Julie Brown can’t imagine her life without designing and sewing. "Thanks to my mother, I have been drawing, painting, cross-stitching and creating since I could hold a crayon," says the founder of 1220 Bloom Street, who describes herself as administrative assistant by day, seamstress by night, and artist all day long. Since discovering her passion … Continue reading Popclectic Spotlight: 1220 Bloom Street
The Internet calls the traditional wooden game Kubb, a.k.a. Viking Chess or Sticky Sticks, "the best lawn game ever." After watching my kids play BuildUpBattle, our handmade version of the game, I'm inclined to agree. This family-friendly backyard competition is a hoot. Described as a combination of horseshoes and bowling, Kubb (pronounced like tube) also … Continue reading Let’s Get Ready to BuildUpBattle!
One of my favorite children's books is Officer Buckle & Gloria by Peggy Rathmann. In this quirky Caldecott Medal friendship story, a policeman and his dog work the elementary school lecture circuit, delivering tips to help kids stay safe. For example: Safety Tip No. 1: Keep your shoelaces tied. Safety Tip No. 77: Never stand on a swivel chair. … Continue reading Buckle Up for Safety
"I enjoy exploring whimsical, idealized worlds where positive themes such as friendship, love and innocence prevail," says Marisa Ray, who will bring original paintings, fine art prints and paper goods to Popclectic artisan market on Saturday of Artclectic at University School of Nashville. A self-taught artist inspired by her artist grandfather, Marisa says she paints … Continue reading Popclectic Spotlight: Marisa Ray
An incredibly thoughtful friend just gave me a band saw salvaged from the garage of "an ancestor." All signs point to the fact that it was never used, but my band-saw inexperience and general blade anxiety led me to call in quasi-professonal help before plugging in my new toy. Enter my neighbor, who so often … Continue reading I’m with the Band Saw
What’s in a name? If you're Anita Schmid, your name contains an Alligator, Newt, Ibis, Tiger and Anteater. It's a code that's easy to crack but not easy to copy, as Anita's Animal Alphabet is hand-drawn and -colored—and developed over decades. Anita began designing her zoological letters and working them into into baby presents, birthday gifts and … Continue reading Popclectic Spotlight: Anita’s Animal Alphabet
Today, as I walked through the workshop at Tennessee College of Applied Technology, I saw evidence of a swarm of carpenter bees drilling holes in our lumber. Though they may be a nuisance, carpenter bees are dazzling in their precision. It looked like they had drilled a cribbage board in a 2x4. But then I discovered … Continue reading New Guy Joining in Construction Class
"I love the humility of wool. I love and strive to make art that blends organic textures with clean simplicity," says sculptor and musician Caleb Groh, who will bring his faux taxidermy to Popclectic, Oct. 21, during Artclectic weekend at University School of Nashville. In 2014, Caleb quit his paying job to build his Artifact, … Continue reading Popclectic Spotlight: Groh Artifact
Betsy Hoffman radiates joy in her teaching and in her artwork. The former is on display in the first-grade classroom at USN, the latter at Vanderbilt University Children's Hospital, USN's Hassenfeld Library, and in houses and businesses across Nashville, on everything from canvases to pianos. A veteran of the American Artisan Craft Fair, Artclectic, and … Continue reading Popclectic Spotlight: Betsy Hoffman’s ALPHABETSY
Back when I was in graduate business school, my Operations 101 class explored the Harvard case study of a woman named Kristen who was starting a bakery. Kristen's Cookie Company was designed to teach students about capacity, bottlenecks and throughput so we could build streamlined manufacturing processes. After business school, I backslid into journalism, so I … Continue reading Kristen’s Cookies Revisited
Building Up Buttercup 