Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Chagrin Falls Fall Show Vendors Share Their Story!

Meet Janie Stephen and Mary Lou DiCamillo from Forever Friends- Gratitude Bracelets...
Janie Stephen and Mary Lou DiCamillo are the designers and creators of the Gratitude Bracelet. We started our "Forever Friends" Gratitude Bracelet business adventure in April of 2014. 
Our friendship began in high school which only grew fonder and stronger throughout the years. 

With that, being Grateful for our friendship and our passion for design it gave us the inspiration to create our Gratitude Bracelets!!


The Gratitude bracelets are all designed with four beads. As you slip on your uniquely handcrafted bracelet each bead on the bracelet should give you a gentle daily reminder to acknowledge a blessing in your life. 

"The more Gratitude you acknowledge the more blessings you will find!"

Our bracelet will make a simple but unique gift to share with someone special in your life! All bracelets are packaged with a beautiful Gratitude verse to personalize your gift.  


Over the past year we have participated in approximately 10 very successful craft fairs in the Cleveland area. We are Grateful to have the opportunity to join the Avant-Garde shows this year!

Lastly, our goals for years to come is simple...

To grow into a manageable and rewarding level  but above most to acknowledge "Gratitude" and be "Grateful... For the Blessings in our lives."

Meet Debbie Kosinski from Debra's Collection...
I like to create decorative & functional items from fabric usually without a pattern. I studied interior design at Cuyahoga Community College & Art at Kent State.  

I'm inspired whenever I see a beautiful piece of fabric, I want to make something out of it!
I got started from my mother. My mother taught me how to sew & hand embroidery when I was a kid. I also, made clothing when i was in high school.  

My business officially started with me creating pillows & keepsake boxes. I actually bought hundreds of sample fabrics for furniture from a gentlemen who said they were going to be thrown into a dumpster!  

Meet Lauren Baracz from L.B. Dezignz...
I grew up in Chagrin Falls and have been here for the majority of my life. I
always had an interest in the arts whether it was drawing, painting, or fashion
and that background and enthusiasm has followed me through my life and lead
me to my passion of creating and making jewelry.

I started making jewelry on the side about three years ago, but in the past year I have really started to focus on making it into a career and business.

I find inspiration all around me every day. The great thing about living in Ohio is
that we get to experience all four seasons and all the colors, styles and fashion
trends that come along with that! I pull inspiration from the outdoors whether it’s in the flowers blooming, the changing of the leaves on the trees, the gray rainy days or the beautiful snowy ones. These types of things are not only inspirational because of what you can see, but also because of the emotions that they draw up as well which goes into each piece of jewelry. I think it is important to take everything in because you never know what you are going to find or what you are going to see that inspires you- and the constant changes in the world around us helps to keep my ideas flowing and new inspiration for my jewelry. This keeps everything new and unique, which is what I love! 
I got into the jewelry craft because of my mom. I had moved out of Chagrin Falls for a little bit and we started to become distant and didn’t see one another as much. My mom decided to sign us up for a jewelry class at the Valley Art Center just as a fun activity for us to spend some extra time together. I never thought it would be the start to a whole new career! I ended up getting a job with a jewelry company because of this class and worked there for two years gaining studio experience, as well as sales and customer service opportunities. I continued to make my own pieces at home and worked on perfecting my craft and really finding my style and brand. Recently I took what I learned from my job and the jewelry class, and I decided to go out on my own and start my own company  with my own handmade designs. My mom has been my biggest supporter and without her I don’t know if I would be doing this today!
My creative process is somewhat eclectic. What I usually like to do is look
through my closet for color and style inspiration. I also try to picture an event or
something I have coming up and what I would want to wear to that event or
what other people would be wearing and that usually gets me focused on a 
certain design and style of jewelry I want to create. I then lay all my supplies out  and it just always seems to click. Pretty soon after, I have the basic idea of what  I want to make laid out. If I am having an off day and can’t focus, I like to go for  a bike ride or walk to clear my head and just be outside. I also go to small shops to see if I can find an interesting piece that I could use to build a necklace or bracelet around, such as old skeleton keys or antique brooches.
With lots of hard work and dedication in give years I hope to have a growing and successful business. I want to make a brand and a line that people recognize and love and want to wear and have as part of their jewelry collection!  

The message behind my work is that I put a little piece of me into every piece 
that I create. I have a unique boho, rustic, industrial, chic style to my designs 
which sets me apart and I love that. It’s hard to stand by who you are verses 
who other people want or expect you to be- my message through my jewelry is 
to just be who you are and stay true to yourself!

Meet Pip Malensek from Pipspieces...
Hi, my name is Pip Malensek. I live in Burton Ohio. My full time job is as a paraprofessional  for 25 years. I have been employed for the Orange City School District for 15 yrs. I have three grown children and two grandchildren. I have a wonderful husband Steve that I married 37 years ago! My business name is Pipspieces.
 
I am currently making chainmaille jewelry. I weave with double pliers, sterling silver and healing copper jumprings together. It is very tedious, but somehow relaxes me! I have been doing some form of art all my life. I have made many different kinds of things over the years. I also am addicted to beach glass hunting and I use my pieces with my chainmaille.
Growing up, my mom was a painting artist, I can't draw a stick figure! She got me into 4H as a teen and I made most of my clothes in middle and high school... I think that was the beginning of a lifetime of art!

I currently have my jewelry in the Fra Angelica Gallery in the 5th St Arcade in downtown Cleveland. I hope to branch out to be able to sell in more stores.

2015 Chagrin Falls Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday, September 12th and Sunday, September 13th 2015
Saturday - 10:00am-5:00pm
Sunday- 11:00am-5:00pm
Federated Church Family Life Center
16349 Chillicothe Rd.
Chagrin Falls, OH 44023
For more information, contact Becki Silverstein, Event Coordinator at Becki@ag-shows.com
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