HOOPLA
Portland, OR
My name is Nichole, and I’m the owner of HOOPLA! HOOPLA is hand embroidered art stitched from the heart, born in lovely little Portland, Oregon. Inspired by quiet, fanciful, & hilarious moments, HOOPLA is any number of things immortalized on canvas with thread and a needle. If you can dream it, I can embroider it! Each piece is completed by hand, b...
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HOOPLA
Portland, OR 96 Sales
My name is Nichole, and I’m the owner of HOOPLA! HOOPLA is hand embroidered art stitched from the heart, born in lovely little Portland, Oregon. Inspired by quiet, fanciful, & hilarious moments, HOOPLA is any number of things immortalized on canvas with thread and a needle. If you can dream it, I can embroider it! Each piece is completed by hand, by me, from start to finish. Embroidery looks simple and elegant, but a lot of work goes into placing each tiny stitch! Some pieces take one or two hours at most, while some projects may take days to finish.
I am a native Oregonian who’s been artistically inclined since the beginning. Growing up, I loved to draw and sketch, then later, really enjoyed some painting now and then. I’ve always been excited about photography and love taking pictures with my favorite 35mm camera. Embroidery is an excellent way to bring all of these loves together- drawing or sketching a design, “painting” with embroidery floss, and working with photographs I’ve taken. The very first thing I ever embroidered was actually embellishment onto a photograph. I loved the finished product but set aside creating in this way to focus on other things (my first Storenvy store was a vintage-y shop) until this past year.
Last December I embroidered an elephant for a friend, and I was HOOKED. I love the entire process of creating each hoop- the spark of an idea I can picture on fabric, threading the needle with a bright strand of color, the POP as the needle comes through the fabric, the picture that appears like magic as I work. THEN stretching the fabric inside of the hoop- turning the screw to tighten the whole thing up... it really is the most satisfying thing! Once I finish one project I can hardly wait to start the next. My brain never rests!
One of my favorite parts of my business is working with people on custom orders. My customers inspire me and I deeply enjoy helping someone bring his or her ideas to life. Hand made can set something apart from the mass produced crowd, but something hand made and created just to your specifications is even more special.
HOOPLA has filled every minute of my free time since I started, which encourages me to keep creating. There have only been a few weeks this year during which I worked on absolutely nothing. In order to keep up with the momentum the shop has gained, I’m planning on leaving full time hours at my "real job" for something more part time so I can focus more of my energy on what I truly LOVE. My plan is to make more time for creating brand new pieces, so keep your eyes open! HOOPLA is a labor of love and I am so happy to share it with you. Xo
Inspiration straight from the source
"Welcome to a modern take on a classic craft."
Nichole Alvarado
Ownerof HOOPLA
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