POPPY Girl

POPPY's Extended Holiday

2007-05-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

The fact that my last post on this blog was over two months ago sort of says it all...RL has really taken over. Not so much all my time as all my attention, and my incredibly patient and loyal customers have had to wait forever for their fix. And right at the beginning of bikini season!

I'm sorry, Poppies, but you'll have to wait just a wee bit longer, as I'm on official holiday now until at least May 25th. I promise to make it up to you after that! After all, I have the whole top half of my store to fill. In the meantime, if you have questions or problems, please drop a notecard on me in-world (IMs are notoriously unreliable and cap on me pretty quickly) or send an email to me directly at this address: francescapoppy@hotmail.com. I'll respond as soon as I can after I return.

xo Francesca :)

POPPY Dots!

2007-03-06T22:48:00.000-08:00

Ok, I confess...although I have umpteen other things half-finished, I keep wanting to make bikinis...impatient for winter to truly end perhaps? So I couldn't resist this collection of classic polka-dots in fresh, springy colours: Lemon, Lime, Watermelon and Blueberry!

The collection includes bikini top, thong plus my fun new retro boy shorts on both layers...16 pieces in all. Available now at my main store in Venice Beach!

And still MORE...

2007-02-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

I was loving the boy shorts so much that I decided to make some very simple ones in all of the colours of my still-popular Essential Bikini Collection (hard to beat eight basic bikinis for 200L!)...eight in all, with contrasting trim as shown on the ad. I've done them on both underwear and pants layers, so you can wear them as coverups as well...great for mixing and matching with the classic solid colour bikinis.

These boy shorts can be found in the centre swimwear section of my main store on Venice Beach, right next to the Essential Bikinis.

Boy Shorts Galore!

2007-02-20T19:10:00.000-08:00

Two new and very feminine bikinis this week...one is called Sweetheart and really should have been out in time for Valentine's Day, if I had been a little more industrious. On the other hand, the one true love that I adore is my valentine all year long, so why save the hearts for just that one day?

Besides the usual bikini top and thong (with tiny heart clasps), Sweetheart includes cute little boy shorts in both pants and underwear layer, so you can wear them as a coverup as well, if you want. And as a bonus, I've included a matching pink Sweetheart tee.

Lulu is a Parisian-inspired retro print (note the shopping theme!)...it also includes bikini top, thong, boy shorts in both layers, and a bonus tshirt.

Both bikinis are available now at my main store on Venice Beach, but will be installed in other locations soon. (And watch for my main store to go through a little renovation/expansion in the coming weeks...)

POPPY Gift Certificates Now Available

2007-02-04T15:35:00.000-08:00

I've had questions from several male customers recently, looking for a little help choosing the perfect Valentine gift (impressed that they're shopping so early, I might add!), and it inspired me to finally introduce something I've been meaning to for a long time (oh, such a long list...). So finally, and just in time for most Valentine shoppers, POPPY gift certificates!

They're available in my main store only, in denominations of 100, 500 and 1000 Lindens, but I'm also offering customization by request. That means you can choose whatever value you want, and even personalize it with the name of the recipient. Click on the sign in the Venice Beach location for a notecard with all the info you need.

P.S. All of my items are transferable, so if you know what you want, you won't need to buy gift certificates. But if you can't decide, or you're not sure what POPPY items might already be in your sweetheart's closet, this is for you!

POPPY Opens In New Paris And Cocololo

2007-01-16T07:49:00.000-08:00

I don't usually blog about new shops (as I generally have lots of outlets at any given time) unless the builds are special in some way...like Luth Brodie's lovely Lalique Square, which is near and dear to my heart. Past and current shops that I've especially liked and put in my picks include Amsterdam and the dearly departed Polly's and Foo.

But two that I've recently opened are in builds that I've really enjoyed exploring, and are definitely worth your time: New Paris and Cocololo Island Resort. New Paris has an Eiffel Tower front and centre, as you'd expect, but also lots of interesting details here and there, often down back alleys and side streets. There's a dingy quality to the glamour that seems rather authentic for a sim that bases itself on one of the biggest cities in the world...buckets full of what appears to be toxic waste in front of my shop, for example. The place also seems full of French-speaking newbies wandering around looking for help, so if your French is better than my rusty high-school version, perhaps you might lend them a hand as you wander.

Cocololo isn't even officially open yet, but has already generated lots of buzz, and it's beautifully done. It includes a hotel, guest cottages, a scuba diving site and a wedding chapel, as well as a handful of carefully chosen shops that reflect the tropical theme. Check out the official website and Torley Linden's recent photos posted on Flickr.

