Friday, May 10, 2019

Meet your vendors, Avon!


Meet Susan Mariner from Kuddle Katz...
I'm a divorced mother of two with a chronic illness and crocheting is my therapy. I'm a retired hairstylist and nail tech of thirty years. Aside from crocheting, I enjoy golf, coffee, and classic movies. My boyfriend Mike got me into the craft. He said I needed a hobby and I always wanted to learn how to crochet. My grandma attempted to teach me when I was young, but it just didn't click. A few YouTube videos later and Kuddle Katz was born! My mom picked out the name. It’s been nine years and this will be my first Avant-Garde show!
I'm inspired by the wide variety of cat breeds. Their colors, textures, and patterns are beautiful. I also have two cats and their personalities provide plenty of inspiration. I started crocheting different amigurumi animals and realized I was pretty good once my daughter and mom started requesting lots of penguins, elephants, and giraffes. I then found a pattern for cats online. The pattern was for an animeko cat, based on the Japanese picture book Hello I am Animeko, the Story of a Crafty Crocheted Cat. I loved them, so I just started making them. They have evolved throughout the years, and I have made several changes to the original pattern. For example, I make the muzzles bigger and add hand-painted eyes to give the cats more character. 

It always starts with a trip to a yarn store! I like looking for unique colors, patterns, and textures of yarns. I then match various yarns and eyes to create a cat. Sometimes I have a specific cat breed in mind, a picture reference, or a particular color scheme I want to follow. It usually takes me a full day to crochet one cat. I consider crocheting a hobby and I just enjoy seeing people smile when they discover their cuddly companion. I hope I can continue to spread a little happiness with my crocheted cats. My message is that cats are awesome! Everyone could use a cat companion in their life. 

Meet Tracy Smoker from The Craft Momster...
I am a momgineer who likes crafting in my spare time. I have been making crafts of some variety for as long as I can remember, but this will be my first Avant-Garde show. I like to keep my hands busy, I like making nice looking things, and there’s some magic in taking things that were once individual components and creating something new and fun from them. I imagine I found this talent when my mom gave me a few craft supplies to see if I liked it, and the rest is history. 
The stories of my childhood crafting always include references to my parents hiding the tape and tissues in the house because I used anything I could get my hands on. They also knew my craft area floor was clean when you didn’t hear the vacuum sucking up beads or sequins anymore! I try to find inspiration in lots of different aspects of my life.  In January, I finished building a gallon jug igloo in our basement.  I got that idea from a link my mom shared with me on Facebook. Within the next five years, I will still be mom’ing and hope to still be crafting!

Meet Margo Coniam from South Shore Beach Glass...
Hello, I'm Margo!  I am a Radiation Therapist who lives in Avon Lake with two house rabbits. I love to travel and one of my favorite places that I have traveled to is Scotland. You will find that I incorporate a Celtic symbol, the spiral, in a number of my designs. I just started selling my jewelry this year and so far, the feedback has been really positive! This is my first show with Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows and I am so excited about it!  
I was inspired to start this business when I went to the beach and was astonished by the beauty of these beach glass gems. They look like tiny jewels to me and it is amazing to think that nature took something that was thrown away and of no use to anyone and made it into something that is truly unique and beautiful. I like to imagine the history of each piece of glass; vintage bottles from rum runners, window panes from long-demolished houses, maybe pieces from the over 6,000 shipwrecks that litter the bottom of Lake Erie. Whatever their origin, I love that they are something that was genuinely made from this Great Lake and the stories they tell about this Great Lake!  
A few years ago I started collecting Lake Erie beach glass from local beaches.  At first my beach excursions were just a calming retreat at the end of a busy day.  However, while looking at my beach gems, the creative side of my brain took over and what resulted was my company, South Shore Beach Glass.  I take unique pieces of Lake Erie beach glass and turn them into jewelry and lamps.  What I love about beach glass is that no two pieces are the same and each piece has a unique history and story all its own. 
My creative process first begins on the beach where I will spend hours digging through the sand and wading into the surf to collect as much glass as I can find.  When I take these pieces home, I look at the shape and size of each of the different pieces to best determine what type of jewelry to make each piece into.  Earrings are definitely one piece that takes me longer to make as I have to find two similarly colored, sized and shaped pieces.  It can be a time-consuming process, but it is one that I love.  When I design the wire wraps for my jewelry, I tend to find that I draw a lot of creative ideas from Celtic symbols, specifically the spiral.  The spiral symbolizes growth, birth, and our path through life and reminds us of the circle of life.  Plus, it is a really fun design to make and to wear!  

Meet Kristin Gladish from J Austen Boutique Co...
My name is Kristin and I’m the owner of J Austen Boutique Co. and am very excited to be participating in the 2019 Avon Spring Avant-Garde Craft Show!

The design and style of my pieces were inspired by the elegant sophistication of the women of Jane Austen’s time. I combine casual elegance with whimsical beauty, creating pieces that are easy to wear but add a touch of “fancy” to any outfit.
Every item is handmade by me from a carefully chosen piece of vintage-style ribbon, Czech glass or rounded gemstone beads, and Georgian-era inspired charms.

As a stay at home mother of two, I’m very grateful to have found a creative outlet that I enjoy. I love making beautiful things and sharing them with others!


2019 Avon Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday, May 11, 2019
10:00am-5:00pm
Emerald Event Center
33040 Just Imagine Dr.
Avon, Ohio 44011
For more information, contact Becki Silverstein, Event Coordinator at becki@ag-shows.com
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