Holiday Shopping This Weekend in Fairlawn!

 Meet Luann Williams from The Fussy Cut Shoppe...

I have been sewing since I was nine years old and I love creating beautiful items on my sewing machine!  My passion is inspired by the lure of  good quality cottons, bold colors, and themed prints! I am always enamored by the finished product!  I work out of my home and the Fussy Cut Shoppe is now in its fifth year.

This is my third Avant-Garde show and I will take on sewing projects for clients if you have something specific in mind. The Fussy Cut Shoppe offers pouches in all shapes and sizes, glasses cases, kids' chef aprons and everyday placemats.

Pouches organize everything!  Each is great for holding manicure supplies, necessities at work or small toys for children in the car, waiting room, or restaurant. Organize your drawer, suitcase, diaper bag, or purse!

Choose a flat or boxy bottom pouch and add a gift card, box of candy, or piece of jewelry for a fun gift. Add crayons, markers, crafts, toys and small books for a great child's gift.

Meet Dani Horowitz from Tickle Me Pink...

My name is Dani Horowitz. I’m from Florida but have lived in Ohio the past 9 years with my husband and our two amazing boys! I love coffee, reading, and anything Disney. I have had my company for almost a year! It’s been a fun journey and I’m still learning all I can.

The Fairlawn show will be my first ever appearance at a show, and I’d love to go to more shows in the future! I'm inspired to continue creating by my family. They’re so supportive and I’m so grateful to have them!

I’ve always been a crafty person, but I’ve seen countless videos on how to do stained glass and, since then, I’ve been hooked! I continued being persistent, trying new things, and just having fun making things I like. 

My creative process includes lots of caffeine and loud music! I have so much fun working on my projects, and suncatchers don’t judge me for horrible singing and dancing! 

Tickle Me Pink is an expression for being amazed and excited, and I want everyone to feel that way when they see my things! I hope in five years my business will be thriving and I would love to have an actual studio. I would also be interested in starting a “make your own” kind of place in my community. 

Meet Suzanne Appel from Swag In A Bag...

As artists, we are deeply inspired by the potential for transformation found in everyday objects. Through the process of decoupage, we take discarded and overlooked items—such as full or empty alcohol and oil bottles, pumpkins, and ornaments—and breathe new life into them. These objects, once destined for the trash or relegated to obscurity, are given a new purpose, becoming vibrant works of art that invite reflection on beauty, sustainability, and the power of reinvention.

The act of decoupaging, where we layer paper or napkins onto these surfaces, allows us to create intricate, textured compositions that blend old and new. We carefully select each piece of imagery to tell a story—whether it’s a floral pattern that evokes nature, designs that hint at nostalgia, or bold colors that evoke celebration and joy. The materials themselves—often glass or ceramic—offer their own set of challenges and possibilities, making every project a new adventure in form and texture.

We find beauty in the intersection of functionality and aesthetics, where something as simple as a bottle or pumpkin can become an unexpected piece of art. Whether it’s a festive ornament for the holidays, a beautifully adorned bottle, or a whimsical pumpkin centerpiece, each piece is meant to evoke a sense of joy and appreciation for the beauty that can be found in the most ordinary things. Ultimately, creativity is limitless, and art can be found in every corner of our world—even in the objects we least expect.

This is our first show with Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows- we hope to see you there!

2024 Fairlawn Winter Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show 

Saturday, November 23, 2024

 10:00AM-4:00PM

St. George's Fellowship Centre 3204 Ridgewood Rd.

 Fairlawn, OH 44333 

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

Fairlawn Vendor Showcase!

Meet Renee Lapp from HeARTwork Locks...

I'm Renee Lapp... I'm 59 years old.  I'm a watercolorist who is unable to paint right now due to disabilities caused from severe Rheumatoid.  I have found other creative outlets to satisfy my desire to create.  I have been doing this for about 9 years now.  I've never been good at just sitting still and not doing anything.  I have created many different things over the years but have landed on a few things. 

