy Johnathan of Steric Design is always bending the rules and the wood to make unique and inventive furniture. I've enjoyed seeing his techniques develop over the years we've known each other. Also worth noting, he is one of the Nashville artisans that helps Acorn + Archer be a reality. Without other woodworkers and their small scale scraps of wood, there would be no wood jewelry from yours truly.

Bruton Dining Table by Steric Design

Allison of Shutters & Shuttles is another friend whose work has developed to that of true talent. I don't know how she does what she does, but I'm glad she does it. Have you ever seen the room-sized loom she creates her own fabric with? It is insanity. Allison creates fabrics that are used by other Nashville brands such as Ona Rex and Elizabeth Suzann. She has also played a part in Acorn + Archer, for we source some of our fibers for our newest styles of necklaces from her work. We are very grateful for Allison being a part of Nashville.

Shutters and Shuttles fibers with Acorn + Archer

Von Scarf by Shutters & Shuttles

Jessica of Pine Street Makery is my right-hand gal. We got to know each other really well through her being part of the team at Acorn + Archer back in 2012/13. We often share a booth at Porter Flea due to her being one of the organizers and being a very busy lady on that day running around and taking care of all of us vendors. You can always find some new screenprinted tea towels, zipper pouches or notebooks at each flea in her booth. You can also find her inside Hey Rooster General Store as she curates the paper selections called PULP.

Pine Street Makery notebooks

You are most likely already familiar with Brit McDaniel of Paper and Clay ceramics. Brit and I met through the West Elm + Etsy pop up shop a few years ago, when our wares were placed next to each other that day. We were both in love and traded some jewelry for mugs. I'm constantly impressed with Brit's ability to put out beautiful products and promote her brand all by herself. Girlfriend gets all the press and she is worthy.

Paper and Clay Danish Mug in Peach

Shannon of People Like Art is a woman after my own heart. Similarly to Acorn + Archer, she prefers to make every aspect of her beautiful clothing line from start to finish. I love her passion, her style, her never ending creative flow and her kind spirit. She is always offering her skills in some way to me. Sometimes it is asking me to be a part of her studio pop up, sometimes it is getting me leads on new shops that are interested in my jewelry (because they saw her wearing it in person), and sometimes she puts your jewelry on her models on her website for all to see. We really are a good pair, me and Shannon as well as People Like Art and Acorn + Archer.

A People Like Art top from our A+A 2013 Spring Lookbook

People Like Art tops (and an A+A shield necklace in the middle!)

Lastly, my pal Amanda Valentine, she is talented beyond measure. This is actually Amanda's first Porter Flea, but I'm really excited to see her join us. We met almost on a blind date happy hour about four years ago. We were meeting someone else that didn't work out or something and we just went ahead and had drinks and talked for hours. It was instant friendship. At that time she was doing a ton of styling and not as much of her own brand yet, and was really eager to help me out in getting my designs in photoshoots, etc. The thing that struck me right off the bat about Amanda is 'How can one individual be so artistic and have a vision, be able to bring that vision to life AND be able to give an interview or be on reality tv with zero awkwardness?' She has the same humility while giving an interview as talking to a friend or a twelve-year-old. She's just real, always.

When Amanda was cast for Project Runway season 11, she contacted me and asked if she could borrow some Acorn + Archer to wear for the whole nation to see. Who freaking does that? Who has a shot at national fame and has the forethought to take her peeps with her? You better believe that when I saw her wearing my jewelry on television I freaked out. I took like 15 screenshots and even called my mom on Face Time so she could see stuff that I had designed and made with my own two little hands...on my friend, on tv. There's so much about Amanda (and all of the pals above) that deserves her own blog entry, but that moment for me was the one that stood out that she wasn't going to just try to make a name for herself, she was going to try to make a name for multiple people/brands with the opportunity that she had been given.

Amanda on PR Season 11 wearing Acorn + Archer on TV!!!

Since then, she's given back to the community in a multitude of ways, speaking at graduations and judging fashion shows, but most notably to me is her time spent with Nashville art students inspiring and encouraging them to chase their own dreams. Oh, and her talent!! This gal has a got a way with piecing and color blocking, which is a theme I also use a lot with the wood styles. Check out her latest designs online and in person next week.

Valentine Valentine Mod Block Dress

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There you have it, why would you NOT come to Porter Flea next weekend? Also, worth noting The Skillery is giving away two tickets to the Preview Party next Friday night, go register to win and/or go purchase tickets here. See you there!

