Rocky River Fall Show Update!

Cyndi Brunnet from Crafting Memories...

I am a divorced mother of two who always loved to fiddle with crafts ever since childhood. I used to enter my crafts (mostly cross stitch and paper twist back then) in the county fair and have won numerous ribbons. Back in 2008 a friend and I decided to take a jewelry making class and we had so much fun, we decided to try and do a craft show with our new-found talent. I haven't looked back since!

I have been doing craft shows since 2008 and in 2014 started promoting my Etsy shop to broaden my reach. I also love Pinterest!  I get so many ideas from there. I also get inspiration from my children-it is amazing how a simple conversation can all of a sudden get your creative juices flowing. I love seeing the look on someone's face when they "zoom" in on one of my items, knowing that I put a smile on someone's face-that is inspiration in itself.

I originally started out making jewelry, but there were so many jewelers, I decided to broaden my horizons and started making French Memory Boards. I have added to my line with other craft items such as key fob/zipper pulls, cupcake onsies, diaper babies, pinback buttons, some upcycled crafts but still stay true to my memory boards. I always loved to tinker with crafts ever since I was a kid...so I always knew I had it in me, I just had to find what I liked to do best.

My creative process... I look to see what is trending, then I see how I can incorporate that into my crafts. For instance, gray is supposed to be popular this fall, so I am looking for fabric with grays to make memory boards.  Owls and nautical are still very popular, so I search for themed fabrics/ribbon for the boards and key fobs.  My pinback buttons are a variety of sayings-something catching my eyes, and next thing you know, it is a button. As for my upcycled crafts, I look at ways an item can be used again.

My goal in five years.. I am trying to build up my Etsy following and hope the shop takes off to where I have a steady income stream. I love doing shows, but want to cut back to only doing the ones I truly love to do and not be forced to try and fill up my calendar with a show every week-end.

The message behind my work.. Memories, the majority of my items relate to memories. You purchase the item because it triggers a memory, whether it is a favorite pattern, character, being purchased as a gift or being used to display memories (photos).

Meet Richard Gullet from Dark Designs...

I am a retired teacher, I taught Anthropology, Ancient History and World History as well as being a life long doodler - I call my drawings "Doodles on Steroids". I have been doodling since my days in the lecture halls of the university - when the lectures got boring, my pen started moving - creating unique little drawings in the margins of my notes - then as a teacher, I continued to produce interesting little designs in the margins of my staff agendas. Eventually I began to actually attempt to draw my designs in and of themselves and not as a response to a boring situation. 

As the years progressed, so did my drawings, becoming larger and more intricate. None the less, I drew these designs for my own personal entertainment keeping them tucked away in my note books till friends and family urged me to finally display them in 2012 

I am inspired by the mythologies of native and ancient peoples and I am fascinated by the artistic styles of M.C. Escher and the Native American artists of the North West Coast Native American Indians.

How I got started.. A good friend of mine - Charlie Hall - was the woodshop teacher at the school where I taught and I would help him prepare for his shows and sometimes go to the shows and help out. So when it was suggested that I too get involved I had a bit of experience and encouragement which helped.

I discovered my talent by accident - to me I was just "filling space and time" with my silly little designs till I was pushed into the art fair scene and found that other people than relatives and friends liked my work.

I base my work on the mythologies of Greeks - Romans - Egyptians - Celts and Native Americans. I then base my drawings on a creature from their mythology and then hide numerous other animals within the body of the image - I call the hidden designs my Dark Designs - designs hidden in the dark - most don't see them at first glance.

My five year plan... I have no grand plans - I enjoy going to the fairs and talking to people - however, one project I am considering is the production of a book - one that would include my most popular drawings and their corresponding myth. It is basically written/drawn - I just need to get the cash together to have it published - don't know if there would be any demand but I would be fun to try.

I am not sure there is a deep message to my work however, I would hope it would encourage people to take the time to appreciate the artistic styles and mythologies of other cultures - to ovoid the superficial glance and to look deeper into the drawings to gain a greater understanding as well as to have fun.

