Meet Denise Knecht from Indulgence Studio...
My family and I live in a Victorian home, circa 1879, in Ohio City. We enjoy the history of the very special neighborhood -- a neighborhood that has really come back to life and nurtures other artists. I am a fulltime employment litigation attorney -- stressful work 50 - 60 hours a week. So, I really relish using the other side of my brain and the unstructured thought process of creating jewelry.
Because of my "day job" I usually design for the professional woman who want quality & classic looks with a bit of trendiness. Sometimes a unique looking gemstone comes along that triggers my wild side - like when I use slices of quarts or rough, untreated gemstones. Even then, I have a tendency to add balance and color combinations that give my bolder pieces a dressy/casual style - that is most of my things can be worn casual or for dress-up.
I got started on my craft approximately three years ago. I was having too much fun & spending too much money on my art - I couldn't afford to keep everything in drawers!
I've always had a fashion bent - designing clothes as a seamstress put me through college. My aunt who sometimes stayed with us was a painter, and my Mom was a jewelry freak, so I inherited some of their genes, I think. I discovered I could buy stones from all over the world thanks to the internet and my imagination sent me into a new, artistic passion...
When it comes to my creative process, first and most importantly - I look for quality stones that are moderately priced - precious and semiprecious. Then I experiment with color and add metals to create one-of-a-kind pieces.
My goal is to make jewelry pieces that other women love & want to wear. I only make one-of-a-kind pieces, so I have no desire to market on a grand scale. I try to use only natural stones and avoid "manufactured" looks.
The women who wear my things have a sense of confidence and that is my message - don't be afraid to take care of yourself and look good.
Meet Jody Lanham from Designs by Jody..
I am working my 30th
year for the State of Ohio, at Ohio Agricultural Research & Development
Center (OARDC), part of the College of Food, Agricultural and Biological
Sciences, in the IT Department. This is my last year and I will retire in
2013 so I can spend more time working on the things I love but do mostly in my
spare time I make jewelry and other crafts - mostly painting gourds. I am
the oldest of 3 and have 3 daughters and 3 grandchildren (could 3 be my lucky
number?). I have lived in Wooster, OH most of my life but my retirement
plans include a possible move out west. I think the artsy communities like
Santa Fe and Durango might be a place I could settle and possibly open my own
shop where I can work and sell my creations.
While I was growing
up, my dad was a very detail-oriented wood-worker and he created some lovely
furniture pieces, helped build the house I grew up in, and made lots of other
neat useful things mostly out of old pieces of wood, such as birdhouses. I
have always loved birdhouses and love creating and painting my own. I think
that’s where I get my creativity!
I have always done
crafty things, when I was a child I would hang out with my dad when he worked
in his shop and he would give me scraps of wood to paint on... I would hang out
with my mom while she sewed and she showed me how to use the sewing machine to
make doll clothes. I took extra art classes in school when I could get
away with it. But the actual jewelry creation and knowledge that this was
something that would be important in my life began in the summer of 2006.
I first began making
jewelry as a therapy activity while I was a resident in a treatment
facility. I find that I really enjoyed working with the beads, combining
colors and textures and making something that I could actually do something
with. I began making more and more jewelry and giving it as gifts. I enjoyed coordinating my jewelry and my wardrobe to create a palette I could
display for all to see.
My creative process.. I often see things in nature that suggest a
pattern or flow of lines and textures and colors, or a piece of jewelry I can
see basing my own design on, or a stone that I can see incorporated into a
design. Typically, what really happens is I sit at my beading table where
things are scattered all about and see beads and spacers and cording nestling
up near each other suggesting a striking combination. My philosophy on
being organized: if it is put away you don't see it and it can't therefore
inspire you in the way it would if it were out in the open!
My current style has
been hovering around Native-American-Southwest and I love copper, feathers,
leather and lots of natural stone and cord. This style can swing between
the completely casual and every-day and the very formal, dressy and
special-occasion. I also love vintage-inspired pieces with lots of bronze
and enamel, chains and crystals, that looks as if it had been handed down from
my grandmother.
My favorite item is My
Haven of the Sun & Moon Birdhouse - made
of a locally grown Mexican Bottle gourd, custom-designed as a gift for a friend
who fancies stars and moons. When creating it I felt the sun suggesting it
had to have its place as well, expressing its warm happy thoughts. The
moon beckons with a yawn that sleep for the birds is waiting inside this cozy
haven. It is painted by hand with acrylics and glitter, finished with
polyurethane spray and hung with jewelry wire. This gourd birdhouse was a
last-minute entry into a Staff Arts & Crafts exhibit, which won the
Committee's Choice Award.
My goal for my art is to create a niche for
myself and have a clientele following, and eventually have my own shop in a
well-traveled highly sought out area such as Santa Fe or Durango, where it is warm
and dry most of the year. I want to have a name and a line that people
recognize and pursue to some degree. I am not quite sure how that will pan
out, but I am anxious to be in that place working on that goal!
