Meet Laura Tomanek from Satisfying Sweets LLC...
I am 33 years old and have lived in Lorain County my entire life. I am married to my high school sweetheart and he is my biggest supporter. I work full time and create Satisfying Sweets in my free time. Satisfying Sweets was 'born' on March 1, 2011. It became an LLC in November of last year.
Satisfying Sweets provides custom sweets and greeting cards. I specialize in custom orders and can work with you on coordinating colors, themes, flavors etc... The most popular occasions that I have created sweets for are birthdays, holiday gifts, corporate gifts and parties. I also customize sweets for weddings and showers. I make cakes, cupcakes, mini cupcakes, cake pops, cupcake bite (cake ball), brownies, decorated cutout sugar cookies, drop cookies (chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, snickerdoodle etc...), chocolate covered pretzels, cookies and strawberries as well as greeting cards for all occasions, invitations and scrapbooks.
I get my creativity from my grandma and a few of my aunts and cousins are super creative and talented, so I like to think that I get my creativity from them, that it's in my genes. :)
I make handmade cards, invitations, and scrapbooks currently, but I started making greeting cards probably 10 years ago or so. I've always been a big fan of sending cards to loved ones for special occasions and holidays, so I thought it would be fun to create my own and make them more personalized. To that end, I also love to receive cards. I have always enjoyed baking and decorating desserts and sweets for get togethers and holidays.
I really got involved in my craft last spring, that’s when it started to take off. At that time, I was actually trying out different things for a bake off contest, so I was bringing in a lot of sweets to work so that I could get some honest feedback. It was then that I had numerous people express to me that I was really good at this and should consider "doing this" and selling my baked goods. At first I just blew it off because I'd heard that before on occasion, but then I got to thinking, "Why Not?" So, I decided that I would try it. Well, once I decide that I'm going to do something I give it 110%.
At first, it was family, friends and co-workers ordering sweets but then the word of mouth started traveling and I started doing a farmers market and craft shows and I stay very busy. It's so much fun that it doesn't really seem like 'work'. I really believe that this is what I was meant to do. It's been almost a year since I started on this venture and I can't wait to see how it continues to grow.
When I go into a paper store or a craft store and see new paper designs or color schemes, my mind starts racing with all of the different themes and styles that I could create. Also, when I receive cards or see other artist's talented work, it inspires me to create my own version of an idea. As far as thinking of ideas for the sweets... It's not difficult to think of new flavor combinations because I LOVE sweets. I really think I could live off of just desserts if I had to! My list of ideas to try grows each day. If I see something in a shop, online or at a party I can't wait to have the opportunity to experiment with different flavors and different decorating techniques.
Also, my family and friends are always excited to give me ideas based on something cool that they saw or tasty that they ate somewhere else. I love to watch tutorials on different decorating and baking techniques. There are really so many talented and amazing artists out there. I hope that my list of ideas continues to grow and I never want to stop trying new things. My co-workers, family and friends are usually the taste testers and beneficiaries of all of the new creations. My husband and I try one item and then we have to get the rest out of the house. We both enjoy sweets, so it's very difficult to have a full kitchen of them.
I have many favorites, but I think the items that top my list are my 'sparkly' snowflake cookies, that I made for Christmas. I think they are so elegant and classy using a simple design.
My ultimate goal is to have a storefront, selling my sweets and paper goods. I think that would be the best job ever. I have friends and family that also enjoy and are talented in creating art and I think to be able to surround yourself with people you love, while doing something you love... well, there would be nothing better. I would love to provide sweets for weddings, corporate events, showers, parties, school events etc... It's such a compliment to me when a 'stranger' comes to a show just to see me, taste or order something that I've made that they've heard about or seen pictures of. It's a great feeling.
When I make a card, a cookie, a cupcake, or anything else, I really just want the recipient to enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it. It makes me so happy to make someone smile or make someone's day brighter. And if I can do that by doing something that I love, then I feel like I am pretty lucky.
Meet Allie Jackson from Allie M Designs...
I have been doing jewelry for about 5 years. I love vintage style. I started in Los Angeles with a Pet Accessory Company. I went to Fashion school before I started working with metals. I have two furry children – Chance & Luna. I have been married for 1.5 years.
Apart from creating, I like to hike, travel, research, learn, teach, cook and multitask. I get my creativity from vintage style, organic pieces, tiny items and resin.
I have always loved jewelry but it wasn’t until Fashion school when I took an accessories class that I knew that this is what I loved creating. I am passionate about what I do.
I often see things in my mind, assemble them, if they don’t work out, then I put it on a SALE rack. Or I come back to it later, change it and then it becomes a piece that I love and hate to sell.
Currently, my favorite piece is my basil and mustard seed necklace from the Symbolic Herb Collection.
My current goal is to expand the Symbolic Herb Collection. I feel very passionate about this line. I love that the organic herbs represent something special. I love putting metal, resin and herbs together. I love seeing the Colores pieces with clear resin, colored resin, and herbs.
How I got started...When I had the pet accessory company I started selling out in L.A. to get exposure.
The message behind my work is that I hope that my customer feels the inspiration and symbolism behind the pieces. I want my customer to love the piece that they purchase and feel a connection to it.
Meet Angela Gschwind from Random Loops...
A bit about myself..
I am...
a mother,
a daughter,
a sister,
whole food eater,
a compulsive crocheter,
addicted to the creative process,
finally making my art and ideas tangible.
Apart from creating things, I work full-time, spend time with my daughter, enjoy the simplicity of many things, love to learn and create new things.