Meet Kari Gall from Sugar Bear Gourmet Popcorn.. 

My husband and I are the owners of Sugar Bear Gourmet Popcorn LLC, a home based business located in North Olmsted, Ohio. We have two children. We have been serving up gourmet popcorn for almost two years now.

We find inspiration in flavors and spices to create new products to delight the palate. We got into the business when my husband was a cook. Around that time we decided we wanted to create fun and unique snacks for people to enjoy! We did this by experimenting  with spices, flavors, and colors. We have always loved popcorn and it was the perfect medium to showcase it on!

Flavor ideas come to us through experiences with food and events that happen through our day to day routine or a customer will request a flavor for us to develop for them for a special person or event they are having. We make gourmet popcorn in custom flavors and colors. We can create over 200 flavors!

Our goal in five years... We want to focus on custom orders, events (baby/wedding showers and parties), and fundraising for schools and organizations.

The message behind our work is to allow people to experience something new and fun in popcorn. The sky is the limit with flavors and colors with Sugar Bear Gourmet Popcorn LLC. Sweet, savory, cheesy, salty, or spicy…we can make it happen.

2014 Rocky River Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sat. Nov. 14 (10am-5pm) & Sun. Nov 15 (11am-5pm)

Rocky River Memorial Hall (Next to Rec)

21016 Hilliard Blvd.

Rocky River, OH 44116

For more information, contact Becki Silverstein, Event Coordinator at Becki@ag-shows.com

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These Crafters Have Everything You Need for Spring Get Togethers!

Meet Megan Nelson from 10th Floor Treasures...
As a preschool teacher, I am reminded daily by my students just how incredible life is. Children find joy in the smallest things and each accomplishment merits a celebration. This has become my inspiration: create affordable items that bring joy and remind people just how wonderful life can be, whether they are celebrating a milestone event or everyday wonder. 

I have been a crafter since I was my students’ age and my areas of interest have changed and developed so much in the past 20 years. Jewelry has always been my favorite to create and the new mediums and techniques I discover often lead me to implement them in new directions. This is very visible in my current work! I became enamored with simple wire wrapping and created a collection of jewelry featuring sterling silver-filled wire words. From there, I tackled a project that I had seen while wedding-planning and wanted to improve upon: custom wedding dress hangers featuring the bride’s name scripted in wire. So I found a sturdier kind of wire than the flimsy aluminum I saw used most often and I’m thrilled with the result. The hangers gave me the idea for painted wooden frames featuring a wire name or word that would be adorable as a bridal or baby shower gift. What a wonder it is when one craft is the inspiration for another!

Most often I sell to friends and family, on Etsy, and at a few small church shows. I look forward to taking my booth to the next level at my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show in March and I hope it sparks a change in my business in such a way that I can connect with other crafters and new customers that appreciate fine, handcrafted art created with passion and great attention to detail. I won’t be working from my tenth floor apartment forever, but – just like the items I create – the name 10^th Floor Treasures tells a story about life and the wonderful changes that take place.

I hope to meet you at a show in the future! In the meantime, check out 10^th Floor Treasures at www.etsy.com/shop/10thFloorTreasures and www.facebook.com/10thFloorTreasures. 

Meet Abigail Pearson from Meh to Marvelous...
My name is Abigail Pearson and I love to create! Everything from personalized acrylic tumblers, to wine glasses, to photo collages....you name it! I have been painting and creating since I could walk! I am very excited for my first experience at the Avant-Garde Arts & Crafts Show!

I am inspired to create by everything I see. I love finding an old chair and bringing new life into it, or getting something blank in a store and turning it into something marvelous!

As a former interior designer, and now a stay at home mom, making these crafts is a terrific creative outlet. So much of my inspiration comes from my customers. They ask me for something special to give as a gift. We talk about their style, hobbies, etc. And voila! A perfectly personalized present! I hope in 5 years I am just as busy as I am now! 

