Milestones

Everyday at Poppyfield brings growth. This past week was marked by our inaugural class, The Poppyfield Chain, on Monday evening. Eleven students registered. Several were brand new, and had never ever stitched seed beads! It felt historic, with Bead Master Margo Field leading an intro class in Studio Poppy, our brand new classroom / beading studio. By the second hour, the newbies were beaming as their little floral chains grew by the work of their own hands. On Thursday, 3 of the students were back in the store discussing their projects. Eli, my 12 year old son, was just completing his own Poppyfield Chain and joined in the fun, comparing color ways and accent beads.

Studio Poppy at Poppyfield Bead Company

Margo's instructions are EXCELLENT, as usual and easy to follow, even without the live class. The Poppyfield Chain instructions are available at the store for $25. I've made up mixes of accent beads for easy and affordable shopping for this project.

Pressed Glass Flowers in Unique and Affordable Mixes

PRODUCT UPDATE

Notice the delica display in the above photo. I have 224 delica colors NOW available, but that is just the beginning. A second display with just as many colors will be out soon.

Delica Teaser - Don't You Want To See Them ALL???

Clasps Galore now available - A variety of toggles, multi-strand sliding clasps (from 3- 5 strand capability), and snap clasps are ready for purchase.

CLASS UPDATE

Registration is open for Renaissance Rose, Keep It Simple Loom Bracelet, and Phoenix Phlower. Check the Classes and Shows Page on this site for photos and class schedule.

POPPY REMINDERS

• Monday is late nite - we are open from 2 - 8 pm. Come relax and peruse the beads after work - or even after dinner.
• Class instructions are available for purchase after the first class meets.
• Open beading in Studio Poppy during store hours (except during classes)
• Now accepting Visa and Mastercard
• Wheelchair accessible parking and interior

Soft Opening: Sunday, March 20th!!!

Poppyfield Bead Company will open "softly" on Sunday, March 20th from 12-4. What does this mean? The store is still a work in progress. I am not truly ready to open. However, yesterday we completed the inventory and labeling of all size 15 and 11 Japanese seed beads. I want to make these available to beaders, as I know you've been without your "bead connection" since Margo closed her door. Let's be honest.... I need the sales as well. I will have the front half of the store accessible to customers. After Sunday the store will be open at regular hours and I will introduce more items for purchase gradually as they become ready for sale. Please be patient with the store's appearance and with me as I learn the ropes.

STORE HOURS

Soft Opening: Sunday March 20th - 12-4 pm

Monday: 2 - 8 pm

T-F: 12 - 5:30

Sat: 12 - 4:30

***Please Note: At this time I can only accept payment by CASH or CHECK. As soon as the credit card payment process is completed I will let you know.

Items for Sale

Poppyfield's EXTENSIVE selection of size 11 and size 15 Japanese seed beads will be available for purchase. I will also have books, and fireline for sale. Please check this blog on Saturday evening for the latest update on items available for purchase.

Upcoming Classes Will Be Open For Registration

"Phoenix Phlower" Advanced Class by Margo Field

I will also take registration for our first 3 scheduled classes with Margo Field. Margo is Poppyfield's original owner and a bead artist and teacher EXTRAORDINAIRE. There is a beginner class called "Poppyfield Chain" on April 11th from 6-9 pm for $25 (not including beads) and a 3 session advanced class for the Phoenix Phlower for $65(not including beads) - 3 consecutive Monday evenings 6-9 pm: April 25th, and May 2nd and May 9th. Another Phoenix Phlower class will be on 3 Saturdays from 1-4 pm: June 4, 11, and 18th. Samples of the completed projects will be in the store on Sunday. I may not have the supply lists and all the beads needed for the projects ready for Sunday. But I will have all of that over the next few weeks, and registering will allow you to reserve your space in the class. Please note that registration is non-refundable.

What Will NOT Be Available

At this time the Delicas, crystals, wire, and tools will not be in the soft opening. I will roll those out as they become available in the near future.

I must say that I am very excited about opening! When we finished the last display case of 11's my eyes filled with tears. It has seemed like this was never going to happen. But here it comes.... See you soon.

Peace and Beads,

Julia

Help Helps!

