Today is the Day!

Meet Jamie Henry from Fine Paper Greetings...
I returned to college later in life to obtain a B.S. in Graphic Design, Visual Fine Art, which lead to my print graphic design freelance career. I enjoy the print side of the design world, but I wanted to also create paper items. It is the texture, the layering, the design with die cuts, and the final creation that brings a smile to someone’s day that gives me joy. My in-home paper crafting studio is complete with ultra-premium paper, cards, envelopes, and any other crafting / creating tool you can imagine. I’ve been doing this for 15 years.

This will be my first as a vendor at Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show, which I am thoroughly excited to participate and so humbled to be included. 

What inspires me to create? A new die cut, a new pad of paper, or a specific color of paper I’ve been wanting to use. I challenge myself at times with trying to use perhaps only two colors (including the various shades of that color) to create a “Coffee Today” card or a fun pet card.

 

How I got into my craft.. My mother and grandmother were my inspiration - each were unbelievably crafty at a time when craft supplies were limited and you had to be creative with what you had on hand - a cardboard tissue box became beautiful backgrounds on cards, tags, and journals. I still use the patterns from tissue boxes for my greeting cards - I just cannot throw any piece of paper away!

How I discovered my talent.. As a young child, I “designed” greeting cards for several nursing homes as my grandmother was a volunteer - I wanted to give the residents a little smile as so many of them seemed lonely. I wanted them to know someone cared. My cards, tags, gift bags, etc., anything from paper, I use to brighten someone’s day. Through the nursing home creation years ago, I was fortunate enough to continue creating paper items.

 

My creative process. As an “organized” individual, I create themed cards - “Coffee Today” is what I’m creating currently, as seen on my website of www.finepapergreetings.com, as well as pet cards. I want my die cuts to tell the story as many of my cards do not contain words, or if any words are included, it is perhaps one or two. I want the card to speak for itself - the joy of opening the envelope, seeing the creation, then the layers of texture to bring the card to life. There are days when it may take five hours to create a single card as I’m very particular about color-coordination, layering of die cuts, and the placement of the die cuts. 

My five year plan.. Continued growth in the paper world - creating series of cards, personalizing cards and invitations for clients, and working with organizations through donations of my cards to inspire younger people to create through paper.

 

The message behind my work.. “Creativity Through Paper” - a text message, an email, or a post is fine, but to receive an envelope in the mail with your name, opening that envelope and seeing a card someone purchased just for you, then reading the message inside - that would make my day! The cards and all paper items I create are only items I would purchase myself. The creative process can be difficult, but it is most rewarding when a client is excited about her 30 “Coffee Today” cards she wants to send out for her coffee brunch party. 

Meet Palestina Jaber from Turath...

My name is Palestina Jaber, 31 years old, and a mom of two little girls! I’ve been in the US for seven years now and within those years I worked as a clerk, a school tutor, a teller, and a banker! After giving birth, a month earlier than due date, to my eight-months baby, I had lots of medical issues that required physical therapy and stopped me from working as a banker! Now that my baby is not as needy as a newborn is, I had lots of free time and that’s when I started designing and embroidering! It was the dream that I had to put aside for so long due to work but now that I’m no longer working, I reached out to my family and friends back in my homeland, Palestine and we started talking about embroidery projects, meanings of patterns, and relationships to surroundings! And that’s how Turath was born! 

Palestinian embroidery is something that is passed down from my grandmother to my mom and hopefully to my daughters! It’s the means of transferring cultural stories about Palestinian nature to future generations, so it’s been a while that I knew how to do but just recently got dedicated to! I just started Turath in the last four months, and this is going to be my first AG show and my second participation in events around me! 

Palestinian embroidery, with all the symbolism and hidden meanings of patterns, requires a lengthy process! Before creating any piece, I have to think out the motif I want to address, search for the right symbols and representations, create patterns, design the piece, pick colors, and finally start embroidering! Then the process of embroidering starts; a process that requires lots of effort and time as it’s all handmade! The outcome, though, is a piece that’s a one-of-a-kind and made with love! 