The message behind my work is personalizing your life!

Meet Chris Wagner from Great Lakes Spices...
My name is Chris Wagner and I have been in sales my entire life. I started Great Lakes Spices in May of 2013 and show cased my hand blended gourmet seasonings at weekly Farmers Markets and various Street Festivals. It was a very successful launch which was validated by the number of repeat customers, chef's usage, and retail stores that currently have it on their shelves. Great Lakes Spices offers five different gourmet seasonings: Chicago Steak, Carolina BBQ, Bayou Blend, Southwest Select, and our (sodium free) Tuscany Reserve. They crossover into all major food groups, and will enhance the taste of your favorite dishes. Each gourmet seasoning is custom blended to our proven family recipes and are 100% natural with no preservatives.

I have not participated in any Avant-Garde Art and Craft Shows but I am looking forward to the Spring Shows and expanding into different venues. My wife and I are from big families, have lots of friends, and a house with and open floor plan that extends into the outdoors, therefore, we have found ourselves being quite the entertainers. Throughout all the entertaining we have done over the years, I developed into a recognized chef to my friends and family without the formal culinary education. I really enjoy cooking whether it is for just a small group or for 100 people or more.

Great Lakes Spices is a small producer that takes it's time in preparing top quality gourmet seasonings that have been truly tested over time. We continue to develop and test additional seasonings that we will eventually add to our line of gourmet products. We are focused on providing bold tasting seasonings that are 100% natural, with no preservatives and are hand blended using the finest gourmet spices in a nut free facility.

In the next five years, hopefully my son will be out of college (Go Bucks) and will take over selling at all the mobile venues across the country and then I could stay closer to home and concentrate on corporate and wholesale accounts and develop new products. Only time will tell. Remember, "Adding Spice Makes it Twice as Nice!"

Meet Rihannon Kim of Haute High Tea..
My name is Rhiannon Kim, owner and founder of Haute High Tea, and I have been crafting for over 15 years. I started out experimenting with various mediums as a hobby until I finally found a medium that I truly loved which was vintage china and porcelain. This will be my very first Avant-Garde Craft Show as well as my very first official craft show ever.I am inspired to create by my NEED to create. I have to create. It is as much a part of me as breathing and eating. It makes me happy, and who doesn't want to be happy? 

I come from a very creative family. My mother sewed, my father was an artist who drew and painted, and my god-parents are both professional artists, so it was only natural for me to find my own creative outlet. I discovered my talent accidentally. I absolutely love vintage items and fell in love with the resurgence of the high tea tradition especially here in the US. Beautiful and colorful vintage china captured my attention immediately and I wanted to take those orphaned pieces that I started collecting and create something beautiful, memorable, and one-of-a-kind. Thus, my Haute High Tea stands were born.

My creative process is simple: I see a piece of china or porcelain that I like and I buy it. Very rarely do I hunt for pieces to match what I already have. I never know when a piece will be used, it could be days or years, but I try to never let a gorgeous plate, saucer, tea cup, or serving bowl pass me by. While I enjoy creating one-of-a-kind high tea stands, I am working on a line of high tea inspired jewelry as well. In 5 years, I see myself as a major player in the crockery rental business with a vast collection of high tea stands, china, and flatware available to purchase and rent, and a full line of women and children's high tea inspired jewelry. I want my work to be taken as light-hearted as possible. My stands and jewelry are whimsical, ethereal, a little indulgent, memorable, and fun. They are a joy to create, and I hope my customers experience the joy in owning them. 

2014 West Side Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday & Sunday, March 22nd and 23rd, 2014, 10:00am-5:00pm

Rocky River Memorial Hall

21016 Hilliard Blvd.

Rocky River, OH 44116

For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com

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These Artists Add a Little Spice to Life!

Meet Lauren from The Blonde Italian...

