Meet Jane Radis from Stitchery by the Shore...
I’m a retired nurse, proud mom of four, and grandma to seven wonderful grandchildren. After 33 years of raising my children and stepping away from a fulfilling career in nursing, I found myself with an empty nest—and a bit of quiet time. That’s when I discovered a creative spark within, and the beautiful, time-honored art of hand embroidery.
What started as a hobby quickly became a passion—something I truly look forward to whenever I have a moment to myself. I soon realized how difficult it was to find embroidery designs I’d actually want to frame and display in my home, so I began sketching my own. My very first piece was a Halloween “Trick or Treat” design, drawn directly onto fabric.
I’m deeply inspired by the changing seasons, the beauty of our lakeside retirement home in Vermilion, the colors in nature, gardens, holidays, childhood memories, and the quiet, everyday moments that make life meaningful.
Discovering my talent was an accident—I stitched a sweet piece for my first granddaughter and fell in love with the process. Learning the stitches and seeing the design come to life was so enjoyable, I was immediately hooked. As I stitched, I found ideas constantly flowing—more than I could possibly keep up with. The more I created, the more I realized how naturally the designs and inspiration came to me.
Inspiration usually strikes when I least expect it—a bird perched on a branch, a vibrant bouquet of flowers, a cheerful piece of wallpaper or a beautifully designed gift bag, or even a charming holiday decoration. When something catches my eye, I start sketching ideas and playing around with shapes and layouts. Once I’m happy with the design, I begin the process of digitizing it. From there, I gather thread options and experiment with color combinations. Once the design is transferred to fabric, I simply begin stitching—deciding on stitch types intuitively as I go. It’s a very organic, joyful process.
My dream is to cultivate stitching communities—spaces where women can come together to stitch, share stories, nurture creativity, and build lasting friendships.
I believe we all carry a creative spark inside us, but it often gets lost in the busyness of life. Anyone can do hand embroidery! My hope is that my work inspires others to slow down, rediscover their creativity, and find joy in making something beautiful by hand. Nurturing creativity, no matter how small, can be a powerful source of fulfillment.
Meet Sarah Bullington from Busy Bee Artistry...
My name is Sarah Bullington, I am a jewelry artist from Medina Ohio. I am completely blind, and God has gifted me with the ability to make jewelry. My hands are my eyes and my imagination is my vision
I have been making jewelry on and off since I was a small child, and over the last 15 years I have been focusing more on my art and building my skills. I am proud to say this is my third year selling at the Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows.
I create to bring out the visions I keep in my mind. I love to use my imagination of the visual world around me to create something that I can see. My Papa got me into the craft hobby as a small child. He kept me busy with crafting, especially after I lost my sight at the age of three.
I discovered my talent when I found out there was more to jewelry making than just kids crafting, from the discovery of “adult beads” made from gemstones, crystals and Czech glass, and the numerous techniques I can learn, and I started taking classes and found out which techniques I best work in.
I find inspiration from the world around me, from taking a walk outside listening to birds, listening to the leaves in the wind, feeling and smelling flowers and hugging trees. Then I find the right materials to bring my vision into a physical form and decide which techniques would work best for the process. I attend a weekly jewelry class at the Chagrin Falls Valley Art Center to make sure the colors I choose match with what I am looking for.
I see myself in the next five years growing my line of jewelry to include other artwork both wearable and for the home, selling in local stores, galleries, online and shows.
My message behind my work is to spread hope, love, peace, and joy by showing how despite my disability that through God nothing is impossible.
Meet Abby from Starlight Grove Studios...
Abby has been taking photographs since she first picked up a film camera in highschool. Her work has always been influenced by nature.
She been drawn to the natural world as a subject, using it as a canvas for experimentation and investigation. In addition, she is drawn to photography because it allows us to capture moments in our lives, but it also allowed us to manipulate, create, and imgaine.
In 2024, Abby began creating wooden and acrylic rings to compliment all of the photos of trees. Abby has a BA in Studio Art from Carleton College and is based in Cleveland, Ohio. She lives with her two dogs, Bailey and Willow.
I have been taking photos since high school and I added in woodworking in 2024. I have participated in two Avant Garde shows so far - The Spring Solon show and the Summer by the Lake Willoughby show and hoping to do many more in 2026!
The natural world inspires me to create. I started taking black and white film photographs in high school and I fell in love with the process of working in the darkroom. I also enjoy digital photography, but the film process is what started my love - watching a photo appear on the paper as you put it in the developer is always a fun surprise.
In five years, I hope to be doing photography full time as a product photographer and continuing to do shows! The message behind my work is There is magic in everyday things, you just might need to look at it in a new light or in a new way to see it.
