I have been a knitter, spinner and fiber artist for over 20 years. I learned to crochet and sew as a child and taught myself to knit in my 20’s during the long winters in Montana. It was there, in Montana that I first started selling my knitting. Appropriately, I made mostly hats and sold them out of a backpack in Yellowstone National park and in the local saloons in town.
I earned a small name for myself and supplemented the off-season by selling the hats and doing odds & ends sewing jobs for the local residents. I really began to invest in my craft once I moved back to the big city (Burlington Vermont) and was able to begin participating in craft shows and local shop events.
When I picked up my first drop spindle in 2015 I fell IN LOVE with spinning. A year later I purchase my first wheel and began spinning in earnest. I love color and texture and these qualities are evident in my yarns and my finished accessories. I owe the majority of my success to the local craft shows I have done now for the last 5 years in Cleveland Ohio. The Cleveland Bazaar and Avant-Garde Arts and Craft Shows helped me to establish a name for myself and have given me an amazing outlet to exhibit my works.
I cannot imagine a life not creating and my dream is to one day have my own storefront gallery and studio to be able to share and teach my craft to others and create a space for other creative souls to come and commune.
Meet Ken from Modern Viking Beard...
Hello, my name is Ken and I am the owner of Modern Viking Beard Co. As a company we are trying to education men and the importance of maintaining a healthy great looking mane! Modern Viking was founded in March of 2017.
Since then we have helped many men achieve their desired beard. This will be our first show and hope to have many more in the future. The inspiration for Modern Viking comes from the desire to educate men on their beards. Also to supple all nature beard care production to them. I got into this hobby to stop the dreaded beard itch with all natural products made by hand. I have a beard, and I needed to find a remedy for my own needs.
After many tries at making the perfect beard balm/oil. I found I have a talent at making hand made all natural beard products. My creative process comes from the determination to create a product that will live up it its Viking name and do justice for our brothers long ago. The message behind my work is treat your beard right!
Meet Sandy and Monica from Triple C Sweets...
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 8 years. Monica is a mother of a 6 year old, as well as a Step-Mother to 12 & 13 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. 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. In addition to everything else, this will be our 12th 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 discovered our talent by feedback from friends & family, and 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. In about 5 years, we see ourselves doing this as a full-time business. And the message behind our work is let us make something sweet for your next event or to satisfy your sweet tooth!
Meet Laura Musarra from Guarino Olive Oil...
The Guarino Olive Oil represents family to me and family is very important to me. So through olive oil sales I support and help my family in Italy who, as farmers, have unique challenges due to climate conditions and their economy. I have worked for a variety of companies in new product development and marketing including Little Tikes, Fisher Price, American Greetings, British Petroleum and Summa Health. Those are all big companies but I have an entrepreneurial spirit too.
For over 15 years I have also partnered in a fine art photography company with my son, starting when we was only 12 years old...allowing him to be the principal photographer. We have done well over 100 shows and events over the years. Now, I have my youngest son who is 16 involved in the olive oil business going to shows with me. It's a great experience for him. Oh, and I have an MBA with a focus on entrepreneurship. So, it's just something I have always loved.
For the last 4 years we have worked with our cousins in Sicily to bring the Guarino Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the U.S. The first time we tasted their olive oil during a visit to the farm in 2001 we fell in love with the flavor...we call it "the good stuff" and we couldn't find anything close to it in the U.S. We wanted more at home. Our cousins first shipped us a few bottles but soon others wanted a bottle. So our family in the U.S. all played a role in getting the olive oil packaged and imported. And it's here and we are sharing it others too.
Fairlawn Nov. 3, 2018 was our first show with Avant-Garde. We have a passion to share our olive oil with others. I get inspired to see the results of working on a project, for me the Guarino Olive Oil allowed me to create, not just sell... I created the packaging, website, flyers, business cards and did some product photography too. The message behind our work is family, health, great food and the importance of interactions with people!
Meet Mandy from Enchanted Cargo...
Enchanted Cargo is a mother and daughters (two of us) team working from our homes in Rocky River. We are a new business and this will be our first craft show but we have been creating for a very long time, and this will be our first show with Avant-Garde!
We are inspired by the world around us— from nature to man made objects. We find inspiration in daily living. We all grew up exploring our artistic talents. It was passed on for generations and we continue this tradition today, and we discovered our talent through the encouragement of our mothers, fathers and grandparents.
We enjoy getting together and bouncing ideas off of one another. When we come together the process just flows. In five years we see ourselves coming up with fresh ideas to add to our eclectic collection and one day a brick and mortar shop. The message behind our work is to use your imagination and talents collectively to unlock creativity!
2017 Rocky River Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
