My name is Barbara Nestola and while I grew up in the heart of the South (Upstate South Carolina) I am currently living in Munich, Germany with my 3 year old daughter while my husband is on international assignment. My background (formal education) is in Physics and Early Childhood Education, however I am currently a Stay-At-Home-Mom (and thats a good thing!). The name of my Etsy shop is “Bow Couture”. I specialize in boutique hair bows/clips, sculpted ribbon clippies, and headbands. I also dabble in sewing children’s clothing. When I am not creating I enjoy being a kid with my daughter (if you’ve never watched The Backyardigans without a child to ‘justify it’, you should give it a try, lol!). I also enjoy a good read every so often…nothing profound, just fun reading. Most of my crafting is done while my daughter sleeps on when Daddy in ‘on duty’! When an idea just can’t wait until naptime I hand her some ribbon and a pair of safety scissors and let her have at it until I at least mete out a few ideas and/or drafts. My inspiration normally comes from my idea of beauty in children’s fashion. (I also love doing custom pieces to match customer’s favorite item(s) of clothing). My love of the bowmaking craft came from my desire as a customer to have unique items to complement my daughter’s wardrobe and sunny personality. I could never find ‘the’ right hair bow worthy of my tot’s head so I tried my hand at creating them. ‘Lo and behold, I just might be decent at this!’ was my eventual conclusion and Bow Couture is now my medium so that I may be able to share with the world (hehe). I am pretty new on Etsy and in Germany but sold a ton of bows on ebay and through word of mouth ‘back home’ in South Carolina. I’ve got to start somewhat fresh now in a new country with promoting my items and so far my walking advertisement (my daughter) and starting to promote in forums are my only means.

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