Right now I’m establishing a new brand that aims at serving, preserving, and repurposing Palestinian art of embroidery! 15% of product profits is donated to help pay off student debts in Palestinian universities as a way to give back to my homeland community! In five years, I want to see my startup expanding to make bigger piece products like dresses, jackets and shoes! I want to create collections for every season of the year instead of currently making individual products that are mainly accessories! 

Meet Gail Messick from Bambanani Africa Crafts...

I am a retired Dental Hygienist who then served in the Peace Corps from 2010-2014 in the small southern African kingdom of Eswatini.  While there, I connected with a group of volunteer community healthcare workers who wanted to learn how to make something to sell.  The products I market are the result of our partnership.  

Since my return to the US in 2014, I have been marketing their products.  I return to Eswatini for 2-3 months each year to work on product development and then bring new products back to the US to sell.  ALL proceeds from my sales are securely returned to the artisans themselves. This is my first Avant-Garde show

What inspires me to create. I am inspired by witnessing the transformation of the women I work with and helping to bring out the creative spirit within them.  

How I got into this craft.. I've enjoyed sewing since I was 12, and have dabbled in various crafts ever since.

How I discovered my talent.. My talent has evolved over the years, but in this endeavor, my talent is in patiently encouraging unskilled but motivated individuals to discover their inner talents

My creative process.. Through lots of trial and error, attention to detail and responding to the reactions of others, together we continue to improve.

My five year goal.. In 5 years, I hope to develop more leadership among the artisans themselves so that they control more of the business and its profits.

The message behind my work: Empowering women with skills and support which enables them to generate income, while working from home.

Summer Columbus Vendors Coming to Town!

Andrea Ramey from Happy Hippie Handmades...

My best friend and I have been crafty for years. We have tried all kinds of different crafts and have both settled on a few that we enjoy the most. We decided to bring our crafting skills together and start a little business. I do macrame wall hangings and plant hangers and my best friend, Lindsay, does crochet scarves, hats and ear warmers.

Both of our creations are therapeutic to us. I also enjoy doing macrame because I love decorating and macrame pieces for home decor are so beautiful. 

For macrame, I look up general ideas of different knots on Etsy and Pinterest, start with a base (a piece of driftwood or plant hanger loop) and pull different knot ideas together, mostly just coming up with my own idea in the long run.

Meet Miranda Johnson from Scentsations...

We began Scentsations to provide everyone with practical, safe and luxurious products that also enrich the mind, body and spirit! We have created a line of handmade bath, body, and candles to inspire your own Aromacare routine!

We were inspired to begin Scentsations to provide everyone with a sensible and natural option of Aromacare items. Mindfulness and self-care are at the core of mental health. That is why our products are handmade with good energy and intention to encourage you to take some much needed time for yourself! We believe everyone deserves that!

It truly has been a trial & error process! But through so much hard-work and sleepless nights, we have created a line of bath, body, and candles with unique labeling that everyone just loves!

Meet Deeby Olsen from SKG Artwork Sales..

As a young girl growing up in Australia, I was fascinated by drawing, and tried my hand at sketching, but my time was spent doing a lot of outdoor activities with my siblings and friends. When I met and married in my US Navy Veteran husband Scott in 1985, my life took on a whole new world.

We lived in California for the first 11 years of our marriage, and I fell in love with his mother’s paintings. I first began painting with oils 36 years ago, after taking lessons from her.

I continued to paint as much as I was able, but life responsibilities and raising our children took over. We all eventually ended up in Chagrin Falls Ohio and joined forces to build our family business of SKG Artworks.

SKG Artworks is going places, and it is hoped that I will eventually be available to the public as also a store front. The 2021 Columbus Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show is my first show in about 10 years, and a first show exhibiting my Debby Olsen Acrylic Pours and Gifts.

The message behind the pieces created for SKG Artworks has always been, “Art To Make You Smile”, and that it does!

