Hello, I'm Erin, founder and designer of Poppy Mac.
My business did not begin with a clear plan. Before I discovered jewellery making, I was searching for direction and a creative outlet that felt right.
Seeking Calm Through Jewellery Making
Before 2018, I felt very lost.
I've always been creative, whether painting, knitting or embroidery. My dad, Harry, was a fine line artist, and I assumed that skill was inherent in the family, so I took up painting. It wasn't. What I visualised never translated onto the canvas, and it infuriated me, so I gave up.
One summer, I did a metalsmithing workshop using copper and brass. I was completely obsessed from the start. I then began weekly night school, which focused on silver jewellery, what I had expected from the earlier course. After I met my husband, he built me a bench at home, and I started creating from home, building up my own tool collection.
Finding Focus with Poppy Mac Jewellery
Admittedly, it was a very expensive hobby.
This is where my ADHD brain came into play. I kept chopping and changing what I made. I'd see a new metalsmithing technique and think, 'Oh, I like that!' At one stage I was making little trinket trays and stopped myself: 'Why, Erin? Why?' My focus kept shifting to the next shiny thing instead of the task I'd planned.
The tangents became costly. At one point I spent $900 on a tool so I could cut my own opal to set into jewellery. That's when I stopped and thought, 'I don't need that.'
It was a turning point. Instead of chasing the next idea, I thought carefully about what I actually wanted to create. I reflected on my own journey through grief and motherhood, and that shaped the jewellery I offer today.
Creating Sustainable Handmade Jewellery
I finally found my way.
The pieces I create now are sentimental, and I find crafting them incredibly therapeutic. Each design is carved in natural wax, a choice that goes back to my university days. That's when I began making more intentional decisions about the products I exposed myself to. Learning what was in everyday products led me to low-tox living.
|
Those values carried into my studio. The Lost Wax Method involves hand carving designs into wax, and the jewellers' waxes available are made from synthetic plastics and paraffin. As I carved, I thought, 'I don't want this around my home and near my children.' My children are often in the studio, playing or working on their own little projects with my hammers. I didn't want synthetic plastics around them or me.
I thought there must be a better way, and I found it. Now a beautiful, sweet honey aroma fills the studio.
Meaning and Memory for Everyday Women
My pieces are organic in nature and sentimental.
That eventually led to an opportunity to attend New York Fashion Week in New York City. For the little girl in me who dreamt of living in New York and working in fashion, it was a 'pinch-me' moment.
I ultimately turned it down. It made me reflect on my 'why' and who I create my jewellery for. I thought to myself: 'I don't think that's in New York.'
Poppy Mac jewellery is designed for everyday women who want to capture meaning and memory. It marks the people, moments and stories that matter most to them.
The Man Behind the Poppy Mac Name
My grandfather was Norman ‘Poppy’ McDonald.
I decided to name my business when I launched in 2018. It’s in honour of his memory.
I spoke with Ben Hampton on A Gluten Free Podcast, opening up about the backstory to Poppy Mac, becoming an organic jewellery designer, as well as my personal history with ADHD and coeliac disease.
This is where you can hear about how these life experiences helped shape the inspiration behind the way I craft handmade jewellery.
Welcome to Poppy Mac.
