Meet Lydia Heimbrock from Needle Eye Creations...
Hi there! My name is Lydia and I am co-owner and founder of Needle Eye Creations LLC. I am a Columbus native but I relocated to Loveland last summer for my husband’s school. I live there with my husband of a little over 2 years and 2 cats (a 6 year old Tuxedo and a 10 month old orange tabby). I am a Part-Time Manager at JoAnn's Fabrics and Craft Stores in Mason. In my free time, I’m usually sewing, working other projects or watching Netflix. This will be my fourth Avant-Garde show!
I have been a crafter my entire life and I've been sewing off and on for as long as I can remember. Sewing didn't become a hobby until 4 years ago when I received a sewing machine as a Christmas gift. I started selling my stuffed animals at craft bazaars that following holiday season. Since then I have added some other sewn items to my booth. We became a LLC at the beginning of last year.
What inspires me to create.. All of the different fabric and project possibilities. I see something and my mind instantly goes how can I make that or how can I make that better. I love figuring out the problem of how to make something and being able to say yes I made this when I am all done.
How I got into my craft.. My mom is an artist and a crafter so I guess you could say that it is genetic. She taught me how to crochet very early and my love of creating things took off from there.
My creative process.. Sometimes its finding the fabric first then coming up with the project or sometimes its having a project and then finding the perfect fabric.
My five year goal.. Successfully selling my items at craft shows and on my own website, and possibly putting on my own craft show.
Meet Joann Cooper from Blessings...
I am a local crafter, I live about an hour north of Columbus. I got married last July taking on the job of doing all of the decorations myself…they were beautiful and unique. Boy what a job! I love to create anything. I LOVE TO CRAFT.
I did crafting many years ago, I got back into it almost 5 years ago. I love it, it keeps me busy and sane. This is the first Avant-Garde show I’ve done. So excited to be a part of my first, hopefully many more.
Ive always been creative and love to handmade gifts. Decided that I need to be creative full time!I got started in crafting from my mom. She made beautiful things. Who doesn’t want to be just like there mom… When I first started many years ago, I honestly don’t think I had any talent!! But over the years with success and failures I’ve figured what works for me.
My creative process….my husband laughs at me, I’ll pick up an item look at it, turn it over…he says he sees the wheels turning. I like to do many different things.
In my future I would love to display my unique items in a store front in a nice old town. Its always been a dream of mine, I love people… The message behind my work is that I hope that my work brings many years of joy to whoever takes it home. I like to make my work look weather and primitive, just like me!
Meet Cara Wagner from Designs for 5...
I
am a seventh grade language arts teacher from West Middletown, Ohio. I actually teach in the same district from
which my parents and I graduated. My
husband, Jared, and I have been married for nearly 9 years and have three
children: Noah (8), Ava (6), and Emma (4) and a Bullmastiff named Dixie. We have a crazy, busy life and are always on
the go, but manage to do lots of fun things together and have already made lots
of AMAZING memories! I love to read and
have recently discovered that I enjoy making jewelry too!
I
have been “crafting” my whole life, but have only been making jewelry since
November 2016. It was then that I
decided I wanted to make our moms something interesting for Christmas – after
looking at a few pictures of wire wrapped jewelry, I was on my way!
What inspires me.. I
really enjoy the selection process (picking different kinds/sizes of wire and
various stones/beads) and the end result; basically I create things because I’m
interested to see how they turn out. I
usually don’t have a design in mind when I begin so I’m always excited to see
what I wind up with!
How I got into the craft.. This
past Christmas, I wanted to get our (my husband’s and my) moms something
different, but personal that also didn’t cost a fortune. They both love jewelry and so I decided to do
some research to see how difficult creating wire jewelry could be.
How I discovered my talent.. I’m
still not 100% sure I do have talent! I
have sold several pieces and receive lots of compliments on others, but so far
my determination of “success” regarding a piece of jewelry is whether or not
I’d wear it (and pay money to own it!).
My creative process.. I
start by selecting a stone that I like, either because of shape or color(s) and
then choose a wire color (silver, bronze, or copper) that I think would best
accentuate the stone. I then start some
kind of weave (really just whatever I feel like doing that day) and go from
there. There is no end product in mind I
just see where the piece takes me and hopefully end up with something I like.
My five year goal.. Since
I doubt creating jewelry will lead to a full time job for me, I anticipate
being in much the same place as I am now: creating for the fun of it and
selling pieces online and at various shows.
The message behind my work is that beautiful, fun, creative pieces of jewelry don’t have to cost
an arm and a leg!
