It's Show Weekend in Canton!

Meet Megan Brenner from Megs Lil Shop...
My name is Megan Brenner. I'm 33 and live in Delaware, Ohio with my two dobermans Lotus and Fritz. I also have a horse Reno who I luckily am able to board near enough to see everyday. When I'm not spending time with my "kids" or sewing, I manage a coffee shop in Powell that offers a play area for kids to burn off some steam while their parents enjoy a great cup of joe. 

I've had my etsy shop for a little over a year but have had a love for creating since I was a child. I'm inspired to create by the feeling after a project is complete and I take a step back, look at it and think I made that! Such a great feeling of accomplishment and pride. The best is when someone asks me to make something specific or I have someone in mind while making it. Knowing that what I made is going to brighten someone's day.. Can't describe what a wonderful feeling that is.

How I got into my craft... A friend of mine was moving into his first apartment on his own and I wanted to give him something that I'd made as a housewarming gift. I found some t-shirts that displayed his interests/hobbies (golf &Harley's) I turned them into pillows. He loved them!! It felt so good that I'd made them myself. I started making them for other friends which led me well here!

I discovered my talent through my grandmother who was a seamstress, and was so incredibly talented. I always looked up to her. Also, I made a pillow in 4th grade that I was sooo proud of haha I think that memory has always stuck with me. I also have a degree in fashion merchandising so have always had a passion for creating new things and fashion. I also have 12 years of retail experience which has led me to realize how much I love interacting with people.

My creative process... With my pillows I literally always am on the lookout for t-shirts that would make a great pillow for someone... Fun sayings, inspirational, sports related, etc. really anything I come across that jumps out at me! I'm starting to do pillows with men's button down dress shirts as well as memory blankets made of someone's t-shirts that hold a memory they want to keep. 

My five year goal.. I'd like to expand slowly into other accessories and clothing. I'm perfecting the art of crocheting. Eventually I would like to also have my own brick and mortar store here in Delaware.. In 5 years that would be wonderful, not sure if it'll be that soon but it's something to work toward!!

The message behind my work is to brighten someone's day with something that I've created!

Meet Shauna Burton from Scented Essentials...

My name is Shauna Burton and I am originally from Canton, Ohio but my home is now in Youngstown, Ohio. I'm a title clerk by day candle maker by night! I love making, testing and improving products during my free time.

I have been making my own products for a few years now. I just recently turned my hobby into Scented Essentials about 7 months ago. This will be my second Avant-Garde show, and I look forward to more!

Anything & everything can inspire me to create! The weather, a TV commercial, a book, a simple conversation with a customer, the list goes on!

How I got into my craft.. I was tired of using products that just didn't work to my satisfactory and filled with chemicals. I started my journey to not only make myself quality products, but to offer them to others. I specialize in soy candles but offer much more! At first this was just a hobby. I made products for myself, friends & family. After hearing their responses I knew I found my niche! There's something about making your own products that is very rewarding. Knowing that I make a quality product that not only I myself love and use, but others love as well. It's a job I absolutely love!

My creative process is based on the changing season, trends etc. A lot of it comes from my customers. I love hearing their feedback and requests!

My five year goal is that I would love to see myself owning my own boutique. Not only selling my handmade products but showcasing others as well!

The message behind my works is that I'm a one woman team! From start to finish I hand make and hand pour every product I sell using only natural and quality ingredients. I strive to make and sell only quality products at affordable prices, with a handmade personal touch!

Meet Rita Bertram from Oh So Delicious!...

I always loved to make appetizers and desserts, so last year when I decided to start a business, I began with those two strengths-because when you embark on a new adventure; if it’s not something you love to do, why bother, right?

 I played around with my favorite recipes and ingredients, took the best combinations of flavors and created a line of dip mixes and sweet spreads. Thus “Oh So Delicious” was born!

I make a variety of flavors: Very Veggie, Horsey Spinach, White Cheddar Onion, Cranberry Pecan and Sweet Pumpkin to name a few. I make them all  from scratch and each package is hand blended.

I started selling my mixes at a local Farmers Market and offered all of my dips & spreads for tasting. What a fun beginning that was!  I soon was up to four Farmers Markets per week in Richland & Crawford Counties.  That was followed with booths at Fall Craft Festivals, Holiday Gift Shows and Spring Craft Fairs.

 I  also make gift baskets with a selection of my dip mixes and bring them to my shows as well.  I will be participating in many Farmers Markets and Craft Shows this summer. Please go to my website for updates www.ohsodeliciousdips.com.

Meet Lynne Logan from Tenacious Art & Such...

I was born in Huntington, West Virginia. But I’ve lived in Brooklyn, NY, Johnson City, Tennessee, Los Angeles, and Athens while attending Ohio University. However, I received a B.A. in English from Marshall University. I moved to Columbus in 1995 where I live with my husband, our son, Baxter, and three cats. And our oldest, Chris, now lives in Florida with his wife, Alyssa. 

In grade school, I was fascinated by paintings in museums and the cinematography on TV. I was never all that great at drawing, so photography was a natural outlet for my creativity. 

When I was 11, I started making wall hangings from needlepoint and vacation photos. I took sewing lessons in grade school and made my own clothes as a teenager. I’m now using that knowledge to reupholster furniture. 

After being downsized from Chase Bank in July (2015), I decided to sell some of my photos at flea markets and online at https://www.etsy.com/shop/TenaciousImages

while looking for another job. In September, after seeing my ad on Craigslist, a lovely retired woman drove 50 miles from Springfield to Columbus, to buy my “Spooky Tree”…

At which point, I decided to make a go of selling my artwork full-time. 