Clay:Shop at Hey Rooster

2015-05-22T12:52:00.002-05:00

I was really honored to be a part of the Clay:Shop pop-up at Hey Rooster General Store here in East Nashville, earlier this month. Shop owner (and friend) Courtney gathered pottery from some of the best ceramists across the country, and brought their pieces together for the two week long show. Also, worth noting was the awesome coverage on Design*Sponge!

Below, you see our Ceramic Shield 001 necklace, one of the two Acorn + Archer pieces that were included in the show, and coincidentally, the only ceramic jewelry! What an honor!

Hats off to Court for putting together such a fantastic showing and garnering some creative attention to our neck of the woods!!

Photo by Hannah Messinger

Via Hey Rooster

Photo by Hannah Messinger

Find at Hey Rooster

Check out all of our ceramic necklaces in the shop!

Porter Flea time!

2014-04-14T11:48:00.001-05:00

We are excited to announce we will be returning to Porter Flea Summer Market, June 6-7th!

White Rabbit and Michael Howard Photography

2013-06-07T11:38:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure how I forgot to share this, but a photo shoot took place at my house back in 2011 and featured the work of Shea Steel of White Rabbit and Local Honey, here in Nashville. I came across the photos on my hard drive last night and was reminded of how much fun a photo shoot can be and made me want to start planning my next Acorn + Archer lookbook!

Check out the work of Michael Howard and Shea Steel and the bonus is the backdrop = my hizzouse...I love the to see it through someone else's eyes!

Photography by Michael Howard - http://www.michaelhowardphoto.com

Clothing designs and styling by Shea Steel of White Rabbit

Model - Kate Madeira

Porter Flea Aircraft Wrap up!

2013-06-06T19:01:00.002-05:00

So...I've been mega absent from the blog lately (shocker), but boy have I been busy! There are some great things happening for Acorn + Archer in the coming months, and I can’t wait to get to share with you guys!
Until then, I wanted to say thank you to everyone that came out to visit and shop at Porter Flea - Aircraft Market last Saturday!! Despite a few rain showers, it was a great event with amazing vendors and a fantastic new location! And, none of it could be done without the creators of the Flea who put up with some down right "crazies" just to get the market in a space where we could all spread out and not have the crowds of last year.
Thank you to Brent, Jessica and Katie for putting on such an awesome event for Nashville!

(L to R) Jessica, Brent and Katie - creators of Porter Flea, an awesome team!
Photo cred: Emily Spence

Take a peak at some photos of Acorn + Archer through the eyes of Emily Spence and check out new products in our shop!

BlogShop | Designlovefest

2013-05-17T23:45:00.004-05:00

Oh! Did you see the beautiful photo of Acorn + Archer goodies over on designlovefest from the video blogshop in San Francisco!? I just saw it today!

Photo via designlovefest

If you are in a city that blogshop offers a class, you should go! I'm always envious of the attendees and everything that the blogshop team teaches looks like such a blast. What a great way to meet other like-minded creative peeps in your city.

Sustainable Gift Ideas for Mom

2013-05-09T17:19:00.000-05:00

We are happy to be included in 12 Sustainable Gift Ideas for Mother's Day at Blackle Mag, where they share tips, new green products and services and the latest eco news from around the world.

That's our Luna Necklace top left!

Happy Mother's Day to all you lovely ladies!

Southern Living...holla!

2012-11-27T17:23:00.000-06:00

Pretty neato to be mentioned on the Southern Living blog yesterday regarding Porter Flea and 5 things they are buzzing about this week!!

Mildly obsessed

2012-09-11T18:07:00.000-05:00

I can not stop looking up photos and more information about this cave in Mexico.

Displays, displays, displays!

2012-06-14T17:09:00.000-05:00

We are busily prepping for Porter Flea this weekend here in Nashville, and Brooklyn Renegade next weekend!! We can't wait to meet all the other vendors and to share with you everything we've been working on! We've tweaked our displays and our products are really fine-tuning what Acorn + Archer is.

(The plain display before)

Using painter's tape, we taped a section and painted it with regular household paint that I had left over from painting our office last year. I used it on both the wood display and the canvas drop cloth I purchased for less than $15 at Lowe's.

Remove the painters tape and voila!

I've been wanting to use these neon flags for some time, I've finally found a use for them!!

I found this vintage earring display at the flea market for $5 last month! It also got hit with a little bit of neon! Nothing is safe around me.

Let's ignore those old ugly wood pallets, shall we?

We also have a brand new necklace table top display for easier viewing!

Measure twice, cut once!

Tada!!

Even the back is pretty! David did a great job on all of these if you ask me! The best part is that the large displays are easy to break down for transporting...for my road trip to Brooklyn next week. More on that later, this weekend the focus is PORTER FLEA!!!

