Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Finding the Perfect Wedding Gift

With wedding season upon us Poppy has been busy with shoppers asking for wedding gift ideas. Personally I am a non-traditional gift giver and avoid registeries. Fortunatly for those looking for that special gift Poppy is the place to be.

One of our most popular gifts for weddings are our Out On A Limb Wood Bowls and Utensils. The artists Carl and April Terhune are from Centertown MO and use only native woods to form their bowls and utensils. The woods used in their pieces include; ash, cherry, locust, oak, walnut, Osage orange, cedar, box elder and spalted maple. The bowls range in sizes from 12" to 18".





One of my favorite new artists to Poppy is a potter from Contoocook, NH whose work is perfect for a non traditional couple. Boyan Moskov was born in Ruse, Bulgaria and was drawn to art from an early age. In 2008 Boyan Pottery was born in his barn, which Boyan had transformed into his pottery studio. He thrives on designing functional pottery with fabulous color and design. In 2009 Boyan was awarded "Best Decorative Ceramic Piece". Below are examples from his Patchwork Collection.

Windchimes also make a lovely wedding gift. Poppy carries the Music of the Spheres collection. Larry Roark was the founder of Music of Spheres and his vision was simple; make the most durable chimes with the highest acoustic quality possible, "the Stadivarius of windchimes". His vision of "world peace-one backyard at a time" was genuine and heartfelt. Music of the Spheres offers seven sizes of chimes spanning four octaves. Their Chime tunings include Pentatonic, Chinese, Aquarian, Mongolian, Hawaiian, Balinese, Japanese, Gypsy, Wholetone, Quartal and Westminster.

Another new artist to Poppy is Suat Gurtan. His metal wire sculptures would be quite the unique gift for a wedding. Gurtan Designs was established in 1978. Suat's design philosophy is substance over style. He does not believe in fashion and temporary marketing measures, but believes in timelessness. He has great respect for classical architecture and produces, but does not believe in imitating the past. The past is for lessons to be learned. Nature is beautiful and has plenty to offer for inspiration. He thinks the solutions are not within different directins but concentrating on quality, starting with the quality of life.









-diana

















Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Wedding Bells are Ringing!

Wedding season is upon us. According to aweddingministers.com June is the most popular month for weddings then August followed by September, October and May.

My husband and I were married in a traditional wedding in the church I grew up in. It was as perfect a day as a young girl can wish for. With that said it's always fun to think back and shake things up a bit! What would I do if I were getting married today?

I would get married in October at my favorite winery, Chaumette in Ste Genevieve MO. They are home to the St Vincent's in the Vinyard Chapel. The chapel holds 80 people on the main floor and 20 in the balcony.


Chaumette Winery was established in 1990 by Hank and Jackie Johnson. Rich in history Ste Genevieve was home of the first colonial settlement west of the Mississippi River by the French in the early 1730's. Chaumette is home to 30 acres of grapevines. With truly stunning landscape and wonderful variety of wine what more could a girl ask for?

I loved my wedding dress; strapless, bustled skirt, minimal detailing on the bodice, perfect for a church wedding. For a chapel wedding at the winery I would have gone more for a dress like this one from J Crew. Simple yet detailed. Love it!!



My bridesmaids wore apple red strapless gowns with bustled skirts. Today I would choose a short, strapless cocktail dress in my favorite color palate, Light Pewter.


The only thing I regret is that my jewelry was so specific to my dress I have yet to wear it again. For this style wedding I would choose Moira K Lime's Cascading Petal earrings and no necklace.


For my bridesmaids I would choose Moira K Lime's Small Peony Necklace and Earrings. Each piece would be worn again and again!
Happy Wedding Day to all the couples preparing for their big day.

-diana















Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Retailer Excellence Award Sponsored by NYIGF

The New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF) is an event that takes place every February and August in the 'Big Apple'. Much of what you see throughout Poppy stems from visits to this event. There are hundreds of vendors and artists from around the world that come to show their work. It's a great platform for bringing artists, vendors and retailers together.
The NYIGF also sponsors the Retailers Excellence Award. This is a national award recognizing excellent retailing and individual achievement. Introduced in 1951 by Gifts & Decorative Accessories, and presented annually in the connection with the summer NYIGF, the REA's are the industry's oldest and most prestigious awards. The 59th annual Retailer Excellence Awards will recognize excellence in four retail categories: Gift Store Design/Redesign; Marketing Achievement; Visual Merchandising/Display; and Internet Gift Retailing; as well as two categories for individual achievement, Rep of the Year and Industry Rising Star.
You may be asking why am I boring you with all this information! Well I am very excited to announce that Poppy is one of three finalists to be nominated for the Visual Merchandising / Display Category. If you are someone that is at all familiar with Poppy you know that Lili is our merchandising extraordinaire. She has spent countless nights rearranging the entire store. He is able to turn her visions into tangible windows and displays. She will be joining Barb and I for our adventure to NY to be honored at the REA Gala at The Lighthouse. We are so excited for her! It is a well deserved honor! Below are a selection of pictures to show off Lili's stunning talent. I hope you enjoy!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Kathy Frey Trunk Show

We are so excited to announce that Kathy Frey will be at Poppy this Friday, June 4th from 5pm-8pm. We have carried Kathy's line of sculptural wire jewlery for several years. She currently resides in Northern CA, so this is a rare treat. She will be bringing a special collection of jewlery that will only be available while she is in town.

Kathy is an artist in all aspects of her life, jewlery has always been a hands on passion for her, a life-long maker, designer, and crafter. Her restrained use of color flows from her emphasis on contrast, structure, positive and negative space, tension and kineticism - all expressed in her handcrafted constructions.
Kathy's Anemone Necklace,
Bloom Pins and Wrapped Band Rings
are some of my favorites.

I love the way Kathy uses raw materials and turns them into pieces with a sophisticated edge. She takes something so pure, so raw and turns it into a structured one of a kind piece of jewelry.


Don't miss out on this great oppurtunity! Come and join us Friday June 4th, from 5pm-8pm.
-diana