Meet Hillary Martin from the Candle Chemist...
I
am a chemist by day and a candle-maker by night! I currently work full-time as
a chemist for a pharmaceutical company. I love my job but I needed a creative
outlet. I have always loved art as well as science. This may seem strange, as
art and science are often painted as opposites; but I can’t imagine one without
the other. Candle-making as provided me with a way to fulfill my passion for
both. I
started my little business in August 2015 This
will be my fourth Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show.
Memories
inspire me. Our sense of smell is very powerful—it can take us back to a
happier time in our memory and sooth the mind. I love creating candles the
evoke nostalgia in my customers. I particularly love creating flower scented
and painted candles. The hydrangea, lilac and lavender remind me of walking
through my favorite gardens from my childhood.
How I got into my craft.. I’ve
always loved crafts: knitting, cross stitch, painting, making Christmas
ornaments and now candles! A
co-worker of mine mentioned that she made her own candles for gifts and I
decided to give it a try. I posted pictures of my creations on social media and
many of my friends and family wanted to purchase them for themselves!
My
creative process is quite simple actually. I find a scent that I think sounds
delicious make a one or two candles to see if it smells as good as it sounds
and then move on to creating a unique and fun way to package it. I’m quite
literal… I like to paint whatever flower the scent is on the outside of the
container or put the coffee scented candle in a coffee mug or the chardonnay
scented candle in a wine glass etc. It’s easy to make a generic company label
to stick on the outside of each candle, but where’s the fun in that?
In
five years I would like be more zero-waste. Perhaps create my own essential
oils used in the candle making process as opposed to purchasing scents. All
of my candles are refillable. That means Zero-waste. I refill all of my candle
creations for 50% off the original price. This is completely unique as far as I
know. No wasted creations, and saves you money too! Visit my etsy shop for
details:
Meet Brenda Burdette from Amita Whole Body Care..
Hi, my name is Brenda Burdette. I am the mother three amazing kids, who have provided me with so much inspiration the last 20 years. Yes 20. I have a wonderful man in my life, who has given me support and encouragement on this venture, and has provided lots of fun ideas to help bring it to life. Finally, I am also the owner of Amita Whole Body Care, LLC., providing local all-natural skincare, handcrafted in small batches, using only plant based oils, essential oils, herbs, and beeswax or plant based emulsifiers. Before I took the leap to turn this into a business, I spent 20 years in financial roles. I continue to maintain a professional career while pursuing my passion for natural skincare and living simply.
I began researching and experimenting with natural skincare and other natural remedies about 10 years ago after learning about all of the toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis, and aspired to minimize that exposure for my family.
People inspire me to create. The Earth inspires me. Science inspires me, as does nature. When I talk to people about different skin sensitivities they may have, my mind goes to work. I want to create products that fulfill a health benefit and improves lives. The Earth gives us so many resources, that if used responsibly, can improve our lives and help us live healthier lives. There are properties in the essential oils that are medicinal. The art comes in when you are trying to create something that provides an aromatic lift to your senses while also giving healing benefits to your skin! So many possibilities!
How I got into my craft.. I began doing research on living sustainably and naturally. As part of this, my daughter was diagnosed with ADHD, and I wanted to learn about natural ways I could help manage her symptoms. I learned that some studies had shown environmental factors such as diet and personal care products could impact the neurotransmitters in the brain. So I began eliminating processed foods and as many chemical products as I could from my home. I eventually began making most of our personal care products at home out of simple ingredients, and it evolved from there as I learned about the medicinal benefits of plants.
I realized it was an actual talent when I developed my “Tea Tree Everything Salve”. This little creation had everyone who tried it raving. It is good for minor cuts and scrapes, clearing up acne, and quickly healing insect bites. Because it has antiseptic and antibacterial properties, as well as wonderful moisturizers that won’t clog pores, it is healing and moisturizing at the same time!
My creative process is a mix of thinking through my goal, my available options, some research on complimentary ingredients for both scent and medicinally, and then a little trial and error to see what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes it’s just fun experimenting, but you don’t quite get what you want, other times it’s really awesome.
My five year goal.. I am a firm believer in sharing knowledge. I big part of my goal is to educate as many people as I can about the benefits of using natural products, with ingredients that you recognize. I hope to continue attending events like this and interact with the community, to engage people, and to encourage others to take their health personally. I hope to be a thriving piece of the community; a business people recognize and trust.
Amita is a Sanskrit word for boundless or infinite. I want my work to reflect the boundlessness of our lives and the boundlessness of our Earth. When you are inspired by life and gifted by nature, you can do amazing things.
