Creative Love

You can tell a lot about a person by the things they like. I have created a small list of a few things I love so that you can get to know me better. Things I love that can be seen in what I create...

• God!!! He is a great inspiration for me when I am creating. I was created to use my hands and make lovely things!
• My family! They are a great source of inspiration!
• Crosses: Beautiful and a great reminder of how much I am loved!
• Birds: The songs they sing are beautiful...
• Feathers: I just like them...what else can I say?
• Crowns: Well of course my King wears a crown. First a crown of thorns and now a crown of gold.
• Keys: Antique keys are my favorite. They are not plain like today's keys. The old ones remind me of old country homes.
• Arrows: They are geometrically pleasing to me. Especially the whimsical ones. 
• Anchors: The Lord is an anchor for my soul. He keeps me grounded and I don't drift away.
• Trees: I have always observed and admired trees for as long as I can remember. As a child my family traveled a lot. I spent much of my time looking out the window. Maybe I was envious of their roots.
• Flowers: Especially wildflowers. They grow anywhere and are lovely freshly picked.
• Cats: What can I say? They are cute and fuzzy. I have three and they are part of our family. 

I hope I can inspire someone with the inspirational gifts I create. I genuinely create from my heart and I pray that it shows in my work. <3 br="">

Enjoy your week with the ones you love most and make some memories!

~Nikola

Why Buy Handmade?

I love me some pinterest! It's one of my favorite things to do before bed :) I found this wonderful saying and I wanted to share.

"When buying from an artist/maker, you're buying more than just an object/painting. You are buying hundreds of hours of failures and experimentation. You are buying days, weeks and months of frustrations and moments of pure joy. YOU AREN'T JUST BUYING A THING, you are buying a piece of heart, part of a soul, a moment of someone's life. Most importantly, you're buying the artist more time to do what they are passionate about." -Rebekah Joy Plett

This pretty much sums it up... When my mind wonders it always goes to craft projects I am working on or want to start :) This is my passion. I absolutely love creating! I also love God! So naturally I enjoy mixing the two. This is why I make inspirational gifts. I definitely give a piece of my heart and soul into every item I make. I pray that others can see that in my work. It also gives me a chance to share God's love with others. 

I realize that everyone has their own style. Mine tends to be more whimsical and vintage inspired. I am a Christian but my style shouldn't be shoved into a tiny box so that I can be accepted by others. I am an individual. I don't want my items to be shoved into that box either. I want them to be a representation of my style that others can relate to.

 

 I am continuing to add inspirational gifts to my shop. You can add a handmade card to your order as well. I am open to custom orders and would love to create something just for YOU! I am working on getting gift wrap options added to my Etsy shop so keep an eye out for that.

 In the meantime, enjoy your loved ones and have a beautiful day! 

~Nikola

 

Handmade Necklaces

Enjoying coffee and some quite time. One kiddo is painting and the other is napping. I am planning to get some necklaces listed in my Etsy shop today. It is sleeting here in Fayetteville and we are expecting snow over night...It's a beautiful cloudy day! If I wasn't drinking coffee I might be napping...

Here's a sneak peek of what I am working on and getting listed in my Etsy shop...

I love crosses and any subtle references to my faith. Necklaces are a great way to express yourself! I love anchors as well. Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul...

For the Love of Paper...

My love of paper crafting began right after I had my son, Parker. I decided I was going to scrapbook every moment of his life! For whatever horrible reason I had never been to a Hobby Lobby until I was 21...that's right 21!!! I remember getting so excited because of all of the different patterns and I could not buy enough paper! I think I got through age 3...and he's almost 11 now... Then along came Skylar. Two babies and a full time job did not allow for time to keep up the scrapbooking...Love these sweet kiddos! Thanks to Copper Elephant Photography for the pic! 

So my paper crafting has definitely evolved over the past 10 years. I am still a obsessed with paper and I sometimes buy it just because it's pretty with no real use in mind. I love card making! I also love mixed media art! Sometimes I will put it behind pictures in frames. I always keep the scraps and give the paper I have fallen out of love with to my kiddos to craft with themselves. I must say I believe they enjoy crafting just as much as I do and I love that I have been able to teach them the joys of making something with your hands.You can say so many things with cards and they can personalized to each and everybody! Here are just a few I have been working on...you can also check out my Etsy shop...I am slowly adding new items. Still have the kiddos and a full time job :) I do check daily for emails/convos :)

Handmade Hope

Hope is something we create. I have reminders everywhere! From the crosses I hang on my wall to the journal I am writing in. Hope is intentional…it’s up to me and it’s up to you…

You can see it in the expression of my art. I am working on not being afraid to follow my heart. I have heard that if you want to know where your heart is, look where your mind goes when it wanders. For me, my mind wanders to ideas of what I can create with my hands.

My most favorite materials are wire, beads, charms, paper, used children's books, maps, canvas and acrylic paint. I LOVE creating wire beaded crosses, cards, necklaces, altered journals(prayer journals) and mixed media art on canvas. My creations are as eclectic as I am. I pray that my pieces speak to someone's heart and brings joy to their life. 

Wire beaded crosses have become one of my favorite items to create. Growing up, the cross didn't have any meaning to me whatsoever. As an adult, the cross is a beautiful reminder that I am loved and cherished. Each cross that I make is shaped by hand and is uniquely one of a kind. I may create similar styles or color schemes but no two will ever be perfectly identical. There’s something so beautiful about being imperfect.

 

Over the past few years I had put my crafting on the back burner only to discover that I missed having a creative outlet. I have opened my Etsy shop back up and I am slowly filling my shop with my handmade lovelies. I work full time, I am a mom and a wife. My life is pretty full but there is always room for self expression. This is where you will find my heart and my hope. The joy of the Lord is my strength and with Him I can do all things.