Strongsville Crafters Coming Your Way!

Meet Sharon Gerchak of Pet Portraits by Sharon...
My name is Sharon Gerchak, I am married with one son, retired and am 76 years old. I have lived in, or around Cleveland all my life.  I have been drawing since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I took art at school and went to Cooper School of Art after graduation. I did a mail-order course (kind of like on-line but through snail mail) and after I retired I went to Tri-C for two terms. I now do acrylic, watercolor, colored pencil , pastels and pen & ink.

I have never done an Avante Garde show before, in fact, this is only the third show I have done. I love animals, and I love to draw them.  I started drawing horses when I was about ten and have progressed to all kinds of animals, even an Iguana.

I retired a few years ago (about 10) and had lots of time on my hands.  I took a few art classes and started painting.  Then I did a picture of my dog, who was getting old.  I was glad I did, because he died a few years later. But, now I have his picture on my living room wall and feel like he is still with us. The same thing happened with my cat.  They are up there, side by  side, even though they never met each other. I love being able to see them and remember all the good times we had.  This made me think about my friends and their pets and started painting them too.

I go to a lot of craft shows with a friend, and we have never seen anything like what I do and she suggested I try it.  So, I am.  There are a lot of people who have fur babys that might like a picture to remember them by when they pass away.  A picture on your phone is fine, but a painting on the wall is even better.

In 5 years I hope to still be doing what I love!

Meet Caroline Lawrence of Crochet by Aunt C...

Hi, my name is Caroline Lawrence. Over the years, I have crocheted gifts for people at the holidays, but I never found anything I could do year-round. Then a few years ago, I saw a sign in a pet store about an animal rescue looking for dog coats and I thought, "Hey, I can crochet dog coats." Well it turned out that the rescue was asking for dog coats not for their rescues, but for dogs whose owners were having financial and housing problems.

Suddenly, my crocheting dog coats went from, "Hey, I can do that"  to, "Wow, I need to make coats that are warm, thick, adjustable, washable, and very sturdy." I also made them pretty and colorful because my philosophy is that having financial problems doesn’t mean you can’t have something nice. 

I still donate my dog coats, but suddenly my friends, co-workers, and their friends wanted me to make coats for their dogs. Then my god-daughter, who is much craftier that I, mentioned selling her crafts at a craft show. So here I am with my dog coats and coordinating scarves (because what dog wants to be seen walking with an owner wearing a scarf that doesn't match his or her coat) about to participate in my first Avant-Garde Art & Crafts Show. Joining me with her intricate ornaments and enticing cat nip toys is my god-daughter.

As for our inspiration, both of us are inspired by colors. When I’m shopping and slowly drift to the yarn department, it’s all of the beautiful colors that get my creative juices flowing. I am also inspired by the cold weather. My dog is not fond of cold weather. When it snows, he gives me a questioning side eye as if to say, “You work from home, why do we live someplace cold?” He has an impressive wardrobe of coats as a result.

Meet Denise Sutak of Designs by Denise, Just Beads...

I retired from corporate America in January 2017.  Now, my days are filled with volunteer work for the American Cancer Society (I drive patients without rides to their appointments), visiting the Cleveland Metro Parks and working on creating jewelry pieces.

I actually started crafting in my 20s when my neighborhood held art and craft classes for children during the summer months and I was always there. I had to put it aside as my children and marriage took precedence.  I took it up again once I retired. I love jewelry and believe it should be worn all the time. I believe fine pieces can be mixed with artsy pieces.  Jewelry should enhance your mood and make you smile.

I decided to start selling my jewelry when one day I made a piece of jewelry, wore it, and received many compliments.  So, I decided to give it a try.  My creative process involves putting the right colors and enhancements together comes from nature.  It takes a while to put together just the right feel.

This will be my second Avant-Garde show and I hope the attendees see from my work that my jewelry is fun, simplistic, and goes with everything!

2019 Strongsville Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday & Sunday, November 22 & 23, 2019

Strongsville Ehrnfelt Recreation Center

18100 Royalton Rd.

Strongsville, OH 44136

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

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Strongsville Spring Preview!

