Meet Susan Stoldt from Candle Vase Creations...
First and foremost, I am the proud mother of 2 wonderful sons who
have grown into very fine young men. They are, and always will be, the center
of my life. Also, I work full-time as a legal assistant and have been
with my firm for over 27 years. I fill my spare time with
crafting and physical fitness, and like to stay busy most of the time.
For this particular venture, my
sister and I started the candle business two years ago and have enjoyed every
minute.
What inspires me to create.. Just being a homeowner is
inspiration. I like to try different decorating ideas and that alone
is enough to have creativity spill over into designing and rethinking pouring
our candles. Anything edgy or so
different that it begs noticing, that's my goal.
How I got into my craft.. a few years ago I stumbled upon jewelry and dichroic glass
creations by accident, but still had a ball with everything you could make with
a little imagination. The pieces I made for myself caught the eye of
quite a few women who asked if I would make pieces for them, and so began my
jewelry business. When the market became
over saturated with jewelry I wrapped up that craft and began thinking of
another field to pursue. My sister
and I researched what we thought we might like to do and decided to try making candles. So far, so good!
As for crafting, I've always
liked to be creative in some fashion, for as long as I can remember - whether I
was writing poetry, short stories for my boys when they were younger, always
rearranging and redecorating my home, my former jewelry business,
and the list goes on. My tastes, likes and dislikes allow me to create
something unique, as I usually lean towards making things that aren't
mainstream or cookie cutter copies of what everyone else has.
When we started the candles it was a learning
curve, but we taught ourselves quite well. However, most anyone can make
candles with a little instruction, which meant we had to standout and come up
with new ideas. That's how our tealight
vases came to be, albeit completely by accident. I had intended to create
a candle vase, but after several attempts it just wasn't working. Hard as
I tried, it wasn't perfect and I couldn't put an inferior product out there for
sale. So one day I tried a totally different
approach and, voila! Our tealight vase was created. It's a creation
no other vendor has and it is truly one of a kind. They are created to be
a part of anyone's home décor, whether to blend with a current color layout, or
to add a pop of color to any room. They
are decorative, yet can be totally functional if desired. Each vase is unique and the color
combinations and patterns are limitless.
The creative process is not a
process at all. It's usually something as simple as seeing the color of
clothes or home decor, or anything at all really, and if the colors
jump out at me then I start to envision what a vase would look like. From
there I play with my colors and patterns and see what happens. I never stop thinking about new techniques to
try, or new products to create.
My five year goal... Honestly, I really haven't thought that far in advance. I would like to think Candle Vase Creations
will be going strong and have a solid customer base. That being said, ultimately my sister and I
would love to have our own storefront.
If we're going to dream, we're going to dream big! We know anything worth having takes a lot of
hard work, so that’s exactly what we plan to do.
My name is Nataliya. I was born in Ukraine. I'm a Fiber Artist and Designer by felting because wool is my favorite material to use. I searched the Internet for information about felting and taught myself the art of wet felting, which in turn, I created my own unusual style.
My interest began suddenly, I was inspired by the work of one master, and it has continued for 5 years. Learning never stops, as I’m constantly learning how to use new types of wool, combinations of wool and different fibers and fabrics. Felt is the oldest form of fabric and it is becoming popular as people rediscover the versatility and durability of it. Since it may be the oldest fabric known to man, there are many references to felt in ancient writings since it’s not woven and doesn’t require a loom for its production!
The process of felting doesn’t need expensive materials or equipment. Just about anyone can add soapy water to fleece, make a felted mass, control the outcome and then quality felt is achieved through experience and learning. Aside from choosing the best type of fiber for the application, one must consider the layout of fibers for consistent felt, the weight of wool in relation to the area of its distribution to determine to shape, the amount of soap to use and the temperature of water.
It’s hard work, but it’s my passion and one of the things I absolutely love to do, especially when I make them for happy owners! To be honest, I do not know what will happen in 5 years with my business. I will be able to move to a higher level and create my personal line of clothing and accessories, or work with wool will remain only a hobby that brings a small income for me. My accessories found their owners not only in America but also in other continents - Europe, Asia, Australia and even in Africa :) and it inspires me to create more! View more of my work at:
Meet Linda Ackerman from Paper Rose Design- Altered Couture...
I have been designing and creating one of a kind, up cycled women's clothing for about three years. Crafting and creating in many media have been a part of my life for a long time!
The process and the end results have (and will) continue to evolve as with all art. I love finding unique pieces of clothing—that can be used as the focus for beginning a newly refashioned garment. For example, a vintage Bob Dylan concert tee shirt. I kept it for 2 years until I had a vision and then a design. (aside: unfortunately my workspace is full of these “possibilities” which are taking over). I refashioned the shirt and added denim and lace for a rock’n tunic.
My creative process.. After finding a focal piece, several other pieces are added to the pile. Then the deconstructing, designing and reconstructing begins usually in that order.
I love to create new clothing pieces that are fun, free flowing, flattering and make life better. Using thrifted and found fabric as the base for my creations means discarded clothing, linens, etc are used again making my one of a kind clothes eco-friendly. The best part of what I do is to have the customer find the piece that is an expression of her innermost artistic self.
2017 Chagrin Falls Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday & Sunday, March 11th and 12th, 2017
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
Visit us on:
