Delicate Romantic Visions: The Ethereal Realm of Paper Acorn

www.highfivesalon.comCAHC Featured Shop:  May 2011

              

The Paper Acorn Shop is full of handcrafted goodies, all made out of paper!   Focusing mostly on wedding décor, Jessica Wolf’s shop on Etsy has all the decorations  you’ll need for the big day, from napkin rings and place holders to favor boxes and garlands. She even creates custom luminaries.

Jessica has sold her incredible handmade paper acorns on Etsy for two years; however, she wasn’t always a full time Etsian. Prior to opening Paper Acorn in August 2009, Jessica worked for a package design company. While there she opened her first Etsy shop, Libellus, selling handmade books and artwork. “The packaging industry taught me so much that I incorporate into my work now,” Jessica said. Her products feature a clean, simple style with modern elegance “and a little bit of cute thrown in for good measure,” she said.

The acorn boxes, the shop specialty, were Jessica’s first original design and the idea  that spurred her business. “Acorns have been a significant symbol of growth in my own life, so I guess there’s a special place in my heart for these little guys,” she said. The acorn boxes are one of Jessica’s favorite projects to work on.

Everyone who creates needs inspiration and Jessica is no different. She loves getting inspiration from custom orders. “Just about the time I start getting tired of making the same old thing, a customer will request something completely new.”  Jessica relishes the chance to create a new design to fulfill a buyer’s vision. She also finds inspiration by browsing Etsy and seeing the creations of other talented crafters.

A typical day for this Paper Acorn shop owner is very busy. Her days involve answering e-mails, cutting paper parts for orders, and taking time out to feed herself and her cats. In the afternoon she assembles parts while watching shows or movies on Netflix. Then it’s off to the post office to ship orders. After that her work day is officially over, even though she often gets back to work later in the evening after dinner and the housework is finished.

Jessica has been happily married to her love, Adam, for three years. “We don’t have any kids yet but we have raised three perfectly dysfunctional cats,” she said. Since much of Jessica’s paper creations involve weddings we asked what her favorite wedding memory was.  It turns out Jessica is very romantic at heart; her favorite wedding memory? “ Standing at the altar with Adam in my parents’ yard as the sun was setting and the birds were singing, enjoying the perfect weather – and knowing it was supposed to thunderstorm that whole week!”

Jessica enjoys working with brides, thrilled that her work gets to be part of their special day. “My favorite part of that whole process is receiving photos from customers’ weddings and seeing my paper creations in real life. Getting a small glimpse into someone’s big day and seeing a bit of your own work as a part of it is very rewarding,” Jessica said.

Besides working hard for the Paper Acorn, Jessica and her  husband are very involved with their church volunteering on a team that builds fun play areas for kids. “I also get to hang out with an awesome 5th grader who is part of the church’s special needs program,” she said.

On occasion, Jessica also makes art and show work for the Redtree Gallery in Oakley (www.redtreegallery.net). If you stop by the High Five Salon in O’Bryonville you’ll see a sculpture installation commissioned by Sam Hills of www.highfivesalon.com.  Most recently, she had the fabulous treat of collaborating with an artist from Visionaries and Voices to create a paper sculpture for their annual art auction, check it out at www.visionariesandvoices.com.

“When I’m not craftin’, artin’, or volunteerin’, I like to dig around in my little veggie garden, and have friends over for dinner and scrabble,” Jessica said.

You can find Paper Acorn on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/paperacorn.

Article written by Lindsay Braud
Edited by Lu Sun and Lauren Martin