Three Artists with Flair!

Meet Jerrica Fields from Booop….

Booop is a childhood pet name given to me by my Poppi (my grandfather). I grew up in Lima, Ohio and moved to Columbus in 2007. I earned my BFA from the Columbus College of Art & Design in 2011. Along with Booop, I own Jerrica Fields Jewelry Design, my own line of handcrafted and crocheted jewelry (available at www.jerricafields.etsy.com). I live in Clintonville with my boyfriend Andrew, our turtle Toby, and our year old boxer pup Tulip. I love Red Lobster, Disney World, Godiva white chocolate raspberry starfish, and skateboarding.

I recently opened my Booop shop on Etsy but have been selling my handmade books at local shows for 3 years.

As for what inspires me…seeing all the beautiful things people are creating everyday is enough to get my creative juices flowing.

I don’t think anything got me into crafts. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t working on at least one (usually more than one) project. I was lucky enough to be raised in a family that supported and encouraged creativity, so I’ve always been creating. My house is always covered with beads, paper bits, and art projects. I can’t imagine living life without art. I’m always making something.

I discovered my talent at a fairly young age. I remember back in grade school, ripping the covers off 3-hole punched notebooks and binding the pages together with ribbons to make sketchbooks. I loved making fresh book covers out of brown paper grocery bags, and covering everything (including myself) with stickers. I feel as if I’m doing these same things as an adult, just with much better craftsmanship.

My creative process is pretty simple. I think of things that I need or wish I had, things that will make my life more beautiful, organized, and ultimately more fun. Then I make them!

In five years I see my business growing into a larger brand, having a huge online presence, and having more products available in boutiques worldwide. The most important thing for me is keeping it fun and having fun doing it.

What's the message behind my work? Booop is a carefully curated line of handmade books, planners, magnets, stationary, stickers and more, designed to make life a little more personal and a whole lot simpler. We live in a fast paced world. I want my work to encourage people to slow down. Take some time to do things the old fashioned way, by hand. Use a planner instead of an Ipad. Stop typing and pick up a pencil. Send more letters instead of just emails. Write love notes, give gifts, draw, throw parties. Have fun!

Be sure to find us on Twitter @Boooptique and our Facebook page!

Meet Allyson Stevens from Scrabble Chick…

I grew up immersed the artisan crafts community and, in fact, participated in arts show organization with my family for over 20 years. It was only natural that I graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from the Ohio State University.  

Years later, I was drawn back to the world of arts and crafts and began exhibiting my own crafts in 2008. My lifelong love of board games led me to focus my craft on re-purposing used game boards and boardgame pieces to reuse and restyle them into functional art.

Be sure to visit us at our website www.scrabblechick.com and our Facebook page!

Meet Kristie Madden from Tinseltown Candles…

Tinseltown Candles was masterminded by me and my husband, Jay. We are natives of Columbus, Ohio who shared a dream of owning our own business. Jay has worked as a Producer and Director of independent film for over a decade, and has always possessed a love for all that is movie related. I have worked as a Registered Nurse in geriatric nursing for over 15 years. It is because of my career in nursing that I insist the air we breathe should always be aromatically pleasing. 

My husband and I combined our love for fabulous fragrance with our passion for fantastic films and thus, Tinseltown Candles was born. We are movie enthusiasts, and our goal is to produce scented products that will evoke emotion and captivate an audience just like a memorable film. If we see a movie that we love, we have to make it a Tinseltown Candles creation. Simple as that. 

Tinseltown Candles was created in 2012, although my candle crafting began long before. I started making candles 8 years ago and found the activity to be therapeutic and relaxing. After meeting my husband and learning that we share the same passion for film and creativity, I began searching for a way in which to combine film and fragrance. I wanted to create a candle company that provides a unique spin on traditional candles and scented products while paying homage to the amazing art of filmmaking. 

Several things contribute to the creative naming and selection of fragrances Tinseltown Candles produces, but our biggest inspiration is movies! Audiences watch a movie for entertainment, but fall in love with the movies that allow the viewer to relate and become emotionally invested in the characters. Fragrances and our sense of smell works in a similar way. For example, each time I produce a candle using our Million Dollar Baby Powder scent, I am taken back to a time when my children were babies and I could still cradle and love on them without them asking if they could go play the Xbox!

I started creating candles when I was a single mother in nursing school. I wanted a craft I could do with my children for fun and a relaxing way to earn a few extra dollars to help pay for my tuition. I enjoyed candle making and producing other scented products so much, that I continued with the hobby long after I had graduated. 

The future of Tinseltown Candles is as bright as Hollywood stars. We hope to still be creating our fabulous movie-inspired creations in the years to come, and adding more and more blockbuster fragrance hits!

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

Visit us on:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

LINKEDIN