Friday, October 11, 2013

Vibrant Colors and Designs Inspire these Fall Summit 2013 Vendors!

Meet Colette Patty from Wolf Creek Creations...
My name is Colette Patty and I have a passion for crafting.  I spend my time crafting beautiful jewelry and I love to share my work with others.  My creativity comes from all things beautiful.  When I see something truly beautiful it inspires me to create.  My goal is to one day have my jewelry featured in magazines, sold in New York boutiques, and worn by celebrities.
I started making jewelry when I was very young.  When I started working my hobby was put on hold until I retired a few years ago.  When I go bead shopping I pick the beads that inspire me the most.  When I sit down to make a piece of jewelry I have no plan.  I let the beauty of the beads dictate how the jewelry will turn out.
After I retired I found myself with a lot of time.  Instead of buying gifts for people’s birthdays or Christmas I would make them.  So many of my friends ranted and raved about how great my jewelry was.  Everyone told me I should sell all the wonderful things I had been making, so I did!
I specialize in jewelry hand tailored to your style. I take your vision and turn it into something truly fabulous! I can use your beads or I can use my own. In the past, I have even made old heirloom jewelry into something fresh and new. The custom jewelry I make is very affordable and I keep my customers involved in the making of their unique pieces. Additionally, I can take a picture of a celebrity wearing an expensive piece of jewelry and replicate it for you at an affordable price.  
Meet Rachael Griffiths from Handcrafted by Rachel...
Hello everyone! I am married to my husband Matt, and we have two wonderful boys, Jackson and Rowan. At this point I am a stay at home mom, other than having my sewing business. I first started out making jewelry, and had a business doing that for about 5 years, and then The Lord opened he door to sewing for me.I have been sewing for almost a year now; this is my first Avant Garde Show and am very excited about it!

I love being able to make something from scratch, and see it come together. It is so fun for me to mix and match colors, and see ideas just come to life! I know that The Lord gave me this opportunity and He has given me he ideas, creativity, and inspiration to do this, to do it well, and to love what I do!

I have always loved arts and crafts since I was a little girl. I have always wanted to sew ever since I could remember. My husbands grandmother was a seamstress almost all her life, and when she passed away, it really ignited that passion again to learn. I wanted to keep the legacy going. I sought The Lord about wanting to learn, and I asked him to provide everything I needed. I bought my first sewing machine in Feb of this year and the rest is history! I began to learn and grow, and people started asking me to make them things from clothing, to bags and accessories. I began to pray about starting a business because the response was overwhelming! I told The Lord that if this was His will for my life, that He would have to supply all the supplies and finances to get started, and He did. People started donating fabric and thread, and more. I am so thankful for all that The Lord is doing.

My creative process is simple; I see colors or things that I like and just run with it!  
In 5 years, I will be wherever The Lord sees fit. At this point it is just me that works my business, but I pray that my business would grow to be able to add employees.  I also hope to have a thriving website as well. I am in the process of getting that together in the near future.

I just want to honor The Lord with my life, and all that He sees fit for my hands to do.  I want to be His hands extended to a lost and hurting world.  I'll never know who The Lord will put in my path through this business, and I always want to share the hope that is within me.


Meet Angela and Karen from WiSe Soap Studio...
WiSe Soap Studio is a business partnership Karen and Angela started just under a year ago. We love making soaps and beauty products where the creative possibilities are endless. We get to play and you get a beautiful natural product at a great price - an everyday splurge!
Our handmade products contain no detergents or chemicals. The combination of skin loving oils, colors and fragrances create art with utilitarian function. It’s a product you can feel good about. In addition to our soap line, we have added lip soothers, Aromatherapy shower soothers and whipped shea lotion. We’re always in search of new and exciting products to create.



2013 Summit County Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday & Sunday October 19 & 20, 2013 11:00am-5:00pm
St. George's Fellowship Centre
3204 Ridgewood Rd.
Fairlawn, OH 44333
For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator
Visit us on:

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Celebrate Fall with Our Summit Show Vendors!

