Etsy Shop Opening!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/byNicoleRoseDesigns?ref=si_shop


Taking the advice from so many of my customers, I finally started up my own Etsy.com shop. Etsy is a place for crafters like myself can reach  out to a bigger audience of people, where people can directly purchase from the shop. So the past few weeks I've been slowly learning the ins and out of using the website and now have over 20 products available for direct purchase!! This is all new to me and oh so exciting. Most of my business is from custom orders so my facebook is still used most often and can be found at

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Custom-Designs-by-Nicole/183442988356370#!/ .


 It would be wonderful if you could "like" my page, visit my shop and share these two links with your friends and family. Thank you in advance!

Many Blessings,
Nicole

Set in my Heart, Inspiration

Proverbs 31

Being creative is one of the biggest gifts I've recieved from God, it's an outlet and stress reliever though I had always just shared my gift with my family. My family have encouraged this gift for as long as I can remember. Since I was a child at the age of 5 my Great Grandma Shreve began to teach me how to cross stitch, at 8 years old my Grandma Shreve showed me the basics of crocheting, when I was 14 my Mom allowed me to cover my bedroom ceiling in brightly colored fabrics. These are just a few examples that stand out of the encouragement that I recieved.

After reading through Proverbs 31 I was immediately touched, I realized that God wants us to share our gifts and provide for our families with them, which meant putting my creations out into the world. At first I was very nervous and feared that I failed so it really took some convincing on my part and trusting in God. Once I listened I was immediately blessed and continue to be blessed as I try out new business ventures or go with my heart when designing.

So this morning during my devotional it was set on my heart to hand write Proverbs 31 and here it is. So beautiful and simple, the words just flowed from my paint pen. Now it hangs in my "studio" so that I may be reminded of my gifts and my path as a woman providing for her family and listening to His word.

May God's Grace be with You.

Many Blessings,

Nicole

Such a HooOt!

Using yarn to create adorable hats that mother's love to customize and children love to wear is one of my favorite parts of the design process. Most of the time I do not have a set plan of action when making a hat, usually it just comes from the top of my head. I try to make sure I've got a clear picture in my head of what my client wants from their hat. I then clear my head, pick up the yarn and create. Watching it all come together without a worry of how it will end up, is inspiring. Most times in my life I've found myself worrying too much about if I was on the right path or I'd second guess myself way too often. Though when I pick up that yarn and put trust in myself some of my best work comes of it. Which for me is inspiring, a blessing and just so awesome to be a part of.

Above is a picture of how an Aqua Blue Owl came together to make on of my most favorite Owls yet. The eyes came out gorgeous and required quite a bit of stitch counting to make sure they were the same size. I ran out of the brown yarn and had to put it all down to run out and get more! My Owl design is one of my most requested hats and one of my all time favorite hats to make!

The completed hat came out so sweet and adorable, these colors really made the design pop! 

Using fabric to make these hairclips really adds to the unique and custom look to these flowers. Any fabric can be used and it doesn't take alot of time or fabric to make them. I added the gems in the middle to give them the sparkle that most little girls are looking for in their accessories.

The first one I made was out of the Camo material and with my husband being Active Duty Army just made my little girls squeal with excitement. They definately are Daddy's little Divas and this just made them smile ear to ear! My husband thought they were really neat too, well after I assured him that I did NOT cut up one of his uniforms! I found this fabric at our local Walmart of all places!!!

Below you'll see  my oldest daughter Abagail wearing her favorite one the Bright Daisy, she loves bright colors and this fabric seems to go with almost all of her clothes! She got tons of compliments on how cute it was and most people didn't believe me when I said I had made it!!!

Spring Hats

These hats are so neat to make, I use two differant color yarns together. It makes this two tone color look and can be done in any combination of colors. This brimmed edge is very sweet worn and the smaller flower is the perfect accent! The one thing with using two yarns is that it make the hat a bit stiffer which make it hold it's shape better.

Below is a picture of the hat being worn before the flower was attached.

What color combinations do you think would look neat together?

Cuddle Wrap!

This completed wrap came out so gorgeous, I'm loving using the sewing machine.  Sure I've used it before for many other projects along with other wraps though the machine allows for so much more creativity with fabric. This wrap is very comfortable the 100% Cotton is very light and breathable, I'll be using this fabric from now on!

Below is a picture of me trying it out, though I'm thinking that I need a smaller model. My youngest is getting a tad too intolerant of being worn, we had to bribe him to let me put him in the wrap. Though it is his favorite place to be when he is sick! This was the first time for him not to want to be worn, *sad Momma*!

Now to wash it up and get it to it's new owner, a Momma who is going to enjoy the closeness that a wrap gives you with your little one. If anyone is interested in a wrap just like this one, I've got enough material to make another one, please send me an email to nicolep1922@gmail.com

A Weekend Wrap

When the UPS man knocked on my door yesterday I just knew what he was delivering, my gorgeous 100% Organic Cotton Jersey knit fabric from fabric.com. This fabric is going to make 2 beautiful wraps that will making some Mommas and Babies very happy. The wraps I make are very comfy and easy to use. My son Duncan LOVES to worn in his even at 21 months old. They make for hand free cuddle time which if your a Momma you know that the ability to cuddle AND get things done is amazing!  Below is one of the first wraps that I made for my little one and I. We were a banana tree for halloween, my design is wider in the shoulder for a more comfy fit. Now I just need to find the time this weekend to get this wrap completed, hmmmm  what to do with the kiddos and hubby :)

Pickle Cocoon

Pickle Cocoon

This design was for a baby shower gift and I was really excited to make it. A crocheted Cocoon is used to keep the baby swaddled and as a photograph prop. They can be done in any design and color combination. This is something I wish I would have known about when my little ones where this little. The pictures would have been so adorable, if you know of any photograher that would like some of these, give them my email address :)

The bumps on this pickle threw me a little because I am not an avid pickle eater so I had to do some research. Trying to make the pickle look like a pickle but still keep the adorable factor in there is quite challenging, and I like challenges. I can't wait to see this design in action~!!!

My Designs

All of my designs come straight from my thoughts to my hands, patterns aren't for me. I struggle to follow them and always question what stitch comes next, I just get lost. So before I sit down to design for someone I pray first, then I gather my creative thoughts to fit what the person would like. And as I create their custom design I pray, praying for the reciever of the hat, praying for the person ordering, praying for well just about anything that comes to mind. Thoughts are the first part of any actions, so I want the first thoughts of my designs to be great ones. That way all of my designs come out great and brighten someone's day. The hats not only make the hat wearer smile but make the ones seeing the designs smile also.

If you would like to place an order please send me an email at nicolep1922@gmail.com this is the best way to contact me and get the ordering process started. The power of prayer is what got this whole thing started and is what will continue to touch so many people's lives. If your looking for a personal gift that is completely customizable then you've found the right place :) I not only make hats but anything that can be crocheted or sewn! I'm quite the creative crafter and will be posting up more great and wonderful designs.

If you'd like to look for me on Facebook here is a link to the page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicoles-Hat-Designs/183442988356370  , I upload completed orders there along with new designs.

I am hoping to make this a daily blog of my designs and busy life being the Military Momma of Four that I am! :) Feel free to share this blog with your friends and family :)