Meet Kelsey Hendren from Terra Artistry...

Hello, my is Kelsey, owner of Terra Artistry.  I make rustic jewelry using natural and recycled materials.  I am a long time crafter and have been selling on Etsy and doing art shows since 2016. I look forward to being in Strongsville for my first Avant-Garde show. I lived in Strongsville with my family for 10 wonderful years and then we took a huge leap of faith and moved to a small hobby farm in Valley City. Life on the farm has been such an amazing experience and has really been the fuel to my creative fire. I am deeply inspired by nature, and being surrounded by trees and fields has taught me to slow down and drink up the beauty all around me.

 Human beings are amazing creatures.  We have complex societies, create amazing art, and engineer skyscrapers, but there is something that takes my breath away when I look at a flower, or hear a bird's song.  I also love to repurpose, and enjoy the challenge of taking items no one wants and turning them into something beautiful.

I have always enjoyed crafting and DIY projects, but it was in June 2016 when I started to get serious about jewelry design.  That was the month when we were inundated with the 17 Year Cicada's. Our farm was covered with them and it wasn't long before I started to find their shed wings caught in the tall grasses beside our pond.  They were so beautiful shining in the morning light, I couldn't pass them up.  I ended up collecting thousands of them, and started using them to create jewelry.  That was the beginning of Terra Artistry.  From there, I continued to experiment with different techniques and materials and expand my business and grow as a designer.  Every piece of jewelry I create comes from a place of love and positivity, and that is what I hope to share.  A little piece of natural beauty, from delicate veins of an insect wing, to the wear and tear on an old watch, to the rustic charm of a rough cut stone.

Meet Fawn Michelle Fecca from Annie's Armoire...

I live locally and have always loved my pets.  Since I was unable to have children, pets have become my focus. I have been doing my craft now for about 5 years. I'm inspired to create by my beloved English cocker Spaniel Annie who loves to dress up. I created all my designs with her in mind.

I also got into my hobby because I was tired of the fuss that came with tying bandanasa around her neck. I needed something easy for me. I also make custom coats for our fur babies as I have found the sizes in retail do not fit.  

I come from a long line of sewers.  In fact my grandmother was a professional seamstress, and had several ball gowns at LBJ's inaugural ball.  I guess I picked it up more than anyone realized as I had not touched a sewing machine since 8th grade Home Economics class!

The message behind my work is to make pets happy one pet at a time.  I test all my products on pets and their humans before rolling out to the general public.

Meet Angelina Sheetz from Roots and Rain LLC...

Hello! My name is Angelina Sheetz, I am a wife and mother of two wonderful children. I handcraft a growing line of natural health and beauty products made with essential oils. I also make candles and wax melts from 100% soy wax in a variety of colors and fragrances. I am a Certified Herbalist (2010) and have been studying natural medicine for over a decade. I have a wide variety of hobbies and interests and I have been an artist with entrepreneur tendencies all my life.

I have been crafting a variety of natural products for my family and myself for several years, but this is only my second year vending. This will be my first Avant-Garde show and I am very excited!

I draw inspiration from life itself in all its infinite forms, from the unending battle against entropy, and the need to maintain balance both internally, and externally. I am inspired by the wonders of nature and the incredible healing powers that plants have over the human body. Of course, Need is the greatest of inspirations and wherever it exists, a creative solution will arise.

I have chronically chapped lips and after questing for the perfect lip balm with no success – even in the best brands the consistency was off or the ingredients were – I finally decided to make my own. I made it exactly the way I liked it and after giving some to family and friends I found that others liked it too. So then I started experimenting with other natural health recipes and candle making and found that people liked those too. So I tried selling my wares at a craft show and found I very much enjoyed it and so did everyone else. I think the part I like best is sharing products and information that truly help people. 

