Showing posts with label resin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resin. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Spring Shopping is Right Around the Corner!

Meet Chris and Amanda Kent from Loader Road Goods...

We are Chris and Amanda Kent. We live in Coshocton, Ohio on our family farm. We have 2 children and love to spend our days doing life together. We started Loader Road Goods in January 2023. We’ve done many shows but this will be our first Avant-Garde show! 

When looking for inspiration we have very different approaches. Amanda likes to sit down and see what happens, often tweaking a design many times for she’s happy with it. Chris enjoys looking for items that are useful in everyday life. Leather working has been in Amanda’s family for years, her late grandfather made saddles. She purchased a purse and hated it, so she asked Chris to figure out the leather sewing machine to fix it. That made him realize his love for leather and creating useful items.
  
As our business grows, our main goal in to be in a brick and mortar in the near future. When people see our work, we hope they don’t just see a leather bag or wallet but a piece of art.  Check out our website: www.loaderroadgoods.com.


Meet Rob Crippen from C3DProductions...

I purchased my first 3D Printer in November of 2024 when a coworker purchased one.  As most beginner 3D printers do, I started printing items to use on my printer.  I started printing sports logos in spring of 2025 for friends and families. 
I retired from my IT career in July 2025 and began promoting sports logos and various Tea Lite prints.  With a commercial license from two 3D Print designers, I have been selling these prints for 6+ months.  

I acquired my second printer in November 2025 and am thoroughly enjoying this new endeavor.
This is my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft show and am looking forward to many more.
My wife is the creative one in our household and watching her work on her crafting with freeze drying flowers, sewing, and recently quilting has given me the desire to provide products for customers.

Meet Jacqueline Forestall from Shoeclock...

Based in Westlake, Ohio, I’ve been creating with silk flowers for many years, designing centerpieces, wedding and shower favors, and seasonal arrangements. Now retired, I enjoy crafting unique floral pieces that bring a touch of joy and creativity to any space.

I love designing fun, imaginative works—especially around holiday themes—but I also create lasting arrangements that can be enjoyed year-round. Many of my pieces feature repurposed containers, which often inspire the design itself. 

I find endless inspiration in colors, textures, and the changing seasons, and each piece reflects my passion for turning simple materials into something beautiful and enduring.


Meet Jon Short from 4Shorts-3D Printing and Crafts...

4Shorts-3D Printing and Crafts is a Northeast Ohio business that specializes in 3D printing, needle craft, and handmade puppets. Though we have been creating for many years, we have just recently started selling our wares. This is our first Avant-Garde Arts and Crafts Show; however, we are scheduled to participate in others throughout the season.

The owner, Jon Short loves to create fun, unique, and/or different items showing off his artistic talent. “My grandma was an artist focusing on ceramics, drawing, and canvas painting and I always enjoyed watching her. My focus has always been on performing arts like music and acting, but the visual arts has always been a hobby of mine. I decided to turn this hobby into a business, so I get to do art full time.”

Our motto is ‘Bringing imagination to life’. This is our message and our creative process. We come up with an idea, and work on it until we can make it and share it with others. Our ideas come from many places: nature, environment, necessity, imagination… We hope that within the next 5 years we are able to expand our business to more online sells, beyond that we would love to have a full-time brick and mortar business. We have just started a website, and though not everything is listed, we are adding more each day. Please visit us at www.4shorts3dprintingandcrafts.com


Meet Taisia Mitchell from Stellar Crafts...

I enjoy creating new things, whether it be drawing, resin work, or sewing. I’m also into Astronomy, which is why I went with Stellar Crafts as a name and my slogan: “A Gift for the Stars.” There are times where it tends to work its way into some of my cup designs.

I have been designing cups for 4 years now. It all started with me making cups as gifts for my mom, two of my cousins, and myself for the holidays. Word got around and I started making cups for others. This will be my very show with Avant-Garde, and I’m excited!


The people around me inspire me the most. My friends tend to get the ball rolling when we plan cosplays or even when we go on trips. Other times, it’s people who I meet that talk about a business they’re starting or have already established. 

I really started crafting when my grandmother got me into sewing, and my job at Joann’s introduced me to other mediums of crafting, though the multitude of fabrics kept me sewing. When I started working at Michael’s, I started exploring working with resin and designing cups with it.


I tend to dabble in new things, and resin always piqued my interest. I watched a few tutorials, bought some of the materials needed and tried it out. I started with flat surfaces like canvases, then tables, then I helped my mom redecorate her kitchen counter. Once I got the hang of it, I tried other things with resin molds and finally moved to cups.

My creative process is largely spur of the moment.  Sometimes that can mean combining two mediums to help design my cup, such as marble painting, or using pieces of fabric, stenciling, or even adding an iron on patch for a 3D effect.

In the future, I’m planning on still creating cups as well as other personal items that can go with it. That could look like attire that matches the cups, or some home decor. Just like us, each cup is unique and no two cups that I make are the exact same.


Meet Victoria Taylor from Sparkle & Scrap...

I’m a small side-hustle business owner and creative entrepreneur who loves bringing unique, thoughtfully made pieces into the world. I started in jewelry repurposing with my mom under Abby Rose Antiquities and have transferred that creativity into flipping antique books & ephemera into paper nostalgia. I’m passionate about quality, detail, and creating items that feel special and personal. This will be my third Avant-Garde show!

Sparkle & Scrap are curated Vintage Junk Journal & Scrapbooking Kits featuring authentic paper ephemera from vintage children’s books, antique greeting cards and revolving collections of antique magazines from the 1920s to now. Perfect for journaling, collage, scrapbooking, mixed media, and creative planners. Each bundle is unique and full of nostalgic charm.


I've been doing this for over 20 years of being in the antique and craft arenas. 


What inspires me.. I’m inspired by everyday life; colors, seasons, trends, and the idea that something some may consider “junk” can become part of a creative story. I love creating bundles that will continue to inspire someone in their journaling adventures. 


How I got into my craft..  I’ve always had and needed a creative outlet. My dad is an avid book collector so it was only fitting that I know my way around a stack of paper and knowing the importance of keeping that media alive. 

My creative process... I have always collected pamphlets, booklets, and any piece of paper I can get my hands on while traveling to use in my personal journaling and scrapbooking. I found it appropriate to start collecting for others to enjoy the same and have creative material to start their own journaling journey. 

My five year goal... Hopefully continuing to further my creative outlet and bring even more unique pieces to others. 


The message behind my work.. At the heart of my junk journals is the belief that every scrap has a story and every person deserves a space to tell theirs. I create pieces that turn forgotten papers, vintage finds, and everyday materials into something meaningful and beautiful again. My work is about slowing down, preserving memories, embracing imperfections, and finding magic in the ordinary.


Each journal is designed to inspire creativity, reflection, and storytelling; all while following reduce, reuse, recycle mentality. 


Meet April Amartey from Heart Into Art...

I’m April Amartey, a faith-led artist and jewelry designer creating one-of-a-kind pieces that inspire and encourage the wearer to walk differently—guided by faith. I’ve been designing handmade jewelry for 2 years, and this is my 4th Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show.


My inspiration comes from faith, life experiences, and the joy of connecting with people. I’ve always been creative, but I began putting my ideas into action after my father passed, turning jewelry-making into a meaningful outlet. Through experimenting with materials and techniques, I discovered I could create pieces that are visually striking, subtle, and resonate deeply with others.

I try to find beauty in everything, letting that guide my creative process. Each piece starts with a word, scripture, or emotion, and evolves organically into a one-of-a-kind design. In 5 years, I see Heart Into Art growing into a recognized brand for faith-inspired, wearable art, helping people carry reminders of hope, encouragement, and faith.

Every piece is a symbol—a daily reminder to embrace beauty, hope, and guidance. Photos of my signature earrings, faith-inspired pendants, and styled shots showcase the heart and story behind my work. My tagline: “Created to walk differently—guided by faith.”

2026 Strongsville Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday March 14, 2026
 10:00am-4:00pm
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:

Friday, April 8, 2022

Strongsville Show Sneak Peak!

 Meet Hailey from Biasci...

Hello! My name is Hailey and I am 20 years old. This is my first ever art show where I'll be selling my artwork and I am elated. Ever since childhood art has been a big part of my life. It was a way for me to express emotions that could not be spoken, only created through drawings and paintings. Art is the way I communicate with the world. I want my paintings to give others a look into my mind. The colorful backgrounds in my paintings show who I am as an individual, someone who is bright, bubbly, and spontaneous. The darker parts of my paintings, however, reflect my struggles with anxiety. Although I am this happy person on the outside, I still struggle with anxiety on the inside from time to time. When creating my paintings I always put on my favorite tunes. This allows me to zone out and focus on the blank canvas in front of me. I never have a plan, I just let my paintbrush take me wherever it may go. I hope to continue my career as an artist and set up my virtual shop where I can sell my art to those around the world! I am excited to see what my future has in store for me! 


Meet Samantha and Laurie...

We are sister-in-laws that share a love for making things! We both consider ourselves hobby crafters, as we have full-time careers in nursing (Laurie) and Data Management (Sam) but every minute of free time we have is spent on crafting things that make us happy! Laurie loves to crochet and make all natural candles and soaps while Sam's passion lies with Resin work where the possibilities are truly endless. 

We've been crafting for as long as we can remember! Laurie was taught how to crochet by her mother at a young age and has never stopped, while one of Sam's earliest memories is when her dad converted his basement workbench into a craft station. Sam now has her own house with a workbench/craft station! This will be our first show with Avant-Garde Art & Craft and we couldn't be more excited!

We've always had an eagerness to create. Now that we're established as professionals and adults we've grown our love of crafting into a small business where we can share our creations with everyone to use or give as gifts! Neither of us have ever been good at drawing or painting but found that creating things with our hands suits us. I think its comforting to be able to mold something from scratch that can be enjoyed and used in more ways than one. It's the sense of joy we feel once a project is completed that encourages us to continue learning and growing as crafters. 

Laurie is a visual learner so rather than following patterns or books she looks to youtube tutorials to follow along and learn new methods of crafting. Depending on the project, Laurie likes to watch movies or listen to music while she crochets her smaller peices, and then for the larger projects she plans ahead and works out components over the course of a few weeks this keeps crafting fun and manageable rather than being bogged down by the length of time some projects take to complete.

Sam's a natural researcher so when she has an idea for something the first thing she does is research whether it's been created, what techniques are used, what tips she can find to create the perfect piece and then there's always some trial and error involved. For example she loves creating dice for Dungeons and Dragons but before she started making them she watched hundreds of videos about the process and started practicing with resin first by making bookmarks. The learning is endless with resin and she loves that! 

In 5 years, Laurie would like to work on larger, more complicated projects and build up an etsy shop with the goal of shipping to each of our 50 states and internationally so that her beautiful crafts are enjoyed worldwide.

For Sam, In 5 years she will have started her family and will have climbed the ladder in her systems admin career- but she will also have the expensive tools needed to create gorgeous dice sets and will likely sell on the side for fun! 

Laurie and Sam pride themselves on creating pieces that are both beautiful and functional so that their art can be enjoyed both for their design and use. We also love supporting other local artists and make sure to promote, purchase and share the work of our talented friends to boost the small business community. Another priority for our work is to continue learning, weather that's in creating new crochet patterns and soaps or learning new techniques to create and finish resin pieces. 

Meet Rachel from (Insert Business name Here)...

As a 50+ year old woman, I am pretty typical, I'm tired of working my regular job and want to spend my time doing creative things.  I have been a secretary for 22 years, and still work full time, but enjoy making crafts.  Sadly, I cannot fit all of my creations in my home, there simply isn't enough room, so the next best thing is to try and sell them.

I have been crocheting and quilting for about 10 years, mainly for family and friends, and a little for sale, I've made several memorial quilts, a few dress alterations, some window/shower curtains, I've refurbished some items for use in my home, and little odds and ends like hats, scarves, pillows, cushions, the list goes on and on.  I have also recently been helping others with redecorating rooms in their homes, including painting, wallpaper, countertop covers, window treatments, light fixtures, and even a little flooring.

I love texture, in fabric mainly, and I love to design new things that are different from anything I can go to a store and buy. Over the years I have used leftover materials to decorate in my creative fashion, I like the idea of not having to spend money to make money, and there are so many materials laying around already, no reason to purchase new materials when I can repurpose what I already have, it feels like a form of recycling, in a very creative way.

I have tried to use patterns, but always divert to my own ways, even in cooking, I like to add the "Rachel" touch to everything, it makes me feel unique. I spend a lot of time thinking about my creations, and then I spend time in the process, making changes as I go.  Rarely does my first idea remain the same, I tend to develop the creation as I go, and learn a lot in the process, sort of like "on the job training".

In 5 years I hopefully will enjoy crafting as much as I do today, and with any luck I won't be working a regular job full time anymore, and therefore I'll have more time to devote to crafts.

2022 Strongsville will be my first craft show ever as a vendor, wish me luck!

2022 Strongsville Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday & Sunday, April 9 & 10, 2022
 10:00am-4:00pm on Saturday
11:00am-4:00pm on Sunday
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:
LINKEDIN