Alliday Artist: Meet Garden Finds!

 

Tell us a little about yourself and your business.
I love the process of creating something new from something old. I’ve always loved working with wood and started making feeders and birdhouses out of scrap lumber for my own yard, family and friends. I now have a shop on etsy and set up shop at local craft shows. My goal is to offer a unique product by reusing materials instead of tossing them away to the landfill and to provide the birds with a neat little feasting/nesting spot.

What do you create and what do YOU love about your products?
I create bird feeders and birdhouses from reclaimed, recycled and/or vintage materials. Some I leave natural and some I paint. I love that they’re attractive yet easy to use and built to last.

What sets your creations apart from others?
The design and materials used.

Where do you find inspiration?
My yard is certified as a National Wildlife Backyard Habitat as well as an Oklahoma State Wildscape. Everything I’ve planted and designed is to make a natural habitat for the birds and wildlife. I have come to know what birds will use and won’t use, what they like and don’t like. I am able to observe them daily and I suppose that’s where I find most of my inspiration.

The Alliday Show believes that everyday should be celebrated as a holiday! That being said, which holiday do you wish were everyday and why?

I would choose Earth Day even though my motto is Everyday is Earth Day! It’s a day to celebrate what we’ve been given and reminds us to be responsible for our actions on this planet.

If you could create your own holiday, what would it be and why?
A Day of Love so we could be reminded to tell our loved ones how much they mean to us. Life is too short and often we fail to do that on a daily basis.

What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Decorating the Christmas tree for the Holidays. We always made or purchased a new ornament each year when my children were growing up. Now we’ve carried on that tradition with the grandkids and they love it. We always have homemade hot cocoa.

How would you describe your work in three words?
Unique, attractive, easy

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Alliday Allstar: StreetCats!

Nothing is more comforting than having a warm animal to snuggle up with during the cold days of winter (and fall!) which is why we're grateful for organizations that help the animals that warm our souls.  At this year's Alliday, we're welcoming the wonderful StreetCats to join us.  They've been saving cats in Tulsa for over ten years now with no end in sight.  They're a blessing to our city but more so, they're a blessing to cats.

Tell us a little about StreetCats, Inc.
We are an all volunteer non profit cat adoption center and gift boutique. We take in homeless cats and care for them until a home can be found. We work with vets in the Tulsa area and people who want to help homeless cats on the streets to get sterilized and vaccinated. We exist on donations only. Some of the money from donations is used to purchase items at wholesale which we in turn sell at a fair price to help with expenses.

Where are you located?
60th & S. Sheridan on the east side of the street behind Charlie’s Chicken

How does being involved in the creative handmade community affect you?
We have volunteers who have creative abilities who make items that they donate to us to sell which helps us with expenses.

What are your favorite handmade items to shop for?
At StreetCats we have Catnip Pillows made with organic catnip that many cats love. We also have totes that crafters, sewers, scrapbookers, etc. love to use and they also good for remote controls. Additionally we have handknitted dish cloths that are very popular.

What are you most looking forward to at Alliday?
Meeting new people and letting them know about StreetCats

What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Spending time with people you don’t see as often as you would like.

What holiday do you wish was everyday and why? 
Adopt A Cat Day so that all the homeless cats in Tulsa would have a warm loving home with people whom love them.

If you could create a new holiday, what would it be and why?
Love a Cat Day – because all cats need to know someone loves them

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Alliday Artist: Meet Blackjack Canyon Candle Co.!

Tell us a little about yourself and your business.
I started making candles because I've always loved them but always had problems finding strong scented candles that really filled a room with scent and didn't cost a fortune! I started making them for myself and then friends and family and word spread from there!

What do you create and what do YOU love about your products?
I make handmade candles and tarts that are made from top quality waxes, oils, and additives but don't cost a top quailty price! I love that they're handmade and last very well and provide a great scent throw!

What sets your creations apart from others?
My candles are lower cost than others but the quality you get surpasses many other handmade candles.

Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere! I can't think of just one thing or place I find my inspiration!

The Alliday Show believes that everyday should be celebrated as a holiday! That being said, which holiday do you wish were everyday and why?​​
Any holiday spent with family and friends!

If you could create your own holiday, what would it be and why?
Just a day to be spent with family and friends and cherish those moments!

What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Putting up Christmas lights after Thanksgiving with my family!

How would you describe your work in three words?​
Affordable top quality!

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Alliday Artist: Meet Favoring Brave!