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Come say hello at Porter Flea this Saturday!!

Next Saturday and Sunday, June 23rd and 24th at Brooklyn Renegade!

Giveaway on Pennyweight today!

2012-06-05T12:52:00.000-05:00

Check out the amazing Elise's website, Pennyweight, for the chance to win a piece of Acorn + Archer! Elise is giving away The Shield in Wenge - Stoned and will announce a winner next Monday, June 11th - so hurry over and leave a comment on her post!

Stoned Shield in Wenge

Porter Flea!

2012-06-05T11:42:00.001-05:00

Guys, it's almost that time again! I am so excited to be a part of Porter Flea again this summer and ecstatic that it is indoors this year! I have to admit that I'm quite proud of how far we've both come from the first ever Porter Flea last year in the sweltering heat. It was Acorn + Archer's introduction to the world and my what a difference a year can make! We have weeded through the designs to see what works and what doesn't and we are REALLY excited to unveil new products at this year's Porter Flea on June 16th at Marathon Music Works!!

Porter Flea Summer 2011

Stay tuned for more men's products such as tie clips, cuff links and larger sized rings as well as two things I almost can't contain myself over.... A wood bow tie pendant and peter pan collar!!! Eeeeek!! As I have better photos I'll share them with you here on the blog, but in the meantime check us out on Facebook where we update almost daily!

2012-04-02T16:18:00.000-05:00

It's been an exciting week of news for Acorn + Archer! We have been asked to participate in an event with West Elm and Etsy for the Nashville edition of their We <3 Handmade Art!

RSVP here

West Elm and Etsy worked with local stylist Elise Yetton of the blog Pennyweight to curate a dozen Tennessee etsy artists for the event that will take place on Saturday, April 21st form 1pm-6pm at the Nashville West Elm store!

I pop in to Pennyweight at least once a week to see what Elise has to share with us as well as follow her Pinterest board like a hound...she's got a great eye! Check out her blog, and follow her on twitter and Pinterest while you are at it. I also would like to say that not only are we thrilled to even be asked to participate in an event with WEST ELM (!!!) and to be recognized by etsy....we are thrilled to be among such great artisans as Oh My Deer, Pine Street Makery and Simon & Ruby for this event!

image via West Elm

Check out all of the participating etsy vendors via their shops online, and come out on April 21st to see their wares in person by RSVP'ing to the event here! P.S. There will be snacks too!!

Acorn and Archer

Adelyn Stone

DTerry Designs

Gracey May Needlepoint

Newsletter!!

2012-03-22T20:25:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the crickets out here on the blogosphere, we've been busy! We just returned from a working vacation to Seattle/PDX/Vancouver B.C. and we have much news to share...but not yet!!

You may notice some changes around here, we've done some tidying up! The blog is now housed directly within the shop, as well as our new lookbook! I really like how clean and simple everything is and fingers crossed, I won't need to make any changes every other month like I tend to do. Also, as a new addition, you may now stay current on all Acorn + Archer news and products by signing up for our handy dandy newsletter! When we have new products and news to share, you will be the first to know! Just click the link below within this post, or on our main page on the right hand side and enter your email address, and that's it!

Don't worry, we don't share our email list with anyone and will only send you Acorn + Archer news occasionally!

New Wood Displays!

2012-02-08T16:49:00.000-06:00

As we wrap up the editing of our lookbook and begin the push toward global domination here at Acorn + Archer, we had the forethought to create custom wood displays for our wonderful retailers...and I'm so glad we did...I heart them...hard.

I look forward to sending our custom engraved recycled wood and brass hangers to select retailers across the US for them to hang our necklaces on! It's real, it's realllly happening - and it feels wonderful!

If there is a shop in your neck o' the woods that you think would be a good fit for Acorn + Archer, do please drop us a line at sales (at) acornandarcher (dot) com! We look forward to spreading our wings to all other reaches of the states and abroad as well! So, send us your suggestions- we're ready to hear!

A+A Lookbook Sneak Peek!

2012-01-29T19:04:00.000-06:00

If you've been wondering where the heck I've been hiding...it's been in photo editing land. I'm ecstatic to share with you the cover to our Spring 2012 Acorn + Archer lookbook! I hope to have the full version ready to go within two weeks, so bear with me!

Now, back to the ~~darkroom~~ office!

A+A Gift Certificates!

2011-12-19T22:34:00.003-06:00

If you are like me (a last minute awesome gift giver), then you will enjoy this next tidbit of information!!