Meet Amanda Wallace from Zombiedo...
I grew up in Wooster, Ohio, and in 2005 I graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with my Bachelor in the Fine Arts. I mostly concentrated in/on painting, but dabbled in a wide variety of other mediums. I have always enjoyed learning new art and craft techniques. After college, I lived in a couple of different cities, but my favorite place was Tucson, Arizona. In Tucson, I fell in love with cacti and the vibe of the desert. Currently, I am living on a farm in Ohio where my imagination roams. I have always loved goofy/weird things and bright colors and I feel as if I show this through my art.
I have been painting (and learning) since I was little, but about a year ago, I started to learn about surface pattern design. From that point on, I realized that I could turn my sketches and doodles into cool products. So, for about a year, I have been learning and working on starting my little business ZOMBIEDO. This is a place where you can find my unique designs applied to baby hats and swaddle blankets (other products coming soon.) Also under ZOMBIEDO, I will be selling my shrinky-dink jewelry designs and some creature prints. This will be the first Avant-Garde show that I am participating in.
The desire to express myself inspires me to create. Creating helps me feel grounded and happy and who doesn’t want to be happy. I was very lucky to have a great support group when I was little. My mother always put me into any kind of art class that I was interested in learning, my mimi is a beautiful seamstress who could whip up and create any design or idea that I had in my head, and my aunt is a talented artist who always sat down to draw with me. I don’t really feel as if there was a time and place where I discovered my talent. Personally, I still feel as if I am discovering my talent everyday and maybe that is why I am always creating and learning. I have always been encouraged to be myself and to try new things.

How do I get my creativity? I am a creator of lists! Sometimes when I go back and look at them, I will see reoccurring ideas or thoughts, and then I will base my next design or painting off of that. I also like to over think things (hence the lists), so some days I just like to turn on music and let the pen or the brush do all the work.

In five years, I hope that I am still learning and creating for a living. But, there are two things that I am hoping to learn within those five years- screen printing and printmaking. I have done small scale screen printing, but I would like to work with on a larger scale, and I have a little letterpress that I would love to become friends with.

My message is to always be yourself. Yes, it’s nice to be trendy, but the real path to happiness is to be true to who you are, because individuality is awesome. My baby hats and swaddle blankets (that are made from my fabric) are made in an earth friendly way with water based inks on organic cotton. These pieces are also all made here in the USA – from the place where I get my fabrics printed to me, here in Ohio!



Meet Brenda Glasure from Tread The Terra...
My name is Brenda Glasure and I am the sole proprietor, designer and fabricator for Tread the Terra handmade jewelry. I have been making jewelry since the mid-1980’s. My husband had been moved to the North Coast area while I was finishing my work at a hands-on science museum in North Carolina.  At that time a friend of mine knew I needed something to help occupy me.  She asked if I had seen this great new stuff that was a lot like play doh, but you could make beads and other small items with it. Once I started working with acrylic clay, I realized the potential. I loved being able to create what I could imagine. This desire has driven me to acquire new skills along the way.  I was imagining more and more sophisticated pieces and needed to add more tools to my personal skill set, so I have continued to learn and grow. 
As mentioned, I started making handmade beads with acrylic clay, eventually specializing in making canes – much like the Venetian glassmaking technique called millefiore (many flowers).  From there, it was a natural progression from beading to metalwork. I use metal-smithing and wire-wrapping with natural stones, glass, ceramic and crystals.

I am currently exploring handmade chain links and developing components that are completely handmade. I have charms, pendants, earrings and chains that are unique – no two alike. My pieces have a personality – a real spirit to them.   While my work is not at all “typical,” it is meant to be worn every day. The earrings, bracelets and necklaces are all made with comfort in mind as well as aesthetics.  
Recently, as I was making a curled chain link pattern, I realized how much I am influenced by the curving lines and textures you find in nature. My work has a natural, organic feel. I think that most people wear jewelry because it expresses their personality and is pretty. My business “motto” says: “Tread the Terra on your own terms,” because it literally means “Walk the Earth in your own way.” You can be strong, capable, and comfortable in your own skin.  You can also wear something pretty that speaks to you. When I create a new piece, I look for color, texture and composition that is beautiful and emotionally satisfying.
In five years, I know I will have added more skills to my personal “toolbox.” I am beginning to research etching and metal cutwork techniques. I am still striving to create the pieces I imagine. I expect that I will continue to love creating beautiful, everyday pieces for all of the amazing, wonderful women out there in the world.

