Meet Samantha Spangler from Little Paper Dresses...
I am originally from the Philadelphia and Graduated from Philadelphia University with a degree in fashion design. I re-located to Columbus right out of college to start working in the fashion industry. I have always loved bridal fashion and the glamour and pagentry of it so I combined my interest in bridal with my fashion illustration abilities and realized there was a market for custom illustrations!
I have been drawing fashion and creating fashion ever since I could hold a pencil! My mother taught me to sew and I have loved fashion and especially bridal fashion my entire life. What better way to combine the two than creating wedding and formal gown sketches for actual brides! I have always loved anything involving art. Creating it, looking at it, critiquing it. Now that I am older it's the perfect escape from a busy work day and creates such a feeling of accomplishment.
I love trying new techniques to render fabric details like lace, beading, ruffles, etc. It's a challenge but it's always so fun to see the results and the artistic interpretation of someones special gown.
I discovered my talent when I started to get compliments on my drawings and clothing I would make I started to realize that I could possibly do this for a living. I took sewing and art classes in high school, made all of my homecoming and prom dresses, and continued to grow my skills in college as a Fashion Design Major.
My creative process involves experimenting and trying new techniques, which always delivers the best results. Each wedding dress comes with a new detail or design that is so much fun to interprete into a sketch!
In five years I would like to be doing many more craft shows and work my way up to participating in bridal shows as well!
Meet Angela Allard from Elemental Blue...
As a kid, I thought I knew my plan in life. I knew exactly what I was going to do. I was either going to be a movie star or a teacher. While life took me in another direction, and I became a marketer, I never thought in a million years I’d be doing what I’m doing now - selling all-natural soap.
A couple of years ago, I fell in love with natural soap because of its skin-nourishing benefits and wonderful scents. After taking a few classes and finding my favorite fragrances, I started making it myself. Recently, my partner, Rob, and I launched elementalblue.com to share my passion with others.
What really gets us excited about making soap is how great it smells. Many handcrafted soaps lack that invigorating fragrance that really “makes” a bar of soap. For Elemental Blue, we take the time to test and select fragrances that everyone loves. We use phthalate-free fragrances, which are safe and more fragrant than essential oils.
We make small batches of soap using just a few key ingredients: organic oils of olive, coconut, palm and castor, along with phthalate-free fragrance and natural pigments. Our soap does not include man-made chemicals such as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Sodium Laureth Sulphate, which are found in most store-bought soap.
Rob and I use Elemental Blue soap every day - even as our shampoo. Like many others, we weren’t big believers in using natural soap, but once we tried it, we never went back. And now we enjoy making and selling it every day.
We hope to convert many attendees at the Avant-Garde show this weekend. To learn more, please stop by our table. We LOVE talking about soap! :)
Meet Linda Ziemkiewicz of Z Beads and Jewelry...
Greetings! I am Linda Ziemkiewicz, owner of Z Beads & Jewelry. I started my venture 4+ years ago in Hilliard, OH. After raising my own three boys I thought about this opportunity and decided to give it a go.
When I started out everything I had to offer customers, all my work fit on a six foot table. Over the years I worked very dilligently to be recognized at various craft shows and events.
I hope that when my customers come to see me they can always find something new and fun to try. Z Beads & Jewelry has experienced many happy opportunities over the past four years. I don't know what the next five years will bring but I am looking forward to all that lies ahead!
Meet Tammy Vonschwarz from Angel Delites...
My mom and I started baking more than 20 years ago for friends and family. It grew only by word of mouth and no advertising. She passed away four years ago and I wanted to continue to grow this passion. To honor her, the business of Angel Delites, LLC was created.
In October of 2014 I relocated to the Columbus area from Youngstown. My daughters have recently joined in this family tradition.
With being from the Youngstown area Kolache is very popular in that area and I wanted to bring it to this area. Kolache is a sweet dough with fillings of nuts, apricot or poppyseed. Some of my other specialties area pumpkin rolls, pepperoni rolls and have recently added cupcakes in a jar! The cupcakes in a jar ensure freshness and ease for enjoyment without the mess! Also the jelly jars can be reused and can be customized for special occasions and events.
