Tuesday, March 3, 2020

See-ya in Cincinnati!

Meet Wendy Ellen of WendyEllen's, LLC...  
Hi my name is Wendy Creech and I started WendyEllen’s, LLC in 2018.  We are a small home-based business that creates one of a kind denim and canvas purses, totes, duffel bags, and accessories.  
It is our objective to create only high quality, durable products with great attention to detail. When not working as a dental hygienist, I have always dabbled in crafting, but this has become more than just a hobby to me.  It has become my passion and how I spend every spare moment that I have.  

This will be the first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show that I will be participating in.  I’ve had the opportunity to participate in a few other craft shows and look forward to many more. I truly appreciate the feedback I get from customers regarding my creations.  I listen to suggestions with an open mind and have customized many orders to fit a particular person’s wants or needs.  
Discovering my passion was an evolution from the first stitch.  The very first tote I made as a gift, which wasn’t very good, sparked something inside me that I knew I had to pursue.   I love creating something that is not only unique, but of very high quality. I have practiced endless hours and learned so much and all of this is poured into each and every creation that comes out of my sewing room.  I can spend hours in a fabric store getting a tactile feel for the materials and seeing the end product in my head.  

In 5 years, with a more sizable work space, and I’d love to have WendyEllen’s, LLC available in select boutiques.  I know that as long as I am capable of continuing to create, I will do so with the same feeling of accomplishment that I feel today.

Meet Susan of Silver Serpent Chainmaille...
Hi! My Name is Susan and I hand-weave individual metal ring links to make jewelry and other cool stuff. I found this art in 2008 and I fell in love with it. I have been weaving rings ever since. It has grown to be one of my great passions and it is also an expression of myself and my creativity.
Just about anything and everything inspires me for my creations. Sometimes its a conversation with a friend, or seeing something in nature or sometimes I am working on a project and another project or idea will blossom from what I am currently working on. Then I have to jot down notes and return to the idea once the current project is finished.
                                    
What got me interested in chainmaille? Well it was actually an internet search on google images. I was looking for something specific and chainmaille items kept coming up instead of what I was looking for. After awhile I started to really look at it and just fell in love with it. I knew then that this was something I was going to try doing myself. It can be frustrating at times but in the end it is very enjoyable and relaxing to me.

Meet Monica Simpson of Mon's Trons Gifts...
Hello! I am a 24 year old wife and mother of two. I am a self-published children's book author, and I really enjoy writing, making crochet blankets and scarves and making tie blankets.
I discovered my talent for writing after years and years of reading books and thinking up stories of my own, but never putting words on paper. After finally sitting down and trying my hand at writing, I turned out to really like it. Now, my two kids inspire me daily. Before I had them, I was writing adult fiction, but once they were born, I decided to switch to children's books, and it was a great decision for me. 
My grandma taught me to crochet when I was in junior high and since then I have continued to try new patterns and stitches. I now teach my grandma the new stitches that I learn. Blanket making is something I have always enjoyed. It started by making them for myself and other people. One day it just made sense to start selling my creations to others.  
My creative process is quite simple really. For my blankets and scarves, I first choose the colors that I will be using and then I decide what type of pattern I will be using. Making different color patterns is the most fun part for me. My creative process for my writing is a little trickier. I first have to decide what I want to write about and then I make an outline or rough draft of my work. I then critique it multiple times until it is exactly the way I want it to be. 
The message behind my work is that you can do anything you put your mind to, and that hard work really does pay off if you want something bad enough. 

Meet Kelsea Hudgins of Milk Suds...
We are Milk Suds and we make homemade soaps, lotions, bath fizzies, castile soap, and lip balms. We are a mother/daughter team that have been working together for over 13 years. We work together to create not only the products but the labels and everything else that goes into our craft. As far as backgrounds go, Renee/mom has an art degree from Miami University and Kelsea/daughter went to Mount St. Joseph and got a bachelor’s in biology and a doctorate in physical therapy. We both live in Guilford, Indiana where we make all of our products.
We started making soap out of curiosity – a lot of trial and error was involved.  There are so many creative options for soap making. You can change the oils used, liquids such as water or simply any other liquid, fragrance, pouring techniques, and color scheme can all be altered as you want. It is endless when it comes to options and you rarely can make every batch exactly the same.What inspires us to create?  I would say the ingredients inspire us the most. We get an idea about what ingredients we want to use, and we plan the soap around the ingredients we choose. All of our ingredients are unique. For example, we have an apple cider soap we make with locally sourced apple cider. The fragrance, color, and design are all inspired from the use of the apple cider.
What inspires us to create?  I would say the ingredients inspire us the most. We get an idea about what ingredients we want to use, and we plan the soap around the ingredients we choose. All of our ingredients are unique. For example, we have an apple cider soap we make with locally sourced apple cider. The fragrance, color, and design are all inspired from the use of the apple cider.
It is important to take care of your skin and homemade soap truly is more beneficial than store-bought “soap”. Store-bought “soap” that is commercially made is actually nothing more than detergent. They are filled with artificial, unrecognizable ingredients, and made in large factories. Our soaps use natural, organic ingredients. A natural soap is usually formed by combining animal or plant-based oils and butters that are rich in nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants. The skin loves and needs these ingredients to stay healthy. What you see on the ingredient list is what you get with homemade soap. It is more about the quality, than the quantity with homemade soaps.
                                   
In five years, we just want to still be having fun and enjoying the soap making process. It is a hobby and we enjoy making the soaps. We hope that others come to appreciate and enjoy our products as well.

This will be our first time participating in an Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show and we are looking forward to a wonderful show! Find us on Facebook@MilkSuds or e-mail us at milk.suds@yahoo.com


2020 Cincinnati Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Sunday, March 15th, 2020 - 10:00am-4:00pm
Oasis Golf Club & Conference Center
902 Loveland-Miamiville Rd.
Loveland, OH 45140
For more information, contact Amanda Look, Event Coordinator at Amanda@ag-shows.com
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