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THIS MONTH’S SMMCPRENEUR: SIERRA DEVOTO OF POPPYMAVEN
By Stephanie Christopher | October 18, 2021
Mill Valley artist Sierra Devoto is founder of the home-based jewelry business PoppyMaven.
Sierra’s PoppyMaven designs feature handmade, finely beaded earrings and necklaces. Her jewelry works could be described as gracefully “handwoven” pieces of wearable art. Each piece is slow-crafted, personal and one-of-a-kind.
“After making jewelry most of my life, it was a few years ago that I fell in love with some beaded earrings that I saw— and then I dreamt of making my own. My mom, who is skilled in beading, helped show me the basics and then with a bead basket in hand, I spent a ‘mom vacation’ at Stinson Beach to fine tune my skills. I was hooked!”
A few months later, a friend gave her a push and encouraged her to launch the business she has today. She renamed and rebranded her Etsy site, where she had been selling handmade stone chip rings.
Since 2019, she has been creating beaded earrings exclusively and loving every second of her work. “It's been amazing to connect with women all over Marin and the world.”
SMMC members would agree—Marin is a special place. “When we take the time to look at it right, magic can be found in the hills, valleys, bays, redwoods, sunrises, sunsets, and of course, on Mt. Tam.” Sierra takes this love of Marin, and weaves it into her PoppyMaven designs.
Sierra’s PoppyMaven jewelry pieces include several elements of what ignites her artistry: the natural world, life celebrations, color, material, shape and form, music, the earth’s seasons and elements—and places of the heart, mind, and spirit.
“I find that the Mountain designs and currently my Poppies, are the most popular. People love scenery and flowers, especially when such images are inspired by real places.”
As an artist and solopreneur, Sierra is comfortable creating in solitude and she thrives on working independently. When asked what her secrets were for keeping her work and home functioning simultaneously, and what she would like to pass on to other working-from-home SMMC parents, Sierra says successfully working from home is a balancing act.
“Having a business that is in the corner of my living space has its perks and its challenges. I’m still trying to find a rhythm for staying on top of housework along with everything else, while working from home.
I’ve made my workspace my happy place, in a well lit spot of my home. To have time for myself, I plan my day, work out and I go to bed early. I wake up most days between 4:30 and 5am.”
Sierra also sets aside “quiet time” each day for the kids that allows her to have a set daily time of “mostly” uninterrupted work. “Honestly, I just do my best and every day looks a little different, because that’s a mom’s life.”
PoppyMaven uses what is commonly referred to as seed beads – extremely tiny beads that are woven together, most often with thread, and sometimes wire. This is done using a very fine needle. More often than not, threading by sight and with a steady hand.
Weaving seed beads into jewelry designs is an intricate, delicate, highly detailed, and meditative craft process.
“I have hundreds of colors and use three different sizes of high quality Japanese Miyuki beads. I work from a place of intuition, so I don’t plan out patterns too often. Sometimes I draw out an idea or make a themed collection, but rarely are any of my designs the same. My style reflects what I am inspired by at the moment…which is always changing, based on seasons, emotions, and colors that I love.
The time needed to make my designs depends on length, width, bead size, how many beads used, and if I am working on a symmetrical set. Some designs have three different colors, but most use about 10. A full three inch set takes about four hours to create, and some longer designs take about six hours. It is definitely a labor of love.”
In her free time, you can find Sierra out and about in Marin with her husband Paul and their son Noah (9) and Savannah (7).
For exclusive special offers and more, sign up for PoppyMaven’s newsletter The PoppySeed HERE. Drop Sierra a line any time on Instagram at @poppymaven.
Stephanie Christopher is a teacher, writer, artist, and mom to her teenage son Drew. Stephanie loves the natural beauty of the North Bay, the music and art of our region, and the innovative spirit that is found in Marin and throughout the Bay Area. Stephanie has served as editor of our regular Crier feature “The SMMCpreneur” since 2016 and she feels that the article is a great way to share the entrepreneurial and nonprofit gifts of our many creative and socially conscious SMMC members.
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