2021 COLUMBUS SUMMER AVANT-GARDE ART & CRAFT SHOW

Sunday, June 13th 2021

10:00am-4:00pm

Makoy Event Center
5462 Center St. 
Hilliard, Ohio 43026

For more information, contact Becki Silverstein, Event Coordinator at becki@ag-shows.com

Visit us on:

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Columbus Artists You Can't Miss!!

Meet Tamra Pfeffer of P6 Studio…

Party of 6 Studio is a small business in Pickerington specializing in handmade home decor and gifts. My husband and I have four daughters. Early on, our family found crafting to be an integral part of our lives and sanity. Our daughters make many of the items in our store - with guidance and quality control. We put a lot of love and careful attention in each item we make.We began crafting in 2017 when our oldest needed to save money for a school camping trip.

We love teaching our daughters the joy of struggling through to the end, of seeing what they can accomplish, and that moment of pride that shines through their eyes when they look at their finished product.  

Our crafting started as a way to create items for ourselves, things we saw and wanted, but couldn't afford at the time. It has grown into exploring that light within ourselves that is fueled by the process.My husband and I discovered our talents at different points - I've always been creating in some way, but my husband discovered his talents when life forced him to learn to work with his hands. Our daughters have been creating for so long, they likely don't remember not doing it.

Our creative process varies per person in the family. For our daughters, they see things in the world, the stores, online, that they want to try their hand at. For me, it's a combination of Muse and relaxation fueling my crafts. My husband is fueled more by man grunts and sawdust.

 

In the future, we would like to expand our business into more vendor based stores as crafting is a family event that inspires creativity, joy, and pride in our household.

Meet Kailie Mallett of Broken Arrow Studios…

My name is Kailie Mallett. I have been running my small business since June 2020 (almost one year!). I love being my own boss and getting to have a creative outlet! My business name, Broken Arrow Studios, is inspired by the canyon where I spent a lot of time growing up. I was born and raised in Arizona and moved to Ohio for college. I attended Columbus State Community College and graduated from the American Sign Language Interpreter Program. I've been an interpreter since 2017.

I will have been doing this for almost one year now, this is my first show and I am beyond excited! Creating makes me happy and has definitely become my happy place when the world is all kinds of crazy! Due to COVID-19, I became unemployed (due to no interpreting work being unavailable) so I found myself longing for something to fill all of my extra time. I picked up a couple random blocks of clay and fell in love with making jewelry.

I discovered my talent completely by accident! I was just messing around with a couple blocks of clay one day and made some earrings. My skills have evolved and improved so much over the last year. I would like to say that I plan things in advance but I usually just pull out some clay and play around. Sometimes that works out and sometimes it doesn't! 

As for the company’s future, I am hoping to keep growing and improving my craft. This is my first craft show and I also just started consigning with a local business. I am hoping to continue doing shows and having displays in more stores around the country.

Meet Courtney Scott of Morgan & Scott Apothecary…

 

My products are all about self-care and treating yourself. They range from essential oil roller blends, facial oil, smudges, candles/wax melts and reclaimed pottery in the form of Kintsugi. Kintsugi is a Japanese expression of mending broken pottery with gold. The idea is that beauty can be found even in the broken or becomes more beautiful after being broken. 

I've been working with Essential Oils and Smudges for 2 years. I fell in love with the art and meaning behind Kintsugi in 2020 and started creating pieces in the fall of 2020 and this is my first show with Avant-Garde Art & Craft

 

It's sharing with the world what makes me happy or inspires me to create. I also enjoy processes and love creating things that require steps for completion where I can physically see the transformation. I actually used to hate the smell of essential oils. Lavender especially. There came a time in my life that stress was reaching its peak so I turned to them in desperation. It was almost as if I craved them, including lavender. I think our bodies have a way of telling us what we want and need and it was like a switch flipped. With Kintsugi I not only was attracted to the visual but really drawn to the meaning behind it. 

