Chagrin Falls Eclectic Talent!

Meet Annette Brag from Just Soap...

I have always like to make crafts and enjoy making soaps as a hobby. I have been making soaps for about a year now. 

This is my first Avant-Garde show and I am looking forward to it! I like learning new things - it challenges me and I enjoy the unlimited blending of colors, scents and shapes when it comes to making soap. 

For some reason I have always wanted to learn to make soap. I have made my own laundry detergent for years and thought it would be fun to make my own hand soap as well.

I'm a Libra - apparently it's a requirement to be artistic and creative for your entire life! lol. 

You can view more of my work at - https://www.facebook.com/annettebragg2016/

Meet Cindy Bloyd from Percy Homestead...

We didn’t foresee our love for honeybees and beekeeping. A few years ago, our son recommended we get some bees. After some long thought and a garden that was suffering from lack of pollination, we decided to give it a try. This opened a world of fascination, learning and challenge! We also have learned that there is a wonderful fellowship of beekeepers that meet regularly and seriously strive to help each other be successful. In addition, we have discovered an amazing excitement and appreciation in the public for honeybees and the products they produce. We love our bees, and love seeing people smile just talking about them and how much they love honey!

Our apiary at Percy Homestead continues to grow as we endeavor to raise healthy and productive colonies that can explore the fruitful landscape around us in Geauga County, Ohio. Honeybees are nothing short of amazing! We love to talk about them and spend time with them. Is it weird that we have two lawn chairs in the bee yard where we sit and sip some honey wine (mead) and just watch our bees work, while we talk about bees? If so, we are weird!

We have been in the business for seven years, but this is actually our first year participating in Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows. 

So often, a comment from a customer sends me on a journey of creating the product they are looking for. Our son had a hive and we were fascinated and decided to start our own 2 colony apiary.  We now have 25 hives and are looking to expand again this year.

Meet Lynne Provance from Provances Pieces...

Lynne Provance, from Bristolville, Ohio, has been an international stained-glass artist since 2005. She has working studios in both Ohio (USA) and Prince Edward Island (Canada) [PEI] and employs exclusively the foiling method (Tiffany style). Window paneled stained glass art became a favorite art medium in which to express

one of her artistic abilities. 

She is fascinated by how the light is reflected through the different colors, textures, and opacities of the glass. Light is her canvas. She enjoys both designing and constructing original art pieces & she finds “painting” with the colored glass interesting and challenging.

She provides collaborations in both designing and constructing specialized orders, repair/restoration work, stained glass art classes and "hands on" workshops, offers her patterns for purchase, and showcases her art for sale in select art shows, galleries & festivals in the USA and PEI. 

Her work can be viewed on her Facebook Page: Lynne Badger Provance.

Meet Gayle Hammer from Whimsical Wire Gifts...

I have always been creative myself and have loved to purchase colorful artsy products. I just recently decided this past September to become an entrepreneur out of my own need. 

As a high school physics teacher, I was always putting my glasses down somewhere, or placing them on top of my head, and the kids in my class were always helping to find them for me. I hunted online for something colorful, handmade and fun to use as an eyeglass strap but found nothing out there. 

After recently retiring, I decided to be creative and design my own whimsical, one-of-a-kind, colorful aluminum wire eyeglass chains so that I never misplace my reading glasses or sunglasses again! 

Based on suggestions of customers at my first Avant-Garde show in December, I have also created lanyard chains, necklaces, and earrings to match the colors and designs of many of the eyeglass chains that you see at my booth and on my Etsy site(etsy.com/shop/WhimsicalWireGifts). 

I really look forward to watching my business grow and to expand my products based on the needs of my customers. 

I hope you find a design that represents your personality and enjoy wearing your purchase as much as I loved making it for you.

Meet Marianne Carroll from M|C Pottery Studio...

I am a ceramic artist in Chagrin Falls inspired by Nature and its beauty. I've been in the business for 5 years. This is my first time participating in the Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows. 

I create art to connect to a deeper purpose, I connect with creativity as a joyful experience and appreciate the form and function of nature in ceramic art. I graduated from CCAD with a degree in fine art oil painting, but always wanted to explore ceramics.

As a child,  I would always turn to art as an important process in my life. I love the act of playing with clay. I write down a lot of ideas, set goals for production and just go for it.

I recently built a ceramic studio on my property in Chagrin Falls to have a better space to create. I look forward to launching a website where I can focus on shipping my work all over the county.

The message behind my work is that beauty is everywhere!

Meet Jen Ertle from Honeybee Hobby...

My name is Jen and I am a nurse by trade; I currently work part time as a nurse educator and I also have two little ones at home! My husband recognized that I needed a little get away/a hobby so he got me a Cricut a little over a year ago and I have been creating ever since! 

I have been working on my items for a little over a year. I started out making ornaments and now I don’t make those at all! I have transitioned to wooden gift tags (which I love creating and making!), wooden wine charms for all four seasons, and now small felt flower pots to go with little memory jars and journals- the perfect gift for anyone!

This will be my first Avant-Garde show! When I feel stressed, I work on this hobby. It helps me calm my mind and focus on something. It also gives me a quick getaway from the busy hustle and bustle of family life.

I got into this because I needed a hobby/something to do :)

I worked through many different phases of what I wanted to create! I actually found the gift tags by accident when trying to create ornaments and decided it would be cool to create these gift tags. The best part about them is that you can write on the back- no need for searching endlessly for a card anymore and they are perfect for any occasion.

I tend to have ideas here and there; I look up inspiration and images and work to create things I would use and what I think others can use. I also love that the things I make are different from what most people make. 

In five years, I hope I'm continuing to create crafts and enjoy this hobby. I would love to continue sharing my craft with others!

I love using my crafting/creating to work through stressful situations. I feel that mental health is incredibly important yet often stigmatized in the world today. That is one of the reasons I created my gift baskets- a great little gift idea which includes a handmade journal with fun stickers to help people keep track of whatever they want (gratitude, vacations, baby’s milestones, new home ideas, etc.) while having a little flower pot to brighten their day, and the tiny memory jars can be used to write down memories and pull them back out during stressful times. I like to think of it as a mood booster pack! Nothing beats paper and pen and a little fun color :) 

2025 Chagrin Falls Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday, April 12, 2025

10:00am-4:00pm

Sun Valley

10000 Edwards Lane

Chagrin Falls, OH 44023

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

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One More Day to Go!

Meet Sandy Taraba from Visions by Sandy...

Photography brings me closer to nature and my "Vision" can capture your forever memories.

My love of photography came from my Dad. I can't remember a time when he didn't have a camera in is hands. My own photography journey started with just taking pictures of my kids. They started calling me "The Momma Razzi".

After sharing Cheer pictures of my daughter, in 2015, I was asked to take the Berkshire Rec Cheer and Volleyball pictures, which I have done for the past eight years. My portrait photography took off from there and my husband bought me my first professional camera. I now do Portrait photography along with Sports. I get super excited when I get to capture forever moments and memories, especially Senior year pics. I enjoy finding their inner beauty and learning about their dreams for the future. I am honored  to capture their final High School picture. 

I also absolutely love to capture this beautiful world we live in. There is Mystery and beauty all around us and I enjoy sharing my "Vision" of it, through my lens.  Nature and Birds are my passion. In 2017 I entered my first photo contest and actually won first place..  It was of a Female Cardinal that I took through my sliding glass door. She was looking right at me with an expression of "Who Me"?

Then in 2018 I submitted a Pelican (named him Oscar) to a Smithsonian magazine contest and got "Honorable Mention". At that point, many of my family and friends had encouraged me to sell my images. I didn't even know where to begin. Then a dear friend literally bought me a website and "Visions by Sandy" was created. I sell my images online at Visionsbysandy.zenfolio.com as well as Craft and Art shows. 

I am passionate about capturing God's Artwork. I feel in my heart that since it's His Artwork I'm going to put His Word on it. 

"His Art, His Word". You will find some of my favorite images with my favorite scriptures on them. Will happily put yours on as well!

I am self-taught and still have a lot to learn. I have definitely stubbled and failed miserably along the way.   My failures in photography haven't been a dead end, but a stepping stone towards my true destination.  They have guided me, shaped me and revealed hidden paths that have lead to my growth and purpose. I stumble but gain wisdom and know that my failures have put me directly on the path where I'm supposed to be. 

I love this Photographers poem:

"Life is like a camera. Just focus on what's important and capture the good times. Develop from the negatives and if things don't work out just take another shot". I look forward to seeing where my next shot will take me and what beauty I can capture.

The "Vision" in my Images are personal. You'll find a piece of my heart in every single one. 

Meet Eva Zala from Zara Designs & Services...

What inspires me to create.. My hungarian heritage inspired the use of materials showcasing the matyo and kalocsa fabrics from Hungary. I started sewing market bags and kept learning new things to sew. The rest is history!

How I got into my craft.. I remember complaining when my mom signed me up for sewing lessons at Stitch in Time when I was 12. Now I look back on those 6 weeks and feel so grateful for learning the basics. 

I come from a family of artists. Some in fine arts, jewelry making, woodworking and culinary arts. 

My creative process... I see something that speaks to me, whether it's something to sew, or something to draw or paint. I feel fear and trepidation sometimes to try something new. I let that drive my creative process. There is nothing more fulfilling than to face your fears and see the end result that others appreciate too. Whether it's something they purchase, or even just give a compliment when they stop at my booth!

Meet Rourke Stubna from Art by Rourke....

I am a Kent based artist, currently working in the environmental industry at a Greenhouse.

I've been into art ever since grade school. I started to get more into my artwork in high school, thanks to my school's many art classes, I took every art class available. These classes included drawing, painting, sculpting, ceramics, and other art fundamentals. After high school, I started taking commissions, mainly doing pet portraits. In 2017, I joined an art group, The Novelty Collective, located in Avalon, Pennsylvania (https://www.thenoveltycollective.org/). Their annual Novelty Collective Art & Music festival was my first time being an art vendor. I have been a vendor at their annual festival each year since 2017. This year, 2024, is the first time I'm applying to other art and craft shows. In 2023, I decided to make a career change, running my own art business. While I've enjoyed my work in the horticulture industry, art is my true passion and I'm excited to pursue that passion and make a career out of it.

While I'm not longer interested in an environmental career, my work allows me to be in nature and that is shown in a lot of my work. The beautiful plants I work with, I found painting the plants to be a lot more fulfilling. The various birds I see are perfect subjects for an afternoon painting (and they're my most popular artworks). The landscapes I see inspire my simplistic watercolor landscapes.

My inspirations don't stop there. I am greatly influenced my popculture and music. Often times a song will influence what I create next. The song "Autumn Leaves", or "Les Feuilles mortes", inspired my painting "The Autumn Goddess" (attached), a tree woman, also inspired by the Walt Disney Silly Symphony "Flowers and Trees."

My fantastic art teachers in high school got me into art, and my art community, family, friends, and partner continue to support my art journey.

Years of practice is how I discovered and continue to discover my talents. I enjoy trying new things and learning new techniques. My work is constantly evolving. I'd say my talents are making connections with people through my art. Even if it's as simple as "I like birds, and I Iike your bird artwork."

My creative process is pretty simple: I see it/think it, I like it, I create it. On top of that, I'm always thinking of ways to improve my following pieces or utilize different techniques to keep my art interesting.

My five year goal... I see myself working for myself and making a career with my art. I'll be doing art events all around the country. I also see myself working with other great artists, collaborating on projects.

The message behind my artwork is making connections. Pop-culture is really a unique thing that allows a sense of community, connection, and relatability. In all my art there is some form of pop-culture reference. Such as my Lemon oil paintings are directly inspired by Beyoncé's visual album "Lemonade." My "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rihanna" stickers is a quote from the show Broad City. My Blue Bird painting is inspired by Bestrice from Over the Garden Wall. I think there is a deeper connection someone might feel with a piece, not just because they think it looks cool, but also because they connect with my inspiration behind it.

Meet Logan Carmichael from Red's Custom Woodworking...

I am a medically retired veteran that started woodworking about seven years ago. I was a medic in the United States Army with two deployments to Iraq and six months in Kuwait. I moved here to Ohio about 5 years ago from Minnesota when I met my girlfriend on one of my motorcycle trips. 

Chagrin Falls will be my 4th Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show as I just started getting into the craft show scene!

My inspiration to create wooden works of art comes from both my imagination and the mind of those that I create it for. People give me an idea of what they are looking for, and from there, I just start making sawdust. No blue prints, no Auto-CAD, no drawings, just a visualization in my mind and I start creating. 

Both my dad and my grandfather are amazing wood working artists, both in their own style, so I take what I learned from them, and add my own little flair to it. In five years, I see myself still creating works of wooden art. 

I use wood working as a therapy for my PTSD. I know alot of Veterans out there that suffer from it and I guess my message behind my work, is to find a hobby you love and run with it. It's helped me out immensely and I have made many connections along the way!! 

I just recently created a linktree to my social media accounts that have a few works I've created over the past few years. I can only hope that the recipients of my work enjoy them as much as I enjoy making them!! So when you're at the next craft show, if you see the big sign that says, "Red's Custom WoodWerx", stop by and say hello, I love to chit chat!!

2024 Chagrin Falls Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday and Sunday, May 4/5, 2024

Saturday- 10:00am-4:00pm

Sunday- 11:00am-4:00pm

Chagrin Valley Athletic Club

17260 Snyder Rd.

Chagrin Falls, OH 44023

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

Visit us on:

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Time to Get Festive in Chagrin Falls!

Meet R Squared Limited Edition...
My husband and I live in Strongsville, Oh. My day job is in banking and crafts and beading fill much of my free time. I have been crafting for my entire life and have been beading seriously for about eight to nine years. My mom was crafty so we always had something around to work on.

My inspiration comes from lots of places - things I see, other crafters, books, videos, nature, previous crafts. I am constantly learning - changes what techniques I use. I very much enjoyed the journey of learning. I very much enjoy teaching - sharing my knowledge and experience and especially showing people the right way, and the wrong way to do some of the techniques. I share my experimenting and 'fails'!!

Determining what to make comes from various influences. I hate getting stale so I am constantly researching and reading. Once I know what I want to make I begin to select materials. Then I just go for it. This is my seventh or eight Avant-Garde show and I am super excited to return!

Meet Heidi Page of My Caterpillar Wings...

Like most of us, I am so many different people at once! I am joyfully married to my husband of 14 years and we have two incredible daughters with whom I try to spend meaningful time (while I still can!). I spent a couple of years doing musical theater with our 12 year old daughter and this year I am a Girl Scout with our 9 year old. I spend my days at Case Western Reserve University where I was once a research scientist and now work on the compliance and administrative side in support of our researchers.  I love to be outside, to read and to be at the bottom of a snuggle pile.  I would be remiss, and likely disowned, if I did not mention how much I enjoy the newest addition to the family, our Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Sebastian. 

I made hemp and beaded jewelry in my younger years but this, the intention and energy jewelry, I have only been making for about 6 months and selling it for even less time.  My own spiritual and emotional needs drew me back to meditation first, then working with healing stones and creating energy and intention bracelets second. I made a few bracelets for myself out of healing stones and it wasn't long before I started to hear from others, "That's really cool, I need one of those!" Which evolved into, "Do you sell these?" I was honestly surprised others wanted to buy what I created! It is more than putting pieces together to create a pretty bracelet and I think that is the draw. I think it is less about talent and more about the care I put into these. Or maybe the care is my talent? I often cleanse my space with a smudge stick before I begin to work. I might lay out a crystal or two to help me focus my thoughts and energy on what I want to create, and everything I make is made thoughtfully, with intention and cleansed through smudging before being given to my customer or taken to a show. Every bracelet comes with a card explaining the stones used, numerical significance, if any, and the intention that created it.  I suspect that part is more the talent than stringing beads?

People inspire me. I try to hear and internalize the problems and concerns of the people around me, or those that are so common we all cope with. I want to help alleviate those problems for people. I want to provide aides and tools to overcome mountains, to help people persevere, to grow, to love ourselves and others, to evolve into the best of ourselves. The message of my work is that none of us are done yet. We are all still evolving and we have a say in how that goes. Listen to your inner voice (the kind one!) and the Universe and hear what they are telling you, discover what you need and go get it so you can be the best of yourself.  

Meet Lisa Wilson of Nectar of the Vine...

We are a family owned & operated business for over 14 years now with our wine slushy mixes. We take great care to offer a wonderful product with a great deal of selection of flavors and options of how to make our mixes. Our favorite motto is spike it how you like it from wine to moonshine! Though we have done this for fourteen years, this is our first Avant-Garde show.

We love being able to offer our customers a great tasting product & seeing what joy it brings to them. Getting to travel to different festivals and shows & experiencing the people & the surrounding things to do in that area is something we love about our craft.

In five years, hopefully we are growing the company to the best it can be.The message behind out work is to sit back & enjoy life and relax with your friends & family with a great wine slushy or a warm wine cocktail.

Meet Erica and Hope of Decade's Dream Soap...

We are a mom (Hope) and daughter (Erica) partnership. We both have a wide variety of interests and love spending time creating, talking, and laughing. When not soaping together, Hope cares for her aging mom and Erica works as a digital marketer as well as a fitness coach.

We’ve been making soap together regularly for about two and a half years. Initially, Hope took a class on how to make soap around the time her youngest of three children was leaving home. Erica, always curious and eager to learn, thought making soap with her mom was a stellar idea. As making soap is practical as well as fun, we’ve stuck with it. We’d like to believe that we infuse our soap with our care and creativity when making each batch.

Hope loves color, wants to know how things are constructed (fabric, usually), and always wants to rearrange (furniture, appliances, you-name-it) and make things look beautiful while retaining or improving their functionality.

Erica loves to build things (both digitally and physically). She likes to understand how things work and then apply that knowledge to improve her part of the process. Logic and intuition play a part in how she creates, with attention to detail being an asset with both artistic and technical endeavors.

We believe that our products should be practical and beautiful. Our soap is meant to be used, and, while it’s a consumable item, it’s also something that adds joy to the sometimes mundane experience of washing.

This will be our first show with Avant-Garde and we’re very excited to participate as a vendor!

 

2019 Chagrin Falls Winter Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Saturday & Sunday, December 14 & 15, 2019

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:

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