What inspires me are the smiles on people's faces who have purchased my items.  It keeps me always looking for fun, new things. Fun, whimsical earrings that I also have added seasonal flair to.  Anything from book earrings to Starbucks. 

I have recently added plastic fish hook earrings for those with metal allergies.  I have created fun boot bracelets in metal, faux leather, and plastic.  Just a little something to add flair to your boots.  We all love ankle bracelets, why not a bracelet for your boots!  Then there are my DIY living memory lockets.  You get to create your own style, your own locket, and I have also created some that have stylish plastic chain for those sensitive to metal.  

I got into doing this when I needed extra money to be able to give my daughter the things she needed while going through school.  There are many reasons why I continue to do this.  I love showcasing my things and meeting new people.  

Just because someone is disabled, doesn't mean that their lives stop.  I love bringing a smile to a new face, or even to a regular customer who loves the new items.  I would love to have a small little area to sell my wares all year round.  Like a kiosk in a mall or an area in someplace like the Hartville Flea market. It's not just about the money... It's about getting to be creative, meet people, and to keep moving.  Life is too short.  No matter how many times you get knocked down, you have to get back up, dust yourself off, and keep moving forward.

Meet Tabitha Prisinzano from Lunacrvlt Creations..

My name is Tabitha Prisinzano and I am the owner of Lunarcvlt Creations in Lakewood, OH. I have never been the type to feel comfortable in a regular 9 to 5 job. Back in late 2019, dissatisfied with my career in insurance, I took it upon myself to learn the art of candle making. I watched endless tutorials and studied into the wee hours of the morning creating the perfect candle recipe and creating lovely scent combinations. Let’s just say sleep was not at the top of the list of my priorities during this time. Turns out, it paid off. People loved my candles and I was making a nice supplemental income from candle sales. 

Then, in late 2020, I slipped on the ice and broke my ankle in two places. The break was so bad it required surgery and I was left immobilized for 2 months. Knowing I was going to be incredibly bored stuck in bed for that long I had a close friend bring me a couple skeins of yarn and ordered crochet hooks and darning needles from Amazon. This is where my journey began. I seemed to be a natural. I always knew I wanted to make plush toys. Within a year, I was designing my own patterns. Turns out there was a demand for my creations. Coworkers and social media friends began placing custom orders. I knew I had to expand. The thing that makes this work most fulfilling is seeing the laughter and happiness on peoples faces when they see my creations. The world is so full of hardship and sadness. Laughter is truly the best medicine and my cute little plushies give that to the world. This is my contribution.

After years of hard work, I am now able to make my business full time. In five years I would like to see my blog and social media presence grow and to own my own storefront. Participating in these festivals is helping me achieve that goal. This will be my first Avant-Garde show but I’m enthusiastic to participate in the years to come.

Meet Heather Hunter from Elsewhere Acres & Apothecary...

My name is Heather Hunter. I'm a northeast Ohio native, a grad student studying environmental education and sustainable agriculture, and I'm also a beginning farmer. My dream is to build an educational farm that promotes environmental awareness and healing opportunities for visitors through interactions with plants and animals (as well as some tasty produce, honey, and even wool)!

I've been farming on a small scale for several years now, but I just started a formal business in 2022 after a farming internship I was doing with a local nonprofit ended abruptly due to funding issues. The extra time provided a great opportunity to share my message and natural products with the wider community, and I am so excited to get to do that through these shows and my blog on the Elsewhere Acres & Apothecary website.

This is my very first Avant-Garde show, but I am really looking forward to showcasing my wares among so many other talented creators!

I've always been the creative type, but what really encouraged me to share these products with others is a desire to show how nature can provide us with so much of what we need, often with many benefits to our physical and emotional health too. 

I learn by doing, so getting my hands in the dirt, trying things out, and asking for guidance from both the plants and other farmers has really contributed to my success. I also need to give credit to the Indigenous people who originally inhabited the land where I live (& many still do), and to my own grandmothers going back generations. Both groups depended on the gifts of the land for their survival, as we still do today. I've learned a lot from their example about what it means to honor the earth and live with a spirit of reciprocity.