I started making a sleep essential oil roller and gave a few when I first started creating. The reactions I got from family and friends were positive so I started creating other blends and started selling through Instagram DM. With the Kintsugi, I really created a few pieces for myself. I then added them to my vendor show sale list where I sold all pieces available. They were a hit! 

I put a lot of research into each oil and herb and crystal used to create a blend to help with specific feelings and outcomes. The other, I have to let all of that go. I let fate take hold because I can't predict how Kintsugi will break, what the pattern will be, how the paint will hold, or the form it takes when pieced back together. 

 

In five years, I would love to own a storefront. Full of essential oils and essential oil products, walls of dried herbs for smudges, teas, and more. 

2021 COLUMBUS SUMMER AVANT-GARDE ART & CRAFT SHOW

Sunday, June 13th 2021

10:00am-4:00pm

Makoy Event Center
5462 Center St. 
Hilliard, Ohio 43026

For more information, contact Becki Silverstein, Event Coordinator at becki@ag-shows.com

Visit us on:

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Meet Your Vendors, Columbus!

 Meet Charmaine Boggs from CBoggsArt LLC...

I'm a mixed media artist and jewelry designer working from my home in Centerville, Ohio. I've been creating art in one form or another since I was in grade school, usually drawing in my school notebooks, mostly fashion models and my favorite musical group, the Beatles. Although I took art classes in high school and college, and have a degree in art education, much of what I do now is a combination of experimentation, art classes taken locally and online, and watching lots of Youtube videos. 

I sell my art and my jewelry in two separate Etsy shops and also teach classes in painting, printmaking, and mixed media art on the Skillshare website. I participated in the Columbus and Cincinnati Avant-Garde shows during 2019. 

Most of my artwork is inspired my nature. I take photos at home and whenever I travel to use as a resource for my landscape and floral paintings. Recently, I've been experimenting with cyanotype prints, harnessing the power of the sun to create images and color patterns for my mixed media art. My jewelry is also influenced by my love of the outdoors. I create embossed metal jewelry embellished with natural cut stones, leather cord, and faceted crystals. 

I don't spend much time sketching out images or jewelry designs before starting the work. i enjoy the process of experimentation and seeing what I can do with the materials I have on hand. If a jewelry design or a particular image works, I may repeat it, but most of my work is one of a kind. 

My work is all about the joys of the creative journey and sharing it with others. The tagline on my Etsy jewelry shop reads, "Life's a Journey... Add the Sparkle!" This pretty much sums it up for me! i have no idea what the next five years will bring, but as long as I'm still on that creative journey, i know I'll be just fine.

Meet Daniel Morris from Daniel Morris Gallery...

I am an artist based out of Columbus Ohio. I have been airbrushing for over twenty years and practicing my artistic craft for much longer. I participated in an Avant-Garde show a few years ago, but at the time I was airbrushing t-shirts.

There is a certain freedom in controlling a medium and manipulating it to project your vision. This is what inspires me to create. I use to sit down in front of the TV as a child, watching Transformers. My first “studio” was a thick book and a ball of clay. From Optimus Prime to Bumblebee, I would build the characters, play with them for a while, and then roll them back into the ball from which they came. I consider that the beginning.

Now, I look at my references and mentally project them onto the canvas. That is my creative process. 

I honestly can’t guess where my business will be in five years. Five years ago I wouldn’t have known I’d be back in Columbus, setting up at art shows. 

My work is about race and geography. We are not all the same.  We should celebrate our differences.

Meet KatieAnn Bonavita of Chic Engineer Boutique...

KatieAnn just graduated from OSU in December with a dual degree in mechanical engineering and music. She has a love for both science and the arts and was looking for ways to combine these two passions upon graduation and decided to purchase her first 3D printer. She had experience with 3D printing from her 2.5 years of undergraduate research in flexible electronics, but had used it exclusively for lab research. In December she started printing more fun and creative pieces on her own printer and decided to make a business out of it.

