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.
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.
Meet Heather Hunter from Elsewhere Acres & Apothecary...
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 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.
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!
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!
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.
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