Greetings Beady Friends! I want to thank all of you who responded to my last post by offering words of encouragement and support. Several people offered to help me at the store. I am touched by the kindness. I do, in fact, have help.

Help can be a complicated engagement. My tendency throughout my life has been independence and self-sufficiency. I have HATED asking for help in the past. Sometimes, I'd felt ashamed at needing help, or was in denial about how bad things were. Other times I'd felt "beyond help", so what was the point? Occasionally, when feeling truly desperate, I did ask for help , and it wasn't granted. This was such a crushing blow to me, that I avoided this situation by not asking for help. Sometimes help came with strings. This I resented. I took it all so so very personally. As if getting help or the kind of help defined me, and my worth. This was a mistake.

With Poppyfield, I was granted a vision of help that propelled me forward into the purchase. A beady friend found herself unable to work at her longtime job for health reasons. She offered to help me, to work with me, for me. We were both excited by this prospect. I must admit, that without the vision of her help, I would not have had the courage to go through with the purchase.

It turns out she has not been able to help in the way that she'd hoped. It seems that wasn't supposed to be her role. She helped me by giving me courage. I found the other help I've needed by looking for others who need my help. I've got some friends who are financially strapped right now. I need help and they need work. We are helping each other. Every day at the store ends with so much gratitude. "Thank you so much for helping." "No, thank YOU."

It has taken me years and some crises to learn to acknowledge when I need help. I've had to learn whom to ask, and also how to ask. Sometimes it's been just as important to learn whom NOT to ask. I am still learning not to resent unhelpful help or unanswered requests for help.

On top of all the help, is the intangible icing on the cake. Needing help, giving help, accepting help - this is the story of the human experience. Allowing myself the humility of need, the gratitude in receiving, and both of those in providing help is just simply relishing being human. What's better than that?

And so the store, my helpful friends, and I move forward one gorgeous bead tube at a time.

Finally, Some Beads!

Greetings Beady Friends! Things at Poppyfield are moving along nicely. Although, I must confess, not in a New York minute. I love the pace of the NM life, but when I want things to happen, I revert to my Big Apple expectations. I've had to come to terms with the reality that creating a brand new retail space takes time. Not only that, there are about a thousand unexpected kinks that pop up, and I've been learning patience and humility in dealing with it all. Here's a tidbit. Last week I bought some used sales counters from Ooh Ahh jewelry store. They are going to be refurbished. One of them flew out of the truck on the way home. It landed in the middle of the road. Now it will be VERY refurbished. Ohmmmmmm.

It is a good thing I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I made this decision. I probably would not have had the courage to make the leap. That being said, I am thrilled with my decision, excited to see the progress, and confident that great things are in store, in the store.

Phoenix Phlower by Margo Field

Here is a photo of Margo's Phoenix Phlower. It has a sparking rivoli at the center, and her own original bezel, which you will really enjoy learning and applying to other creations. Like all her designs, it is a product of her beady genius. As soon as we open we will begin registration for the class. I will be sure to have all the supplies needed in stock.

An Experiment in Bead Display

Yesterday I finally had a day with the beads. I spent hours working with one of the many boxes of tubes I've got. It was such a joy to finally get a box open and start organizing the inventory. I've been experimenting with displaying the bead tubes in a way that is both appealing and practical for all beaders - newbies to veteran advanced stitch mavens. I tried out these cool trays that hang in the slat wall. What you see are a small sample of bugles and the 6's that I have in stock. I love being able to see the whole tube of beads. But, I am not convinced that these trays are durable and will hold up. I will continue in my quest. Hanging tubes are next on my agenda.

Finally, I've also spent hours getting the inventory organized in the computer. As an avid beader myself, I know some of information I'd like to have when walking into a store. I am working on setting up the system to be practical for beaders' questions. For example when I walk into a bead store, I want to know if 638 (my favorite color) is available in 11's, 15's, 8's, do you have it in frosted? what about hexes? bugles? You'd be surprised how difficult it is to get straight answers to these questions. But I've already got an email in the Miyuki inbox on someone's computer in Japan.

Happy New Year to you all! May the New Year bring you everything you need. And lots of beads, too.

Peace and Beads,

Julia