Just 6 months into her business (mostly supported by an Etsy page) this is her first craft fair. She is so excited to not only share her passion for her creative works, but also show younger people the many areas that STEM can be applied to and how engineering requires a lot of creativity. Her software and 3D printer will be set up at her booth for kids to see it in action and even create a custom 3D ornament of their own while attending the fair. More than anything, she loves using this business as a way to encourage females in engineering and exercise both her engineering and arts brain.

While she is currently working 3 part time jobs (3D printing business, dog trainer, and professional singer/actress), she would love to do more outreach with her 3D printing and eventually go full time.

Meet Party of Six Studio...

Party of 6 Studio is a small business in Pickerington specializing in handmade home decor and gifts. My husband and I have four daughters. Early on, our family found crafting to be an integral part of our lives and sanity. Our daughters make many of the items in our store - with guidance and quality control. We put a lot of love and careful attention in each item we make.

We began crafting in 2017 when our oldest needed to save money for a school camping trip. We love teaching our daughters the joy of struggling through to the end, of seeing what they can accomplish, and that moment of pride that shines through their eyes when they look at their finished product. It started as a way to create items for ourselves, things we saw and wanted, but couldn't afford at the time. It has grown into exploring that light within ourselves that is fueled by the process.

My husband and I discovered our talents at different points - I've always been creating in some way, but my husband discovered his talents when life forced him to learn to work with his hands. Our daughters have been creating so long, they likely don't remember not doing it. Our creative process varies per person. For our daughters, they see things in the world, the stores, online, that they want to try their hand at. For me, it's a combination of Muse and relaxation fueling my crafts. My husband is fueled more by man grunts and sawdust.

We would like to expand our business into more vendor based stores. Crafting is a family event that inspires creativity, joy, and pride.

2021 COLUMBUS SUMMER AVANT-GARDE ART & CRAFT SHOW

Sunday, June 13th 2021

10:00am-4:00pm

Makoy Event Center
5462 Center St. 
Hilliard, Ohio 43026

For more information, contact Becki Silverstein, Event Coordinator at becki@ag-shows.com

Visit us on:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

INSTAGRAM

LINKEDIN

3...2...1...It's Show Time

Meet Tom Cover from TC Knives... 

    I have been making knives for just under a year. I have a full-time job working with severely handicapped people, this has been a hobby that got away from me. This will be my third outing with Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows and I’m looking forward to attending more.

    One day while I was shopping for some woodworking tools, I found a knife-making kit and it turned out to be something that I enjoyed.  As I am making a knife the intended result often changes as different designs and forms develop while I work the wood.  As my “hobby” grew so did the tools and supplies that I need grew.  At this point, I no longer need to order knife blanks but instead order steel billets and cut, grind, polish, harden and finish the knife with a handle. I have had several knives ordered, with design specifications from the person that ordered. 

    As I progress over the next several years I continue to hone my craft by moving into a full-sized professional sander/grinder. Further, I have just purchased a vacuum chamber for stabilizing and molding wood so I have those new challenges ahead of me.  

    Since I am no longer making knives just for myself, my goal is to make knives that are not only functional but are something that people will be proud to own and use for a long, long time. 

Written On His Hand: Anne Jones

    I have been crafting all of my life for fun but only started participating in shows since my retirement 3 years ago.

    I moved to Ohio from Chicago so I am new to Columbus!  I love to upcycle and work with vintage items.  Hand stenciling, restoring, and wool needle felting are some of my joys!

    My shop” Written on His Hand” is scriptural reminding us that we are all so very important and our name is written in His hand.  

    Each time I stencil I am reminded of my worth and my hope is that an item I create will bring joy into the home.  I keep my prices low to make new items accessible and prevent “old” things from going into landfills.

Siaraefti Designs

    I'm a full-time employee with a 9a-5p stressful job and once I log out from there, I quickly take care of my family so I can have a few hours to myself in my craft cave.  