You can now purchase Acorn + Archer Gift Certificates in almost any denomination (up to $1000!) via paypal!! If you've had your eye on a piece of jewelry for your honey, or maybe they told you which one they wanted and you forgot....or maybe you just missed the holiday shipping deadline....Why not give them the gift of picking it out themselves!!? Just say, "Look, I'm really awesome at picking gifts, but I know only you know which piece(s) of handmade wood jewelry would just make your heart sing...so, I got you a gift certificate to Acorn + Archer!!"

See, that totally works!! Click over to the web shop for more information!

On injuries in crafting

2011-12-09T17:07:00.000-06:00

Well, I must admit being the injury-prone goofball that I am...it was only a matter of time before I had an accident while making something with wood. I always assumed it would be a lost finger, considering how frequently I use power tools, especially an electric saw....but no, my first big break came last week...and not in the form of the cover of WWD...but as a broken bone...in my left foot to be exact.

Last Friday, I was prepping for the Porter Flea, working on building my display from which to hang the wood necklaces. I knew that I wanted a good, quality (aka heavy, not flimsy) wood backdrop. I found myself at Home Depot, searching the aisles of plywood, and eventually settled on the beautiful Birch. I selected a clean, even patterned piece, chose the 1/2" thick as to be more substantial...pulled it out of the horizontal rack...and just like a grape, I smashed my left foot with the 63 lb. sheet of wood.

I tried my best not to yell obscenities (and it was really hard), I also tried hard not to cry...but I managed. I hobbled over to someone who worked there and mouthed to him I need it cut in four equal pieces of 2' x 4'...and then I hobbled to the car and back home. I figured I was just being a baby and that I had waaaaay too much to do in the next 18 hours to prop my foot up and cry, like I really wanted to do.

I continued about my day, into the evening, constructing my backdrop...building a mock craft show in my dining room. Yes, the light wood rectangle pieces in the background are what were once the evil, evil board...before I showed him who was boss and cut him up!

Despite the injury, the display was shaping up!

That evening, I drove 30 miles away to pick up the wood ornaments I designed and farmed out to someone with better tools than myself (which are free with purchase until Christmas!)

Aren't they beautiful!!!? I heart them!

front

back

Then, the next morning....I proceeded to load up the car, set up the entire shebang by myself.... and then worked for 12 hours standing on said stupid broken foot at a craft show. What is wrong with me?!?

What I managed to put together with one working foot at Porter Flea.

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Finally, someone convinced me to go get an x-ray on Wednesday...only 5 days after the incident! haha

And to make the day extra special, I had a root canal that morning, you know, just to distract from the foot pain. I guess I did learn something about myself, apparently I have a high threshold for pain. This will surely come in handy when I do the inevitable and cut a finger off while making wood jewelry. ;-)

The moral of this story is, if you drop something that weighs 63 lbs on your foot and it swells up like your great aunt Bertha's cankles....go see a doctor!!!

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Overall, the Porter Flea Holiday was a huge success, despite the pain I was in and the size of my one gigantic foot. I made new friends, ran into old ones that I hadn't seen in 10-15 years, and gained lots of new customers...even a few men that purchased Acorn + Archer not for their significant other, but for themselves!

Stay tuned to see who won our Polyvore Show Us Your Style Challenge!! You still have until midnight CST to submit your look!!

Porter Flea and New Pieces!

2011-11-29T17:02:00.000-06:00

Whew! Things sure are busy around A+A headquarters! First big announcement....We went international last week, three shipments to different countries!! And even though Thanksgiving has come and gone, we really do feel that we have so much to be thankful for, this year more than ever. It was only last November that we started playing around in the basement studio, developing what is now our first line of wood jewelry.... And in a year's time, so much has happened...both personally and professionally in those short twelve months, that I am even more grateful for those that I have in my life that support me as well as Acorn + Archer. You make this possible!

As we prep for the Porter Flea Holiday Market this Saturday (December 3rd) as well as our first ever photoshoot/lookbook next weekend, I wanted to express how genuinely thankful we are that you share in such an exciting time with us! I've received numerous emails and text messages from family and friends looking to purchase wood jewelry for those on their Christmas list. It means so much that you want to pass on some of our handiwork to those that you love! So thank you, thank you, thank you!!! We are on the cusp of something big, and the electricity and anxiety of things to come makes me want to squeal!

If you are in the Nashville area this Saturday, drop by the Porter Flea market and say hello!!

We will have some new designs available as well as the limited edition special striped pieces!

And don't forget....we still have free shipping in the US...so if you have your eye on a piece or two, and can't make it to the Porter Flea... JUMP over to the web shop and get it there!! And if you want one of the limited edition pieces above that aren't in the shop yet, email me!