My creative process is simple; I select the highest quality ingredients I can find that have the most benefit to the human body, then I prepare them in a way that is practical, convenient, and effective, and finish them with a little artistic flair. Many of our product labels feature photography from our travels to the Amazon rainforest and many of the Sacred Sites of the Andes Mountains. I find that labels are an excellent way to display photography and natural plant oils and butters are an excellent medium of artistic expression. I consider my work to be true “healing arts”.

In five years I hope to see my products on store shelves and have a thriving family business. And I hope in five years it will still be just as much fun as it is now. 

If there was a message behind my work, it would be “Make the most with what you have” and “Nature provides everything we need.” We should always appreciate what we have when we have it, for things change so quickly and precious things, once lost, cannot be regained.

*As a rule, I only use ingredients that I know to be beneficial to humans, and none that are harmful. Our products do NOT contain any of the following: parabens, petrochemicals, titanium dioxide, EDTA, industrial preservatives, stabilizers, phthalates, aluminum compounds, pharmaceuticals, cheap fillers, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). But I do put a lot of Love into everything I make, enjoy!

Meet Sarah & Rebekah Jones from Renee Originals...

Hi! My name is Sarah Jones and I own Renee Originals 1 with my sister and best friend Rebekah. We are two city girls from Cleveland, Ohio who believe in being classy, cozy and romantic; we love to express this by creating unique knit and crochet fashion accessories.

Rebekah and I, Started Renee Originals 1 back in 2011, however, we have been crocheting for over twelve years and knitting for about two. Being that we are 24 and 22 respectively, we literally have been working at this craft for more than half of our lives.

This will be our very first time attending one of the Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows and we are super excited to be able to share something that we love and are so passionate about with the art community as well as fellow art lovers.

For us a classic style is timeless; it doesn’t become outdated with changing trends and it always flatters. I often tell Rebekah, ‘we have to keep working on this until it makes you feel something’. To that end we draw inspiration from classic textural ideas like lace and petals, updating them for the modern romantic. Being from Cleveland, we know cold, so the items we make have to be cute and cozy for when you’re bundled tight.

Think cityscapes and black and white movies… that’s us.

Crochet has been a part of our family for as long as I can remember; when our mother taught herself the art she did not hesitate to share such a wonderful skill with my sister and me. Ever since we were young our parents always encouraged the use of our imagination, and they would tell us that anything you can think of can become a reality if you are determined. Thus when our mother showed us how a simple hook and a skein of yarn could be turned into something beautiful, it did not take long for inspiration to captivate us. We began with the basics, and in time our love and ability gradually matured into what we do today. Since our beginning, we have continued the self-taught tradition and have included knitting in our skill arsenal; every day looking for ways to learn and improve our skills.

Rebekah and I have two very different creative processes. I am definitely more of a systematic creative, I have a list of things that I want to make or try and I continually work according to my schedule to achieve these goals. Rebekah on the other hand, is the type of person who works when inspiration hits. Working together we have been able to ensure that all the pieces we create are unique and truly things that we ourselves would wear.

The future is uncertain, but we would love to see our business having grown in its reach and scope, offering many more unique fashions for Men, Women and Children.  We would also love to travel and learn different techniques and styles associated with the fiber arts from around the world and thus be able to incorporate them into new designs and thus expanding our brand even wider into the global marketplace.

Everything we do can be summed up in the words Classy Cozy and Romantic. Our goal is to show how beautiful and practical handmade can truly be no matter the season.   Just as the classic little black dress or that well-tailored suit never goes out of style; we have designed Renee Originals 1 to express a timeless elegance that can only come from handcrafted art.

Everything we make can be completely customized ensuring that no matter your style or size we can make something that fits who YOU are.  We also have an expanding number of handmade items specifically designed for men in our shop further proving that a classic style can fit everyone. 

View more of our work at:

Reneeoriginals1.etsy.com

Instagram.com/reneeoriginals1

2017 Strongsville Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday, April 8, 2017

Strongsville Ehrnfelt Recreation Center

18100 Royalton Rd.

Strongsville, OH 44136

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

Visit us on:

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From Cats to Cars Crafters for All!

Meet Meredith Hilke from More by Mere...
My name is Meredith Hilke and I am currently a sophomore in high school. I have been running my business “More by Mere” for 4 months now, selling scarves, christmas ornaments, and photography prints. 

I became more involved with the business of crafting when I was informed that a Spanish class trip to Spain would be held in the summer of 2017. I was eager to start a small business, and the trip opportunity gave me the determination to begin doing so in order to earn money and attend the trip. 

My goal.. In five years, I envision my business being more advanced and having a greater output of my products. I am looking forward to my very first Avant-Garde Art and Craft Show!

Meet Amy Keyson from Little Lion Cat Towers...

I am 33 years old and work in delivery logistics.  I am an avid pet lover and have been a Strongsville resident for ten years. I have been building custom cat furniture for a year but have always loved building things and tinkering with wood.  I even remember working on small wood working projects with my dad when I was a kid.

 

My inspiration come from my own little lion, Maximus! He inspires me to create my custom furniture.  He is an orange feline ball of nonstop energy and loves to climb everything in sight!  I love watching how happy he is running, climbing, and jumping all over the custom pieces I build for him.  I create each piece with special care knowing someone and their pet will really enjoy it and have fun with it every day.  I like having the freedom to create anything I want.  I can make themed pieces, fun color combinations, and add special material like faux fur to really make them pop.  My furniture is very functional and sturdy, yet has a whimsical, playful side.

 

How I got into the craft.. I was searching for an interesting cat tower for my pets but was surprised by how plain, small, and unstable the store bought furniture looked.  I decided to build my own and make exactly what I wanted.

When I built a tower for my own pets I really enjoyed the process and had so many ideas to build bigger and better towers and scratching posts.  I also got a lot of compliments on the items I built for my pets and people were asking me if I could build them something.

I use all natural thick sisal on my posts.  I make sure all hardware is hidden and not exposed, to make it safe.  And I build my bases extra thick and wide to make each piece stable.

My creative process... I’m always thinking about new designs and sketching out ideas.  Once I get that perfect idea there is no stopping me – the frame goes up quickly and I’m picking out what colors I’m going to use.  I have a blast creating each piece and the process of building one thing often leads to even more ideas.  When I create my first piece of a new design I let my biggest fan test it out – Max.  If it holds up to his vigorous play and acrobatics, I know I have a winner.

My five year goal.. I’m pretty new to the crafting marketplace.  In five years I hope to be participating in many craft fairs and events regularly, and have a flourishing furniture business.

 

The message behind my work is that I create my work for both pets and people to enjoy.  I want to create a piece that will be your pet’s own special little spot where they can play, survey their kingdom, or nap in a sunbeam.  I also want to create something that will make the pet parent smile every time they see it.

Meet Randy Eggler from Randy's Car Part Art...

My name is Randy Eggler  and I am Randy's car part art. I've only been doing this art for about 7-8 months now. Started off as just something to do with my free time, maybe make some gifts for family and even a little money. I have my first two Avant-Garde shows coming up in November and December. I'm excited as I've only done 3 other shows prior. 

My inspiration is honestly idle hands during the day, and the feeling I get when I see the look on peoples faces when they first see my work. I take a lot of pride with everything I do, and it is starting to pay off now. I got into the whole metal art when at a motorcycle show my girlfriend saw this little metal candle holder set for sale for $160, and I said "absolutely not, I'll make it for you for way less," and instead I made something entirely different that opened the door for myself.

My creative process is difficult to explain, some times I'll see something in my head with the parts I have laying around, other times I'll see something and then just have an urge to make it out of used car parts.  

I'm hoping that in five years, this will be more than a small hobby. I want my own shop to work in, and sell enough art throughout the States that I have competitors that hate me. To me, that means I'm doing great work then.

 

2014 Strongsville Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday, November 21, 2015

10:00am-5:00pm

Strongsville Ehrnfelt Recreation Center

18100 Royalton Rd.

Strongsville, OH 44136

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

Visit us on:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

LINKEDIN