To me, creating anything is really about forming reciprocal relationships, and I do that with the plants and ingredients I work with through observation and listening. I pay attention to what's plentiful and in season, learn about the different medicinal properties of plants from where and how they grow and research any insects and animals whose lives contribute to the things I make to ensure my interactions with them are respectful and regenerative for those environments. I always ask permission and offer my thanks when they share their gifts with me before I begin, and then treat those items with reverence as I am using them, giving something back however I can to those places that help sustain their lives.

All of my work is inspired by a deep sense of reverence, reciprocity, and care for the natural world. I try to source as many of my ingredients from local farmers as possible (if I am not growing them myself) or harvest wild plants near my home in a sustainable way. All of the packaging I use is either compostable, recycled, or repurposed to minimize their environmental impact. I really encourage my customers to compost them if at all possible and build their own healthy, living soil as a way to give back to the earth that sustains us.

In 5 years, I would love to be able to be teaching hands-on workshops for others in my community so they can develop similar relationships with the earth. To me, understanding where our food and medicines come from and participating in those processes of care is essential to healing both ourselves and our planet. Ideally, I would like to have a small farm where people could visit and I could tend full-time. I am slowly building this special place, which I call Elsewhere Acres, with the proceeds from the sale of my products, starting with the installation of a pollinator garden and beehives this coming spring.

The biggest message I hope to convey with my work is that we are all A PART of the natural world, not separate from it. We really do depend on the health of our ecosystems to thrive, including our soil, water, and air, whether we happen to be human or not. Although a lot of damage has been done to disrupt the natural cycles that sustain us, there are many reasons to be hopeful, because we can make simple changes that can reverse those effects. The first step is simply beginning to see the earth and other living things as connected to us and understanding that when we care for each other, we all benefit. That all starts with shifting our relationship with nature from thinking about it in terms of resources or commodities we can use for our own means to an understanding of our interdependence.

Please visit www.elsewhereacres.com to learn more, or follow along on Instagram or Facebook (@elsewhereacres).

Meet Luann Williams from The Fussy Cat Shoppe...

Fun facts about me:  I love gardening, reading, Christmas movies and spending time with my family. I was an elementary school educator and became a school director – where I sewed a different Halloween costume (but always a clown) for 18 years. I retired just before Covid arrived. Once I retired, I knew I wanted to make time for sewing. Little did I realize what a passion I harbored for this hobby! 

Learning to sew was part of the culture when I was growing up. My mother taught me to sew on her sewing machine when I was nine.

I also took a semester of sewing in junior high school (like all the other girls in those days). In high school most of the girls sewed their dresses and compared patterns and fabrics. It was part of our social life and an easy way to procure new clothes!

Once I began working in education and raising my family, it was harder to find time to sew, but I made time for sewing whenever possible. I created many of my own clothes, doll clothes, baby clothes, gifts, and halloween costumes over the years. There are so many fun things to sew! Now that I am retired, I try to complete at least one new item each day, probably because I have become compulsive about my sewing!!! 

My first sewing machine was a Pfaff, purchased for $25 from a towel embellishing company that was replacing their machines and selling off their old workhorses. My second sewing machine had zigzag on it! I was enamored! I have four sewing machines today – they just multiply! I work at home. Each piece is handcrafted in a smoke-free, pet-free environment. 

I love fabrics and color and making zipper pouches, who knew? My husband encouraged me to start selling my creations because he thought we were being overrun with fabric items. We were overrun, but it took some convincing! 

 

My creative process usually begins with the fabric. I love the texture of good quality cottons. I enjoy bright colors and bold prints, but also vintage and retro prints. I select colors and designs that appeal to me. I usually know WHAT I am going to make once I select a fabric. I then put the project together with a lining, interfacing, or zipper. 

I cut fabrics precisely to ensure the finished products are consistent in size. I also FUSSY CUT the pieces. A “fussy cut” refers to cutting a piece of fabric in a way that will target a specific area of a print, rather than cutting the yardage into random pieces.  When I "fussy cut" fabric, I can specifically place areas of the fabric design on the finished piece. 