    I actually blame my older sister for getting me involved in my craft obsession.  She started out with machine embroidery a few years ago and I thought, I can do that so I went out and bought a machine and everything else to go along with it.  Then she started on Cricut making other cool things so I had to have one of those too. I bought my machine about 8 months ago.  I just got into resigning about 3 months ago on my own and I've watched about a week's worth of tutorial videos.  I now have 2 craft caves dedicated to everything that I love doing!

    I actually have never really sold anything, I usually make things and give them to people.  Especially if someone is having a baby, I love making baby quilts.  

    In 5 years, I want to keep doing the crafts that I love because they really help relieve the stress in my life.  To me, everything I make already makes me happy so my biggest hope is to make someone else happy with my art. 

Michael Hughes & Tracy Garrett

    I am Michael Hughes and live in Grandview Heights, a suburb of Columbus.  I recently retired after 35 years of running my occupied residential interior decorating and painting business.  I give lessons on pen turning in my studio to small groups and organizations.  I started Specialty Turned Design in 2010. My attention to detail in my professional life gives my pens the award-winning show quality you see at shows, my studio and on my Etsy and website. I have international status as my pens have shipped to places like Rome, Tanzania, the White House and the Pentagon.  This will be my first Avant-Garde Arts & Crafts Show.  I have participated in multiple shows around the Columbus area for the last 8 years.

    The beautiful things I see in this world; be it a fallen pine cone, animals of all kinds, the glitter on a Christmas tree, the dew on a blade of grass, a rainbow after a storm, the stories from people who are looking for a special gift.  I look forward to creating that special writing instrument tailored to all kinds of lifestyles.  I specialize in fountain pens, rollerball pens, and ballpoint pens using a plethora of materials.  Every pen I make is a unique fusion of art and function that carries a story.  They are made individually and crafted with an emphasis on quality, form, and function.  Come see me at Specialty Turned Designs where I put your personality in writing! 

    No matter what material I use, I never know what the pen blank will look like until the lathe comes to a stop.  As the shavings fly, my hands guide the tools in creating a unique shape.  Excitement comes over me as the polishing process brings out the hidden beauty.  The kit finish is decided after the blank is polished.  Commissioned pieces include 11 bullet casing pens from a father's 21 gun salute; 6 lilac flower and wood branch pens from a family yard; mementos of a mother, lectern wood for religious gifts; segmented hearts as thank you gifts for guest speakers.

    I would like to be making my own pen components with a metal lathe.  I would like to be touring nationally teaching others the art and fascination of making a pen. When you buy something from an artist, you are buying more than an object.  You are buying hundreds of hours of errors and experimentation.  You are buying years of frustration and moments of pure joy.  You are not just buying one thing - you are buying a piece of my heart, a piece of my soul . . . and a small piece of my life.

Katie's Ooak Dolls & Pawsh Pets: Katie Roush 

    My name is Katie and my husband and I have 3 fur babies to keep us busy. I have three daughters and 4 grandchildren whom I adore. I love keeping busy with art and do a lot of custom designs for different people all over the US and also in the UK as well! I have been in the business for 30 plus years. I sew rag dolls, do pet portrait dolls (by request), and mixed media. I love creating cards that are unique and Disney-inspired signs for children’s rooms. This will be my 4th Avant-Garde Craft Show!

    My mind is a terrible place to get lost in. I love bringing older ideas to modern-day life. I get an idea by looking at anything and asking “how can I use that” and then create it. I used to sew when I was young with my grandmother, and then it progressed from there into several art forms. I also used to draw Snoopy and Charlie Brown when I was 8. People thought it was good, so I then started drawing Disney things and people. 

    My creative process begins when I have a saying or a quote, then I am on the hunt for the perfect graphic to describe it. I take both of them, meld them together, to come up with a great visual. I would love to teach what I do eventually in the future. 

Keep creating! There are lots of artisans, but only one you that has your view.

2021 Columbus Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday, March 6, 2021

10:00am-4:00pm

Makoy Event Center

5462 Center St.

Hilliard, OH 43026

For more information, contact Becki Silverstein, Event Coordinator at becki@ag-shows.com

Visit us on:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

INSTAGRAM

LINKEDIN