I branched out into decoupage after happening upon a set of ceramic coasters on Etsy.com, decoupaged with comic book pages. To date, I’ve designed two dozen coasters, five vases, several trivets, and my very own nightstand/end table decoupaged with wallpaper. 

As far as my process, it’s very organic. I amass junk like recycled salsa jars, old picture frames, fabric from old clothes, newspapers, etc., as well as curb treasures like a barstool my neighbor set out with her trash that I’m now refinishing. I sit in my studio, and I stare at these random objects until an idea hits me. For example, I snatched up a vodka bottle from our recycle bin because of the unusual texture of the glass and turned it into the vase below with paint, lace from an old skirt and a photo captured at Lake Erie 2 years ago... 

2016 Canton Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Time- 10:00am-5:00pm

St. George Serbian Center

4667 Applegrove Street NW

North Canton, OH 44720

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

Visit us on:

FACEBOOK

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Canton Avant-Garde Show to Premier!

Meet Jean Holstein and Katie Kirkland from Holstein Candle Shop..

My name is Jean Holstein and I am The Holstein Candle Shop! I work with my sister, Katie Kirkland aka the CracKed Nut, at local craft shows.  About a year ago I decided I needed a new project. As a candle lover and a craft dabbler I set my ambitions on candles I began making soy candles at home as an experiment in candle making. As a result, I needed a partner to help promote and sell my candles/melts. As any good older sister would do I conned my sister into helping me, thus beginning the CracKned Nut division of The Holstein Candle Shop.

We wanted to create and sell homemade items that were earth friendly.Our products reflect our individual personalities and style. Candles and melts are made of pure soy wax and candles use cotton wicks. The CracKed Nut specializes in unique air plant arrangements made from recycled material. Our ambition for the next couple years is to continue to perfect and expand our product lines and see where our venture takes us.

We recently participated in the Strongsville show and had a great time. We were very impressed with Avant- Garde and look forward to working with Becki and her staff again!

Meet Robyn Martins from Homegrown Shadow Box Art...

I am a semi-retired graphic designer doing volunteer designing for friends and non-profits. I am also an amateur musician, a reader, a writer, a cook, a wife, a mother of grown children, and a walking companion for my big golden doodle, Baxter. And amid my interests and activities, I also create shadowbox scenes with vintage paper and elements from nature.

I made my first boxes a couple of years ago using pages from my mother’s school books from the 1920s and 30s. I created the boxes for me and for my sisters as a way to preserve some family history. The process was so enjoyable, and the results were so well received that I evolved my interest and skill to other books and subjects.

My main interests are literature, poetry, music and history, and those subjects are reflected in my work. While I am not very out-doorsy, I also try to include nature elements, such as dried flowers, bark, and bird feathers because I think those elements tie in well to the earthiness of the paper and the subjects of the poetry I choose.

Reading and writing were some of my earliest interests as a child, and I have collected books since my teenage years, using baby-sitting money to pick up odd copies here and there. But it wasn’t until just a few years ago while strolling through a home-design store that I encountered a large shadow box filled with folded pages from an old book. The artist must have used the entire book, and the effect was mesmerizing. I tucked that away until I was able to modify the idea to suit my own style.

Learning by doing has always been my approach to just about everything, and I have gone through quite a few old book pages, folding and rolling and ripping—and even throwing away—and I continue to learn the dos and don’ts of working with vintage paper.

My creative process... I scour antique stores for old books and magazines that will yield great written material to work with—a quote, a poem, a snippet of something inspiring to build from. Then I use that thought and match it with paper and objects to create what I feel is a complete scene that tells a story or relays a relevant message. Sometimes, though, I’ll start with an object, like a boutonniere fashioned from loon feathers or a dried rose from my sister’s garden, and then search for text that would be fitting.

My five year plan.. As I continue to learn the craft and new and different ways to work with paper, I see my work developing into an even more unique art, always evolving as it finds its audience.

If I have a message behind my work it's something I hope my work conveys, it would be to say we do well to be in touch with our organic nature, and our finest truths can be found in wisdom from our history—from our most insightful poets and our highest thinkers—as well as in the simplest feather left behind by a solitary bird.

Meet Mary Willets from the Paper Garden by Min...

I am a Hospice Nurse full time and found creating beauty as a necessary  balance in my life. Prior to my Nursing career, I was in design, but needed a change ... a stronger sense of purpose. So now, I have a blend of both sides of myself!  

How I got started.. The flower design began out of necessity.  I was given a nominal budge for centerpieces for a formal event.  Knowing that the budget would not be sufficient, my intent was to use spring wild flowers. Mother Nature did not cooperate and I was for to use Plan B ... to MAKE the flowers.  It was a huge success and everyone got to take home a centerpiece as a momento.  

This is my FIRST Avant-Garde event and even more important, my first show EVER!  I applied to Avant-Garde because, as much as my friend ooooooo and aaaahhh over my flowers, I wanted an impartial group to say that my designs were good.  So here we go ....

The typical process for me to create an arrangement is to start by asking my client what their "happy" color is.  We then discuss venue, style, ect and I go to my archive of designs and pick and choose which flowers to put in the arrangements.  That takes most of the time .... the actual fabrication goes quickly once I have a plan.

Within the next few years, I would like The Paper Garden by Min to have grown to where I have steady following, and enough retail outlets to keep me creating on a full time basis.

The message behind my work... There is beauty and joy in flowers  ... forever flowers are the perfect blend of that and timelessness.

2015 Canton Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Time- 10:00am-5:00pm

St. George Serbian Center

4667 Applegrove Street NW

North Canton, OH 44720

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

Visit us on:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

INSTAGRAM