Meet Cindy Antenucci from Cindy's Scentuals: Soap, Bath & Body...
By day I work at a local university as the career services director, and by night and weekends, I make soap. When I'm not working or hanging out with my husband and two teenagers, I'm working on a batch of soap, or working in my garden (for things to put in my soap), or running the trails or roads (gaining inspiration for the next soap).
I've been making soap for just over a year--and I'm very prolific averaging one to two batches a week. As time goes by, my batches keep getting bigger and bigger because demand is up and the possibilities endless for variations in scent, color, and technique. Not content to stick with one recipe, or one style, or one particular scent blend, I like to experiment and try new things. My entire extended family use and benefit from my soap. All have said their skin has remarkably improved and have no desire to go back to commercial soaps, which aren't really soap at all, as they've had much, if not all the natural glycerin removed.
I'm very excited to attend my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. I'm mostly inspired because it's crazy fun to make soap and there is no end to various combinations of scent, color, and style. As they say, variety is the spice of life. 

As a cook, gardener, and runner, I'm very much inspired from nature, so I use only certified pure essential oils to scent my soaps. I leave several unscented, too, allowing the addition of botanicals/additiives, such as toasted oats, almonds, dried chamomile, dried calendula and other dried botanicals to provide subtle scent and effect. I'm inspired now to keep creating because I can't believe what handmade soap has done for my skin. I've had oily problem skin with large pores visible from six feet my entire life, but after using natural soap, my skin seems more regulated and definitely more soft. My friends and family report similar improvements, so I'm inspired to share these little practical, sensuous-smelling, pieces of art. No matter what you're skin type, your skin will thank you.
My grandmother provided the initial spark of inspiration. I grew up with and loved her off-white irregular, albeit utilitarian, but amazing soaps. She'd chunk them up and keep them under the sink. She called it her "lye" soap, which seems to imply the resulting soap must be as caustic as the lye used to start it, but after soap cures, there is no lye left. All real soap has it's origins in lye reacting with fatty acids in oils. Grandma's soap was amazing. Modern soap makers have kicked it up a notch adding essential oils, natural colorants, and an array of astounding oils customized for various skin types and soap feel. 

Another source of inspiration was the flawless skin of the five soap maker vendors at a large craft show I attended. Considering that it was unlikely they imported face models to run the show, I bought a bundle of goodies, including handmade soap (it was Rosemary!) and loved it. I had to learn how to do this. It took months of research and a few flops--like the time I poured hot soap into a leaky mold and my husband called me a "hot mess," but I'm well on my well to making consistent quality batches!
I'm inspired to keep creating because I can't believe what handmade soap has done for my skin, so I'm inspired to share these little practical, sensuous-smelling, pieces of art. No matter what you're skin type, your skin will thank you. I don't know if I have talent so much as persistence. I told myself to keep making soap until it matches the "vision" in my head. It's finally starting to do that.
I call my creative process chaotic-progressive. That pretty much sums it up. I try to learn something new or incorporate something different with each batch. I'd like to see my business grow. While I love making soap, I love the business end of it as well. I visited a soap shop in Florida not too long ago...it was so amazing. I'd love to have a shop that sells soap and the natural offshoots--bath salts, massage oils, lotion bars, etc.
Handmade soap is not just another pretty face--it's practical, experiential art ready to love your skin! I'd love to make a custom order for you. My e-mail iscantenucci@gmail.com. Hope to see you at the show on October 19th! My Etsy shop is http://www.etsy.com/shop/CindysScentuals.

