Hello, my name is Laura

Hello! My name is Laura. First things first.

I think the day I decided to start this project… was just an ordinary day. It wasn't one of those days that look good, where you know from the morning it's going to be a great day, that you're going to have great ideas, or that you feel full of energy. No. It was, in fact, a simple day.

One of my afternoons of coffee and sunset, I sat in a chair in my garden watching the sun. I had just come home from work, taken off my shoes, unbuttoned the top button of my pants, and made myself a hot cup of coffee.

These kinds of moments are what I call self-encounters. For ten minutes, I relax my mind, disconnect from everything, watch the sunset, and find peace. Well, I don't really disconnect from everything... but I connect with just one thing: the present moment. Me, my breathing, the sun, the colors the sunset paints (oranges, blues, browns, blacks...), the tranquility, the sound of the birds... I feel the warmth of the coffee on my fingertips, or the breeze on my skin, or the smell of firewood permeating the air... One day, by the way, I discovered the similarity between these kinds of moments and Mindfulness (which I highly recommend).

So, it was in one of those moments that the idea came to me, like: Eureka! I would love this project…

But... who am I? Let's go back a few years. I was born in November in the late 1980s. Well, let's go back a little less... When I was little, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother. I was a very restless and curious girl, and I watched my grandmother sew. She sewed by hand and with a machine, but what caught my attention was that she created things with her hands from meaningless loose pieces. My grandmother taught me to sew. But it wouldn't be many years later that I discovered crochet.

To quickly review my teenage years and early twenties, I spent many years focused on developing and developing my professional career, that "building a future." I started working at 16, and at the same time, I continued studying... and studying... and studying... until I finished my third degree and a master's degree. By this point, I had changed jobs several times, including the type of work (specializing in positions related to my studies). I worked in small companies, where I have very fond memories and experiences, until I ended up at a large international company.

Throughout those years, I went through very different stages, but they all always had one thing in common: an interest in art. Depending on the era, I've had more or less free time to devote to my hobbies, but from childhood until today, I've always dabbled in the arts… I embarked on adventures in the world of music, literature, photography… And, of course, crochet.

It was about five years ago that I made my first crochet project. It was a disaster! But I vividly remember the feeling of wonder and excitement when I saw my first creation. That day, a seed was planted that germinated and has grown ever since. Crochet sparked an unstoppable passion and interest in me that has now led to this project, Idealium.

Today, my grandmother isn't here to see it, but I imagine the smile she would put on if I showed her this whole mess I've put together, full of hope, ideas, and projects, based on the inspiration she gave me while sewing.

Idealium wasn't just born as an online store. I want to share with you ideas, work, inspiration, doubts, and concerns. I want to try to share with you the things I needed to hear when I was learning, to make your work easier, and to offer you the support and guidance so you can complete your projects delighted with the results.

From the beginning, I wanted to set up a shop that offered something more, that provided added value. This value primarily involves supporting and accompanying the project, offering helpful advice when trying to make a pattern, responding promptly to the questions we all have when the project doesn't turn out as pictured, offering a kit so that in one purchase you have everything you need to complete the project...

And so, I added ideas until Idealium was fully structured in my head. Today, we open its doors with great excitement.

And the first thing I wanted to tell you is... Hello, my name is Laura :)