Columbus Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows: June 2019

Meet Sophie Knee from Soap Cubed...
I am Sophie Knee, from SOAP CUBED. I was born in the United Kingdom, and arrived in Ohio in 1988, as a young adult. I have a Fine Arts background and day job, but have been making things all my life. Making stuff was “normal” on both sides of our family; people sewed, knitted, crocheted, built furniture,
baked bread, developed film, and did home canning. One of my grandfathers (a high school teacher during the day) had a hidden talent for cake decorating. Sometimes people make fun of me for doing myself, instead of paying other people to do, but the truth is, when I create, I feel connected to the people
who first taught me how.

SOAP CUBED happened because I saw a need for gentle, skin safe bath products that also smell great. I prefer natural, vegetable oils, aromatherapy grade essential oils, and botanicals such as lavender flowers, orange zest, and spices.

I started making soap in the winter of 2016, after reading that natural soaps are gentler on the skin than most of what's commercially available. I have always been a maker (of a wide variety of things), and have lived with skin allergies most of my life. My soap-making experiments began with a need for better
hypoallergenic products.

The basic ingredients in soap are very simple, and nothing special. I find most base oils kind of gross, Lye is (honestly) quite scary. When you combine these ingredients correctly, you get a magical (OK, it's
really chemical) reaction, and then you have soap. Yes, botanicals and essential oils are beautiful, and also seem like magic to me, but they represent only a tiny part of the soap. Soap smells great, and it cleans everything. I had been told many times “You are most likely allergic to the fragrances used in soap, use only unscented products”, but have since learned that there are many natural essential oils that are skin safe and smell great. SOAP CUBED is free from preservatives, synthetic detergents (added to many commercial soaps to improve lather), artificial coloring, and animal products.

Quite soon, there was more soap in my life than I could ever use, so I came up with a packaging system, and a logo. This was fun: I got help from my sister (PhD in Biology), and husband (PhD in mathematics) to create the lye molecule in the cubed root symbol. Then I set up an Etsy shop, all the time listening to a

little voice in the back of my head, telling me that people needed to see (and smell) this stuff in person.

I did my first Avant Garde craft event in the Springtime of 2017, and have since lost count of how many shows I have done. Live events are definitely a better fit for SOAP CUBED than online sales, maybe because people need to see and smell soap in “real life” before they buy.

I don't think I can see what will happen 5 years from now; soap-making must be balanced with my day job (as a teacher), my fine art studio practice, and travel habit! I do know that I want to create something beautiful and good, and I hope to continue building SOAP CUBED, as I identify top selling cubes, such as Lavender Brown, Smoke a Clove, or Tobacco & Rosewood, and create new essential blends.

My most recent experiments have been with solid shampoo cubes, which are especially useful for travel, palm oil free, and help to reduce plastic bottle waste. SOAP CUBED is about creating a simple, more natural option for skin care, that can still smell great, look beautiful, and reduce packaging waste from the skincare routine.

Meet Tyler Berry of Loosen Up...
Hello! My name is Tyler Berry and I am from East Liberty, Ohio. I am the owner of Loosen Up which is not just your average tea business. Our goal is to take Tea to the next level and incorporate it in all sorts of ways never done before. Because of this goal, Loosen Up offers a wide selection of loose leaf tea flavors, as well as some unique products like cocktail mixes, bath bombs, and spices all based on tea!

Our story began in May, 2018 when a couple things clicked in my head. Born an entrepreneur, at 19 years old I had to do something. I did tons of research trying to figure out what the consumers where missing. At the time my favorite tea company closed all of it’s stores and I learned that like myself people were outraged and didn’t have a place to buy tea. After thinking about starting a tea business it just made sense. I have a complete herbal background so I was already knowledgeable on the medicinal side of tea, and I loved tea!

I remember my Grandma would go in her garden and make a fresh mint tea every time I would visit her growing up. I loved her homemade tea so much that I begged for it every visit! At this point in my creative process I had everything I needed. I had passion, ambition, and excitement to fuel my plan. Once I started making teas and having people try them I learned very quickly that I was pretty good at this skill. Calling my grandma and getting her recipes and being adventurous and trying something new inspired me almost every day.

In 5 years I hope to open my first Loosen Up Tea Lab! This will be a place where people can enjoy my creations and maybe get creative on their own. I also hope to finish with a college program I’m involved in called The Young Americans.