Meet Monica Horner from Cakes by Mojo...
My name is Monica. I am a mother of a 15 month old, as well as a step-mother to eight & seven year olds. I have a full-time office job, but cakes & cupcakes have always been my true passion. I have been baking since I was a young girl. I loved helping in the kitchen with my mom, grandma and aunt's while they baked.
This will be my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show and I'm very excited about it! Everything inspires me to create. Whether it is for a wedding, birthday, baby shower, bridal shower, bachelor/bachelorette party, religious,  graduation,  engagement party, retirement, holiday or just because, my clients' visions also help me get inspired. I have always loved to bake & decorate cakes & cupcakes. I remember at a young age I would use my mom's cake decorating tools to decorate my own cakes for her, which only a mother could love. 

Through the years I have watched many TV dessert shows & have experimented a lot. In recent years I have taken some decorating classes at local craft stores. Now, my cakes & cupcakes actually look like what they are suppose to.
I discovered my talent by feedback from friends & family. I would always bring a dessert of some sort to pot luck. I am creative by just trying something, i.e. a new recipe or design. I have made a lot of cakes, cupcakes and cookies that sounded yummy or looked beautiful in my head. But, did not quite workout how I expected in real life. Luckily, I have great taste testers at home. 

In 5 years I see myself doing my business full-time. Everyday is better with cake!


Meet Billy Lacy...
Billy Lacy was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and is from the Cherokee Nation.   During the late 1950’s his family moved to California, as part of the government’s Indian Relocation programs. Billy served in the Marines during the Viet Nam conflict. After returning home, he worked in the west on ranches as a cowboy. He started doing silverwork in the eighties while ranching.  

Today, Billy works in gold, silver, platinum and titanium. He lets the stone dictate the piece. Billy's style is both traditional and contemporary with a strong Native American influence. He has won several prestigious awards for his silver and gold jewelry at both Indian Art Shows and Non-Indian Art Shows. 
In 2009 he was named Best New Artist at Indian Summer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and he also took Second Place at Rancocus Indian Art Festival in Rancocus, New Jersey.  
In 2010, Billy took Best in Show in the Circle of Art at Indian Summer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and an Award of Merit at Castle of Art Affair, Delaware, Ohio. Billy served as Vice Chairman and Board Member of the Oconee County Arts Foundation in Watkinsville,Georgia, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and education of the arts.  

Billy attended Montana State College in Billings, Montana, where he studied business and theology.  Billy is also a children’s storyteller. His stories come alive with his wit and humor.  He currently resides in Jeromesville, Ohio with his wife Sharon.


2013 Summit County Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday & Sunday October 19 & 20, 2013 11:00am-5:00pm
St. George's Fellowship Centre
3204 Ridgewood Rd.
Fairlawn, OH 44333
For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator
Visit us on:





Thursday, April 25, 2013

Crafters Inspired By Color

Meet Marie McGlathery from Paper Planet Wearables...
I have always loved jewelry, but felt that there just was not enough affordable handmade jewelry out there. My definition of handmade is jewelry that includes elements that are created by the hands of the artist such as glass beads, clay beads, or in my case, PAPER BEADS!
Making jewelry out of paper allows me to recycle and keep my prices low so that everyone can enjoy multiple pieces from Paper Planet! My jewelry is made from recycled paper beads that are hand-rolled from various sources of paper including: junk mail, abandoned posters, flyers, magazine pages, postcards, scrapbook paper scraps and yes…even cardboard cup warmers. 
After their transformation, my beads are sealed with two coats of acrylic. This creates a water-resistant shell and increases the longevity of each piece. After the acrylic processing, the recycled paper beads are combined with various types of accent beads and pendants to create the Paper Planet Wearables jewelry collection. 
I take great pride in my work and see each necklace, bracelet, and pair of earrings as having its own unique personality. A piece from Paper Planet Wearables can make the perfect eco-friendly accent to any outfit and is sure to elicit comments from friends, family, coworkers, your dental hygienist, or even friendly strangers passing by.

Meet Brittany Christmas from Punchdrunkstars...