In five years it is my hope that my business will continue to grow and will employ me on a full-time basis!
Meet Melinda Hopson from [ True ] Cosmetics...
Hello, my name is Melinda Hopson. I am eighteen years old. I have created my own line of handmade cosmetics called [ True ] Cosmetics. This line offers a healthy alternative to regular makeup. Made from only the best natural ingredients, our products have no preservatives, parabins, or toxins. Everything is handmade here in Columbus, Ohio. We use only the best natural ingredients. What sets us apart from other 'natural' brands is that we don't add unnecessary fillers to our products, keeping them as true as possible.
I am inspired to create natural cosmetics because there are so many chemical/toxin ridden cosmetics out there that aren't good for you. How I was inspired to start this business is a funny story. Year ago, my mother told me I was too young to wear makeup. So, I started to make my won makeup to get around her rules! I discovered it was so easy to make natural makeup and I fell in love with creating it!
Meet Jennifer Davis from Once Upon a Time Jewlz...
I have been married for 13 years to my best friend, Mark, and we have two girls, Decorah and Danica, and two dogs, Lexi and Laci. I earned my associate’s degree in business management from Terra State Community College, and a bachelor’s degree in education with a focus in special events from Bowling Green State University.
I work part-time at the Delaware branch of the YMCA, and am an active member of the PTO at my daughter’s schools, as well as the vice-chairman of the City of Delaware Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. In our free time we like to play outside, swim, go on bike rides, and just spend time together.
I just recently purchased Once Upon A Time Jewlz from a friend as she was juggling two different jewelry businesses and didn't have time for both. I saw this as a great opportunity to continue to offer beautiful, one-of-a-kind necklaces for girls, but to add my own personal style and expand what products are offered. My girls and I dabbled with jewelry making a few years ago as they wanted to make bracelets and necklaces for themselves and to give as gifts to friends, so this is just stepping up the quality of the materials we are using! We also offer jewelry making parties for birthdays, celebrations, sleep-overs, etc. I’d be happy to discuss details and options to personalize the party and make it an event to remember!
Several things inspire my creativity, but the main spark is the interests of my two daughters, they are 7 and 10 years old but aren't your typical girls. Their world is not filled with princesses or Barbie dolls, but they absolutely LOVE super heroes and the background stories of the various characters, video games, and playing outside. My focus is to create a niche for those girls that don’t necessarily like all the stereotypical “girly” things, but still want jewelry that reflects their personalities and interests.
How I got started.. I’m not sure that I “discovered” my talent so much as I am fortunate to have been able to “learn the business” from the prior owner through videos and conversations. I have always wanted to own my own business, but couldn’t narrow down what I wanted to focus on, so this has given me the opportunity to tweak the existing mold and make it my own!
My creative process... This is an interesting question as there is currently a “team” behind the creative process since this is new to me. My husband, Mark, has been a huge asset to me in coming up with new ideas for charms, as well as ideas from our girls in what they would like to add to the existing ideas. For the time being, the creative process is more like a lot of brainstorming ideas, and then polling friends, family, and even friends of my girls to see what they think of the concept, and what they like/dislike and if they’d make any changes to the idea.
Over the next 5 years, I hope to continue to grow my client base and be known for designing and making one-of-a-kind jewelry for girls (and hopefully tweens and moms, too). I’d also like to add earrings to the type of jewelry I make, so I can offer a set of coordinating accessories.
The message is to simply have fun and wear what you like, regardless of what others think. I’ve learned this firsthand by watching Decorah and Danica grow as they’ve never cared about what anyone else thinks of in the aspect of their clothing (whether it matches or not), style, or who they are, and I love that about them! I want them to feel beautiful, like things that make them happy, and proud of the choices they make, regardless of if it’s the “cool” thing to do or not.
2015 Columbus Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday, September 26, 2015 - 10:00am-4:00pm
St. Agatha's Parish Hall
1860 Northam Rd
Columbus, OH 43221
For more information, contact Becki Silverstein, Event Coordinator at Becki@ag-shows.com
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