“Every night I lie in bed / The brightest colors fill my head / A million dreams are keeping me awake.” – A Million Dreams

“Design inspiration comes to me in dreams,” Amanda Tuck shared. “But, I don’t sleep well at night, so I will lay there thinking of ideas. I also like to research different clothing eras online.” Tuck is the creative designer behind North Carolina-based La Boutique Noel, which features vintage-inspired handmade children’s clothing. “I love using vintage materials. I think I was born in the wrong decade,” she joked. “Anytime I can make something with repurposed materials like vintage sheets, it is my favorite design. I look for unique fabrics and I am always changing up the pattern design. I just like working outside the box.” Tuck has an eye for unique patterns and color combinations and I appreciate all the little ruffles, buttons and bows. “I spend a lot of time on planning my design and I am very OCD about details,” she shared. “I like to change things up and pair colors together that most people would not normally do. 95% of my fabrics are vintage and I also love hunting for fabrics that others don’t use.” “We can live in a world that we design.”

Tuck started La Boutique Noel in March this year with support from friends and family. “My friend encouraged me to start selling hair accessories, but I loved making dresses more, so that is my main focus now.” The small shop – pronounced like the Christmas season – is named after Tuck’s husband. “His middle name is Noel, but it is pronounced as ‘Knoll.’ I included ‘La Boutique’ because I wanted it to sound fancy,” she laughed. “I am a stay at home mom and I wanted to contribute to our family’s income. I needed a job that I could do from home, but I also wanted it to be something I enjoyed doing. This is the only job where I don’t mind spending all day doing – if my 3 year old lets me.” Over the past six months, Tuck has also sharpened her design and seamstress skills. “My sewing has come a long way,” she said. “I had not sewn in years and my focus wasn’t previously on clothing, so I am very proud of myself for accomplishing what I have in such a short time.”

Like so many makers, Tuck cherishes all of the reactions from her little customers. “My favorite part is watching the excitement in their faces when the kids see their outfits for the first time,” she exclaimed. “Just knowing that I made them happy makes me happy. I am a people pleaser, so if they didn’t like it, I think I would cry. I truly do put a piece of my heart in everything I make.” “However big, however small / Let me be part of it all / Share your dreams with me.”

La Boutique Noel is about to release a new line of dresses for the holidays (“Be on the look out for plaids and Christmas”) and you can place your custom order through the shop’s Facebook page here.