I'm Brittany. I graduated from Kent State a few years ago with a degree in English. I started crafting as a kid, but have become more involved in the last few years. In the last year and a half, I put together my own little business, Punchdrunkstars. When I'm not working on creations for Punchdrunkstars you can usually find me at my day job, going on random adventures with my husband, or playing with my two pet rabbits. This is my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. I'm really looking forward to it! 
Everything inspires me to create. I'll see things that will give me ideas all the time and then just kind of file them for later. My grandma taught me how to crochet when I was in elementary school. For a good duration of time that was what I mainly did as far as crafting. In the last few years I have branched out into other crafts, but I still do like crocheting and still do it quite a bit. 
My creative process, more often than not, is organized chaos. I know that sounds strange, but I learned pretty early on in my life that I work the best under pressure. Organized chaos has proven to provide me with just enough pressure to be productive and have good results.
The message behind my work is happiness. I tend to use a lot of bright colors. I also try to make things that will appeal to people in the sense that they will get some sort of enjoyment or happiness from the creation. I've always done a lot of handmade gifts for birthdays, Christmas and so forth. Throughout the years I've gotten a lot of positive feedback, which encouraged me to pursue crafting as more than just a "seasonal" activity. Ideally in five years I will still be doing what I'm currently doing (selling at shows, stores, online, etc), but with some growth and perhaps a bit more establishment. 

2012 Summit County Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Sunday, April 28, 2013, 11:00am-5:00pm
The Tangier
532 West Market St.
Akron, OH 44303
For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com
Visit us on:

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Akron Artists with a Love of Jewelry Making

Meet Steve from Jewelry by Stevie Boy…

I am a single 48 year old Male, born and raised in Warren, Ohio. I joined the Navy right out of high school and lived abroad for about 25 years, then moved back home in 2009 and bought a home in Boardman, Ohio. I Retired early at the age of 43 due to a disability.

I have been making jewelry for 7 Years. This will be my first time participating in the Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows, and I can't tell you how excited I am!.
What's my inspiration to create? I believe when a door closes in your life God always leaves a window open.

I have always been creative and artistic. I have an Associates Degree in design and have worked in the field most of my life. That's how I got into crafting. 

When I was a child I wrote a lot of Religious Poetry. I was told it was very good. That's how I discovered my talent. 

In 5 years I would like to have a larger online presence.                                                                                                               

What's the message behind my work? Every one of my designs is one of a kind. I believe that my creations are as unique as the women who wear them. 

Look for me here on my new website: 

Meet Robert Senn...
I am 67 years old and a retired Chief Electronic Technician, US Navy. I served predominantly on destroyers for 24 years. I've lived in Italy and have been around the world three times. I retired in 1995.

I grew up in the Akron area and remained here with my wife of 45 years. I've been a technical writer, a used car salesman, an electronics technician and an electrician in a steam plant just to name a few of the jobs I've had since I retired.
This is the first year I will be participating in the Avant-Garde Shows, although I have been in several shows this last year. I have worked in stone but picked up chain mail two years ago and have been in business for that since then. I work with chain mail and crystal and although some of the designs are timeless, most of the finished designs are my own. I rely on my wife for inspiration and fashion sense. She is my biggest fan.

Meet Dana and Kelsey of Ellaphant Designs….
Ellaphant Designs is a pair of creative sisters and recycled textile artists from Akron, Ohio.  Dana is an elementary art teacher in New Philadelphia and Kelsey is an Interior Designer.  

Both sisters received their Bachelor of Art degrees from Kent State University, which is where Dana first fell in love with the weaving process. It wasn’t until a few years after college that Kelsey began knitting and joining Dana’s love of textile art!  The brand name was inspired by Kelsey’s daughter (Dana’s goddaughter) Ella, who loves elephants.

Kelsey recycles t-shirts into yarn for knitting braclets and other accessories, which can be themed for holidays, school spirit, a cause or simply your favorite color.

Dana creates beautiful weavings for wall art, table runners, placemats and more. 
Both sisters accept clothing from customers for their Keepsake Collection.
They have been doing this for 3 or more years as a hobby, but more seriously within the past year. This will be their first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show, hopefully of we will participate in many more! 
So what inspires them to create? 