I’ve been apart of this California based group since 2017 where I have had the opportunity to travel around the United States and Japan teaching music outreach workshops to kids and adults! Because of this I have probably performed over 100 shows in over 100 different venues around the world. I definitely have to thank my music background for helping me through the business journey. It has taught me creativity, responsibility, and positivity!

This is my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show and I am beyond excited! This will be my first time branching out into the Columbus area and I can’t wait to meet everyone.

Something I always say about tea is, “Sweet or Unsweet? Not Exactly.” That would be my message behind my work. The art of tea is much larger than people know and I hope you stop by my booth so I can show you just that!

2019 Columbus Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday, June 9th, 2019 - 10:00am-4:00pm

Makoy Center

5462 Center Street

Hilliard, Ohio 43026

For more information, contact Amanda Look, Event Coordinator at Amanda@ag-shows.com

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Meet Valerie Wokenberg...

I enjoyed a full-time teaching career helping young students to love reading and learning. I now give school presentations and work as a substitute teacher. I enjoy travel researching topics for future books, and seeking adventure along the way. I have been speaking at schools and presenting my books since 2012 when The Story the Little Christmas Tree Toldwas published.

This will be my first Avant-Garde show. I’m excited to be participating and look forward to meeting both attendees and other artists. I am also proud to be supporting Pets Without Parents and the good work they do.

I'm inspired by the young readers, parents, and friends who follow Miles (the main character in the Miles Across America books) inspire me to continue writing. It’s wonderful to have children be as excited about the adventure of a little cat as I am.

How I discovered my talent.. As an elementary teacher, I am familiar with all types of children’s literature and one of the most enjoyable parts of the school day was reading aloud to the students. It seemed very natural for me to write my own books to read aloud. I love reading with the expressions that I imagine Miles would use if he were speaking English.

My creative process.. I visualize Miles in the location of the historical event and imagine a story in which he becomes part of the telling of the event. Then I write in his voice to create exciting, interesting, and imaginative stories for children. Writing a book is not a linear process, writing, research, working with my illustrator and the publisher, etc. is all happening at the same time. Sometimes I refer to it as organized chaos. When it all comes together, it’s beautiful.

Where I see myself in five years.. I am currently researching and writing the next two books in the Miles Across America series and I hope to have them published in the next few years. I would also like to widen my circle of audiences to include schools beyond Ohio.

The message behind my work.. My writing career has been an unexpected, but wonderful “next chapter” in my life. I want to encourage young readers to see events in history as more than names and dates and to enjoy the adventure that is between the covers a new book.

Meet Colleen Timko of The Hound Hut...
Hi! I'm Colleen Timko, and I am married and currently have two dogs. I own a dog daycare,boarding, and grooming facility in Gahanna. I have been doing photography since high school and started out photographing weddings,
graduation pictures and other events. After we opened the dog business I started taking pictures of dogs that were staying at our facility so that their parents could see them while they were staying.

Our clients were so grateful and encouraged me to do pictures to put on postcards, note cards and various other wears. It has been a lot of fun doing this and taking our favorite pups pics. I also started making beaded bracelets as a stress reliever. They were such a hit that I started taking them to the craft events. I have my friend and business partner making bracelets too. She is having a lot of fun making them!

I have been doing the dog related items for close to 10 years and the bracelets about three years. This is also my first avant-garde show so I am very excited to show my items!

I get inspired by so many things but the ones that have inspired me the most throughout the years are dogs, cats, horses, wildlife and nature inspires me as well! Many of the dogs will strike a pose as soon as the camera comes out. It’s comical to see them sitting perfectly still just waiting for the click of the shutter! I married into a very artistic family. My husband is an abstract expressionist painter, his mom an oil painter, and his sister who loves teaching and working on new craft projects. After almost 40 years in the family I have gotten the crafting bug!

I discovered my talent when I took my first photography class at Ohio University as a senior in high school. I had to create a portfolio for a final exam and had to be critiqued by the class. Many of the new students photographed traditional landscapes, people and car pics but when they got to my slides I had architecture with various abstract views, bold colors, and abstract lines.

I can still remember the moment the first slide projected on the wall of a road with bright yellow lines that went into a snow pile. The class began to laugh and I was feeling as though I was not good enough until the teacher said….I
want you all to know this is the best submitted portfolio of the entire class. The classroom became quiet and he talked about how this is what its all about. After the class he met with my parents and told them to encourage me to go into the field of photography. I will never forget that day and how that professor encouraged me to keep doing it!

