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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