Tell us a little about yourself and your business.
I’m Jill and I am relatively new to Oklahoma. I’ve been living here about a year and so far I love Tulsa! I moved here to be with my husband, John, who teaches in Broken Arrow. Currently I teach musical theater, acting, and voice and make jewelry to my heart’s content. My business, Favoring Brave, has been my passion for almost 8 years now and it has been so inspiring to see it grow. I started FB as a high school sophomore and somehow it grew to the point that it helped me pay my way through college, study abroad, and generally avoid normal, not-awesome college summer jobs.

What do you create and what do YOU love about your products?
I have been making and selling jewelry since the beginning of my business, but in the last year I have also started selling paper flowers for home decorations and events. I always tell my customers that my selection and variety is so enormous because I get bored so fast! New projects and possibilities always keep me engaged.

What I love about my work is that it is as unique as the people it is made for, my customers. Everyone has their own personality, their own quirks, their own things they like and things that make them feel like themselves. I strive to make jewelry that helps people show off their favorite things about themselves.

What sets your creations apart from others?
I am all about the individuality, like I said before, and frankly, that just isn’t sold in most stores. Everything I make is one of kind or extremely limited quantity so that you know your piece of Favoring Brave is all your own.

Where do you find inspiration?
A better question might be where don’t I! I am very inspired by color which is why every piece I make is displayed in rainbow order… you always know when you’ve stumbled into my booth that way! I am also very inspired by natural shapes and textures – nature is the original handmade genius in my book. I also look to historic examples of jewelry and clothing as well as indie music, fabrics, and other old things.

What is your favorite holiday tradition?
My favorite holiday tradition is baking! I love making way too many desserts and then getting to share them with friends and family, so to all my friends and family – beware!

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Alliday Artist: Meet The Patchouli Parlour!

Tell us a little about yourself and your business. 
Angie: I can’t draw, paint, or sculpt, but I have a creative family and art has always been a part of my life. Ballet was my outlet growing up, and I was so happy when I decided to try beadwork. I could finally play around with colors and express myself without having to pick up a brush or pencil. The time I’ve spent making and selling jewelry has been a total blast, and I can’t wait to see where life takes me on this path!

Mary: I’ve always loved art and the creative process. While raising 2 daughters, I was kept busy making dance costumes. Now my oldest daughter and I share a love of beads, so we decided to start a business. I love that this is something we do together, and I’m very proud of our work. We both have pieces in the Out on Main art gallery in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. That is like a dream come true for me!

What do you create and what do YOU love about your products?
We use beadweaving and bead embroidery to make jewelry. We love everything about the process of working with beads: the feel of them, the process of picking out different sizes, shapes, and colors that go well together. We love the artistic expression that beadwork allows, and the fact that we are making art with a function- something that people wear out in the world and have experiences in.

What sets your creations apart from others?
Our pieces are very time-consuming! People often comment that they don’t know how we can stand to do what we do. Working with seed beads takes a great deal of patience, but it’s so rewarding to start with such tiny components and create beautiful pieces from the ground up. Also, most of what we do is one of a kind. Each cabochon is slightly different from the others, and the beadwork we’ve been doing on the embroidered pieces is freeform, without any kind of pattern. I don’t think we could replicate any of it exactly!

Where do you find inspiration?
Angie: So many places! Belly dancers, old Victorian photos I see on Pinterest, songs that I listen to while I work. I love archaeology, so it’s great any time I see jewelry from long ago- Anglo-Saxon, Egyptian, stuff like that. I’m always on the lookout for things with great shapes and color combinations.

Mary: I would have to say my inspiration comes from nature; I’ve always loved stones and crystals. My favorite colors are greens, blues, purples, browns, & gold. I love all colors though, especially in shades found in nature.

The Alliday Show believes that everyday should be celebrated as a holiday! That being said, which holiday do you wish were everyday and why?
Angie: That sounds crazy; I don’t know if I could handle it! Maybe Earth Day or something to prompt people to appreciate nature every day. We live on a breathtaking planet!

Mary: I do believe we should be thankful for each day and live each day to the fullest, but I wouldn’t want every day to be a holiday. For me, that would take away some of what makes each holiday special.

If you could create your own holiday, what would it be and why?
National Jewelry Day. You could wear all your favorite pieces at once and nobody would think you’re weird! Chocolate should be involved somehow, also.

What is your favorite holiday tradition?
We’re pretty laid back during the holidays, so any time we can spend just relaxing at home and cooking up a bunch of food is great in our book.

How would you describe your work in three words?
Intricate, Expressive, Colorful

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Alliday Artist: Meet Simply Charming Designs!

 

Tell us a little about yourself and your business.
My name is Lauren Rutherford. I’m currently in my first year of college at the University of Missouri as a magazine journalism major. Simply Charming Designs came about last spring through the JA Company Program. At the end of the program in May, I acquired the business and continue to run it out of my dorm room today!

What do you create and what do YOU love about your products?
I create two wrap and three wrap leather charm bracelets! I absolutely love creating my product – all the way from helping customers design their unique bracelet to boxing it up for delivery. Each customer is an individual, and it’s so much fun to help express that through jewelry!

What sets your creations apart from others?
Something that was really big for our JA Company during the program was the fact that leather charm bracelets haven’t really been done before. It’s a truly unique creation! I use local leather and often buy charms from other small businesses.

Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in the uniqueness of others. It’s really fun to help people express themselves through charms. It’s all about symbolism, really. What does each charm mean in your life?

The Alliday Show believes that everyday should be celebrated as a holiday! That being said, which holiday do you wish were everyday and why?
I wish everyday were Christmas! To me, Christmas is about spending time with family, giving back and celebrating our Lord Jesus Christ. Doing that everyday would be fantastic!

If you could create your own holiday, what would it be and why?
If I could create my own holiday, it would be one where we all get a day off to do crafts! Everyone needs more time for crafts.

What is your favorite holiday tradition?
My favorite holiday tradition is Christmas shopping. It’s not much of a tradition, but choosing gifts for people is one of the best parts about Christmas!

How would you describe your work in three words?
Unique, Custom, Jingly

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Alliday Artist: Meet More Projects Than Time!

Tell us a little about yourself and your business.
My name is Lauren Belteau Gerfen I am the creator/designer/crafter/etc. of More Projects Than Time. During the day I am the acting librarian at a small western arts library at the University of Oklahoma and at night, on the weekends, and early mornings when I can’t sleep I fill my time crafting, decorating my house, and baking. Although, More Projects Than Time is a newer business I have been a life-time crafter, artist, and maker.

What do you create and what do YOU love about your products?
I create predominately sewn items for the home; pillows, pendant flags, and hanging birds. I have recently added some jewelry, magnets and stuffed animals to the mix. The thing I love about my products? Well. . .there are two main things:

1. I predominately use vintage or reclaimed fabric, trim and buttons. I love vintage fabric and always have. I love looking at it, pairing it with other fabric, creating something new from something old.

2. I had a little girl refer to my products as “festive” and I would agree with that. I, personally, like having some brightness and whimsy in my day and think that my products do just that. They can take a corner, or a chair, or a patio and brighten it up just a little.

What sets your creations apart from others?
Predominately, the materials; not only the fact that they are modern products made out of vintage fabric but also my fabric and color pairings. I try to mix what might seem to be contrasting colors or prints with neutrals and creating something cohesive and lovely.

Where do you find inspiration?
Multiple places. . .

Foremost, the fabrics I use but also art, movies, old photos, books, blogs, etc. I like to say my biggest aesthetic inspirations growing up were Dolly Parton, Punky Brewster, Erte, and Tori Amos. . .I’m not sure what that says about me.

The Alliday Show believes that everyday should be celebrated as a holiday! That being said, which holiday do you wish were everyday and why?
I will have to admit (even if this is the popular answer) Christmas. Christmas is the time to be really over the top! The house feels magical with the tree and lights, it’s nice to have one month out of the year to completely transform the way my home looks. I love looking at all of my eclectic ornaments and coming up with fun ways to restyle my home, AND most importantly I LOVE Christmas baking. . . cookies, bread, candy. . .I love it all.

If you could create your own holiday, what would it be and why?
Some sort of holiday revolving around breakfast or brunch. I always want to have big, drawn out breakfasts with company and never do. There are plenty of holidays with lavish dinners and afternoon cookouts, I say we need a breakfast holiday.

What is your favorite holiday tradition?
My husband and I have a pre-Christmas a few nights before the actual day. He cooks dinner (it’s just the two of us and our cats), we eat on our wedding china and have wine and eggnog, open our presents to each other, listen to David Sedaris’s Santa Land Diaries, and talk about all the good things that happened that year. I am looking forward to this night already.

How would you describe your work in three words?
Fun, Festive, Colorful.

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