Meet Cybil Cassady of A Cybil Original...
Hi, my name is Cybil Cassady and I am a 45 year old wife, mother, and physician. A few years ago, after dealing with mild acne for years and then experiencing aging skin on top of that, I was frustrated that I could not find skin care products to suit me.

Acne products were all oil-free, only making my skin dry and irritated. Products for aging skin only worsened my acne. So, I did extensive research and tried all sorts of formulas to come up with my perfect three step skin care regimen. It truly works! And it is all natural! My middle school daughters (who also use the products) encouraged me to start an online business called A Cybil Original, which I opened just recently.

I have never participated in a show and I honestly do not know what to expect. But I am excited nonetheless. I have always been a creative person, and this project fulfills my need for better skin care and my desire to create something for other people to enjoy.

Because my products are all natural, I make the products upon each order, but will make them before time for the show! I hope people will see that natural skin care is simply the best. In five years I hope to have a growing business where my whole family can work together! I hope everyone can find my products as helpful as they were to me and my family!

Meet Connie Nichols of That's What She Said...
Until March of 2018 I had a 25 year career working as a retail leasing manager for a major shopping mall. The company was bought out several years prior, and as such they chose to do some "reorganizing" of positions, at which time I was replaced by someone making much less money. So, I chose to change some things!

Deciding that I wanted to be my own boss going forward, I tried my hand at Affiliate Marketing for several months, however I found it is not lucrative enough to make a living in the short term. In February of this year I decided to purchase a sublimation package and began making my own custom drink ware (coffee mugs, pint glasses, water bottles.) I am now in the process of purchasing a flat press so that I can add apparel, tote bags and other items to my merchandise inventory.

I haven't been doing this long, but it brings me so much happiness! I actually started in February of 2019 and so this my first Avant-Garde Show! I am super excited about the show not only because it is my first, but since I haven't been doing this too long, I really want to see how people like my products! It is so fun doing what I'm doing! I love coming up with new designs and cheeky sayings and then seeing how the final product turns out.

I'm not sure why I thought to move ahead with what I am doing, it just came to me one day, and after doing my research and due diligence I took the leap. Every time I create something new I am gaining more confidence in what I do. To say I've discovered my talent is strange for me, but I definitely have found a fun, creative outlet that allows me to express a bit of my personality through my designs, and with each new piece I make, I feel like I'm getting better and better. I am a work in progress.

I've always been a big fan of quotes, poetry, and cool images/illustrations/photos. When I get behind my computer and in front of my equipment, I have to consider the market for which I am creating merchandise, and then the ideas flow from there.

In five years I see my merchandise being sold in a handful of locally owned stores and boutiques throughout the Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus regions. Additionally, I plan to be selling on Amazon within the next few months. My website is still under construction, however a strong social media presence via several outlets is my short term goal, and I want to push my custom ordering opportunities.

When I started this venture, I knew that I wanted my merchandise to convey fun and humor, but also to have a thought provoking, inspirational aspect to a portion of the merchandise as well. I love to laugh and I think I'm pretty darn funny, and having named my business "That's What She Said" immediately shares the flavor of my business!

Meet Olivia Ward of Loki Bandanas...

Hi! I am Olivia Ward and I was born and raised in Ohio. I’m from the small town Coshocton and I moved to Columbus 2 years ago to attend Columbus State Community College to become an Early Childhood educator. I have a fur child named Loki who inspired me to start my small business Loki Bandanas, making pet bandanas that slip on/off the pets collar.

I just started my small business adventure in March 2019 when I rescued Loki. When I adopted him I knew he needed some kind of accessories to add to his collar and so I decided I would start making and selling them myself for him and his fur friends.

I can always remember my grandma and mom sewing and crafting when I was little and we would always create together whether it be for school projects or just for fun. I can remember helping my mom while she would quilt and I was just fascinated by how she could make something so beautiful or useful by just using her creative mind and sewing machine.

Now that I am an adult, I always find myself seeing items and saying to myself I could make that myself and create it in my own way. I love that having a sewing machine allows me to not only create pet bandanas but also anything I put my mind to.

This is my very first art and craft show and I am very excited and nervous. I hope that people love accessorizing their fur babies as much as I do! I am excited for this opportunity to get my small business out there for others to explore!