These ladies pull inspiration from family, and even Dr. Suess!

Meet Beth Heyer from My Cre8tive Outlet...

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

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Soaps to Jewelry to Paper Collages, Avant-Garde Has It ALL!!

Meet Pat and Charlie Kramer from My Soaps...
Charlie is a retired Columbus Firefighter and a master cabinet maker. He owns Kramer Builders and does buidling when he is in the mood, and highly enjoys doing carpenty work in his workshop. Pat is a retired retailer who owned her own artistan consignment and gift shop.

Charlie and Pat got into making soaps about two years ago when Pat decided that she wanted a natural soap maker in her shop. That was when Charlie decided that he could make the soaps to possibly sell, and that he did. Thus, My Soaps was born. 

Starting off, Charlie did some research and came up with his own recipe. He decided on an unscented Jojoba lotion that might work. It did! He now does Rice Garden, Poison Ivy, and Jewel Weed scents that are a big hit.

His Problem Skin Soap is made with Neem Oil, which has been used on the skin for centuries. Charlie now makes ten different scented oil soaps, two lotions, problem skin soap, and Poison Ivy soap. In addition, he adds scents during different seasons of the year.

My Soaps began doing farmer markets last summer and art and craft shows in the fall and winter. Pat and Charlie found that they really enjoyed doing all of these shows. Talking to the customers is what kept them motivated to continue. They found that until you have used an all natural, chemical free, handmade, NOT melt and pour soap, your skin doesn't know what it's been missing. Plus, there's the added benefit of no soap scum to clean up.

Pat and Charlie found that they highly enjoy meeting people that used the soap from other shows. They also buy more because they love it!! My Soaps has recently designed a website that you can also buy their collection of soaps at: www.my-soaps.com

Meet Catherine Hickman and Susan McClanahan from CatsEye Creations...

Catherine has been an artist for as long as she can remember. She painted for a bit, loves to write, and now loves her jewelry. Crafting has always been a passion of hers. She believes that there is a great artistic drive to crafts. It just takes a special person to see it's depth. 

Susan is also a very creative person. She only recently began delving into the extent of her creativity. She loves to write and create tales of glory. She is just now starting her artistic attempts at jewelry creation, and it's amazing. Together, Catherine and Susan make up CatsEye Creations. A 'business' of arts and crafts, and a passion for both. 

Catherine has been creating unique jewelry pieces for several years now. It all started after she began getting better from a severe illness. Susan began her work with jewelry this past year by assisting Catherine with her work. As it turns out, she has a marvelous eye for form and color.

Both women have a distinct eye for taking something ordinary and turning it into something beautiful. Catherine gets her inspiration from day-to-day life. Susan likes to play with colors and shapes to see how they fit together to make pretty, sparkly things.

A message is what you make of it. It is what the buyer sees in the piece that matters more than anything. Perception is a massive part of artwork. Their jewelry is meant to put a smile on a person's face and joy in their hearts. Each stone and gem that they use has a purpose and meaning. In the end it's up to the wearer to make it work.

Meet Katie Chalk from The Beadjou Boutique...
Katie Chalk has recently moved to America from the United Kingdom, with her husband and two daughters. As a military wife, Katie was used to a life of constant upheaval, and moving. However, a year ago her husband and her family were given the exciting opportunity to move to Ohio. This is their longest tour yet; their chance for some stability, so they took it!

Katie has been making jewelry and accessories for approximately two years. With more stock than she could possibly give away to friends and family, she decided to 'dip her toe in the water'. Katie attended her first local craft show last summer. About two years ago, she attended a series of evening classes on the basics of jewelry making. From the first lesson, she was hooked! Katie started making pieces for herself, her friends and her family, and she began experimenting with new designs and techniques.

Having left her teaching job to move to America, Katie found she had time on her hands to indulge in her love of ‘antiquing’ and crafting. Rummaging through antique stores and flea markets for vintage finds, she combined them with contemporary materials. This resulted in unique pieces of jewelry, and became her new ‘day job’. Unsure whether her designs would appeal to an American audience, her friend asked if she could take some pieces into work to show/sell to her colleagues. She returned with an empty box and requests for more! From there, Katie decided to try her hand at some local craft fairs and establish a Facebook page, to display her latest designs.

As most of her jewelry and accessories contain vintage and upcycled elements, they are often difficult to replicate. This ‘uniqueness’, is the thing Katie enjoys most about her designs. After all, no one wants to be wearing the same accessories as the person standing next to them.

Meet Judi Young from Whoop Dee Doodle...

Judi Young is an artist out of Galloway, Ohio. She attended Capital University and received a degree in professional writing. She worked at The Columbus Dispatch in town for a number of years before discovering her true passion for making art. Judi left The Dispatch when her daughter was born. She is also an animal lover and this is a major influence in her artwork.

Judi has been making torn paper collage pieces for eight years now. She began when her daughter was a baby. Judi saw a print at a discount store that looked to her like ripped paper. After leaving the store, Judi went home and tried to replicate it herself by using scrapbook paper she had around the house. She now uses all sorts of new and recycled papers, including scrapbook, wrapping paper, wallpaper, magazine clippings, yellow/white pages, junk mail - you name it!

Judi started her own business because she simply loves making art and other people seem to like it too. It makes her happy when she sees someone walk up to her booth at an arts festival and smile. When it comes to her creative process, she basically sees something that puts an idea in her head. She then collects these ideas in a sketch book, and when she has the opportunity, she begins her collage.

Judi has a sense of satisfaction when she makes something that hasn't been done before, and she likes providing people with this original art. For everyone who comes up and says "I could buy this at Target cheaper", another comes by who says "Wow!". What she likes to show in her work is harmony between animals and people. Judi likes to envision a world where everyone gets along. A world full of joy.

2013 Columbus February Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday, February 16th 2013, 11:00am-5:00pm

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:

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TWITTER

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