Our names are Sandy and Monica. We are a Mother-Daughter duo with a love for sweets. Sandy is a mother of 3 and grandmother of 6. Who has been retired for 4 years. Monica is a mother of a 3 year old, as well as a Step-Mother to 10 & 9 year olds. Who also has a full-time office job.
We both have been in the kitchen baking, cooking & creating goodies from love with our Mom’s and Aunt’s since we were young. This will be our 6th Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show! We have always loved to be in the kitchen creating sweet treats. In her 20’s, Sandy took a candy making class. Monica has also taken cake decorating classes through the years. After our classes, we were hooked. We are creative by trying something new, i.e. a new recipe or design. We have tried many different ideas that sounded perfect in our heads. But, did not quite workout how we expected in real life. Luckily, we have great taste testers around us.
What inspires us.. Whether it is the design on a Bride’s dress, school colors for the Graduate going off to college or even an edible image of the Birthday person, we love to incorporate a special item for an event into our treats.
Our goal.. In 5 years, we see ourselves doing this as a full-time business. The message behind our work is: Let us make something sweet for your next event or to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Meet Joanne Right from Jewelry Bird...
Hi, I am Joanne Righi, owner of
The Jewelry Bird. I am pleased to be a first time seller at the Avant-Garde
Arts & Crafts show.
I started making jewelry in
2009. Some co-workers had participated in a jewelry-making team-building
exercise, and I was impressed with their results; I knew I could do that too! I
started making small-scale monochromatic and neutral necklaces to wear at my
corporate job. I soon realized those pieces were nice but didn't represent me;
they just fit in to the corporate culture. I started creating designs that were
bold in both size and color—and I haven’t looked
back. I hope my designs inspire women to proudly wear bold and colorful
accessories.
For me, the creative process
often starts when I least expect it—when I’m birdwatching or digging around in my flower garden. Inspired by the
bold colors in nature, I often start my jewelry with a single colorful bead.
From there, I let the beads—and my initial inspiration—guide me. For example, on a Saturday morning birdwatching
trip, the colors of an Easter Bluebird lingered in my mind; the males are a
brilliant royal blue on the back and head, and warm red-brown on the breast.I
made a beaded necklace with these very colors. It was special, then, that this
piece was one my first sales.
I often know with the addition
of the last bead whether I got the piece just right; other times, I may let it
percolate for a few days, sometimes making small tweaks, and others, starting
from scratch. One thing is certain: each completed design brings me joy.
I have great memories of my
mother teaching my four sisters and me to sew, crochet, needlepoint, embroider,
and knit. These crafts I learned as a child were are all done from patterns, I
never tried to design, I was just following directions. When I started making
jewelry, selecting beads unlocked my creativity, I suddenly felt freed to make
my own designs, limited only by my imagination. Now, I choose beads not based
on the directions I’m reading but on color, shape,
finish, texture, and sometimes just a gut feeling that they are what a
particular piece demands.
I live in Strongsville with my
husband Jack and our two cats. I retired early from a 35-year career in
accounting and have been pursuing new passions ever since.
My husband and I currently
volunteer with a local organization that provides food, clothing, and housing
to those in need; and we go birdwatching when we can.
Some of my work is currently
for sale in my Etsy shop at www.thejewelrybird.etsy.com. I hope in a few years
to be able to support my passion by selling at a few hand-picked craft shows
each year, such as the Avant-Garde shows.
The Jewelry Bird enables me to
spread my message that women should wear colorful and bold jewelry that fits
their personalities; we need to be confident and wear what makes us happy.
Meet Ginger Bohlar...
I
am looking forward to participating in my first Avant-Garde show.
I
have always had an interest in art and in high school I was in a advanced
Commercial Art class with the intent of going on to pursue that avenue. I did
work in the field for a short time until I got married. I have raised two children and have been married for 37 years. I thought since art has always been an interest of mine I might return to it someday, but God had other plans. I have a wonderful son who has both a learning disorder and severe seizures so returning to work was not an option. I go to college with him so he will be able to get his degree.
Over
the years I dabbled in different mediums. I spent some time creating jewelry for
a while before painting. Since I am always
looking for new things to try and explore I thought I would try my hand at Alcohol
painting. I found it to be very relaxing and creative at the same time. You can
either let the ink flow at its own pace, or manipulate it to do somewhat of
what you would like it to do. However, the best feeling is that of being able
to goof up and start all over without feeling so guilty. Its awesome!
2014 Rocky River Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
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