Hello my name is Amy Pierce Birds On A Wire Faux Floral Designs. I am a native Clevelander...I have been a floral designer for 35 years. I have raised two children as a single mother and love and enjoy my three grandchildren!
How I got started in my craft.. When I was a child, I would help my mother plant flowers in our yard. I think that started the whole love for creating and designing. My mother was a huge inspiration to me in many ways! I still love to design gardens and have lots of color around me. Plus, I can cut from my gardens and enjoy some fresh flowers in my house as well! My two dogs love to follow me around when I work in my yard!
All these years I have been creating and designing for all kinds of venues, weddings, parties, all holidays, special events, etc...I have even had the opportunity to design arrangements for: Joan Collins, Tom Hanks, Phil Collins, Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue...which I was able to attend that event as well. I had many good years and great experiences in this field of work!
I love working with so much color, it brings me joy and inspires me to keep creating! I get a lot of great feedback from people that have purchased my floral designs, they seem to love all the colorful choices and it brings them joy as well.
This is the first Avant-Garde Arts & Crafts Show I will be in and I am excited to be a part of this talented group of Artisans!!!
Meet April Hardin from Kanyon Creations...
My name is April and I'm a stay at home mom with two boys ages 7 and 5 months. I've been crocheting since I was 8 or 9 and I was taught by my sister who learned from our great grandmother.This will be my second Avant-Garde show!
My inspiration comes from my children. I've always loved arts and crafts. All the girls in our family all love drawing, painting and crocheting. A few years ago after only making blankets, I started watching You Tube tutorials on hats. Once I realized how fun they were to make I kept going! The rest is history!
My creative process is basically envisioning a child wearing the items and what I want them to look like. The goal is too make the items adorable, while also functional in keeping them warm!
My five year plan is to continue to build out my online business and continue attending craft shows. The message behind my work is that children are a true blessing and I truly enjoy making things for them to wear and enjoy!
Meet Bill Winter...
My name is William Winter but I prefer Bill.
I am retired from the heavy equipment , engine, transmission and marine
business. I am the father of two, the grandfather of two, and one on the way! I
live in Rocky River with my wife Donna and Max my dog.
I have been working in wood most of my life
in various home owner building projects and minor artistic attempts. It wasn’t until my retirement that I seriously started working with wood
for various furniture pieces, canes & other odds and ends.
This will be my first art and craft show.
My wife and daughter have urged me to show what I create, especially my wife
Donna, she told me we are running out of room in the house for any more pieces!
My inspiration to create comes my love of
wood, it’s texture grain patterns and colors. No two pieces are ever the
same they are each unique. My father was
my true inspiration, he was a very talented wood worker. He was also a carver
of animals and birds that won many awards. I do not have the carving talent but
really enjoy what I do. The first table I made was from a slab of wood left in
the garage from the previous owner of the house. I noticed the beauty of the
grain in the wood, and made a table as a Christmas present for my wife. From
then on I was hooked!
My wood creations are made of fallen timber
or reclaimed lumber. I do not use nails or screws on any of my furniture, all
joints are glued and doweled only. On some pieces I incorporate images of
animals that are wood burned in to the piece. I do not try to remove all the
blemishes in the wood. I want piece to show the textures from age, insect
damage and saw marks made while rescuing the piece. The legs are made from
fallen branches and are draw knifed to remove most of the bark. All work is
done by me.
I once asked my Dad how he knew what to carve, and he said the wood will tell you what it wants to be. I never understood that
until I really looked at the piece of wood; not with a builders eye but with an
artists eye!
My five year plan.. To be honest, I do not know where this will take me! My only
hope is that people would enjoy what I have created and be remembered for it!
Meet Cody Brooks from Cody's Sugar Shop...
By day I'm a programmer creating lines and lines of code... by night and on weekends, I love to explore delicious ways to bake and the art of decorating. I see it as a great creative outlet. I love learning something new and challenging myself to get it just right. It's so motivating to see others enjoy something I've created as much as I do. Bakery just makes people happy.
Officially, Cody's Sugar Shop is a little over three years old. I've always enjoyed baking and had the inspiration to pursue it as a business over 4 years ago when I did my first wedding and learned how to make fondant that actually tastes good. What a blast that was!
I enjoy trying new things and that sense of accomplishment it brings. I'm often inspired by colors, flavor combinations and textures/shapes, especially as they appear in nature. I firmly believe texture and flavor are as important as pretty decorations. Decorations capture the eye and flavors and textures capture the heart, mind and tummy!
I got into baking as an outlet for creativity, to learn something new, and to work toward build business of my own. One day I casually asked my husband what business he would like to own if money was no object. He immediately said bakery. When I asked him why, he said because bakery just makes people happy. I knew then this was the direction to put my energy into! Baking has become so much fun for me that it's almost therapeutic!
How I discovered baking... Actually from my first attempt at buttercream, which was a near disaster. It tasted fine, but looked horrible! I was determined to get it right though...and I eventually did. Once I discovered what making something from scratch tasted like, and that I could actually do it, I was hooked. I started researching how to make more things from scratch like marshmallow fondant (yum!), cake pops, decorated cookies, and on and on...!
I enjoy reading recipe books like they are novels, searching online for inspiration, which doesn't always come from food, and sharing ideas with my husband who is a natural at flavor combinations. My process can differ depending on what I'm trying to accomplish. If it's something new, then I like to take a little extra time to experiment. I'm fortunate to have lots of family and friends who enjoy being my taste testers and advisors. I'm grateful for their honesty, encouragement, and support.
The message behind my work is that I make fresh, made-from-scratch delicious treats to be enjoyed as part of any occasion, or just when you want a little something special! After you've tasted made-from-scratch, the other kinds of bakery (boxed, or mass produced) loses its appeal, really! Maybe it's that funny taste from the chemicals or preservatives in them! And of course... enjoy the sweet life and chose made-from-scratch from Cody's Sugar Shop!
Email: Cody@CodysSugarShop.com
Website: www.CodysSugarShop.com
2015 Rocky River Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
