Welcome to Show Week, Pleasant Hills!

Meet Abigail and Alyssa from Daring Between...

Hello, our names are Abigail and Alyssa. We are sisters. We work full time as creators and designers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Each of us see beauty in different ways and things, and we're proud to translate the romance of beauty we see around us to our fashion forward Jewelry and Apparel.

We've always enjoyed sharing the beauty we see with those around us, which we both do additionally as Photographer (Abigail) and Makeup Artist (Alyssa).

DaringBetween was created about 2 years ago out of the desire to share with others our unique fashions and designs, all the while getting paid to do it!  This will be our first show!

Anything and everything inspires us. We find inspiration in places like the depth that colors have, to the way someones eyes sparkle when talking about something they love.

Sitting at home when we were little girls, we had the opportunity to explore the art, passion and creativity we'd call our own. Imagine living in a castle with rolling hills that screamed out to a young child's imagination telling us that it could be anything we wanted. (We lived in an old hundred year old house with about a quarter acre of land, but hey, we were little people!)

That's where we began our never-ending search for everything beautiful and inspiring. 

 (Abigail) I can't remember a point in my life were I wasn't creating something, when I was little I was always finding little scrapes of fabric for clothes for my dolls or odds and ends to decorate outfits for myself. When I got old enough my mom first taught me how to hand sew and from there on out it was off to the races! Any fabric that my mom wasn't using and allowed me to have, turned in to either a pillow for my doll's bed a blanket or dress. Really anything I could think of! I love being able to have an outfit that is uniquely me and doesn't look like anything else out there.

(Alyssa) I've always been driven to create the things that I found fascinating or was interested in. So when I was little and summer camp came around with it's jewelry making activities, I decided I wanted to figure out how to make my own type of jewelry that I'd actually want to wear. That started what has continued to become a never ending learning and creating process.

Our creative process is definitely gradual through inspiration. Imaginative. Quality through a pretty big touch of perfectionism.

In five years we hope to still be growing, and to be a quality brand with products our customers love!

Each of us see beauty in different ways and things, and we're proud to translate the romance of beauty we see around us to our fashion forward Jewelry and Apparel. Unique is beautiful. You are beautiful.

Meet Susan Gates from Fundametals Studios...

Hi!  My name is Sue Gates and I live in the Pittsburgh, PA  area.  I have always loved to create and currently own a quilt shop in my area where I sell sewing machines, fabrics, notions, etc. and teach loads of classes.  While I love that, I needed a new creative outlet and always wanted to work with sterling silver.  After many years of classes and urging from family and friends I decided to sell some of my pieces.

I have been honing my art for 5-6 years now and absolutely love it.  I am so looking forward to participating in three Avant Garde shows this fall! 

I find that a lot of my inspiration comes from nature as I love to create sterling pieces with dimension that brings them to life.  I decide on the shape I want, saw that out, pattern my metal, finely finish it and hammer to get the dimension.  Many pieces then have gemstones added to give a message of natural beauty.  My collection includes necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings.  

I hope to be involved with many more Avant-Garde shows going forward…it is always great to meet new people!

Meet Kelly Foster from Kelly's Krafts...

My name is Kelly and I am a nearly 30 year old (omg I can't believe I just said that, I'm getting so old!). I have had way too many surgeries and that's kind of how I got into making crafts I guess. Last year around this time I was preparing for surgery # who cares and decided if I was going to be off work, I was going to need something to do. My very first wreath was my Kooky Thanksgiving Tommy the Turkey. After that I decided that I needed to make a wreath for every season and/or holiday. A year later, I have all the holiday wreaths I need but I still love making them. I have been doing this for about a year now. This is going to be my first Avant-Garde show.

I typically just see something I like and decide to try it with my own twist. Maybe it's better maybe it's worse but it's mine. I also don't make exact duplicates of anything. If, for example, I am making candy cane wreaths, they will all be different somehow. Never the same. I feel like that makes it a little more personal so it's not like they are just being pumped out of a factory or ordered in a kit or something.

I saw some cool wreaths on Pinterest and needed something to so while laid up from surgery, and then when people kept telling me that my wreaths were nice I decided to start selling them.

Usually my creative process is pretty simple. I see a picture and think of what I can do to make it better or my own. Then I go from there and then second guess myself and ask opinions of people to see if it looks good or not. Sometimes I just can't see that it looks amazing.

I wouldn't call this a business. It's my hobby so, in five years, I see myself still making crafts. I feel like if I made it into too much of a "business" the fun would get sucked out of doing it.

Meet Erin Athey from Gerties Attic Jewelry...
I’m a life-long Pittsburgher that lives in the South Hills with my husband of 20 years and 3 cats.  I love old movies, gardening, crafting, and hunting for vintage and antique treasures.

I have been creating and crafting my entire life, but have only started to seriously get into jewelry making the past 5 years.  I started my jewelry line, Gertie’s Attic, about 4 years ago and began selling at craft shows.  This is my first Avant-Garde show and I’m excited to be a part of it!

A love of antique jewelry that I have collected for many years is what really inspires me. When I began designing and creating my own jewelry line, it was only natural that I turned to my love of Victorian and Art Deco designs for inspiration. I draw my unique sense of creativity from these eras for many reasons, including a deep appreciation of art from these times and a love of nature that inspired many artists of those eras.

I’ve been making and crafting my entire life.  My grandmother was always making things and some of my fondest memories of her were making Christmas ornaments with her or learning to crochet from her.

I inherited my Great Aunt’s jewelry from the 1920s.  Much of it was beaded and needed to be restrung, so I taught myself how to properly knot pearls and beads and how to repair and restore the jewelry.  I found that I really enjoyed doing it and loved the uniqueness and craftsmanship of the jewelry.

My jewelry designs feature brass stampings, often made from antique dies.  I also use many deadstock and/or repurposed antique jewelry components and cabochons in my creations.  I usually start out with a unique stamping, component or cabochon as my inspiration and let the design flow naturally from there.

I would like to have more online shopping capabilities for customers and to grow my business by participating in larger craft shows within the next five years.  I am also always looking for new ways and skills to improve my offerings.  But no matter what, I would still be making jewelry.  This is my hobby and I love to do it, whether I am selling it or not.      

What I hope that my jewelry says is...Don’t be afraid to be your unique self, whether it is trendy or not.  I make what I love and always will, trendy or not.  Trends come and go, but classics are forever!

Meet Rosemarie Gerdich from Gramma Rose's Crochet Sundries...

I started out in the U.S. Air Force working on the electronics in on the F4 Phantom fighter jet. When I got out of the service, I went back to school for a degree (AS) in electronics and got a job in a Pittsburgh manufacturing company. After a few years, I got a job at a local technical school teaching aviation electronics. And so, started my career in instruction and training. I have been teaching, in one form or another since 1987, first at three technical trade schools (electronics) and then, starting in 2000, at field sites for propulsion equipment, manned light rail vehicles and automated people movers. I have a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction in adult learning and training.

On the creative side, about 10 years ago, a friend showed me a simple single, double and shell stitch; and I ended up making an afghan for my daughter. It wasn’t perfect but it was warm. I made several more afghans for family that turned out much better.

Then my daughter had a baby and planned to use cloth diapers. When researching this, she came across information on the advantages of using woolies (wool diaper covers). I bought some wool from eBay so that if she didn’t like the cover, I wouldn’t be out too much money. She loved it, and so I made several more. My granddaughter did not wear one pair of plastic pants. My daughter used the woolies until Amelia was potty trained.

I moved onto other types of projects: scarves, hats, baskets, market bags, things for the kitchen, etc. Then, when my granddaughter was about 16 months, she spied a ragdoll in a crochet book I have. She wasn’t saying very many words yet but she let me know that she wanted that doll. I enjoyed making Betty-dolly and Amelia loves her still. I made several others for sale as well as for other grandchildren. My latest doll project is Amy Pond/Silence inspired if I could only get the plaid shirt right.

A few years ago, I combined my talent with the hook and yarn with some ideas from my son-in-law, the graphic novelist, and my nerd line was born. My hats, dolls, gloves, etc. are inspired by science-fiction and comic book characters such as Princess Leia, Katniss, Garnet, Doctor Who, Thanos, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, and a host of others.

I really don’t have a creative process. I see something on Pintrest or Etsy or just wandering through life and think, “That would be cool.” My daughter, son-in-law and their friends also give me ideas. Sometimes I buy crochet patterns but that is mostly for the unique stitches. I usually change something about the project. There are very few things that I have made that follow any one pattern. In most cases, I look at a picture and make up the pattern as I go along. I usually forget to write it down so typically my products are unique and one of a kind.

I have not participated in an Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show previously; however, I am excited about joining the other craftsmen for this show and many future shows. As for the future of my business, I don’t see it changing much. I enjoy the craft shows, meeting other artists, keeping the business small.

The message for my work is fun. I like to do fun projects and work with fun colors. If you are not in the market to buy crochet, stop by my table anyway and say hello. I’ll bet a nickel that you will find something that will make you smile.

2017 Pleasant Hills Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday, October 29, 2017 - 10:00am-5:00pm

Georgetown Center

526 East Bruceton Rd

Pleasant Hills, PA 15236

For more information, contact Amanda Look, Event Coordinator at Amanda@ag-shows.com

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