DanaColors in nature are a big inspiration to me, it's always fun to look outside as the seasons change and pick out the colors I see to create a weaving. 
Kelsey: I am inspired by colors in fashion and in my daily life, and am always looking for items to repurpose into jewelry and accessories to add to the upcycled nature of my pieces. 
We have been crafting since we were toddlers!  Our family is very creative and full of architects, jewelry designers, quilters, weavers, advertising professionals, art teachers and the like.  As a child, our parents always had fun projects for us to paint, draw or build and the love for designing and creating has stayed with us both.  Dana was introduced to weaving during college, and Kelsey to knitting after receiving a gift of lessons for Christmas one year.  
How did we discover our talents?
Dana:  About 3 years ago I purchased my Schacht floor loom and have been practicing different techniques with many materials. 
Kelsey: After taking knitting lessons and falling in love with the craft, I wanted to find smaller scale projects that could be finished in one sitting, and that’s how I arrived at making jewelry and accessories.
Both: We both began making our crafts as gifts for all of our family and friends before deciding to share them with the world!
How would we describe our creative process?
DanaI like to find colors that go together rather than picking similar materials. I am very interested in textile art because it can be so versatile. One weaving can be hung on a wall as a tapestry, put on a table as a place mat or runner, and even framed as a picture. If I had to say one thing about the thoughts behind my work it would be to think outside the box! So many times I hear "huh?" Or "weaving?" When I tell others what my preferred medium is to create art. Weavings are everywhere! Rugs, blankets, scarfs, and art! This is why I try to display them in many different ways so it gives others that are new to the media an idea of how to display or use their artwork! 
Kelsey: I am inspired by the seasons and holidays and try to theme my accessories appropriately. Most of my work is based on custom orders though, so I bring the customers' ideas to life. I am always looking for new ideas and gifts to make from unexpected mediums and experimenting constantly.  
Dana: I plan on continuing creating as long as I am able to, I find it relaxing and I love coming up with new compositions. 

Kelsey: I just started learning about ecommerce and selling online and I’m hoping to expand the market nationally in that way. I would love to see the Keepsake Collection grow and utilize more of the customers’ own textiles in both the jewelry and weavings to make them even more personal while also finding ways to work together to blend both unique, yet similar, elements of our creations! 
Both: I think that recycling and reusing is a big message behind both of our art. Turning something old, worn, or unloved into a new and beautiful creation is very inspiring to us. Be creative and have fun with your art, craft or hobby!  
Jewelry and accessories are currently for sale online, weavings are typically made to order and are not yet for sale online – coming soon! 

New in 2013, we initiated a few new ideas. The first initiative was to promote the idea of making our work more personal for the customer by launching the ‘Keepsake Collection’.  The Keepsake Collection is not really a collection, but more what the customer makes of it.  They send in their own shirt, or the shirt of a loved one, and we will memorialize it for them into a collection of accessories and/or artwork. The fabric is turned into yarn, or strips of fabric for weaving and used alone or in conjunction with complimentary fabrics. For example, one large T-Shirt typically yields 2-3 adult bracelets, 2-3 child sized bracelets and either 2 floral hair accessories or brooches, or 1 floral pom pom keychain. As a weaving, it is highly unique and can be woven to any size the customer desires. So you really can get a lot from just one shirt!  It’s a unique way to remember a loved one, and is much more affordable than many of the other keepsake gifts out there. Prices range from approximately $10-150 for accessories, and start at $30 for a small weaving. 

The second was in an effort to give back in more of a way than just being environmentally friendly. So for every classic style bracelet purchased, a complementary bracelet made from the same material will be donated to Akron Children’s Hospital along with a ‘make your own bracelet’ kit and a small bundle of t-shirt yarn. So each customer is ‘sharing’ a smile with a patient as they wear their new accessory!


2012 Summit County Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Sunday, April 28, 2013, 11:00am-5:00pm
The Tangier
532 West Market St.
Akron, OH 44303
For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com
Visit us on: