Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Beautiful and Fun Creations for Every Woman and Girl!

Meet Ellen Jacob from OHnaturElle...

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by accessories, particularly jewelry. My passions for accessories, art, and jewelry have served me well throughout my life, from creating pins and bracelets with vintage button pins to silversmithing, designing and exhibiting sterling silver pins in galleries and boutiques, to the gemstone creations I design today. I’ve made jewelry for many years in many varieties.  I have used gemstones in my designs for nearly five years.
Most recently, I’ve become inspired by nature. Nature’s stones, the “bones of Mother Earth”, have been used as ornament and currency for over 5000 years and my jewelry features a myriad of genuine natural gemstones and semi precious beads from Mother Nature’s brilliant palette -- rich, radiant, spectacular, luscious. I get mesmerized by the unique colors and shapes.  

Beyond their obvious beauty, each stone generates an energy and power of its own and I find that I become very relaxed and mellow while working with them. Each new creation becomes my favorite…until the next!
I believe that while creativity can certainly be learned, it is something I was born with. I believe it to be hereditary, as my dad was a wonderful craftsman and my children, nieces and nephews are all innately creative, many working in the arts.
How I got started.. I studied crystals and gemstones for their unique energy and powers and became so intrigued and and inspired by them that I just naturally began using natural gemstones in my jewelry designs.
My creative process is 99% inspiration, 1% perspiration. I start by randomly selecting a variety of stones and charms and pendants, and then the inspiration starts to take on a life of its own. The gemstones “sing” to me. Each stone has a color story, and like music, I start with one note, add a few more, build in some harmony, and voila. The necklace or bracelet is a beautiful composition.  I write up the meaning of the gemstones used in the necklace, and this completes the process. 
Like many artisans, creating beautiful gifts was the impetus to selling my art.  From gifts to fulfilling personal requests with custom designs, and at the urging of friends and co-workers, I began selling my jewelry at local boutiques and galleries and online.
I particularly love helping to make people feel beautiful – inside and out. The right piece of jewelry can dress up any outfit, day or night, and there’s none more beautiful and magical than those created using natural gemstones. Not only are they beautiful to wear, but their unique energies can be healing and bring love, harmony, and joy to the wearer’s life. 
My jewelry design business is called OHnaturElle, Natural Gemstone Jewelry designs by Ellen Jacob (with a little help from Mother Nature) because of the combination of several elements:
- OH = OHIO as well as the statement of joy, "Oh!"
- Nature = of course
- Elle = my name is Ellen

Plus, au naturelle in French means "naturally" (It also means naked, and if you wish to be well-dressed, you nead wear nothing more than one of my spectacular necklaces!)

Meet Colette Patty from Wolfcreek Creations...
My name is Colette Patty and I’m a retired buyer/dental technician. I’ve been married to my husband, Doug, for 25 wonderful years. We have a 21 year old daughter, Renee, who goes to The University of Toledo. I love to craft and design necklaces, bracelets, earrings and more!

I started making jewelry when I was very young. When I started working, my hobby was put on hold until I retired a few years ago.
We live on a farm that has been in our family for 70 years. In my free time aside from jewelry making, I have a very large garden that I grow lots of vegetables and herbs. I take the herbs from my garden and make different seasonings. I also enjoy canning different fruits and vegetables from our farm. We have trails in our woods that we like to ride our golf carts on.  After a long day out in the woods I like to cook different cuisines for my family. 

My creativity comes from all things beautiful.  When I see something truly beautiful it inspires me to create.
After I retired I found myself with a lot of time. Instead of buying gifts for people’s birthdays or Christmas I would make them. So many of my friends ranted and raved about how great my jewelry was. Everyone told me I should sell all the wonderful things I had been making, so I did!
        
When I go bead shopping I pick the beads that inspire me the most. When I sit down to make a piece of jewelry I have no plan. I let the beauty of the beads dictate how the jewelry will turn out. 

My goal is to one day have my jewelry featured in magazines, sold in New York boutiques, and worn by celebrities. The message behind my work is that beautiful jewelry can be affordable and unique.