Once I cut and pin a project, I put the items together in piles that represent the color thread I will need. This allows me to work on an apron, three pouches, a scrub cap and placemats all in one day. Today I am sewing items with blue thread! 

I design and sew a variety of fabric creations, but the front zipper pouches featured in this show and on my website are my passion. Pouches organize everything! Add a gift card, box of candy, or piece of jewelry for a fun gift. Add crayons, markers, crafts, toys and small books for a great child's gift. Pouches are great for organizing make-up, manicure supplies, necessities at work or small toys for children in the car, waiting room, or restaurant. They can organize your drawer, suitcase, diaper bag, or purse. 

I do take requests for customized orders for items I stock in my shop. I can work with you on size, color, and patterns. Customization takes time, but we can work together on what you need. Just contact me! fussycutshoppe@gmail.com.

2022 Fairlawn Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday, November 5, 2022
10:00AM-4:00PM

St. George's Fellowship Centre

3204 Ridgewood Rd.

Fairlawn, OH 44333

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

Visit us on:

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It's Show Week!

 Meet Julie Huffman and Jacque from jac & jul... 

We are Mother and daughter-in-law. We are together just about every day working on pieces. We have different ideas but everything we do just comes together and shows both of our strengths and creativity.

We started around August/September of 2019 (it’s taken off quite nicely) This will be our first time participating in the Avant Garde shows. We’re very excited.

What inspires us to create.. When we make a custom piece for someone and they love it, sometimes it brings tears to their eyes-it just makes us want to do more and more. We got into our craft by personally wanting unique pieces of jewelry

How we discovered our talent.. Just by doing it. We both have areas of designing and creating that we prefer and excel in. We allow each other to apply our strengths. But every piece we do has both of our work and creativity in it. Together our talents flow nicely to create an end product

When it comes to the creative process,we honestly do what the silverware guides us to do. It just sort of Happens. Jacque names every one of our pieces.

Our five year goal.. hopefully we just grow and continue to have clients that love what we do. Eventually (julie) wants to retire from real estate! (that will be about 10 years though)

The message behind our work.. We repurpose family silverware (that’s shoved down in a basement or garage, not being used) we make special unique pieces (necklaces, bracelets, rings) that they can give to family members to wear enjoy “great grandmas” silver. It’s so great. People love it. It give something that was once treasured, new life and meaning. It becomes treasured again! At times we do money clips, key rings, & bottle openers for men. We also take silver coins and make into rings. Both men and women enjoy those!

Meet Heather Taylor from Glitter Girl Vinyl...

I’m a proud Mom of one son, Alex and one pretty kitty, Pearl. I love crafting, going to concerts and spending time with my family and friends.

I’ve owned GlitterGirl Vinyl for almost 5 years! This will be my 5^th show with Avant-Garde and I love them!

What inspires me to create.. Crafting helps me relax and I love creating custom pieces for friends and family. I also enjoy all things nerdy and have a ton of nerd-centric pieces available in my Etsy shop at www.etsy.com/shop/gittergirlvinyl

How I got into my craft.. My father loved doing crafts and woodworking, so it was always part of my life. Now that he’s gone, I proudly carry on the family tradition.

How I discovered my talent.. I found I excelled in Home Ec class with sewing and have always loved to do crafts from cross stitch to rubber stamping and now to vinyl.

My fiver year goal.. Hopefully I will continue to grow and may need to bring on seasonal help to fulfill the orders in my Etsy shop.

The message behind my work.. I like people to be able to use our products and express their individuality.

2020 Fairlawn Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday, November 7, 2020
10:00AM-5:00PM

St. George's Fellowship Centre

3204 Ridgewood Rd.

Fairlawn, OH 44333

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

Visit us on:

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Show Week Fairlawn Preview- 6 Talented Entrepreneurs!

Meet Kathleen Vaughn from Design by Kathy V...

I am a retired Mammography Technologist and have been crafting for most of my life. I've been doing art & craft shows for approx. 20 yrs. starting in AZ and now around Ohio. This will be my first Avant-Garde Art & Crafts Show and I'm very excited!

