Meet Sara Jo from Sergio’s Flower Trunk…
My passion for floral design started at the age of eight. Babe Meyer Florist, in Oakley, let me clean his shop in exchange for a lesson on how to make a corsage as a gift for my mom for Mother’s Day. I have well over 50 years of experience, but this is my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show.
Meet Carol Tomes from Woods by Design…
My name is Carol Tomes. About seven years ago I remarried and my husband asked if there was something I’ve always wanted to do but didn’t have the chance. Absolutely, I’d love to learn to work with wood! I’ve always been a crafter but after a couple of classes I knew this was it! This will be my first Avant-Garde show, but I will hopefully participate in many more. I have participated in many Cincinnati shows.
I up cycle using scraps of wood from different sources. I even go to sawmills for unusual pieces. Some of my pictures are framed in discontinued kitchen cabinet samples, which make beautiful frames. I also make custom pieces. Ex. Trombone: the background is from a sawmill in Tennessee.
To be able to save the wood and show off its beauty thrills me. I have a Women’s Cave in my basement where I go in the evenings and get lost. Although I’m up in age, God willing in five years I’ll still be showing off my pieces.
If you have a passion for something Go For It. You’ll never know unless you try. At any age.
Meet Brittany Harris from The Cookie Source...
My name is Brittany Harris. I am the owner of The Cookie Source, a licensed home bakery. I specialize in custom decorated sugar cookies and gourmet drop cookies. I have been a licensed business for three years now. I've participated in one other Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show back in 2019. I'm excited to be back with an even better array of goodies this year!
I get inspired by many things... A pattern on someone's shirt at the grocery store, a beautiful flower I see while outside with my kids. But most of all is the expression on a customer's face when I'm able to bring to life the design they had in their head.
A family friend offered to teach me the art of cookie decorating. As soon as I caught the hang of it there was no turning back! Having grown up thinking I wasn't artistic at all (thanks high school art teachers...) I would have never discovered my talent if it hadn't been for my family's friend suggesting she teach me.
Cookie decorating is quite the process. Step one is sketching the cookie designs. My #1 focus is a delicious cookie, so the recipe was tweaked until it was perfect! Cookies baked, icing stirred and colors mixed and bagged. The decorating process can take 24+ hours because of the drying process. The different layers of designs can really take quite a while to complete.
In five years I hope to have a cookie food truck that I can drive around and set up at various locations to sell yummy treats and to make it more convenient for people to pick up their orders.
The message behind my work is love. The detail and time poured into each individual cookie simply boils down to love. Love for the process, love for the creativity, and love for the people who will be enjoying the art I create.
