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Meet Christina Klamer of Little Lady Impressions Crafting Incredible Floral and Feathered Accessories in the Chicago Suburbs
Christina Klamer of Little Lady Impressions fosters an incredible and growing talent for crafting floral and feathered headbands, fascinators, hat clips and more. Her pieces have dazzled me with their delicate elegance and perfect color and texture combinations. Christina also displays a warm heart and great enthusiasm for the community. Along with Alessa Gurrola of Raw Amor Jewelry, Christina has launched Revive Handmade Markets to help local artisans reach the public during challenging times. I am thrilled to share an interview with a local Chicago suburban artisan you should know, Christina Klamer:
Well, my muse and inspiration is by far our daughter. When Piper was born, bless her heart, she didn't have a hair on her head until she was almost one. By the time she was 6-months-old, I had had just about enough of people saying, "Oh, he's so handsome." LOL. So, I thought headbands would be a great solution to the problem. Purchasing them seemed expensive. I thought, I am crafty enough, I can figure this out.....and here we are 5 years later. :)
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| Little Lady Impressions' sweet hair pieces add a little magic. Image credit Little Lady Impressions. |
Do you have a particular creation that is your favorite to craft?
I LOVE to design baby crowns. They are rarely requested, but the detail and tiny materials I get to use are so fun! Every design I create is like a tiny flower puzzle.
The adorable florally accented cat ears for Halloween are particularly creative. What are some of your more creative hair accessory designs?
I love to think outside the box. Along with cat ears, I also make fox and deer ears for the fall and holiday season. Additionally, Unicorn Headbands are SO fun to make. My husband actually joins in on the fun and makes the horns while I create the finished project. I actually made a custom ordered Unicorn Headband for a horse once, not many can say that!? LOL!
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| Dreamy floral headband. Image credit Little Lady Impressions. |
Your color combinations seem so on point. Each design is so unique featuring an incredible blend of colors. How do you create the magic?
I've always been inspired and motivated by colors. I have a background in Interior Design and my dad was a builder/woodworker, so creativity is in my blood and I have been around it my whole life. I have also been blessed with the natural ability to see the finished product in my head prior to completion quiet naturally. I have a fascination with florals and patterns and often times will snap pictures of pleasing color combinations while I am out to reference later. Clients will also send me pictures of outfits for inspiration. That helps me open my horizon to options I may not have thought of, which is nice.
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| Earthy and beautiful hat pin crafted by Christina Klamer. Image credit Little Lady Impressions. |
I love the hat pieces for men! Is there a style that seems to be a favorite?
I am loving those this season! They are actually made for both men and women, typically always with feathers. Depends on who is wearing them, really. The men seem to like the hat pins, but are gaining popularity as a hat clip attached to band or brim. The more earthy organic styles are definitely a popular choice this year.
What do you craft that many people may not be aware of?
I make hat/lapel pins as well as corsages and boutonnieres. The pins are typically always made with a vintage piece, which I think is fun! The corsages and boutonnieres are WONDERFUL keepsakes for weddings, dances, etc. Instead of buying something that is typically bought for a special occasion and having it last 24 hours, these are a great option. Made to order/match outfits and the corsages can be turned into headbands when they are done being used for the night!!
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| A meld of blue and rustic, warm browns delight. Image credit Little Lady Impressions. |
How did you develop the idea for Revive Handmade Markets?
My good girlfriend, Alessa, who also is a maker and myself were struggling this year to sell our wares. We had received numerous emails of our markets/shows being canceled and needed a solution. So we thought, why don't we just create one for ourselves and invite other local makers who may be in the same position!? We had been a part of enough successful and unsuccessful events to kinda navigate our way through what to do and not to do, and what we didn't know we would learn along the way. We started small in my backyard with 4 other vendors, now we will have 15 vendors at our third show and have also added a fourth show to end our holiday series.
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| Spectacular fascinator with a blend of dark yet warm hues. Image credit Little Lady Impressions. |
Do you have something upcoming that you would like to share?
I do actually!! I will be launching Headband Kits next week! Now, more than ever, people are looking for something fun to do inside and, as the winter months approach, this is the perfect activity to keep you busy! There will be 4 Make Your Own take home kits available for easy porch pickup and an easy no contact payment. They make great gifts and are perfect for birthdays and baby showers! We also have 3 Revive Handmade Markets coming up and we hope to have a great turn out, 2 hosted by Station 34 in Mt. Prospect and Live Music by Bach to Rock of Arlington Heights and 1 we have yet to announce, but stay tuned for the details by joining our Revive Handmade Markets group and joining our upcoming event: Revive Handmade Markets Presents: Gifts and Giving. We try to stay local with our venues and promote other local businesses. Additionally, we will be collecting canned goods and matching the donations received at all 3 events to be donated to a local food pantry. So we encourage everyone to come out and support so many small and local businesses and causes!!
Do you have a favorite spot in the suburbs where you like to recharge?
Well, with two kiddos at home and a husband that works mostly day/night hours I don't get too many moments to recharge lol. BUT, when I do sneak away or take my daughter somewhere fun and special. I like to go to The Bakester for a delicious pastry and tea or Around Cafe for a ginger turmeric latte.
Thank you so much to Christina Klamer for sharing about Little Lady Impressions and Revive Handmade Markets! Please be sure to follow her and help support our local Chicago suburban businesses.
** Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
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