I love fabric and go crazy in a fabric store.  I always have ideas floating around in my head and must create them. I started making my ideas come to life and giving them to friends and family. Then I ran out of family to give them to so I started selling at craft shows. I have to be busy all the time!

I have been sewing since I was 12 yrs. old and used to make all my clothes and then when my daughter was born, I made her clothes. I see something in a store and just have to create it with my own ideas. I hope to be doing art shows 5 yrs. from now and still creating. I just want to make everyone's home beautiful.

Meet Nancy Pavkov from Nancys'Knotties...

I am a retired registered nurse with a lot of free time to do what I enjoy. I have been involved with doing craft shows for over 20 years now. This will be my first Avant-Garde show and I am looking forward to it!

I love all kinds of yarn and enjoy taking a skein of different textures of yarn and turning it into something beautiful. I discovered novelty yarns from Turkey and started using them to make necklaces and bracelets. My jewelry looks like it is beaded till you touch it. It is light weight and has no clasps to deal with. I hope to be doing this for many years to come!

Meet Angi Beck from All That Glitters...

I was born and raised in the Akron, OH area. I have a wonderful husband, 2 children—Amanda-age 20 and Drew age 17. I also have 3 step-children Andrew age 30, Tina age 28, and Ashley age 27. Additionally, I have 2 grandsons—Kaiden age 5 and Kameron age 6 months. My family also includes 2 dogs—Napoleon and Pepper and 2 cats—Allie and Graycie. All of them are rescues—the animals not the kids. 

I just began my craft in the fall of 2014 because I wanted to create my own wreaths for each season. Since then, I discovered that I LOVE creating them. I take great pride in designing each and every one. This is my very first Avant-Garde Art and Craft Show and I am very excited and love the concept of the Avant-Garde shows. 

I am inspired by shimmery, glittery, iridescent end products. The first step is I wrap the base of the wreath and pick shiny materials. Once the base is done, I attach the embellishments and this is when the creative juices really begin to flow. I try to stay with a seasonal theme for all my creations.  

The message behind my work and my mission is to add sparkle, shimmer, and seasonal glitter to life one beautiful creation at a time. The name of my business is All That Glitters. I am in the process of developing a website and hope to have an internet business within the next 2 years. Within the next 5 years I hope to open a small local shop and continue with art and craft shows!

Meet Janie Stephen and Mary Lou DiCamillo from Gratitude Bracelet...

Janie Stephen and Mary Lou DiCamillo are the designers and creators of the Gratitude Bracelet. We started our "Forever Friends" Gratitude Bracelet business adventure in April of 2014. Our friendship began in high school which only grew fonder and stronger throughout the years.

With that, being Grateful for our friendship and our passion for design gave us the inspiration to create our Gratitude Bracelets!! The Gratitude bracelets are all designed with four beads. As you slip on your uniquely handcrafted bracelet each bead on the bracelet should give you a gentle daily reminder to acknowledge a blessing in your life. "The more Gratitude you acknowledge the more blessings you will find!"

Our bracelet will make a simple but unique gift to share with someone special in your life! All bracelets are packaged with a beautiful Gratitude verse to personalize your gift. Over the past year we have participated in approximately 10 very successful craft fairs in the Cleveland area. We are Grateful to have the opportunity to join the Avant-Garde shows this year!

Lastly, our goals for years to come is simple...To grow into a manageable and rewarding level but above most to acknowledge "Gratitude" and be "Grateful... For the Blessings in our lives."

Meet Kaley Foster from Urban Buzz...

I am 27 years old, born and raised in Portage Lakes, OH. I'm a 2005 graduate of Manchester High School and 2010 graduate of Walsh University where I played on the women's golf team. I am a member of the Rotary Club of Akron and in the 2015 class of Torchbearers Akron. Civic engagement, connecting people to places, and keeping folks in Akron is a huge passion of mine.  In my spare time I can be found golfing, boating, or creating things out of beeswax! I have been doing this since November of 2014 and this will be my very first Avant-Garde Art & Craft show!