Welcome 2007!

2006-12-31T20:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all of my friends and customers! Wishing everyone as much happiness in the coming year as I've had in the past one. How exciting it will be to see what 2007 brings...

xo Francesca :)

P.S. Only a few hours left to grab this year's holiday tees...they vanish forever at midnight SL time. (Unless, of course, I'm a little too tipsy from the bubbly to get around to the shops and remove them...in which case you may have a few extra hours!)

Happy Holidays from POPPY

2006-12-25T09:46:00.000-08:00

On this bright and cheerful day, I'd like to wish everyone the happiest of holidays, whatever that might be for you. May you enjoy the warmth of good friends and family today and throughout the next year!

xo Francesca :)

Countdown to Christmas

2006-12-18T12:15:00.000-08:00

Wow! Only one week left! And if you're like me, you probably have a list a mile long of friends to visit, presents to wrap, last minute-gifts to pick up... It's such a whirl, but all happy goodness.

Thanks to all who sent along best holiday wishes and such positive comments on the LE tees as well...the consensus so far seems to be a tie between Welcome 2007 and Deck The Malls for fave, though I'm partial to 21st Century Santa myself. Just a reminder, too, that you've only got two weeks to snap them up.

Hope your week is merry!

By Request: Holiday Limited Edition Tees!

2006-12-12T23:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, poppies, I do listen to you...given the number of customers and friends asking about Christmas tees, I've just released a limited edition collection for the holidays. Four for Christmas (21st Century Santa, Be Merry And Bright, Christmas Sweetness and Deck The Malls) and two for New Year's (Happy New Year and Welcome 2007). As with my recent Halloween tees, these will only be available for a brief time...just until December 31st...and only as a six-pack.

Like everything at POPPY, these are transferable, which means they're a great gift idea... Happy shopping! :)

The Endless Summer Bikini Collection

2006-11-29T01:47:00.000-08:00

Another long break, I'm afraid, due to some RL work....but finally a new release! Six new bikinis perfect for escaping the winter chill and finding a sunny paradise to sink your toes in the sand. (Just in time for cruise season!) Available individually and as a six-pack, the Endless Summer Collection includes Tahitian Mango, Pacific Princess, Sweet Aloha, Coconut Lime, Bahama Breeze and Hawaiian Sunrise. Available now at my main store in Venice Beach!

POPPY Re-opens

2006-11-16T10:30:00.000-08:00

Having observed a day of protest with the community, POPPY's doors are once again open. This includes the main store and all other locations (with the exception of West Indies in the Tortuga sim, which remained closed by the sim owner as of this writing).

Thank you to those who kept a cool head and provided us with valuable information and commentary. The best overview of the situation in my opinion was undoubtedly Celebrity Trollop's post on the Second Style blog...some much-needed clarity in an emotionally exhausting day.

Gah! Copybot Closures

2006-11-15T06:40:00.000-08:00

Sorry for not posting (or releasing new content) for awhile, I've had an avalanche of RL work to deal with the past few weeks...and sadly this post is not a happy one, as I logged on late last night to find myself in the middle of the Copybot mayhem and confusion. The far-reaching implications of this are yet to be seen. (I was disgusted by a few posts I read on the forums, basically saying "hooray! free stuff for everyone!"...a slap in the face to anyone who's worked hard to create anything.)

As of this morning, I have temporarily closed POPPY's main location in Venice Beach. After reading as much as I can about this, I'm not convinced that closing will help, but I do feel strongly that I need to support my fellow content creators who have equally strong convictions that it will.

As I have many, many smaller outlets besides my main store, it will take me some time to close them all (though some of the sims hosting them have closed). I will post again when I re-open.

Last chance for LE Halloween Tees!

2006-10-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, less than a week now until Halloween (and still haven't decided on my costume yet, too many choices, hmmm)...which means less than a week to snap up my limited edition six-pack of Halloween tees. Available at my main store of course, as well as SLB and SLX, and at several of my smaller shops in-world, including Lalique Square, Amsterdam and Tortuga. But after Halloween they're GONE forever!

POPPY opens at Lalique Square

2006-10-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

No, not another post about dancing cows (tempting as that is)...though it is a return to the scene of the crime, so to speak. I've just set up shop at Lalique Square, Luth Brodie's wonderfully charming art deco-inspired shopping area in Guam. Her pose shop Reel Movement is based there, of course, but also smaller shops around the square with lots of designers you'll recognize (Callie Cline, Artilleri, Shiny Things, Canimal) and some really good newer ones you may not (Casa del Shai, Shine, 1-800-Bettie's). Chances are good that if you enjoy shopping at one or two of these places, you'll appreciate discovering the others as well.

Cow Dancing Frenzy!

2006-10-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

So this what designers do when they can't work...either that, or it's a meeting of some secret society...something to do with no drama.

Honestly, if you're feeling low, just dance on a cow and the world is a better place. (Thanks to Luth, fearless leader of the Lalique Cowgirls!)

Halloween Limited Edition Tees!

2006-10-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks to some requests from regular customers, I've just released a six-pack of fun Halloween tshirts...Tricks For Treats, Eeek, Rattle Some Bones, Spooky, Scared Yet? and Wicked...BUT, they're only available until November 1st! Just three weeks and they're GONE. (Also available only in a six-pack and not individually.) I've just installed them in my Venice Beach shop but will add them to a couple of others soon, as well as SLB and SLX. Happy Halloween!

Another great fund-raising effort

2006-10-07T01:27:00.000-07:00

I made reference in my first post to the positive things I see in our little SL community, and how they out-weigh the negative, and here is yet another example...not one but two benefits are in the works to lend support to Silentsparrow's hyasynth Tiramisu (see Celebrity Trollop's post for details). Although I've never met hyasynth, I have a great deal of respect for her work and obviously she has good friends here who want to see her well. Please try to attend one or both events if you can, all that positive energy in one room is pretty much guaranteed to warm anyone's heart. :)

Finally!!!

2006-09-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, some new goodies at last...I just released this yummy set of sheer lingerie with a daisy motif (called Sheer Daisy...clever, huh?), which includes a bra, thong, brazilian panty (slightly more bum coverage) and stockings. It comes in NINE colours and each colour is available seperately as well as in a jumbo Willow pack or in a pack of three. The three-packs are Neon (fuschia, lime and electric blue), Classic (white, black and lipstick red) and Pastel (blush pink, mint green and buttercup). For now it's only available in my main store though I'll try to get at least one or two of the packs into my other stores by Monday.

P.S. An interesting story in the Wall Street Journal this past Friday about the SL fashion scene. Interviews with Astry Mirabeau, DoC Eldritch, Aimee Weber, Tanya Book, Iris Ophelia, Nick Shaftoe of Second Man and um, I forget who else...

Steve Irwin Fund Raiser

2006-09-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

Callie Cline's touching tribute to the late Steve Irwin, and her efforts to raise money for his foundation for wildlife preservation, have been a big success, but I wanted to remind everyone that her tribute tshirts are still on sale until after the memorial, and she is still collecting photos for a collage to send to his family. For more details read her original post...very proud of your thoughtfulness, Callie!

You can buy the Steve Irwin tees at Funk in Elpenor.

Poppy, where have you been?!?

2006-09-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

Ah, the summer vacation that turned into a "hiatus"...not for the reasons that so many others have gone on a break lately, though I've observed their difficulties in SL with a heavy heart...more because of a busy and somewhat tumultuous summer in RL, which has limited my involvement to taking care of my customers, opening new shops (especially as some favourites closed for various reasons...goodbye, Foo!) and occasionally managing to keep up with SL friends, though most of them must feel sadly neglected. Through it all my business has somehow thrived, thanks to loyal customers I appreciate to no end...and especially my hardcore group members who've been on a starvation diet without new product since June! (I must also take time here for deeply heartfelt thanks to my best friend and supporter, who keeps growing in my estimation by leaps and bounds...xo, Vinyl.)

And because of my relative detachment over the summer, I've mostly been watching from the sidelines as so much has happened...the drama of texture thefts and growth of new scams, the efforts by the retailers to pull together (plug here for the Sellers Guild), the frustration for many of feeling little support from Linden Labs as their businesses suffer and their creativity is compromised. I have also seen many designers I admire either withdraw from SL altogether, or suffer through enough negativity to break most people (the most recent being the fabulous Torrid Midnight, someone I have previously said is one of my early inspirations). And in spite of all this sadness, I find heart in the positive and obviously genuine support that overshadows the bad stuff (just read the comments to Torrid's recent post about her departure if you doubt this). There are good people here, and I've been lucky enough to meet some of them.

And as for POPPY? It's not going anywhere! Eventually, hopefully soon, some new product will be tweaked and ready for public consumption. As for this blog, which I set up back in July but hadn't yet posted to, I will mostly use it to showcase new products, but will also...once in a while...blather on about something on my mind. Don't expect consistency in my postings, there may be long gaps! (Hopefully someday I'll also find the time to pretty it up, but for now we're stuck with the basic template... :P) Until the next one, best wishes to all of my friends and customers...

Francesca :)