We are three sisters from a very close-knit family who
have very different day jobs but a common bond of appreciating creativity in
ourselves and others. A common thread (no pun intended) through our
individual hobbies is a desire to create artistic items that are useful as well
as beautiful.
Collectively, we have at least 30 years of experience in
crafting – mostly for gifts to give to others on holidays and birthdays – and
have only recently considered selling our work.
This is our first arts/crafts show of any kind,
ever! And we are very excited to make new friends and share our
enthusiasm for our hobbies with others.
We get our creativity from restlessness... a desire to make one’s mark on the world,
an innate human drive to mold nothing into something.
No one trigger that can really be identified that made us start our business; it just
sort of happened gradually for each of us, after dabbling in all sorts of arts
and crafts: drawing, sculpting, painting, jewelry-making, sewing, photography,
crocheting, mosaic, etc.
Our favorite part of doing this is the excitement to see what the rest of the world thinks
about something we love doing!
Our creative process would best be described as mysterious, spontaneous, and indescribable.
We really love the endless variety in what we do. We don’t get bored because no
handbag, no painting, no necklace, no vase is ever exactly the same as the last
you created.
We believe in art that is reasonably priced that
everyone can own and enjoy! We want you to really like an item we make
because it’s useful and lovely to YOU.
Meet Melissa Harvey from Mel's 'Zels...
My name is Melissa, and I'm the owner of Mel's 'Zels, a start up
gourmet pretzel concept. I create one-of-a-kind hand dipped pretzels, using
quality and fresh ingredients. I graduated with a Marketing degree from The Ohio
State University in 2011, and have always enjoyed creating new delicious
desserts. What started as a hobby and has turned into a passion that I’m
excited to share with others!
This will
be my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. I’m looking forward to meeting
new people and admiring all of the talented vendors!
I started my business because I have an 8-5 job, and I wanted to find a fun hobby to keep me
busy after work. Although a
“professional hobby test” recommended rock collecting (really?) for me, I
figured pretzel designing was much more enjoyable! :)
I enjoy the freedom and creativity that starting my own business
creates. I like testing out new product and packaging ideas and learning from
my failures and successes.
I’m always thinking of new flavor ideas. I try to experiment with my creations – sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t. It’s always a learning process until I get it just right.
The message behind my work is redesign birthdays, holidays, weddings, graduation parties, and
more with Mel’s ‘Zels. They are delicious!
Meet Kathy Maur from Gallifrey Farm Goatmilk Soaps...
I am a wife, mom to five great kids, grandmother, goat herder, farmer
and soapmaker. We raise Nigerian Dwarf Dairy goats, egg laying chickens,
fruits and vegetables. We moved to our farm in Marion Ohio about 16 years ago and have
had dairy goats for about 13 years.
My husband is my biggest source of inspiration and creativity. We had been raising
the dairy goats originally as a 4H project with our children and made cheese
and fudge with the goat
milk. I was complaining about the condition of my severely dry
chapped hands one day when it was suggested to me to make soap out of the milk.
As I began to do research into this area, I was so surprised to learn
how commercial soaps are mostly detergents and synthetics that clean your skin
but do nothing to heal or moisturize. Because of that, I developed my own combination of
fresh goat milk, butters and oils and have never looked back. My
family and friends started using it and as I received more and more
requests, I realized I could make a business with the soaps. Not to mention, I could keep raising the
little goats that I've come to love.
After researching all of the various combinations of butters and
oils and settling on my own recipe, I found that I loved the individual molds
for the soaps much more. These were more fun for me than cutting them from large blocks. It
requires much more time and materials, but I have a greater pride and satisfaction in my finished product.
As my business grew, I was able to buy more molds so that now I can put each
scent into it's own shape.
The thing I
enjoy most about what I do is knowing exactly what goes into my soaps and choosing the
shape of the molds to coordinate with the scent. This is always a lot of fun. Of course getting return
customers is the best satisfaction!
The message behind my work is that it’s possible to get clean without
drying your skin. And it's fun to use a soap that cleans as good as it
moisturizes and smells!
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