Meet Stephanie Edinger from Precious Pretties...
First and foremost, I am wife to a wonderful man named Derrick and mother of three beautiful, awesome girls. My oldest daughter is 10 and my identical twins are 5. All are the light of my life! I am currently pursuing a college degree in early childhood education. I am close to obtaining my associate's degree and from there I plan to get my bachelor's degree.
I am not sure where I get my creativity from, I just know I love to create! A lot of my inspiration comes from my daughters.
I have always loved crafts and creating. For my business, I was constantly looking for cute hair accessories for my girls but could never find just what I was looking for. That inspired me to create my own! I started out just making bows and as time went on I branched out by making tutus and hats amongst other things.
My creative process is simple. It begins with an idea of something that I feel would be fun to create. I make it and if it turns out to be something I like and that I feel others would like, I list it on my website and take it to shows.

While I have a fondness for all things I create, I would have to say that the korker bows are my favorite. They are what I started my business on and the main accessory I wanted my daughters to have. They are really cute and add a little something special to every outfit. I've been creating for over three years.
I would like to someday grow enough to make my business my full time job. There's nothing I like more than creating!
I started out just making hair bows for my daughters. Once friends and family saw them, they wanted some for their daughters, too. I thought if they were interested, others may be as well. I attended my first craft show as a vendor and sold many items. I continued to participate in craft shows and created my website. I've been selling ever since!
Almost every mother wants her daughter to be a frilly girly girl. Dress them up as most of us have since dressing up our dolls in childhood. I want to give mothers (or other caregivers) an affordable way to do just that. 

Check out these featured vendors at the 2012 West Side Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This eclectic show will feature over 170 of the most talented artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to the Cleveland Animal Protective League, for animal rescue.

2012 West Side Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Sunday, July 29, 2012, 11:00am-6:00pm
Wagner's Country Inn
30855 Center Ridge Rd. 
Westlake, OH 44145
For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com
Visit us on:

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Upsycling to Create New Beauty!

Meet Elaine Petrykowski from ShellChic...
I'm a detailed, determined and patient person with a high-energy level. Upon retirement, I knew I needed another avenue in which to be productive and to grow in a different direction. For the past 10 years, I have channeled my energy into designing and creating beautiful flower gardens and unique seashell artwork. My other interests include exercise and genealogy -- all which I am obsessed and passionate about.

I began crafting as a Girl Scout and progressed through the years. My first craft hobby was designing and creating macramé plant hangers and wall hangings. 

For many years my family vacationed in Marco Island, Florida. Each morning I would walk the beach and gather seashells that washed ashore in mounds. My fascination with the variety and incredible range of colors, patterns, and textures they possessed quickly turned into an obsession. I soon had tons of seashells that I brought home and stored in my "shell studio." I realized I had to do something more than display them in vases, so I began browsing through magazines and gift stores for ideas. After seeing so many seashell creations (and thinking I can do that!) I was inspired to handcraft fine-art shell work.

I visualize in my mind what I can create as I search out new seashells and finding a "rare" shell is a special treat. All the seashells I use are gathered by me. They are cleaned and kept in their natural state as I believe it highlights their beauty and elegance. None are imitation, factory-produced or sprayed with a glaze (which I feel cheapens the appearance). My creation process begins by selecting a unique shell to use as a focal point, and designing around it. To me, it is like putting a puzzle together, making certain the right piece fits perfectly. 

I don't have any particular favorite pieces, but I am most proud of three beautiful mirrors that I sold to an art gallery.

My goal is to develop a customer base that appreciates beach décor as much as I do. Because I derive so much enjoyment from creating shell art, I would love to create custom items by request.

While I have displayed my work in galleries and small craft fairs, I am basically a beginner vendor. My first seashell work I gave as gifts to family and friends and their compliments and encouragement led me to pursue selling my craft.

My message is simple: handmade artisan work is authentic and beautiful.



Meet Lila L. McRainey from Lizone's Jewelry with an Attitude!...
I have an Associates Degree in Graphics Technology. Prior to shows I worked in the graphic arts field for 10 years. I'm the mother of 3 grown men. Former competitive swimmer for 10 years from age 8 to 18.  Voracious reader. Fan of all things feline, mom to four rescue cats. Avid gardener.

I've been creating repurposed pieces of jewelry for 25 years, selling at Art Shows exclusively since 1988. I do shows in the Tri-State area, but mostly in wonderful NE Ohio. My business name is a play-on-words for "Lila's own jewelry", pronounced "Li's Own"!

I make crazy, wild costume jewelry from recycled "found objects", mainly reclaimed vintage jewelry combined with clock parts, keys and other oddities for a one-of-a-kind creation with a bit of tongue-in-cheek attitude (or so I've been told!).

