Sunday, January 31, 2010

Blogger of the Month: NicoDesigns



"Live each day as if it was a Gift."
The name “Nico” was a name given to her by her father, who she calls her hero; and, I can bet a lot of her inspiration! As Nico states, “I sew for sanity. Creativity is a great hobby and I encourage everyone to try it.”



Using her family as inspiration, Nico seems to find a creative idea in all that is around us. Things we would dismiss, she seems to find as inspiration. The adorable little shoes in her shop I am sure were inspired by her two infant children. What inspired me most after looking at Nico’s shop, which I admit, I have not visited too often, although her tiny felt shoes caught my eye quite a while ago, was not only her dedication to her work, but her caring attitude.





We often hear of the many organizations that need our help and donations, well, Nico has stepped forward to make donations to many of these organizations through the sales she makes from her shop. For example, one of her items, a tiny bird which turns out to be a pin cushion, created from remnants, 5% of the sale will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House and another 5% will be donated to a Cancer Hospital in memory of a small child who lost her life at the young age of 7. A little soft angel doll called Chloe was handmade and dedication to her memory.





I also noticed a quite attractive handbag in Nico’s shop of light blue with a trellis type print. What amazed me was that this very attractive bag was a “diaper bag”! I am currently watching my newborn grandson and a 1 yr old and find myself stuffing everything into my large bag. The inside of this bag comes with three large pockets, which are perfect to hold sippy cups, a wallet, glasses and a small toy or two. Wow, something I definitely can use. Nico also has a few other great designs of her “classy” diaper bags. All the items in her shop are eco-friendly. The use of 100% cotton and new and recycled materials are also what inspires Nico to not only take what God has given us, but has used them in a positive way; and what is left over or can’t be used is not just discarded, but donated to prevent them from further polluting our earth.So as Nico says, her inspiration is her family, so too do I find her dedication and donations to such very worthy causes is a true inspiration to me.

I also took a second to visit Nico’s blog: http://designsbynico.blogspot.com/, which I am so glad I didn’t miss. It is a blog filled with many tutorials on how to make “Baby Legwarmers”; and yes, I have already made a pair from her great and easy instructions – to – Hats from old Sweaters. A small train set with pieces of left over wood, with a little help from her dad. I sadly admit I have not visited Nico’s blog before, but expect to be an avid follower from now on. I can’t wait to see what she will pull out of her closet for her next creation!