I recently married my amazing husband, Geoff. We live in
Bexley, Ohio with our two pups Aldo & Bunson. I work as a Sales
Recruiting Trainer at Kimball Midwest and volunteer and mentor with Franklin
County Children's Services. I just recently opened my Etsy shop, My
Cre8ive Outlet, and this is only my 2nd craft bazaar, but I have been sewing
and crafting seriously for about 5 years and casually my whole life. This is my
very first Avant-Garde show and I am so excited to be a part of this great event!
I really get inspired by my friends and family, I love to make
gifts for others, so thinking about what someone else would enjoy and what they
would want to receive really helps me think outside of my own personal tastes.
I have a very crafty mom, so growing up in a crafty home is what got me
interested at a young age.
I worked with a non-profit My Very Own Blanket for several
years. They make blankets for children in foster care. I had sewn
only a little prior to that. It is safe to say that over 3 or so years
with them I made over 100 quilts and tops. Having the opportunity to
practice and experiment and try things I didn't think I was talented enough to
do, made me realize that maybe I am actually pretty good at sewing!
I would love to have a successful Etsy shop, attend a
dozen craft bazaars a year and be able to consider My Cre8ive Outlet a real
part-time job.
Meet Sarah from Dainty Bean...
My name is Sarah and I have been crafting for as long as I
can remember. I am married and have a little girl and another baby on the way.
I love making handmade things for my friends and family members and now that I
have a cute daughter I love to sew things for her too. Other than crafting, I
love to spend time with family and friends.
I have been crafting since I was a little girl but my skills
and love for sewing have really increased in the last five years. About two
years ago I decided to open an Etsy shop and about a year ago I decided to
start selling at craft shows. It has been a great experience and a great way to
grow my little business. I love making things for people and sending them all
over the country. This will be my second Avant-Garde Art and Craft
Show. I am excited to participate in the Christmas show because I have been
hard at work creating fun Christmas decorations and stocking stuffers.
I am inspired by the people that I love and the beauty around
me. I definitely have a specific taste and vision for the things I create.
Fabric is a huge inspiration to me. I love taking a yard of pretty fabric
making something beautiful with it. I strive to create beautiful things that
are also functional and useful.
My mom deserves the credit for my crafting hobby. She was always
making handmade things during my childhood and I learned so many things from
watching her. Her love of sewing rubbed off on me and I hope that some day I
can pass on my love for creating to my daughter also. I discovered my talent just by doing it. The phrase
"practice makes perfect" is definitely true and it is through a lot
of practice that my sewing skills have improved. I have definitely made a few
ugly things on my journey to make pretty things.
I am not really sure where my business will be in five years.
Once I have two kids I am sure my time for crafting will be much more limited
but I hope that I will still be able to make and sell things in some way.
Eventually (probably way down the road) I would love to own a pretty little
quilt shop and sell gorgeous funky fabric and handmade things from local
artists as well as my own. The message behind my work is one of beauty
and functionality. I want the items I create to be useful and functional and
really bring happiness to the people who use them.
Meet Tammy Sheppard and her beautiful creations...
I have been drawing and
painting, and taking photos since I was in high school but have just
recently taken a real interest in using various media to create my
artwork. I love to see things in a new light and I often see beauty where other
people simply see the mundane. I continue to train my eyes to see beyond the
surface of everything to find deeper meanings and different ways to see
everyday "cast off" objects people call trash every day.
I like to give
these discarded items new life and new purpose. I have
enjoyed learning how to use various media over the years and will continue
to add new techniques to my skill set as I learn them. I generally
paint on canvases and boards and use found objects and sculptural media
to add texture, more depth and an almost "need to touch" kind of
feel to my work. The Avant-Garde show this Holiday season will be my first time
showing and selling my work so I am extremely excited about the possibilities.
I have also recently
begun to make very small abstract glass pendants that I have made into
necklaces and magnets using altered magazine pages under the glass. The
pendants have an almost geological gemstone like appearance. I use all
natural cotton cord and bead/button closures instead of metal clasps to keep
the neclaces hypoallergenic. I call them "Art under glass" pendants
which are in effect a mini abstract painting you can wear. I am inspired
by the earth and nature and the vastness of our universe as seen by things like
the Hubble telescope on a large scale and microscopes on a small scale.
Some things are so small they go unnoticed with the naked eye but under a
microscope there are whole new worlds to be seen and appreciated.
I love how Dr. Suess
wrote about the "Whos in Whoville" who are so small they live on
specks of dust and snowflakes. Now that is a whole new way to see the world
around us. Eyes that see with the wonder and heart of a child. I am not sure I
always have a meaning behind the work I create, sometimes the meaning that is
derived from my work is completely different from observer to observer and I
don't like to steer a person's thinking when they approach my work. I want them
to see something different each time so I often don't title my work as to not
persuade the viewer one way or another.
I find working in my
studio my sanctuary where I can have fun and find peace in an often too hectic
world. I am hoping I can continue to create new works of art and perhaps in the
next few years to attend and sell at various art festivals locally and as I get
older it would be nice to retire from my current work and do my art more full
time. I hope you enjoy viewing my work as much as I enjoyed making it.
2013 Columbus Winter Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday, December 21, 2013, 10:00am-4:00pm
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:
LINKEDIN
