B.
Sage Studios started off as the brainchild of founders, Bianca Sage Gery and
Ryan Tackett, in 2012 to sell jewelry and other various products designed by
the two. Trials and experimentations built up to the birth of B. Sage’s
signature product, the Painting Pendant. In 2015, the business was finally set
in stone, and the husband-and-wife team began travelling around Ohio and parts
of Indiana to craft shows, farmer’s markets, and community festivals selling
their one-of-a-kind handmade Painting Pendants.
The
idea of B. Sage Studios was to not only produce their own jewelry designs, but
to expand what the company would produce, along with carrying products designed
and made by other indie makers. With backgrounds in fine art, both Bianca and
Ryan felt a passion to create a lifestyle brand that could house and support
other indie artists while connecting with like-minded customers.
Late
2016, B. Sage opened its first retail location as a holiday pop-up shop. With
the opening of the store, the company was able to once more expand their
product offering into boutique-style clothing, a long-time dream of Bianca’s.
Inspirations for the B.
Sage collections are always in flux. The team is inspired by colors, textures, nature,
stories, dreams and even feelings. Artwork is made based on these things and
ideas. Products are then designed around the artwork. Recent collections such
as 2016 Spring “Awaken” and 2016 Fall “Dark Garden” are examples of the how the
rise and fall of seasonal moods inspired the art, and how the individual
collections will often play off of each other. The team is currently designing
and producing 2017 Spring/Summer collections.
The creative process not a
definitive one. It's a combination between pure creation, lots of research on
seasonal trends, and figuring out how those two things can integrate together
to create the final product. The B. Sage team always wants to be relevant,
while staying true to the brand.
Bianca
has a B.A. in Studio Art with a broad concentration from mixed media to abstract
painting to soft sculpture. She has been creating artwork and designing since
childhood. She serves as the Creative Director and designer of B. Sage Studios.
Ryan has been doing photography and digital art since high school. Always
having an entrepreneurial spirit, Ryan is the company’s head problem solver, lead
in marketing, and photographer.
In
five years, the B. Sage team hopes to have one to two permanent store locations,
while expanding their online store.
The
company’s mission:
B. Sage Studios is a lifestyle retail company on a
mission to create artistic products that inspire others, support indie-makers
by selling and connecting their crafted products to people, and making sure the
products are ethically and thoughtfully made. We give customers a place where
they can feel good about shopping while living a stylish lifestyle.
B.
Sage Studios has participated in two previous Avant-Garde Craft & Art shows.
For this particular spring show, B. Sage will be showcasing their signature
Painting Pendants, their “Gem Collection” soy candles, art prints, and pillows
they have designed. To learn more, visit www.facebook.com/bsagestudios
Hello. My name is Heather Hicks. I am a mom of two boys and I work as the Director of Youth and family ministries at the First Presbyterian Church of Westerville. I have been doing this as a business for about 2 years now, but I have been making jewelry most of my life for gifts and for fun.
What inspires me to create... I love all things Victorian and Celtic so I try to combine the two, but most of my inspiration comes from my customers who are very generous in telling me what they like and most of the time it's what I like too.
How I got into my craft.. My Grandmother was always a crafter, although she never made jewelry, but she always encouraged us to do what we love. About 2 years ago, my sister-in-law suggested that I start my own business because she loved what I was making. I have not backed down since.
How I discovered my talent.. I grew into my talent, you might say. It was not something that happened over night. I enjoy making gifts for my family and I found purchasing jewelry very expensive. I started off creating things I liked and thought family or friends would like. It was not until I offered to sell some of my pieces that people responded that the would like more.
As part of my creative process, I do some research first. I look at art work, myths and legends from Celtic traditions, and even other pieces of jewelry. Then I look at all the different supplies that are available to me in the colors and styles I want and then I make each piece however I have been inspired.
In 5 years, I would like to see this little store grow, and be involved in the Dublin Irish festivals. I would also like to grow my business online so that I can help as many ladies as possible connect to their Irish heritage as well as fell beautiful.
The message behind my work is that there is something magical about the Celtic heritage that I want to encapsulate in my work. I hope that many ladies will gain hope, and inspiration as they connect to their roots through my beautiful pieces.
Meet Liang Xia and Chao Song from Little Sky Stone...