I have created over 750,000 pieces of jewelry (now THAT'S some major eco-recycling!) in 25 years, and I'm not bored yet and neither are my loyal customers. After silver-smithing for years, I started to play around with vintage jewelry and found objects and received so much enthusiasm over my designs that I switched to assemblage work.
People tell me I have an eye for junk, (that, combined with my inability to throw ANYTHING out, translates into some crazy stuff!). I ABSOLUTELY LOVE creating my jewelry, I still have fun and am always looking forward to making more.

Gee, Mom, look what I did with my art degree! 

Check out these featured vendors at the 2012 West Side Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This eclectic show will feature over 170 of the most talented artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to the Cleveland Animal Protective League, for animal rescue.

2012 West Side Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Sunday, July 29, 2012, 11:00am-6:00pm
Wagner's Country Inn
30855 Center Ridge Rd. 
Westlake, OH 44145
For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com
Visit us on:


Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Beauty Captured!

Meet Mo Hlavin from Strings and Stones...
Do everything with Passion! That's my mantra... I am a Mom of three awesome kids who are well on their way to living happy, passionate lives, and I am in the process of rediscovering who I am as a woman and a person, not just a Mom. 

I believe in the Law of the Universe and know that we create our own happiness. I love designing and creating unique jewelry and love when people buy my pieces and compliment my style! My creativity comes from my mind, my heart and my soul!

In my spare time I run, I workout, I watch true crime, I hang out with my adult children whenever possible, and I play with my Old English Sheepdog, Pebbles!
I got started on my craft in 2007 when I was ill. I had to take a week off of work, so a friend of mine dragged me to a gem show and I got hooked on beads.

When it comes to my creative process, I have a huge inventory of beads and I pick what color I'm going to work with and go from there.  Sometimes a design is vivid in my mind, other times I've taken a piece apart a few times before getting it right.

My goal is that I would like to develop a reputation for having unique designs that keep clients coming back for more and more because they love my work! I want my work to invoke a feeling of calm and intricate workmanship.

Meet Carol Wood from Woodland Images...

I grew up on a farm in southern Wisconsin with 4 brothers and 6 sisters. I developed a love of nature at a very early age. I remember wandering through our wooded areas and along the banks of the creek. That love of nature is still with me and inspires my work on a daily basis.


I do have a full time job as Assistant Manager at the local Hobby Lobby. I also manage the scrapbooking department. This feeds my creative side as well. When I'm not working I love to wander the UW Arboretum, Elver Park, Olbrich Gardens and other natural areas in and around Madison with my camera in hand. I am always looking for new subjects for my kaleidoscopes.

I have to say my creativity comes from my mom and dad. Mom was always sewing clothes for us kids and she taught me how to crochet. My dad had a different kind of creativity. With such a large family there was never much money so when something needed to be repaired he used what he had and made do. He always found a way. "There is always a way" is deeply ingrained in me and once I set my mind to something I find a way to make it happen.
I actually got into creating and selling crafts after my divorce and the subsequent move from Columbus, OH back to Wisconsin. It was therapy for me. I found a local art and craft mall to showcase my work. I gradually gravitated from crafts to a more artistic product. I became interested in kaleidoscopes and never looked back.

I had to take a leap of faith to get into selling my kaleidoscope art. One day I just got up the courage to walk into a local gallery with some of my work and ask if they would be interested in selling it. The owner of the gallery was interested and the rest is history. My work continued to evolve and expand and I eventually started an Etsy site (at my daughters urging). There is only one direction in which to move now and that is forward. 
I have been working with kaleidoscopes for about 7 years now and I continue to improve my process. I love their perfect symmetry and will never tire of creating them.

My creative process begins with my camera. I head out into nature looking for striking colors and forms. I take hundreds of photos and then upload them to my computer and study them. It's at that point that I decide which photos to kaleidoscope. I am often stunned by the sheer beauty of the results.
One of my all time favorite designs is the result of a photo I took at Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, OH. It was the trunk of a palm tree. The browns and greens are amazing and there are green hearts in some of the resulting images. No matter how many designs I create it will always be one of my favorites.

One of my primary goals with my artwork is to help provide income when I retire from my real job. Kaleidoscopes have become my passion and I cannot imagine my life without this creative outlet. I want to help other people see what I see.


Check out these featured vendors at the 2012 West Side Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This eclectic show will feature over 170 of the most talented artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to the Cleveland Animal Protective League, for animal rescue.

2012 West Side Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Sunday, July 29, 2012, 11:00am-6:00pm
Wagner's Country Inn
30855 Center Ridge Rd. 
Westlake, OH 44145
For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com
Visit us on:


Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Colorful Creations!