My name is Lauren, mother of two daughters that have been my inspiration for creating recipes and tasty enhancements. We Cook. We are kitchen people!! Two of my 8 products are named after my daughters: Giavanna's GARDEN GARLIC Seasoning & Sister Mia's SAVORY SALSA

I am self-taught. I make everything myself and hold a Commercial Food Manufacturing License from The Ohio Department of Agriculture. All of my sauces are my original recipes.There are no fillers or other sauces within my sauces. No gluten, msg, trans fats, meats, or animal stock (a couple sauces have dairy/ cheese).

 I felt I had talents I was not using. Raising my daughters was my only focus.. Now they are nearly grown up and all of this just came pouring out of me. The first 1-2 years was teaching myself how. Now, I have been selling my sauces for 13 months. I started with designing a website / blog showing step by step demos with pictures of how to cook with my products. It has evolved into more and will continue to change.  You can purchase/ship via paypal right from my website. There is also a list of stores that carry my foods. It will be a full blown online store with more items added in 2014. I am also a self- taught seamstress. My kitchen related, sewn designs will be featured on my website next year, right after I clone myself.

Meet Tris Mihalik from IndoDesigns...

My name is Tris Mihalik, I worked as SAS computer programmer in IT (Information Technology) company for over ten years. Although I loved my job, I have always dreamed of having a small home based business selling the  handmade goods, I love to create. So the timing was right to pursue my dream when I resigned from my position and moved to Ohio to get married. I do love working from home, helping my husband with his small business and just spending good creative quality time with my husband and 17 month old daughter. I grew up with a mom who is a professional seamstress. My mom and I even made my BEAUTIFUL wedding dress, which I was so proud to wear on my big day! She has taught me so much about sewing, but most importantly she taught me the importance of using good quality materials, taking pride in my work and that paying attention to the details is the most important thing in the end. I am grateful that I can do what I enjoy. I have been doing this since January 2011 and this will be my first Avant-Garde Show!

I was looking for something I could do from home and so I started asking my friends for ideas of things to create. I (with my husband help) came up with my first idea of making "The Complete Handmade coupon Organizer with a detailed shopping list".
Then I joined the Etsy website, to try selling them and was so surprised how many people loved my coupon organizer and how quickly they were selling. This got me so excited and motivated, so I kept thinking what else could I create to help people and make life easier? Then I came up with "The Complete Handmade Cash Budget Organizer with detailed Cash Expenses List" and "The Complete Handmade Bill Organizer with Calendar and Bill detailed List". It is just so fun to make handmade things and get the great positive feedback from my customers about how they love my crafts. That makes me want to create more. That's why I keep trying to make other new unique crafts to add to my IndoDesigns shop collection on Etsy. 

I have always enjoyed making handmade things since I was a little, everyone in my family was "handy" and would try making the things we needed. It was also nice to make things to give to family or friends. I just feel great when I am doing crafts and creating things. It's so challenging in the creating and developing stages and then so rewarding in the end when you have a finished product that you created. I admire people who are so creative and come up with great ideas making so many cool crafts. I have always loved to give something unique or different as birthday/holiday gift to my family and friends, so I'm always thinking of what they need and then try to make it.

I’m just always looking and thinking about where there is a need for something to be created from scratch or how to make something just a little bit better or more useful. After getting an idea then it’s challenging to get the creative wheels spinning and figure out how to make it. There’s trial and error for sure but then sticking with it until I figure it out. In the end all the time and effort is usually worth it. I would like to keep being creative, design new things that are useful and practical for people. Maybe, hopefully not only selling my crafts online, but I would like to have a little craft store. I also hope to do more craft shows and meet other artisans and people who appreciate handmade things. 

The message behind my work is that buying and having handmade items is just so much more rewarding then buying things off a shelf at a store. Having a "one of a kind" or unique item just makes you feel better (you’re also helping an independent artist.) I hope more and more people will find that my handmade things are not just beautiful but also useful, unique, practical and really well made. And that they will appreciate all the effort, patience, time and love that I invest in making crafts. 

