Saturday, December 1, 2012

Show's Tomorrow! More Vendor Features!

Meet Dawn Chiparatu from Paw Pleasers...
My Neighbor, Lori Marko, and I are regular working moms. During the day, Lori is a reinsurance analyst and I am a customer service representative for a residential remodeling company. Together we have been doing this for only a couple of months, September of this year. Actually- I had started four years ago on my own and then tabled the concept after my dog Zoe to cancer. 

This will be our first Avant-Garde show and we are very excited about this opportunity. 

Where we get our creativity..  We take our own favorite things (mostly food) and convert them into items that are suitable for our furry friends. We got into the craft when we were looking for treats and toys that didn’t contain any preservatives. Zoe was gluten intolerant and well, the boys…just too darn cute to taint. Our creative process is lots of brainstorming and comparative shopping.
After receiving so many requests from our frients and family to make goods, we decided to make a go of it in the retail world. The thing we enjoy the most is the response that we get from our repeat customers. They have even brought in pictures of their pets.


The message behind our work is love your furry friends. Great tasting treats can also be great for them!


Meet Jenny DiNuoscio from End of The Beach and JP Candles…
My name is Jenny, I run End Of The Beach and I share JP Candles with my friend Erika. End Of The Beach was official September 1, 2009 and JP Candles started in October of this year. I've been creating since I was little! Erika and I started making candles as a hobby that gives back! This is our first Avant-Garde show and hoping it's not the last!

When it comes to creativity, I have to blame genetics! My mom was the MacGyver of arts and crafts, and my Dad has been in the jewelry business for over 40 years!

I got into my hobby because I have a love of the craft! I love making jewelry, and Erika and I are both obsessed with candles. It was just a snowball effect from there! I love making all things odd and unique and wanted to share it with the world, so I started my own business.

My creative process… I'll see something and my mind just starts flowing. I'll find inspiration in the smallest and weirdest things in this world.

The thing I enjoy most about crafting is that I know every single detail about what I'm selling and the creative process from start to finish. It's a better advantage than regular mall bought retail.

A portion of each candles sold is donated to cancer research. It's a way to give back to the community while honoring the ones that inspired us most. My jewelry is meant to be fun, playful, and gaudy! Blah

Meet Coayne McDaniels from Rubber City Cupcakery...
I was born and raised for 30 yrs in Southern California with a 10 yr. stop in Colorado before moving to Ohio for my day job. I've now been in Ohio for 13 yrs, not fond of the snow but LOVE the falls here. I had been in the corporate world for over 33 years and wanted to start something that I would have fun with, enjoy doing, and that could brighten people's days (if even for a few moments). Thus, Rubber City Cupcakery was born.
I started RCC in September 2010, I make gourmet cupcakes with quality ingredients for any type of events. This will be my first Avant-Garde show, however I have done several smaller craft shows in the past.

I have been around baking and cooking since I was very young. When I was in kindergarten, I would help my great grandmother make homemade bread when she visited. Nothing smells better than something made with quality ingredients and your own hands.  
When it comes to my creativity, I usually meet with or talk with the customer, gather basic information, and then think outside the box a bit. I want the cupcakes to be fun if it's kid involved, beautiful or elegant if it's a wedding, rehearsal, bridal shower event, and delicious all at the same time. I try to fit the cupcakes to the event and the customer.

The thing I enjoy most about doing this, is the joy it brings to the event and the smiles and sincere thank you's from the customers. It's nice to know that I helped make their event special for them.

The message behind my work is: Enjoy Life, have fun and always eat dessert!

Meet Whitney Aquino from Sweet Lala Kay's Boutique...
I am graduating in 2 weeks from Kent State with a Criminal Justice Degree. I'm a proud mama to the face of my company and "helper" in my shop - Layla Kay, Soon-to-be wife to a man who is patient enough to deal with my craft addiction and busy life. A coca cola addict, and not one to sit still......ever.

I started making items for my shop the very last week of February 2012 DAYS before my daughter was born. This will be my first Avant-Garde Event!

Creativity runs in my family's blood. My grandmothers from both my mom and dad's side were/are extremely creative and crafty. My granny was always making something - from painting to sewing to crochet. She taught me everything I know and ever since I was little I can't remember a time that I wasn't creating something along side of her. 
I got into my business because of my daughter. We found out we were having a girl and because of my obsession with Hobby Lobby. I started thinking of everything I could make for her, and once I got into the store, my mind started going crazy putting all these ideas together. I loved the idea of having pictures in tutus so I wanted to create tutus that were perfect for dress up, pictures, weddings, holiday... you name it. After I realized that I could make all these things for my own daughter, I wanted to make more items: tutus, dresses, blankets and so much more for other people as well. Because creativity runs in the family, I brought my Aunt on board to help in this process! 

My creative process is a little hectic and hard to describe. I don't think I have ever planned out an item prior to making it.  Once I start, I will continue until I know that the item is complete and perfect. 
My favorite thing is that I love knowing that the time was put into making it, and that it wasn't made in seconds by a machine. I love knowing that handmade items have a face behind them that have stories. 
The message behind my work is that Every little girl should be classy and fabulous! 

Check out these featured vendors at the 2012 Summit County Winter Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This show will feature a large selection of talented handmade artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to Jade's No Kill Rescue for animal rescue.


2012 Summit County Winter Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Sunday, December 2, 2012 11:00am-6:00pm
The Tangier
532 West Market St.
Akron, OH 44303
For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com
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