Little Sky Stone was co-founded by Liang Xia and Chao Song in 2015, Liang is the designer of the jewelry. Little Sky Stone's initial concept was created from the principles of Chinese culture and heritage. When Liang moved to the United States 6 years ago, he discovered the uniqueness behind turquoise, opening his eye to a cross-cultural perspective on protection and wealth. With that, Liang wanted to incorporate Chinese elements with turquoise to the U.S. Liang's craft hobby started when he was 7, he started designing jewelry since 2015.
The inspiration of Little Sky Stone's jewelry mainly comes from the nature, Liang and Chao also value the uniqueness of handmade jewelry. Nowadays, most of the jewelry are mass produced by machines, although they look pretty, there is no soul in each piece of jewelry. This has been a problem for jewelry makers in China, crafters cannot make a living by selling their handmade jewelry compared to the low cost mass produced products and the handmade silver making techniques are getting lost in the younger generation. This is a huge concern for us, so Liang and Chao wanted to create this brand to inspire younger artisans to continue making their jewelry.
While growing up in Northeast China, Liang's interest in collecting stones started from a young age. After visiting a small village in HuBei Province, liang's inspiration sparked when introduced to the beauty of turquoise and the rich history behind the stone, which is believed to bring health and protection when worn. So Liang explored further and learnt about the design and silver making techniques from Miao People, known for their craftsmanship of silver accessories for hundreds of years. Liang then tried to design some jewelry by himself, incorporating modern fashion elements in his design, his work received a lot of compliments from people here in US, then he started making this into a business and started Little Sky Stone.
The design of Little Sky Stone is influenced by minimalism. Liang's inspiration is mostly from mother nature - trees, leaves, flowers, mountains etc. He likes travelling and going to the museum, spending a lot of time on pintrest and instagram to brainstorm ideas for his designs. Liang sees Ohio as his second hometown, so he designed multiple ohio themed jewelry pieces - Buckeye leaf necklace, Ohio map rings.
Our five year goal... We want to expand our store from online only to have our own brick and mortar stores. Support and inspire more young artists to thrive and pursue their own dreams.
The message behind out work.. Our work is an art form, as well as the carrier of culture. We take pride in creating jewelry lines that share the authenticity and uniqueness.
Meet Lisa McAllister from Keepsake Quilts by Lisa...
We are sisters who share a passion for quilting. We both reside in the NW part of Columbus - Worthington for me and Powell for Karen.
We have never actually done a craft show but have been lifelong sewers. Our Mom had a sewing machine and always encouraged us to dabble around with it - she did some sewing but never pushed us in any direction just allowed plenty of room for creative process. She also knitted and crocheted. Growing up we had always been around a Mom who had a creative outlet. She sowed the seeds and gave us room to grow our craft.
What inspires us.. fabric - sewing, touching and imagining. Each pattern/color is created uniquely by our love of fabric.Sewing grew for both of us probably from a starting place of clothing. Karen sewed a lot for both of her daughters. My daughter was a competitive figure skater and I got into sewing her skating dresses as a way to save some money. As the kids grew up our directions changed to more home dec and now has really settled down into the quilting.
Our creative process.. Either a pattern or fabric calls out to be something. Not all fabrics work well with all patterns so it begins with finding the two that compliment each other. The pattern should show off the best of the fabric and vice versatile.
Our five year goal is to hopefully spending most of work day quilting and doing local art and craft shows! We have started an Etsy site in January 2017 - www.etsy.com/shop/
The message behind our work is that we see our quilts as an expression of ourselves and want to share that with others.
Meet Lee Hughes from Glass Garden Stones...
Retried a few years ago, I've been able to spend time with my love of stainglass.
Thirty years ago I took a class for stainglass and two years after taught at an adult education center. This will be my first Avant-garde show. There are so many types and colors of glass it's so easy to be inspired.
It is my goal and hope to beautify and personalize landscapes with my stepping stones. The jewelry gives you an appreciation of the many types of glass.
Meet Addie Ashworth from AddieAsh...
I have always been interested in fashion and studied at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. In 2008 I decided to make my dachshunds a harness after being unable to find one that would properly fit their bodies. I soon started to receive custom order requests. That led to me participating as a vendor in numerous craft shows throughout Southern California and selling at a local store in Seal Beach. Sophie, my middle fur child was my inspiration to launch Sophie's Threads.
AddieAsh Collection slowly evolved over the years as I created jewelry for myself and family. Living in Southern California for many years I became inspired by the the bohemian lifestyle that surrounds the beach communities. I am amazed by the beautiful rocks that the earth is comprised of and feel that these treasures must be adorned. I combine natural rocks and minerals with leather to create a distinct boho style.