Meet Christine Wagner from Miranda Mae at Home...
We are a Mother, Daughter team from Uniontown, Ohio who love fashion & functionality! We have been in business for over four years.


In our free time... Merinda paints, plays the violin, and creates recipes. Christine writes short stories and enjoys photography.


Where they get our creativity from.. Being that she was from a small mountain town, Christine's grandmother inspired us to draw creativity from a small outlet of everyday norms. Merinda started sewing at age four, so crafts have been a hobby for us our whole lives!
Our inspiration... We are always perusing new activities & paying attention to everyday things, pulling from them creatively.


We value our customers & take pride in achieving personal & loyal relationships with them. We have a passion for creating children's clothes that are not only fashionable, but affordable. Our message is getting functional, trendy clothes to the public without breaking the bank.


Meet Nancy Zunic from Blue Room Ink...
Hi! My name is Nancy Zunic. I have a wonderful husband and four wonderful adult children. My three daughters live in the Cleveland area and my son and daughter-in-law live near me and are providing us with my first grandchild (it's a boy) this coming July! We also have two adorable cats (Jasper and Mooch) that love to get into all of my stash in my crafting room!

Besides crafting, I love to run and bike. I have run many a race in the Cleveland area with my second oldest daughter. I ran in the 10K race with her that was held during the Cleveland marathon in 2010. It was a huge accomplishment for me! The reason being, five years ago I was diagnosed with a rare heart condition that required a pacemaker be placed, and this was my way of overcoming the mental part of receiving it at such a relatively young age. It was such a liberating feeling having run the entire 10K!
I have been working with my hands all my life. I have been a dental hygienist for the past 32 years and recently lost my job due to my boss retiring. Fortunately, my boss was my brother and he had a wonderful practice in which I was blessed to work in for all those years. The retirement was a bit of a shock and I was suddenly in a position to make some major changes in my life. I have crafted throughout my life whether it was cross-stitch, making hats and scarves from fleece to knitting but most recently I have become an avid scrapbooker.    

From the years 2003 through 2009 My children were all involved in music and sports throughout high school as well as college so I had made many of a scrapbook for them all. I have a blog that I started in April 2010. (http://www.blueroomink.blogspot.com/) Since then, I have gone beyond just making scrapbooks. I enjoy creating art with different scrapbook/art methods that I have learned over the years. Through some gentle nudging by my daughters I have recently opened an Etsy shop. (http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlueRoomInk) I am excited to do my first show this July for the 2012 West Side Summer Avant-Garde Art and Craft Show. 
I get my creativity from my feelings about life. I express different thoughts and feeling within most of my work. I lay in bed at night and an idea will come to me and then I find that I cannot get to sleep because I want to work on it. I love color and working with blending the right colors together to create a sensation or mood. Many times I start in one path but end up taking the fork in the road to another place and I become pleasantly surprised at the outcome. There really is no concrete process to my creative madness. I go with my gut and my eye for the not so obvious. I feel that some of my pieces speak to certain individuals.  It is fun to find the person that is attracted to it. It's always just a matter of time.
 
My favorite item that I have produced would be my Butterfly canvas easel art. It happened to be the first item that I sold in my Etsy store. The piece spoke to the person who bought it. The butterflies are the symbol of her Grandfather and she is having a feather themed wedding so she said it brought tears to her eyes. That is why I like to create. To be able to evoke that kind of emotion in someone else makes it all worth while. Then there are times that  some of the art  is just "fun" in someones eyes. Who wouldn't want to sell some "fun!?" I know I sure do!

I love working in my vibrant turquoise craft room. That is where my name BlueRoomInk originated from. I hope to achieve a successful Etsy store and venture out to do many more craft shows. I would love for this to be my new full time job. I think with a lot of dedication and patience that could become a reality. I love being able to get out there and show my crafts in person instead of just online. I am looking forward to meeting and seeing other artisans at the show. I love original artwork that grabs you and draws you in at first sight.
I have items currently for sale in my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlueRoomInk.Come by and shop at any time as I will be adding new items frequently.

Check out these featured vendors at the 2012 West Side Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This eclectic show will feature over 170 of the most talented artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to the Cleveland Animal Protective League, for animal rescue.

2012 West Side Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Sunday, July 29, 2012, 11:00am-6:00pm
Wagner's Country Inn
30855 Center Ridge Rd. 
Westlake, OH 44145
For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com
Visit us on: