All In The Fun Of Tutus!

Meet Rebecca Edwards From Just "Bead" It...
My name is Rebecca and I am the founder and owner of Just "Bead" It! I'm married and have a gorgeous son about to graduate from high school. I am also the mother to four beautiful Yorkshire Terriers! I have been doing glass art for about four years now. I have several kiln's and a workshop. I have never participated in an Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows before, so I am super excited for this opportunity! I have found much success in Mansfield, Ohio and have been looking at shows in surrounding areas to branch out to.  

I started my business simply because I wanted/needed to be my own boss. My time is important to me, and I grew tired of spending it with people that didn't necessarily appreciated it. Plus, my husband has fancy job that requires us to be flexible with our time. We have had to move a couple of times for his job, and I was starting and leaving jobs often. I have found that working for myself and doing something that I love has really been a blessing! 

When it comes to my creativity, ideas and thoughts truly just come to me. I draw inspiration from everywhere. I love selling my items to people who think it's clever or smart. What keeps me motivated is getting feedback from repeat customers or hearing their stories on how their gift was a hit. I really like to repurpose things and use them in a way that's not conventional. I make several items including cheese plates, bird feeders, lamps, clocks, and wall hangings, all made from old wine bottles. I also make jewelry.

Meet Peggie Meckling From Maggie Mae Designs...
I am the creative mind behind Maggie Mae Designs, I love to create beautiful things our of recycled and re-used bits and baubles from past eras. I am a crafter, musician, singer and writer. I've been crafting and making things all my life, but I have only begun selling them in the last year to the general public. 

Personally I think that I inherited my creativity from my mother, who fostered a love of the arts into all of her children. I have been crafting as a hobby my whole life. I've made jewelry and done other crafts with my mother and siblings as a child. However, I started working in ceramics a few years ago, and began working with old buttons, chandelier crystals, china and glass. Now, I'm starting to do metal fabrication.

Starting my crafting businesses happened naturally. I had always planned to do this in my retirement. But the more I gave jewelry away to family and friends, the more they liked it and kept encouraging me to make more. As I began to create more pieces, I realized there may be others out there who would also appreciate my work.

My creative process is all over the map. Sometimes I'm highly organized and know exactly where I'm going with it. Sometimes I am given a new object and I'm off and running in a new direction. I find the creative process of crafting to be unbelievably rewarding. When someone stands at my table at a craft fair and picks up one of my pieces and loves it, that's the big pay off. When I know someone really likes the piece and either wants to wear it themselves or share it as a gift, that's golden.

Meet Melissa Prozy From TuBows...

I am a stay at home mother to my little princess Gabriella who is now three. Since I had her, I was always looking for the cutest little outfits, bows, and tutus to dress her in. The price tags started to add up. Since I did not have an income to contribute to her ever-growing closet, my husband started to pump the brakes on my spending. Well, I am a stubborn Italian who doesn't like to be told no, I knew I had to think of a way to dress my daughter for a better price. When I was younger, my mother taught me how to sew, and I furthered my education in school through home economics classes. So, when it was time for my daughters 2nd birthday, and I was on the hunt for the cutest birthday outfit, I decided to make it instead. It came out adorable, and everyone asked the question, "Where did you find that?". That's when the thought popped in my head that I could totally make a great hobby out of this! With a little help from my sister and my best friend, we came up with the name and brand for TuBows. In December of 2011, TuBows became an official small crafting business. 

I get my creativity everywhere, I love sitting at the park and just letting my imagination wander. One of my favorite ways to create is to play with ribbon and/or fabrics and see where my hands take me. My creativity comes from my Grandma, she was always quilting, sewing and doing craft projects with us when we were younger. However, my inspiration to create TuBows comes from my daughter. I love dressing her up like a princess, and being able to make items she wants. Being the founder of TuBows saves us money and makes her outfits that much more special.

The thing I enjoy most about creating handmade items is the before and after process. A simple piece of tulle, some elastic, and some ribbon become a beautiful tutu.

I am currently promoting on Facebook and through an intuit website (www.tubows.com). You can also find me on Etsy at TuBows.

Meet Savannah Norris-Jenkins From SolarFire Jewelry...

My name is Savannah, I am a wife and a mother to a cute and very opinionated two year old daughter. My jewelry business is called SolarFire Jewlery. I am a singer and musician for two local groups. My folk group is called The Song Birds, and I'm in a duet with my husband called Jinxed. Since I have bills to pay, I work full time as an Operations Manager at a bank. I keep myself busy! 

 

I have been creating jewelry for about a year now, but I've been an artist in one form or another since I was in high school. I draw my creativity from when I was young. Growing up, my aunts used to have my sister and I do crafts with them when we were visiting. We loved it! As I got older, I got into drawing and music as my artistic outlets. I am still a musician, and I now have a love of jewelry making as well!

I began crafting as a hobby because I had an itching to do something creative. It all started when I happened upon a beautiful pair of polished Cabochon gemstones. These jewels were just screaming to be made into a pair of earrings. I hadn't tried my hand at jewelry making before, but did some research and tried it out. I instantly fell in love with designing and crafting jewelry pieces, and have been hooked ever since. 

I made my craft into a business because there was no way I would ever be able to wear everything that I was making. I've always enjoyed going to craft shows and shopping on Etsy, so I thought it would be fun to be a vendor too. Plus, a little bit of extra income never hurts! Most of my inspiration comes from the stones themselves: their shapes, color and size sparks an idea, and I run with that. During the workday or especially after I've gone to bed, ideas will run through my head, and I can't wait to start a new project.  

  

I like to create unique statement pieces that catch people's attention and are easy to wear both casually, and for a night out. For me, I appreciate jewelry that can serve double duty and looks great paired with jeans and white t-shirt, or your cute little black dress.

To see more peices check out my Facebook and Etsy shop.

                                                     

2013 Columbus February Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday, February 16th 2013, 11:00am-5:00pm

St. Agatha's Parish Hall

1860 Northam Rd

Columbus, OH 43221

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

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