For me the message behind my work is that I have this creative expression
inside of me and I need to let it emerge in a way that is interpretable from
the outside - so I create jewelry and decorative items that take a little piece
of my heart and my soul that I can share with others.
Meet Caroline Greco from Cold Hands Warm Heart Crafts...
My name is Caroline and I am a 24-year-old craft addict. I am engaged to a wonderful man named Ryan and we are currently planning our wedding for May 2013. I was born in Stamford, CT, however, when I was in the first grade my father got a job as an animator at Walt Disney Feature Animation in Orlando, FL and I spent the majority of my childhood living in Kissimmee, FL. When I was a junior in high school my family moved to the Cleveland area. I have always had a love for art and craft making because of my father, but in my junior and senior year at Westlake High School I became a lot more focused in my goal to make art a major part of my adult life. After a couple of years at Tri-C, where I spent much of my time doing Photography, I transferred to the University of South Florida where I studied art. Because I spent a lot my first years at Tri-C working on my general education requirements, I was able to fully immerse myself in art at USF and spend my entire day working on different mediums of art. I recently moved back to the Cleveland area and have made it a goal of mine to attempt to keep the same creative schedule I had at USF and continue making art every single day. I have been sewing since about age 10 and since I have moved back to Cleveland I have completely immersed myself in sewing and accessory making. I am happiest when I am working in my sewing room, with my dog and cats by my side, sewing for hours at a time. I started working under the name Cold Hands Warm Heart Crafts in October 2011.
Apart from creating things, I work full time at The Harbor Court Assisted Living as the Community Relations Assistant. I absolutely adore my job and love getting to know the seniors that live there. I spend a great deal of time doing Graphic Design and Web Design work. Also, I have an English Pointer named Brody that I love to walk with in the Metro Parks!
I have always felt strongly that a lot of my creativity is genetic and passed down from my father, who is an artist. I feel that he has taught me how much time you have to put into your work and creative process if you want to succeed. I try to be very aware of my surroundings and use things I see and hear as inspiration for projects. I also like to spend a lot of time researching sewing and accessories to help build a catalogue in my mind that I can pull creative ideas from.
I have always been making things and began sewing at the age of 10 when my Grandmother gave me my first sewing box. She taught me how to hand sew and I began cutting the legs off of my jeans to make denim purses (with the waist band being the strap). I have been sewing ever since. My mother is absolutely addicted to handbags and I think all of the years of hearing her describe what she liked or didn’t like about her purses helped focus me in the area of accessory and handbag making.
I began selling my bags to co-workers and after a lot of encouragement to start selling them online I started my Etsy shop. Since I began my “small business project”, Cold Hands Warm Heart Crafts, I have had many custom orders from co-workers and friends as well as online sales. I originally wanted to sell my products mainly just to make enough money to buy more supplies and fabric. That is still the main goal for me. My top priority is my love for crafts, not financial gain. Almost every last penny I make goes immediately into more material and supplies to make more craft projects.
When it comes to my creative process, I am constantly looking at blogs, fashion websites, Pinterest, etc. to get inspiration for projects. When I first began (professionally) sewing I would read tutorial after tutorial after tutorial. I wanted to understand how bags were made so I could design my own patterns. Now I will browse the Internet or a local store to find a general idea I like and then will build off that. I like to sit for a while with just a notebook and think about what I would want in a bag (i.e. custom pockets for my phone and pens; an adjustable strap, etc.)
I think my favorite item I have every produced is this teal pleated clutch purse. I loved the fabric and the fabric button and the zipper and lining…I was just so happy with how everything turned out!
My goal with my talent is to make sewing and craft making a major part of my life and at some point, when I start to have children, be able to work from home making my bags. I would love to sew full time so that would be a wonderful goal if I could achieve that.
The main message behind my work is my belief that I think accessories, such as a purse or wallet, should be statement pieces to your wardrobe and not just a bland addition. I love vibrant color palettes and intricate patterns. I think bags should stand out and draw attention to you, rather than just be looked over or thought of as only a “thing to hold your stuff”. Accessories should be fun! The very definition of accessory is “Something nonessential but desirable that contributes to an effect or result”. If accessories weren’t meant to be fun additions to your wardrobe they would be called obligations instead. You don’t see signs that say “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Purse, No Service”; making your accessories be enjoyable vibrant additions is up to you!
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
Visit us on:
I am a teacher, but am not currently
teaching. I am now at home full
time, keeping very busy with a 2 year old daughter and 1 year old son! Much of my time I am with my children doing outdoor activities together
and arts and crafts with them. I
enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. I most enjoy spending time with my family and our dog Molly.
As a graduate of 
