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Archive for May, 2009

Meet the Poppettes - Emily, our graphic artist, paper addict, closet QVC shopper

Friday, May 29th, 2009

Relaxing after digging for diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park. Wearing Peacock earrings, of course. A girl's got to accessorize when camping!

Dearest Poppy Blog readers! I moved to Columbia three years ago and have enjoyed every minute of it. There is always something going on, and I really love being a part of the downtown atmosphere at Poppy. One of my favorite things to do at work is to make earring cards. It’s a little known fact that we make all of the cards for the earrings in the cases. My fine paper addiction began years ago, and I think that digging through our extensive paper collection to find just the right combination of colors and textures serves as a sort of therapy for me.

Getting to meet artists is another perk of being a Poppette, especially when I love their work. Local artists Karen Pritchett and Todd Shelby of Animalia Pottery frequently bring in their creations, and I always sneak into the back to take a peek before it all goes out on the sales floor. Their pieces are so vibrant and fun; I want to buy an entire set of these bowls for my own house. Here are two bowls that I bought my dad for Christmas. He was thrilled.

Bicycle by Animalia

I Prefer the Term Skanky by Animalia

I must be on a clay kick because I can’t get enough of Olaria Studio. Amy McClure creates her jewelry by pressing found objects into porcelain. The results are beautiful. I own her Peacock earrings in turquoise and would love to add something like

Chatham Batik Bibb Necklace by Olaria

to my collection. It’s the perfect pop to any summer’s day!

Tags: Animalia, Olaria
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Meet the Poppettes - Sarah, our poet, fashion plate, PhD

Friday, May 29th, 2009

Hi! I’m Sarah

Sarah and flowers

and I’m the part-timey-est of the Poppettes, though I’ve been at Poppy for almost three years. For the last year and a half, while I was finishing graduate school, I’ve been picking up shifts whenever the other girls can’t work—Poppy is like the mafia, except that you never really want to leave. I’m always happy to get a day in the store!

I’m especially happiest when I’m helping customers, some of whom are old friends, pick out perfect presents. I’m a crazy gift-giver; I always know months and months in advance what I’m giving, so when a husband pops in with his wife over the holidays and we slip away the piece she’s looked at and wrap it secretly, I get a vicarious gift-giving kick imagining her happy surprise.

When I’m not thinking about jewelry, I’m thinking about art. I wish I were a painter like the fabulous Chris Vance, whose “Figure It Out” is gorgeous

Figure It Out by Chris Vance

but I’ve had to settle for being a poet. And to be honest, sometimes even when I’m trying to think about art, jewelry slips in. See for yourself: here’s one of my poems, which is about losing a ring (luckily, not one from Poppy): http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=182830.

In my spare time, I like to knit, so I really love our Poppy craft nights! It’s fun to get all these creative girls together to work on all our various projects. My current project is a huge batch, in all different colors, of these knit and felted flowers (if you’re a knitter yourself, you can find the pattern at http://nonipatterns.com or ask your local yarn shop)

Camellias by Sarah

I think I’m going to put mine on a blanket, not in the yard. It’s my dream to make all the Poppettes a beautiful flowery blanket to cuddle up under, so watch out, girls!

Tags: Chris Vance, Jamie Cassavoy, Knitting, Poetry
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Meet the Poppettes - Angie, our resident fiber artist, earring card machine, & elementary art teacher!!!

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

The lighter side of Angie.

Hi friends,
I’m Angie, a veteran Poppette of almost 3 years. I attribute my longevity at Poppy to the fact that being here hardly feels like work. Not only are my co-workers my most favorite and hilarious friends but also the environment here just can’t be beat. Everyday I come to work I get to select jewelry from our display cases to show off for the day.

My favorite pieces right now are these Tana Acton cuffs.

Tana Acton's Gold Bracelet with Pink Pearls

As an artist myself, I can’t resist such diligent handiwork as Tana’s hand woven bracelets with chunky, colorful, and best of all-kinetic beads. A girl with an endless supply of jewelry to wear and art to look at is a very happy girl indeed.

Growth - Angie Schlotzhauer

Tattered - Angie Schlotzhauer

Currently, I have my own colorful artwork on display at Poppy as a part of the Fiber Arts Tour and Exhibition (FATE). My work is made of hand-dyed silk organza in intensely saturated colors assembled and stitched together into these soft abstract forms.

Most people wouldn’t expect the artist to be within earshot of the work they are viewing so I love to sit back and hear their candid reactions to my work. Mostly people glance around with guilty looks to see if they are clear to sneak a feel of the tattered silk. This is strictly forbidden at museums and fine galleries but I take it as a compliment.

Tags: FATE, Tana Acton
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Meet the Poppettes - Barb, our friend and boss, incurable art enthusiast and animal lover

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Our fearless leader.

Barb, John, and the pups.

Hi all,
Nothing beats galloping across a pasture bareback – if you’ve got the right horse – but my time at Poppy ranks right up there.

Blue Moon Girls at Sunset - Leslie Ann Webb

Second Chances - Leslie Ann Webb

Working with the other Poppettes to connect artists with people is addictive, as is the email that starts my day – well, right after the outside break for my puppy – and ends my day. Unlike other addictions though, it’s legal! My husband’s looking for a “cure”, but he can just give up on that.

After 27 years, we have all the right horses at Poppy – super coworkers, great artists, and loyal customers – all really are friends. And all the wonderful inventory at 10th and Broadway – you know, all the work that I haven’t been able to fit in my house. (John won’t let me start in on his office. But being an otherwise helpful kinda guy, he’s offered to help me make more space by finding another home for the three donkeys; but I’d miss the rascals too much. Or the four horses; but then what would we ride? Or the indoor cat; but I’d miss Tidy Kat duty. The four barn cats have to stay, of course, because we don’t want mice and, in any case, the bat needs company … ) So I can’t bring anymore stuff home (for now) and that’s OK really, because I spend more time at Poppy, anyway.

Painted Pony - Terrell Powell

Cat Cat Kitten - Mark Poulin

Tags: Leslie Ann Webb, Mark Poulin, poppy
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Meet the Poppettes - Amy, our number cruncher, book cooker :), trail blazer

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Amy with her boys.

My name is Amy, and I’m one of the “back room” Poppettes. I help with the bookkeeping end of the business. But that’s just my part-time gig. I’m mostly a stay-at-home mom to 9 and 7 year old boys Alex and Ross and wife to Brad. I also spend as much time as I can on my bike on the trails around Columbia.

Kelly Baldwin silver bean earrings

I usually stay in the back room, but when I do venture forth into the store I usually end up in the jewelry section. My friend Lili recently helped me find the perfect earrings by artist Kelly Baldwin.

KB sweet square necklace

We had fun trying lots of other ones first, pushing me a little outside my conservative comfort zone and introducing me to many new artists. So many to choose from!

Tags: Kelly Baldwin
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Meet the Poppettes - Stephanie, our jewelry case designer, artiste, and sushi enthusiast

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Stephanie at opening for Bleu.

Hello All,

I’m Stephanie. I grew up in Dallas and moved to Columbia from Austin a few years after I got my art degree at U.T. I specialized in sculpture. This town was quite an adjustment in terms of size but it has a nice low-key pace and mood. I had to get used to having more seasons too!

I’ve been working at Poppy (and at the Columbia Public Library) for over three years now. My favorite thing about Poppy is all of my friends here. Secondly, I like that we are supporting artists in their endeavors.

Ollie

Ramona

One of my favorite artists at the store is Anthony Pack who makes 3-D mixed-media little robot people. They are made of recycled materials (I love that). He uses forks, knobs, bottle caps, coffee cans, etc. for the body parts. Good quirky fun!

Chihiro Makio lotus necklace

Additionally, I am a big fan of our Chihiro Makio jewelry. She uses mixed metals to create interesting sculptural flowers and shapes. Most interesting is her use of beads. She pierces the edges of the metal and stitches the beads on for unexpected color and texture. Fabulous! That makes for two completely different art forms made of metal.

Enjoy!

Tags: Anthony Pack, Chihiro Makio
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Meet the Poppettes - Diana, our newest little flower

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

diana
Hi All!!
My name is Diana and I have been a sales associate at Poppy for 3 months. I have been married to my wonderful husband for almost 2 years and we have a dog, Miss Martha Mae. She is our baby and is treated as so. I am originally from Festus, Mo but have lived in Columbia for greater than 7 years. I love the vibe Columbia gives to everyone that visits. It has fabulous music, food and social events. I feel that Poppy is the perfect expression of what Columbia is all about, blending the past with the present in a unique way. When you walk through the door you enter a world of art rarely displayed in one location. I was trying to narrow down my favorite artist(s) but that was impossible, so I’ll focus on Jewelry.

Jamie Cassavoy Oxidized Silver, 18K Gold, and Coral earrings

One of my many favorites is Jamie Cassavoy. She hand makes each of her unique pieces by cutting the organic shapes out of sterling silver, 18k bimetal and 18k Gold. She then accents each piece with semi-precious stones and crystals.

Jamie Cassavoy's Cluster Leaf Necklace

JC's Flower Ring with Garnet

At the root of her work are clean lines, negative space and textures with accents of color.

I feel that if you choose to give one of our artist’s pieces as a gift, you’re not just giving a piece of jewelry, you are giving a piece of art! I feel Poppy’s jewelry offers a wide variety of styles and price points to fit any person’s search for that perfect gift. I feel very fortunate to have a job where I am not only surrounded by wonderful art but wonderful people.

Tags: Jamie Cassavoy
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Meet the Poppettes - Shawna, our floor manager, recycling nut, PhD

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Dr. Shawna celebrating with family and friends.

Hi, Shawna here. I’m the new floor manager of Poppy. I am trying to fill some very big shoes (those would be Liz’ shoes). I love where I work and what I do. We have a great bunch of folks who are a part of Poppy.

Shawna and Lili at Artrageous Friday

I am amazed on a daily basis by the talent and creativity of our artists and the people who work at Poppy, each and every one of them.
I do all sorts of managerial things here, but I think one of my favorite things that I get to do is to help people find that perfect piece or discover a new artist who speaks to them. Art is a very personal experience.

Jan Gjaltema earrings.

One of my favorite jewelry artists is Jan Gjaltema…don’t get me wrong, I love plenty of others, but there’s something about his work - it is both architectural and organic.

I am an avid recycler and encourage the Poppettes to recycle all we can - it helps us and it helps the environment. Yes, I am little Suzy-do-gooder.
My super power is scaring away hiccups. Just ask Lili sometime. (hee hee hee)

Shawna in Don't Dress for Dinner

What do I do in my leisure time when I’m not using my superpowers? Well, I just finished my PhD in Theatre. I am also the artistic director of Independent Actors Theatre. I’m an actor, director, and teacher.
I’m also a very avid runner. I’m not the fastest, but I always finish. I ran my first 10K this month with a generous sponsorship from Poppy – all to raise money for Trail to a Cure (HIV/AIDS research and services for those living with HIV/AIDS).

Shawna in the homestretch of the TTAC 10K.

I’ve got another 5K coming up on Memorial Day.

Tags: Jan Gjaltema, Running, Theatre
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Meet the Poppettes - Lili, our wonderous merchandiser, web manager, and everything elser

Monday, May 4th, 2009

lili2
Hi my name’s Lili and I work at the art factory, one day my boss came up to me and said “Hi Lili, move this display with your left foot.” (I began moving with my left foot)
Hi my name’s Lili and I work at the art factory, one day my boss came up to me and said “Hi Lili, update this site with your left hand.” (I began updating with my left hand)
Hi my name’s Lili and I work at the art factory, one day my boss came up to me and said “Hi Lili, pay this bill with your right hand.” (I began paying with my right hand)
Hi my name’s lili and I work at the art factory, one day my boss came up to me and said “Hi Lili enter this inventory with your”….ahhh…oohhh…(I tobble and wobble) “nose.”…”Sheewwww,” I say. And that is pretty much what I do…find ways to balance it all. I am Lili, the website manager, visual merchandiser, inventory co-manager, and payables clerk.
I love my job at Poppy because I have to have all these things going on to feed my a.d.d. (I don’t even think those letters are right anymore with the changing medical jargon these days, oh well). I always describe myself as left- and right-brained and usually the two are competing with each other. I find that the different tasks at Poppy really feed all the sides of me. I really like data entry with inventory but I really love doing display work. Everything balances each other out. Now that song at the beginning may have alluded to a stress but that’s because we always have something going on here at Poppy.
Poppy has become a big part of my life. I really love it and all the people I work with. Everyone is so talented and all of us put together seem to complete each other. It is a great team environment where we all shine in our own way. So this month we want to introduce all of the different people that work at Poppy, we endearingly refer to each other as Poppettes! So May is “Meet the Poppettes” month.

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