Meet Barb and John from JB Wood 'n Craft...

JB Wood ‘n Craft is a small company creating hand-crafted wooden items for garden and home.  We design and make all of our products ourselves, using locally rescued/re-purposed wood for our products whenever possible; including vintage barn wood, recycled cedar fencing, rescued hardwoods and wooden pallets. 

We offer a wide range of items for gardeners (trellises, tuteurs, planters, etc.) and bird enthusiasts (bird houses and feeders) as well as culinary products for smoking/grilling, preparing and serving food (wood chips and planks, herb sets, cutting boards, serving trays, etc.) We take great pride in the originality and uniqueness of our products as well as in their design and the quality of their construction. 

2013 West Side Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday & Sunday, November 16th and 17th, 2013, 10:00am-5:00pm

Rocky River Memorial Hall

21016 Hilliard Blvd.

Rocky River, OH 44116

For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com

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A Craft Through Inspiration and Practice!

Meet Nikki Maffei from Bakked by Nikki...

I am currently employed as a Registered Dietitian with the Summit County WIC program in Akron, Ohio. I have been a dietitian for four years. I have one son, Cameron, who is 14 and entering high school this year. He is very active in baseball, which keeps us very busy in the summer and throughout the year. I love being Cameron's mom. I consider it a privilege to be to see the world through his eyes every day! This will be my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show!

I have been decorating cookies since about November of last year. I stumbled upon a blog post (The Adventures of Sweet Sugarbelle) that had some amazing cookies on it for Day of the Dead; skull shaped cookies with bright colors. The more I looked through the blog, the more intrigued and interested I became. I had to try it! I have always enjoyed painting and drawing and this was a great way to combine my love of baking with art.  

I get my inspiration from other bakers such as Sweet Sugarbelle, Bake at 350, Hayley's Cakes and Cookies, Sweetopia and many more. I also get inspiration from patterns or if someone asks me to make cookies for a specific event, I try to match the theme of that event.

How I got started decorating... The more pictures and blogs of cookie decorators I looked at the more and more interested I became. I just thought "I can do that!"  So I gave it a try and have been hooked ever since.

How I got started selling... My friends and family have been a huge influence on me. They have all encouraged me to sell and get my name out there. I started posting pictures on Facebook and receiving a few orders.

My creative process starts with some research on the web. I love looking at what other cookies decorators are doing. I then trace the cutters I'm going to use on plain paper and then use colored pencils to design the cookies.

 

Decorating cookies just makes me happy! I also love the feedback I get from customers. The message behind my work is eat beautiful cookies and be happy!!

Meet Sara Syed from Misty Gardens...

My name is Sara Syed. I have a Bachelors degree in middle-childhood math and science education, a license in Practical Nursing, and I’m also a level II Reiki therapist.  Currently I’m a stay at home mom with my beautiful three year old daughter.

I started making handmade soaps in 1999. My cousin who was staying with me at the time had a bar of handmade soap that her friend made and gave to her.  I was so intrigued by this that I started to research how to make handmade soaps. I had also researched about the bad side effects of all the chemicals used in commercial products and decided to make my soaps all-natural and chemical free. 

Over time, I became better at making the soaps and started giving them as gifts to friends and family. Everyone liked the soaps so much they suggested I should sell them. Of course, hobbies have to be on the back burner when life gets in the way. But I finally have a website at www.misty-gardens.com and have ventured to participate in my first Avant-Garde Arts and Craft Show this fall. 

You can view photos of my work at: http://www.misty-gardens.com/

Check out these featured vendors at the 2012 West Side Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This eclectic show will feature up to 200 of the most talented artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to Drink Local. Drink Tap. a local non-profit that works in communities to educate people about our local water sources and also helps orphans in Uganda gain access to clean drinking water.

2012 West Side Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday, October 14, 2012, 11:00am-6:00pm

Lacentre

25777 Detroit Rd.

Westlake, OH 44145

For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com

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