We are sisters committed to growing a company that provides truly natural products using pure ingredients, processed to preserve their quality, free from unnecessary chemicals; and providing a true customer-company relationship by selling, buying and growing local.
Women of the Wildwood has only been selling to the public for approximately six months, we have been creating products for our family for years. This will be our first AG show and we are very excited to meet new people and share the good stuff.
We get our passion from our own daily needs. We started out as unhappy consumers, battling our own dry/oily/sensitive skin, our children's eczema, our mechanic brothers' burns and blisters, and our garden ravaged hands. Between Ashley's artistic soul, Amber's love of all of nature's gifts, and Rachael's thirst for knowledge we really created something great that we feel obligated to share.
We started our business to fill a void. Its impossible to be an expert on every product, we are obligated to trust the companies that make the products we use, especially on our skin! Everyone's skin is different, and that journey down the skin care aisle is a long one. We have put in the time and the research and we'd like the opportunity to be your guide. We are right next door, and our ingredients come from down the road. We are your neighbors, and a family sharing the good stuff.
We all have our strengths and weaknesses, but together we shine, and the time spent with family learning and sharing is priceless. We are constantly improving and growing, the connections we make, the information we exchange, grows the strength of our community. We love Ohio and are excited to be a part of the force that makes it strong.
Meet Lea Gray from Lea Gray Designs...
I have lived in Columbus for over ten years and have found that it is a true art mecca for art lovers and buyers alike. This will be my fourth Avant-Garde show!
Although I have loved art my whole life and enjoyed every aspect of making it, I wasn't ready to start my own business in it until I had the courage, perseverance and faith to make it happen. Each piece of work I make depends on how I feel. But in all reality, they strongly relate to each other in the meditation and relaxation I benefit from when making the work.
With Origami having repetitive folds, and so many of them, it tends to be a deep focus where I can indulge in the activity and let my worries float away. I also teach Origami, to take away the challenging parts for people and allow them to feel the deep relaxation that comes with folding.
Painting for me is a way to also relax, but in a different mindset. It allows me to be expressive with a vitality that also creates a serenity within myself. Each painting I make speaks differently in a language of energy that I hope to captivate the audience with.
When making purses, I focus on the practical needs of a person matched with the attractiveness a purse can have to add that kick of color to any wardrobe. The colors take on palettes that are very relative to my paintings and pull the eye in. Making the purse durable, practical, easy to use and organizational, as well as beautiful and eye-catching, can be a quite a challenge, but that is what drives me to make them.
All of my work can be customized completely to suit a person's needs and is highly encouraged. Most of my newly implemented patterns and designs come from individuals desiring something I have never tried. The love behind creating something that fits that person's environment or wardrobe even, is one of the most rewarding things of my career. It is the passion behind making the person truly happen with a specially designed product just for them, that propels me to continue in the work that I do.
Meet Melissa Rhoades from Melissa Blue Naturals...
I am
Melissa Rhoades of Melissa Blue Naturals. I’ve been making mineral baths and body scrubs for two years now. I am native to Ohio and am always
involved in a creative or active endeavor. I thrive in the out-of-doors and
feel most at home when gardening or hiking in the woods. I’m a natural teacher,
mostly with little kids and have been involved in environmental education and
gardening projects for the past 10 years. I’m a designer and creator. I can spend my days designing,
rearranging and creating. It’s easy for me to make something out of nothing and
once I get started the ideas keep coming. I can be found drawing, painting,
photographing, making cards, collage and writing/journaling…..and just sitting,
staring and dreaming. I require lots of dreaming time.
What do I value
most? I value most freedom, space and time. On the other hand I value structure and routine and
find them comforting. It is easier for me to create freedom, space and time for
myself than structure and routine. That is why I unconsciously, or consciously,
surround myself with people who have these skills. I value my family and
friends and am grateful for the love and support they so generously offer. I
can only hope I give them as much in return. I value the purity in people and
the goodness within them.
I have no idea from where I get my creativity it’s just always
been there. I’m not necessarily artistic, but my creativity comes in the form
of having an abundance of ideas and scrapping together whatever is at hand to
make it work.
I’ve always enjoyed making things especially herb arrangements
and things from the garden. A friend and I happened into a fancy apothecary
store several years ago and purchased a much needed sugar scrubs after two weeks
of camping. The idea of making my own sparked sometime after, and I began
researching the benefits of salt versus sugar and it took off from there.
My creative process …. first it is always the dream. Second,
it’s having a strong support team to bounce ideas off of. Next, it’s getting
organized and doing one small step at a time. This is sometimes difficult for
me, keeping a small picture, but visualizing and accomplishing the small steps
is essential for success. Now that all sounds good, but in my more natural,
not learned, process….it just happens-no plan. One of my favorite song lyrics
is, “Look at all the good things that happened by accident.”
I truly enjoy being in my workspace with the music going, mixing small batches of salts, oils and scents-knowing that others will soon enjoy too. I also love that every small decision that I make requires creativity. I believe that each day offers a chance to laugh, share, create, dream and act. Through the simple joys of mineral baths and body scrubs, it is the mission of Melissa Blue Naturals to offer the highest quality salts, oils, and herbs as nourishment for the body and inspiration for daily life.
