Introducing our Final PalletPalooza 2016 Judge - Bridget Fox

We are so pleased to announce that Bridget Fox -  expert in all things upcycled - is our fourth and final PalletPalooza Judge. We asked Bridget to share a bit about herself....
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I’m Bridget Fox.  I am honored & so excited to be one of the judges for Kalamazoo’s first Palletpalooza!  I took my first art class at the KIA at age 4 & from that time on, I knew I had to create.  I have a degree in fine art from the Art Institute of Chicago & have also lived in San Francisco, but Kalamazoo is my home & I have been back for more than 20 years.  In the late 1980’s & early 90’s my passion & love of second hand finds from thrift shops, flea markets & garage sales became an obsession.  I discovered just how creative I could be on a high school & college budget.  Even to this day, most of my home decor & furnishings as well as my wardrobe is mostly second hand, not for affordability, but because it’s who I am…it’s my style.

Bridget Fox

I come from an entrepreneurial family & have been a business owner myself.  Maybe you remember me from co-owning Bella Patina, which was located on South Street in downtown Kalamazoo from 2012-15, or maybe you remember my family who owned the Knollwood Tavern from 1949-98.  Co-owning Bella Patina was a dream fulfilled!  My business partner, Michelle & I were passionate about what we could make from trash picked items & would turn them into functional works of art.  From littles, like jewelry to large scale furniture & home decor, we repurposed, recycled & reinvented these found items.  Our favorite trash picked “go to” items were always pallets.  I can not begin to tell you how many things we created from that wood! My favorite quote by Henry David Thoreau says it all: "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.

I have taught many crafting workshops to both children & adults using recycled materials. I have created thousands of handmade items that have been sold locally & nationwide.  For many years, I have maintained inventory in Michigan boutiques through wholesale or consignment, have participated in numerous craft fairs & flea markets & sell online.  One of the things I’m most in awe of is the hundreds of custom orders that clients have asked me to create for them over the years.  And, I do believe most everyone I know has at one time or another received a handmade gift from me…it’s what I love to do!

Since closing Bella Patina's brick-&-mortar a year ago, I have taken a much needed creative break.  Every once in a while I find I need to do this...it’s therapeutic & helps me to reboot & reinvent myself.  My path has definitely been an adventure & I love who I am & what I do!  But until I get the paint brush back out or use my glue gun full time, you can find me at Sticks & Stones, where I manage the downtown Kalamazoo location for my friend, Susan.

xo~ Bridget
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Follow Bridget on social media...

instagram.com/bridgetfoxkzoo
Facebook.com/BellaPatina.kzoo
Facebook.com/sticks.stones1

and check out her Esty Shops.

etsy.com/shop/TwoCharming

etsy.com/shop/BrinkGirls

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Ready to sign up for PalletPalooza? 

The deadline is June 30, 2016. 

Click on over to  PalletSWMI.com.