Where I get my creativity from.. My mother has always been a very creative force in my life. I remember being little and doing all sorts of craft projects. She still has a little bottle of orange yarn I gave her for her birthday. We always had lots of decor magazines to look at as well.
My creative process.. Necessity really is the mother of all invention, in my life anyway. If I am trying to figure out how something will come together it is almost like my brain is a computer and it goes through and finds possibilities, usually when I am driving in the shower or relaxed, then it all clicks! Pretty much, ask and you shall receive. I treat it like a game now, it is very fun!! My mom and I are constantly calling each other with ideas for ourselves or the other.
I got into my craft through a hat! My mother actually made the hat for my daughter but was too big so I started wearing it and got such a positive reaction from friends and strangers everywhere I went that I told my mom she should make them to sell. She told me that I should make them! I learned how to do a single crochet chain when I was very young, as did many people, so she just taught me more stitches and it took off from there. A day does not feel right unless I have crocheted something. I have always loved raw materials; fabric, yarn, found objects, putting colors together, etc...
Very often, I pose a question, vision, or something I want to explain or express and see where that leads me. My minds eye works very hard when I am downloading ideas, I can see how I can make something work very often while driving or showering. The result that I jot down is sometimes just the beginning. Oftentimes, the end result is something totally different.
What is your most favorite item that you have ever produced?
My daughter, Savannah :)
Oh, you mean my art work! ;) This is a great question, I keep coming back to; whatever I am working on at the time. I am really in the moment when I am creating so it is always so fresh. Your creations evolve so much over time if you let them and give the energy and love. So, usually I am very excited about what I am producing at any given moment. I am always reminded of one of my favorite artists, Susan Seddon Boulet. If you compare her earlier work with her later work, you see such an evolution, her confidence really shows.
My goals? I would like to be like one of those designers featured in Elle Decor or House Beautiful, or even a wonderful blog nowadays (but there is just something about magazines that I will always love), with a studio in home, family naturally playing in the living room, have beautiful produce laid about in the kitchen, my enchanting husband about to cook something wonderful for the magazine crew to thank them for coming to our home.
I'd also love to share my AHA! moments translated into art.
I want to continually learn new ways to create, especially with knitting, weaving, and sculpting, producing something beautiful people will cherish.
Also to have my own;
- Children's crochet/knit clothing line
- Home decor line
- Bed and breakfast with alpacas
- Freedom and means to travel and enjoy all this life has to offer!!
Designing just feels so natural, my goal is to have it be all encompassing. I love variety and having new ideas, I feel so vibrant when I am in that flow, so this is something that can be a lifetime pursuit well spent. Also, there are so many different skills and crafts to learn, melding them together is just so darn fun!
Crocheting is so meditative, I would love for others to experience that if they have not. I also would love to create something for them personally, or for there home to make them feel beautiful.
I love seeing something I would never have thought to put together, I strive for that frequently. The possibilities really truly are endless.
Meet Aimee Bachna...
I am a mother and artist living in Westlake, Ohio. I create mostly acrylic paintings; however I have watercolors, porcelain painting and sketches in my portfolio. Bright colors and abstract are my favorites along with creating still life compositions. I have also been featured as an artist on HGTV; Home and Garden Television.
I work full-time at an insurance office in Lakewood, but I am also starting a new venture teaching painting classes at local establishments such as coffee shops and wine bars.
I get my creativity from all around me. My mind is always buzzing with ideas. I also love to look at magazines for color ideas and I ask people what they look for in art.
I always drew since I was a kid, but I did not learn how to paint until college. The nuns taught me at Ursuline College – I started at the age of 24. Also, I would pick up a class here and there at Westlake Recreation and the Beck Center. No matter how well you paint, you can always learn a new technique.
I got started doing this as a business when people started asking me to make them things. Then I got into art festivals and ecommerce. Now some of my work is at area restaurants, art galleries and online. I started officially selling in 2002.
My ideas come first, then I look for reference in a magazine or computer image website. In order for me to sit down (or stand) and paint, I need to be totally organized. Brushes, canvas, fresh water, my art reference and my paint palette ready. I have a wide variety of canvas sizes, so I usually grab one, do a quick charcoal sketch directly on the canvas, then I start painting. Most of the time I mix my colors directly on the canvas. You get really cool colors and blends that way.
A lot of times when I paint, I zone off and that is when I get really creative. One time I was painting a big block of cheese on a plate. I was really into painting the plate while listening to some music. Then I stepped away and without planning it, I had painted a cheese board instead of a plate. That was so cool.
My favorite works.. I love my fish and willows painting the best. I did it with little reference (just the fish and the pewter vase) and I painted while I helped my daughter with her homework. So I was distracted. If you look close, you can see a head floating in the wine bottle. It was totally unplanned. That painting sold quickly.
Also, my basketball painting. It looks so worn.
My goal is to make art, sell art and teach art full-time. I hope to achieve that within the year if things go well.
The message behind my work is to make people smile and love what they see. One of my customers loved a painting so much she said it just makes her so happy, so she looks at it all day.
I just want to tell all my fellow artists that coroflot.com has opened many doors for me. It is free online portfolio service for any artist of any medium. It is a great way to quickly show someone your talent by just offering a quick link – mine is www.coroflot.com/aimeebachna.
Check out these featured vendors at the 2012 Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This eclectic show will feature over 135 of the most talented artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to Project Night Night, an organization that provide care packages and support for children during times of home displacement.
2012 Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Sunday, April 29, 2012, 10:00am-5:00pm
Wagner's Country Inn
30855 Center Ridge Rd.
Westlake, OH 44145