The art of creating something yourself is very rewarding. Sharing it with the world is an even greater experience. I love finding local treasures that people have created. I want to be able to share mine as well! I've always loved art and crafting things. My mom is extremely creative and loves doing crafts, so I'm sure a little bit is because of her! After getting away from arts and crafts for a few years due to being in the fast paced business world, I told myself I'll never lose my crafty side again and here I am! 

How I got started.. I went to a candle shop in Columbus where you could make your own soy candle and thought, "This is really neat!" I discovered that beeswax is the safest wax compared to paraffin and soy, so I ordered a pound of local beeswax, researched how to make candles and the rest is history!  It was a lot of trial and error, but a very fun process to say the least! I am a huge music lover. When I am ready to make candles, I put on a loud, funky album and the creative juices start flowing automatically. It's like being in my own little world where nothing is right or wrong!

My goal in five years... I would love to have my product available in gift shops, have an international online presence, educating others about the benefits of beeswax, and also have my own store/workshop in Akron. I am very passionate about all natural products, so I would say my message is to spread the word about beeswax and the benefits of burning beeswax candles.  Burning beeswax candles produces negative ions, which cleanse the air of dust, odors, toxins and pollen, as well as harmonizing and balancing the human spirit.

Meet Lilla Ryan from The Mighty Jungle...

I'm English, so I have a fun accent that makes people want to talk to me, which is always interesting. I have a degree in Zoology from Oxford University in England - animals have always been a big interest of mine. I moved to Africa in 1998, and lived there for 12 years, so I had plenty of chances to get up close and personal with a lot of exotic wildlife. I advised and then became friends with the founder of a non-profit cheetah conservation project, Riana, who oversees www.cheetahexperence.com. She is a widely acknowledged expert in the rearing of big cats, and I was privileged to get up close and personal with cubs of all types, and many of them now feature in my art. I'm also a science fiction fan, and it was through this that I met my husband through online limericks, of all things, about a TV show set in space, called Firefly. Sadly cancelled, too soon...I married my incredibly clever and talented husband just over five years ago, and moved to Ohio, leaving behind the hot African sun!

I've always drawn and taken photos as long as I can remember. My father always had a camera, and my mother always sketched, so it seemed natural. I started earning money at it about 15 years ago, but until now, it's been through local outlets and online, but I thought it was time to get out there and enter some art and craft shows. This is my very first Avant-Garde Art & Craft show!

I base my art on elements from photographs that I take, but always liked the idea of making them into something more. I'm currently planning a series of pictures of big cats wandering in historic sites from around the world. My first project is going to be two (or possibly three) lions in Roman ruins in the desert. I love nature in all its forms, and much of my work ends up featuring animals in some way. Even my landscapes often have some hidden in there if you look carefully! I've been lucky enough to travel to many countries around the world, and have so many memories of places that I'm looking forward to capturing. Of course, artistic license means I don't have to reproduce them faithfully, and I'll often put elements from different places together because I want to see them that way! 

I started playing around with the different mediums I could use to display my pictures, and now I do note cards, traditional prints and gallery wraps, as well as hand making my own hardwood frames for larger canvases. I also have a T-shirt press, and take selected portions of some artworks and offer them on T-shirts. Why not wear some art if you like it? People seemed to like what I photographed or drew, not that you could have stopped me anyway. I take note of what people like most, but I have to enjoy or like it to spend my time on it. 

A scene in a film, or a phrase in a book will often bring an image to mind, and I fill it out in my head. Sometimes it will be a beautiful setting, and I think of an animal I'd like to put there, or something else I'd like to include to make it something I'd like to capture. Other times I will picture an animal doing something, and then come up with a background I'd like to set it against. Of course, it all changes once I actually start, but that's part of the fun! In 5 years I see myself being able to spend more time creating and selling art, and less time on more mundane employment. The message I hope to convey through my art is that the world is beautiful. See it and smile.

2015 Fairlawn Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday, April 18, 2015

St. George's Fellowship Centre

3204 Ridgewood Rd.

Fairlawn, OH 44333

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

Visit us on:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM