Shirley J • January 2023
Pouring or Fluid Abstract Art
Shirley started with making all her own jewelry and began selling her designs. Then she ventured into crocheting, learning these skills by watching tutorials.
One day while online, Shirley ran across a video of an artist using a technique called Pouring or Fluid Art. It was both beautiful and very interesting. So she bought acrylic paint and canvases and tried it. Needing to research and study this form of acrylic abstract art, she learned that it included both chemistry and a lot of planning. It took her almost two years to find the paint recipes needed to get the correct results. Now she can get the cell reactions and lacing affects in her paintings which are very satisfying.
Shirley enjoys commissioned orders, working with clients’ color schemes and canvas or frame sizes to match their décor. Whether selling existing or commissioned art, Shirley’s goal is always to give the best product and service experience possible. Please visit Shirley’s listing on the CANVAS Page.
Becky T • February 2023
Pottery
Becky found a pottery class as she learned to throw on the wheel and the basic rules of handbuilding. As a bonus, she gained many friends who were also still working and looking for a hobby.
After moving here in 2020, and retiring in 2022, she started her company Color Your World Pottery. In her two-car garage, she houses her pottery studio consisting of a wheel, a slab roller, and kiln. With hundreds of commercial glazes in stock, she applies the glaze to enable the pottery to be food safe.
Becky’s love for pottery gives her a chance to meet new people, and sell throughout the year at venues like the Lutz Arts and Crafts, Altamonte Springs Wine and Art Show, Temple Terrace Art Show and others. Please visit Becky’s listing on the ARTS Page.
Sherry T • March 2023
Acrylic Painting
Sherry has been a lover of fine arts since her youth. Singing, acting, but especially drawing, sculpting, and painting were inspired by her “muse” and older brother Mickey. She was happily relegated to painting murals in the kids’ bedrooms and decorating for the holidays and special occasions. As others noticed her creativity, opportunities to do commissioned work arrived on the scene. Church, school, friends’ homes, and even the local government asked for her help with many kinds of projects. Painting what she really liked, flowers and butterflies, first on smaller canvases for gifts, gave rise to visions of a broader application of these activities and projects. Hosting paint parties, illustrating books, and taking part at craft and holiday fairs provided the perfect ways to hone her craft – and learning from others. Paint parties have been especially rewarding, providing a lot of good times to many wonderful people at churches, schools, neighborhoods, and offices.
Sherry works mainly with acrylic paint on canvas, and branches out at times with some clay projects. She is available for custom work if you have your own project in mind. Please visit Sherry’s listing on the CANVAS Page.
Kelly H • April 2023
Custom Decals and Iron-Ons
Kelly’s husband bought her a Cricut machine for Christmas one year, and she loves making things with it and being creative. She had no formal training on how to use the device except for hundreds of YouTube videos and skills learned from websites.
After labeling everything in the house and making gifts and cards for family and friends, she now makes custom products like car decals, wall plaques, and iron-ons. One of her projects for a client involved a custom pet memorial plaque that held pictures, and for another, she personalized holiday ornaments. One big seller is making items with your home state on it, to always remind you of your roots. Please visit Kelly’s listing on the GIFTS Page.
Lori S • May 2023
Author of 3 Books
Lori, who as a reporter for more than thirty years in Western Massachusetts, relished her daily newspaper assignments, always shining a positive light on the people in the communities she covered.
She says that her spiritual journey “kicked into high gear” the day after her mother’s funeral. She was on a hike in the Berkshires and took a lot of photos of nature. When she examined her photos that night, she noticed a blue aura high in the trees in one photo, and upon zooming in on the image — she saw her mother’s face. That photo changed the trajectory of her life and how she viewed the “other side.” Her mom always said she would find a way to let her know she made it ok, but Lori never imagined it would be in a photograph.
After several interactions with angel messages and additional photographs that Lori captured with her camera, she felt compelled to self-publish “An Angel on My Shoulder” in 2010. Ultimately, she also penned Floors of the Forest and Visits with Mom: A Journey Through Time and Beyond. Lori feels blessed whenever she can share the messages from the angels and her mom — especially chatting with people about their own spiritual experiences.
Lori continues to offer free lectures to book clubs, church groups, and social gatherings — to whoever is open to hearing an uplifting message of faith, hope, love, and, of course, angels. Please visit Lori’s listing on the GIFTS 2 Page.
Rene B • June 2023
Appreciating the Crafts Coordinator
Even though we are now on summer hiatus, all the members of the Crafts Show would like to express their appreciation to Rene. She has tirelessly held down the leadership role of this group for over twenty years, organizing the room's table layout, members’ placement, database, and more. We even need to give credit to her energetic husband Ed, whose job was to place the crafts sign at the street entrance to the Recreation Center, and help unload and reload the car of her boxed inventory each week, at both the building and back at their home. Rene has passed the leadership baton to Marion Brenon, a talented craftsperson and member for many years. Don't worry, Rene will still be creating new items and selling them at her table in September. We wish them a smooth transition and want to thank Rene for guiding our group all these years, and Marion who will transport us into the future.
Lin B • September 2023
Shadow Box 3D Effect
Lin started her crafting adventures by buying an electronic cutting machine to cut stencils for painting. Having joined an online Facebook group owned by a graphic artist who makes beautiful designs that you can cut and layer the card stock in a shadow box to get a 3D effect.
Lin also makes things using sublimation ink and a heat press to put a design on a wooden sign, t-shirt, tea towel, or just about any medium, so that it looks like it was printed on the product. One of the critical features of heat sublimation is that it doesn’t fade or wear away with time. Besides working on her Etsy store, she can also be found at additional local area craft shows. Please visit Lin's listing on the ARTS Page.
Beth L • October 2023
Jewelry Making
Beth’s and her husband’s consulting business had taken them to all parts of the world, and it was on one of those trips that Beth’s passion for jewelry making got started. Eight years later, she is the proud owner of her Etsy shop Dragon Point Jewelry with her passion to create unique pieces and custom projects for clients.
Her travels have allowed her to source unique materials like gemstones, sea glass, and hand-made beads and buttons from all over the world. She has collected pounamu (jade) in New Zealand, sea glass on the shores of Ireland and Puerto Rico, and has purchased hand-made lampwork beads in Mauritius from the artist’s tiny shop. She is currently experimenting with polymer clay to imitate stained glass, but also loves metal work, bead weaving, and stone carving. Please visit Beth’s listing on the JEWELRY Page.
Gina S • November 2023
Jewelry Making
In 2008, Gina had a girlfriends reunion with the ladies she had worked with in Las Vegas. Their group interest turned into finding a local bead shop. The beads were beautiful and Gina felt an immediate love for creating jewelry. During a two year period, she rented a large room next to a beauty shop and opened a jewelry business while building her website. Gina continues to update her website showcasing her lovely necklaces, earrings, bracelets, bookmarks, purse clips and key ring creations. Please visit Gina’s listing on the JEWELRY Page.
Dawn C • December 2023
Custom Embroidery
Dawn started sewing at the age of ten, with her first sewing customer when she was twelve. Her dreams of being a fashion designer were cut short at age nineteen when family issues needed her home as a caregiver. Even with an early career retirement, she continued to become a self-styled fashion designer making over 500 wedding gowns, wedding party dresses, and theater costumes. Years after buying a small embroidery machine to embellish gowns and costumes, her next venture started with a ten-needle commercial embroidery machine. New directions now included making towels, shower curtains, bags, jackets, and many other items with embroidered designs.
Dawn started a non-profit organization called Angels Above Baby Gowns, which makes burial gown packages for infant loss. Having grown to be the largest group of this kind, their burial packages include a gown, hat, booties, bracelet for mother and baby with an angel charm on them, angel ornament, memory cards, and a small embroidered pillow. The embroidery machine embellishes each gown and other items making it more personal for the family. Please visit Dawn’s listing on the GIFTS Page.
Elizabeth C • January 2024
Epoxy Resin Paintings
Elizabeth acquired her love of art at six years old, receiving a plastic camera. As she matured, so did her cameras and equipment. She had her own dark room and processed her own film while taking photography classes in college.
As digital photography began to take over, she transferred into painting. While in Texas, as a member of a very large art group, she sold many pieces, won ribbons at juried art shows, and even taught a very beginner class in acrylic painting and alcohol ink.
Her business name “Art the World” is how she feels about art, giving some of her art away in connection with the worldwide Art Abandonment program, posting a photo and location of the artwork on their Facebook page. The group's vision is based on giving away pieces left randomly for people to find, which someone can keep, give away, or just leave it for someone else.
She has broadened her skills to include epoxy resin creating “functional art” and resin paintings. This medium comes with some difficulty and higher cost but the results are worth it. Please visit Elizabeth’s listing on the ARTS Page.
Diana H • February 2024
Watercolor & Acrylic Paintings and Sea Glass
Diana is a Bulgarian designer and watercolor artist making waves in Florida. Her artistic journey has been shaped by her deep love for traveling and the influence of her upbringing on the coast of the Black Sea. Diana's artistic prowess is a fusion of her diverse experiences, blending over fifteen years of expertise in graphic and web design with her passion for painting, and an unwavering love for sea glass. The convergence of these elements led her to the inspiration of Creative Sea Glass Journey, a unique venture that transforms forgotten sea glass pieces into intricately handcrafted gifts.
Her Creative Sea Glass Journey is more than just an artistic endeavor, the magic lies in the way Diana breathes new life into discarded sea glass, turning what was once forgotten into cherished mementos. Her story reminds us that beauty can emerge from unexpected places, and with a touch of creativity, we can turn forgotten fragments into enduring works of art that bring joy into our lives.
Diana just added a new Facebook page 'The Daughter of The Sea' featuring her little handcrafted sea glass pieces. She welcomes customized orders, where you may submit your own special wording to fit any occasion. Please visit Diana's listing on the ARTS Page.
Mervyn P • March 2024
Quilting
Mervyn has been a crafter since the first day she could hold a crayon in her hand. It's in the family, with her grandmother and mother both excellent seamstresses making play clothes to wedding gowns, for her as well. Her Aunt Irma was a magician with the handwork needle arts; so crochet, cross stitching, and embroidery were also on her plate from a very early age. She has taught crochet, knitting, cross stitching, and embroidery classes in her local Michael's store.
One early morning TV quilting show featured the Friendship Star pattern, which the designer said is a good one for beginners. She took copious notes, bought some fabric, and made a Friendship Star quilt. She was hooked! Mervyn was so smitten with the quilting bug, that she left Michael's to buy a quilt shop where she could delight in fabrics, patterns, classes and longarm quilting every day. She has been piecing and hand quilting for about twenty-five years.
Her longarm machine is not computerized, so all quilting is done freehand. She has several baby/toddler quilts, larger lap quilts, and other quilty things for sale each week. She also enjoys making bed quilts and welcomes custom orders. Please visit Mervyn's listing on the HOUSE Page.
Terri B • April 2024
Handbags, Purses, and Wallets
Terri was surrounded by talented grandmothers who taught her sewing, knitting, crocheting, and needlepoint. Later, she expanded to ceramics and excelled at painting.
While at her job at West Point, she was asked to make the largest yellow ribbon, which was placed at the front entrance of the hospital to show their support for the service members who were deployed during Desert Storm. After meeting her future husband through Army friends, she found a quilting shop and bought her first quilt sewing machine and an embroidery machine, starting another avenue of her artisan life making flags and tailored clothing. Then in their move to a Korean base, she taught quilting classes and took classes in Korean papercraft and calligraphy, and even got to travel to China, Australia, and Japan. After his Army retirement, they spent seven years in Abu Dhabi and continued touring around the world until landing in Florida. Living in all of those exotic places allowed her to pick up different fabrics, craft items, local art, and experience the world from a fabulous perspective of meeting all types of creative people.
Terri recently got into creating handbags, purses, and wallets, purchasing a heavy-duty machine to get the results she needed. She discusses with the customers all the quality details, new styles, vinyls, leathers, cottons, and patterns available. Each item is unique, and special orders are always welcome! Please visit Terri's listing on the APPAREL Page.
Betty W • May 2024
Decoupage
Decoupage is a technique of decorating an object with paper or fabric and gluing it onto painted elements ranging from boxes to furniture. More recently, hobbyists have been using recycled objects such as bottles or tin cans. Betty began doing decoupage two years ago using recycled wine bottles by adhering napkins to the surface. Then she began to collect interestingly shaped recycled bottles and many beautiful napkins. Now her decoupage is on clear glass plates, envelopes, Christmas ornaments, gift tags, lampshades, vases, or even canvas shoes. Finished products have been given to friends and neighbors just as a thank-you gift, or filled with goodies. For construction, you need chalk paint, a sponge pouncer, some Mod Podge, and a sealer such as clear enamel.
Roseanne P • September 2024
Victorian Lace Knitting
Roseanne is a New York native and self-taught knitter who’s been knitting for over forty years. Most of her knitting knowledge comes from instructional books and the internet. About twenty years ago, she came across a book on Victorian Lace knitting and was immediately hooked. Roseanne loves the complexity, the endless variety of stitch patterns, and the countless ways they can be combined and shaped into something ethereal and beautiful. She maintains a personal library of lace stitches and books that includes some rare publications from all over the world. All of her knitting is done on fourteen-inch straight wood needles, and she uses lace-weight knitting yarn, primarily alpaca or merino wool based. The yarn is so fine that the typical shawl only weighs around five ounces, making them comfortable to wear all year long, even in Florida! Her Etsy store has even more selections, and custom orders are always welcome. Please visit Roseanne's listing on the APPAREL Page.
Artistic Crafts Group • October 2024
Creativity Abounds
Each crafter has a story to tell, a history behind making their unique wares, often dating back to influences of their own parents and grandparents passing down skills that were taught to them.
This year our coordinator Marion has plans to celebrate all the holidays, including customer and crafter appreciation events. This always adds an exciting and joyful touch to the show. The networking of our crafters is enhanced by the knowledge gained when asking questions, like when searching for local and national resources for supplies. Sharing educational books and websites for improving their techniques, often brings the start of new ideas to put in motion.
As October celebrates Halloween and the coming of fall, you’ll see that reflected in the cards, home goods, apparel, and gifts available to brighten your home, wardrobe, and items to celebrate someone else. What a great bonus to have shopping just down the street from where we live! Especially wonderful is that so many crafters are available to make custom orders, whether it is a different color, style, size or new idea. The variety of goods is also tremendous, just look at over ninety crafters already online, showing their quality products within six different categories. Any of our online vendors are available for sales any day of the week, just in case you missed the Tuesday event.
Ocala Blue Star Mothers FL10 • November 2024
Patriotic Mission
The Ocala Blue Star Mothers FL10 are the mothers, grandmothers, stepmothers, foster mothers, and legal female guardians of military (including National Guard and Reserves) and veterans. They support our local and national military and veterans as well as the families of our fallen. This organization is congressionally chartered with approximately two hundred national chapters and six thousand members. A small group of five patriotic military moms chartered this chapter in January 2018. Over the years, they have grown to over thirty members and associate members. This group serves the mission by sharing it with the world at large. The main focus of their fundraising is on the variety of handmade craft items that are sold online or at local craft fairs. These talented chapter moms get together regularly to make patriotic handcrafted items such as those adorable sock snowmen, very practical handbags made from up-cycled uniforms, towels, ornaments and bracelets. Crafting allows them quiet time, fellowship, and the ability to get away from the stress of having a child serving in the active military, as many have been deployed. The seasoned moms in the group support the newer moms, forging precious bonds among these dedicated members. This group is always looking for new members and associates (people who like to support their mission but are not military mothers). Please visit the Ocala Blue Star Mothers' listing on the GIFTS 2 page.
Doreen M • December 2024
Industrial Sewing Machine Expertise
Doreen is a country girl from New York, born and raised on Long Island. Shortly after relocating, Doreen decided to retire from her career as a Quality Engineer for Northrop Grumman Space Division based in California. In this position, she traveled each week to different suppliers that manufactured products for the different programs. It was a rewarding and dynamic career giving her the opportunity to work in England on components of the James Webb Space Telescope, and now marvel at the spectacular photos that the telescope is sending home to Earth. She also had the exciting opportunity to work on the Mars Land Rover program.
Her husband chose the perfect retirement gift for her, an industrial sewing machine. This sews through leather and thick materials, while the cylinder arm is perfect for sewing bags. She always enjoyed sewing, and currently has five sewing machines. Doreen learned to sew garments and home decor in junior high school Home Economics class, and sewing continues to be a favorite pastime. When she bought her embroidery machine years ago, she enrolled in classes at the local sewing shop near her home, and made large and small quilts, including both quilted and embroidered bags.
Now with a new beast of a sewing machine, she found a creative passion as a handcrafted handbag designer and maker. Crafting one-of-a-kind pieces with care and attention to detail came naturally to her, being a quality engineer she couldn’t help herself, since it is all in the details. She finds inspiration online and subscribes to pattern designer’s groups. None of her handcrafted pieces are mass produced. The thrill comes when collaborating with customers to create bags tailored to their individual style. A wide range of quality materials is used such as leather, exotic animal faux leather, waterproof canvas, and custom printed ultra vinyl. Please visit Doreen's listing on the APPAREL Page.