Meet Jeff Johnson from Backyard Living...
Backyard Living was born from Jeff Johnson’s lifelong love of
building. As a boy, Jeff learned his trade alongside his grandfathers.
Inspired by his Grandpa Johnson’s love of birdhouses, Jeff began
building his own unique birdhouses and other housewares.
He uses
reclaimed wood, including barnwood from the family farm in southern
Ohio, giving his pieces a locally sourced, eco-friendly touch. Jeff adorns many of the items with local antiques and found objects, making your purchase truly one-of-a kind.
The Johnson family is proud of their
Ohio heritage and hopes to bring a little piece of Ohio into your heart
and home.
Jeff started Backyard Living in 2012 and has participated in 2 Avant-Garde Art & Craft shows. For more information on Jeff and Backyard living, check out any of the following links:
http://www.myfox28columbus.com/news/features/featured/stories/Made-Local-Stay-Local-Backyard-Living-125408.shtml#.VW80I8aX1em
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2015/04/12/01-taking-wing.html
https://www.facebook.com/johnsonsbackyardliving
Meet Dayana Frich from Malu Designs...
My
name is Dayana Frich, born and raised in Colombia, moved to the U.S.
when I was 19 years old. I originally came to learn English, but at the
end of my second year I met the love of my life. I am now happily
married and am the mother of two beautiful kids that keep me on my toes.
I have a passion for arts and crafts that I inherited from my family. My dad is a shoe and handbag designer and my mom also works with leather as well as fabric and she also loves to knit; she
also happens to be the most creative lady I know with a very talented
mind along with a great set of hands. She is truly my inspiration.
I
work along my mother creating unique, durable and beautiful aprons for
the family as well as treasures for girls of all ages. We strive for
quality, durability and of course appearance!
We created our shop in
2013. I am constantly looking for new ways to share our products and
love for what we do; which is why I have created an Etsy shop as well as
accounts on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
I
recently moved to Columbus, Ohio along my husband and kids and this
will be my first Avant- Garde Art & Craft show and we are super
excited that we get to be part of it!
The
biggest inspiration that we have at Malu Designs is FAMILY and creating
precious memories through spending time together, having keepsakes that
can be passed generation through generation and the long-lasting
happiness that a single afternoon baking, gardening or painting with
your grandmother, mother and/or daughter might bring. Creating a product
that can reduce the stress of keeping the kids clothes clean and giving
more time to enjoy that special time with a loved one.
We
have it in our genes. Since I was a little girl I have always been
surrounded by pretty things, and all what goes in the process of
creating them. I was there when my parents spent entire nights finishing
a production, I constantly saw or heard of happy clients purchasing art
from my aunt. I was the happiest, mom-to-be, when I was pregnant for
the first time. I really enjoyed my nesting time designing and making
beautiful things for my daughter’s nursery.
I am still in the process of learning myself, learning how much I am capable of and I think this process will never end. I will be forever be rediscovering my talents, improving the challenges and sharpening my skills.
We
are always trying to adapt and learn from our clients. The most
important thing for Malu Designs is the client’s opinion and we make
sure we put all of our senses to catch their ideas and suggestions. It
is all about trial and error and in the process we make sure we are
keeping up with the latest fashion trends out there. Every single
product is made with love and care and our wish is that every client
loves our products, just as much as we do.
In
5 years we hopefully want to be selling our products in a consistent
basis. We hope we can become a very good product supplier for new and
returning clients that love and value our products. The message behind my work is: Be creative, treasure family, build memories and have fun in the process!
Meet Catherina Bishopp from Catherina Jewelry...
Jewelry, as an art form, has the power to create moods,
provoke opinions and produce reactions. At her studio. this is the
design philosophy that New York based jewelry designer Catherina Bishopp
follows in creating and developing her own unique collection of
jewelry. Although she uses precious stones and metals in her work, the
design is of much greater importance to Catherina than the intrinsic
value of the materials she works with. Her ultimate goal is evoking
humor, whimsy and rare imagination through the use of striking color and
inventive design in each of her pieces, which is what gives Catherina
her signature look.
Catherina has lived and worked in New York City, Los
Angeles, Miami, The Netherlands, France, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, and
now in Columbus, Ohio. This close view of other cultures and people
gives Catherina a diverse perspective on her own designs and a greater
appreciation of other artists' abilities. Today, Catherina continues to
be inspired by this experience as she brings her special touch to the
creation of memorable jewelry which compliments a women's beauty.
Meet Sandy Woodson from the Best Seamstress...
I am a family person. I am lucky Mom of two early twenty kids. I am
happily married for 25 years. I am a happy homemaker, except for the
cleaning part. I make jam, garden, cook for the family, grow veggies,
avid conservationist, and active in the lives of our families and
friends. I try to focus on doing things that make me smile.
I have been sewing for over 35 years. The first thing I ever made was a
pair of jeans. They were quite a challenge. I continued sewing,
however. I mostly made clothing items. I really hit my stride when I
went to high school. They offered good tailoring classes so I really
just focused on clothing. There were kits available at that time for
making down vests and jackets. I made quite a few of them. When I
graduated from high school my parents gave me a sewing machine as a
gift. I sewed sporadically until I became engaged and decided to make
my wedding gown. It took several months to hand bead the lace.
Once I
began having children I began focusing on making baby items. I picked a
theme for their nurseries and then made several quilts and blankets for
each child, to match their theme. Children and work became quite
consuming. It wasn't until recently when I had a career change that I
began to seriously consider turning my hobby into a career. I have
always loved to sew but it never was a primary focus. I opened my Etsy
shop and began adding a variety of items.
It wasn't until I made
several quilts that it became clear that I was truly drawn to
quilting. I had made many quilts for newborns over the years but it
wasn't until I began experimenting with different types of fabrics and
patterns that I realized it was more than just a hobby. Now I often
have an idea for another quilt while I am still working on the last
quilt.
This will be my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft show and I am so looking forward to it! I am inspired by nature. I daily walk my dog and I try to focus on my
surroundings. I look at the clouds and the sunsets. I also enjoy the
colors of flowers and trees. I study their shapes and how they relate
to one another, like the size of petals and how they compliment their
stems.
I think I always have had a talent to create. Now that I am my children
are more self sufficient I can focus on other ways to use my skills. I sewed many types of garments and blankets before quilting stuck. Once
I saw how beautiful the quilts were turning out it compelled me to
create more original patterns. The whole process began to snowball.
I typically start with a quilt pattern. I begin sketching on graph
paper. I try mixing ideas and shapes to see what I like the best. Once
I have nailed down the pattern I hit the store and see what fabrics
will work best. Occasionally, I will find a must have piece of
fabric. Then I try to see what shapes will best compliment the colors
and print on the fabric.
Where do I see my business in 5 years? I believe I will have an employee by then. I will have someone to help
do the fabric purchasing, social media, shipping and general business
tasks. This will leave me free to focus on creating and fabricating new
quilts.
I think my message is that simple handmade items can be unique and
beautiful, and that 'unique' is beautiful. So many people go to baby
store and pick out the same old theme for a babies room and then furnish
the room with the same old off the rack things. I would like people to
realize that they can have amazing one of a kind items that will make
the nursery their own work of art. Hand crafted items are so much more
interesting.
Meet Elizabeth Weiss from Three Mommies Made It...
Our company
consists of three working mamas who stitch for fun. We are each
responsible for a different part of the process. Our children are very
involved in our creative and production processes, and enjoy helping!
This is our second year in business and our first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show!
Our
inspiration comes from many sources. We get ideas from our kids, our
customers, and even from the materials we use to create. Sometimes we
see a sweater and the texture or color seems to speak to us about what
it wants to be.
Our first cashmere project was a small quilt for the youngest of our children. As we were working, we
noticed all our kids, regardless of age, liked to to burrow their hands
in the cashmere sweaters. The idea struck us then that cashmere was the
perfect material for plush animals. From this, our first critter, Mr.
Fox, was born.
Our sewing
mama has been sewing since childhood (her mom taught her), and has
amassed almost 30 years of sewing experience. Our acquisitions mama
loves to thrift shop, and has a knack for finding sweaters with great
texture and feel. Our production mama just likes to cut things into
pieces ;)
Our first
designs started with a basic commercial pattern. Once we got a feel for
how the animals went together and how the materials responded to the
construction process, we started to branch out into other animals and
variations on existing themes. Each animal is one of a kind, and we love
seeing their personalities emerge when they come out from under the
sewing machine needle.
I hope that
we are still doing shows and having a good time with our families in the next five years. We’d
like to be able to do some larger shows and have a wider variety of
animals in our menagerie.
We believe
that everyone needs something warm and snuggly in their lives, and that
you're never too old to have a stuffed animal!
2015 Columbus Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday, June 27, 2015, 10:00am-4:00pm
St. Agatha's Parish Hall
For more information, contact Becki@ag-shows.com
