Meet Stephanie Nighman From Unique Hand Painted Gifts...
I was born in
Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in a small town called Walker Valley which is about
1.5 hours north of New York City. A good deal of my life has been spent surrounded by the beautiful
Catskill Mountains to the north and Shawangunk Mountains to the west. My family would often take rides exploring the
long, winding mountain roads that seemed to go forever.
My interest in creating something was
ongoing. When I was around 9 years
old, I would go into the woods to collect vines, intertwining them on rounded
hangers and going from door-to-door, selling them for one dollar. I made roses out of colored tissue
paper and often sewed some of my clothes, always thinking about what my next
project would be.
Moving forward
in my life, I came to live in Ohio where I raised two children. Photography became another love of mine
and I would often spend many hours driving to small towns, especially Amish country,
or going to the Holden Arboretum to take pictures.
I am very much inspired by nature, colors, and just a yearning
inside me to continue to explore how things work together. Over the years I have taken many
different classes in sewing, ceramics, card making, water color and glass
painting.
About 10 years ago I
began painting glass on my own. I
pride myself on carefully selecting good glass, fine crystal and unusual
pieces. Many of my items come from
antique stores. My technique
changes often, experimenting and combining different types of glass paint and
textures. Over the years I have participated in many juried arts and crafts events,
and look forward to my first Avant-Garde show this April.
Meet Judy and Mary Beth From Put It All Together...
We as mother and daughter, began All Put Together more than thirteen years ago as a way to merge our love of fabric and design with our passion for transforming vintage textiles into one-of-a-kind, earth-friendly accessories. In the early years of our business, we focused mainly on creating distinctive valances. But we now focus solely on creating beautiful and stylish accessories such as handbags, hats, headbands and scarves.
We are inspired by so many things. We will see a fabulous vintage brocade drapery and just automatically feel inspired to create pinch-pleated messenger bags. Beautiful fabrics and people inspire us to create one-of-a-kind products. We get many special requests from customers and often end up adding their ideas to our newest collections. Inspiration is a wonderful feeling , it is a truly motivating force that gets us moving every day to design away!
We got in to the craft as a hobby when we started making appliqued valances to meet a need. At the time Mary Beth wanted beautiful one-of-a-kind, rustic moose and bear curtains that were not just the run-of-the mill cotton printed kind available at any big box retailer across the country. So she had an idea to cut out appliques from reclaimed wool and make her own. Despite their originality and whimsy, curtains were a tough sell at arts and crafts shows. But we would get a lot of orders after shows from customers wanting to redecorate. So we decided to expand our original idea and morph our concept into handbags and women's accessories. Now, we have this great vintage boutique look at our shows where every piece is a gem made from the most beautiful reclaimed fabrics possible.
How we started our business... Judy was always sewing, mostly for her three daughters on a tight budget. And Mary Beth always watched with piqued interest, eventually taking a sewing class in high school and then learning more from her Mom when launching the business. Over the course of thirteen years, we've really gained an understanding of how to best utilize our talents and direct them toward certain products. We exclusively hand-stitch our appliques, which is time-consuming and very detail-oriented. But it makes all the difference in the world. We also line all of our bags with terrific vintage floral sheets or rare upholstery fabrics.
Our message really stems from the green philosophy of bringing new life into already beautiful, vintage, rare fabrics and materials that were basically just put aside or ready to be discarded in a landfill. We want people to realize and appreciate the fact that you can take something rare and vintage and turn it into something fabulous, trendy and totally original! Why buy a mass-produced, imported purse at a big-box retailer that 50,000 other people will have when you can have a one-of-a-kind, hand-stitched original that no one else on the planet will ever have!! It's good for the Earth and good for your style!!!
Meet Lumina Natalie Kemp From Eclectic Earthwear...
I'm a world traveler, a book worm, a yoga instructor, and an Ohio girl at heart. I love to learn, explore, and inspire. I have been crafting for sixteen years in total. I started making jewelry when I was eleven. I set up my first booth at age eighteen, and since then, I have sold my work everywhere from music festivals and farmers markets, to art galleries and online.
I love exploring different cultural themes from the places I've lived and visited. Working with semi-precious stones is mostly what drives the jewelry making process. I'm always trying to find inventive ways to turn the stones into an art that can be worn and enjoyed.
My mother always encouraged me to put a lot of love into cooking. I think making crafts was a natural extention of that philosophy. I've always loved making art, from drawings, writing and sculptures, to clothes, photography and ceramics. I still prefer to buy products that is made with love. I come from a very creative family. They have been very supportive in any artistic adventure I've undertaken.
My creative process is varied. To prepare for an art project I enjoy doing yoga before hand. That way I'm physically and mentally limber and can let the creative juices flow. Five years from now I would love to own a shop that features all mediums of my art.
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
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