The NorthWesternBelle

Well, it's December 31 of my first official year of operation; I officially launched my Etsy store at the end of March. The first official sale occurred on March 31, 2014 and is actually a pretty funny story: my college roommate scooped up one of the very first vintage afghans I listed for her gender-neutral nursery without even realizing that she was buying it from me. That's the beauty of the internet, I guess LOL! After that first sale, business was slow going until about August. Just when I was starting to lose faith in the whole online retail business thing, vintage blankets started flying out of inventory via eBay and Etsy sales. October was a particularly good month thanks to a bunch of handmade capes that the lovely and talented Taiza P contributed to the handmade inventory and the Jack Skellington Beanie . November and December weren't bad either, thanks to the Crochet Death Star pillow that everyone loves and needs. All in all, I'm pretty happy with the f...

I love October. I do! It's true. I love it a lot because it means that a) I can start wearing comfy sweaters again and b) HALLOWEEN is coming! And this October I've got a new reason to love it: sales! On Tuesday of last week (September 30) I told Taiza P. that the first pre-made cape would sell on Etsy before the end of the week. And I was right! It's like I've got ESPN or something. We actually sold two capes; this lovely sheer striped one that Taiz made a few years back: And the custom Skeletor cape was paid for and shipped out. I might love this picture of my hot hubby modeling it for us too much. He was pretty stoked that we were making a Skeletor cape. Also, I ended up making TWO (yes, TWO) mini Death Star Plushes last week. I really love making them, and can pretty much get one completed in a day (granted my three year old can be persuaded to entertain himself). On my first mini death star I stitched the trench in with the details. On the one ab...

This beautiful vintage afghan is on its way to NC as of Friday! This gray and red beauty was part of our very first vintage inventory acquisition earlier this year. I'm actually pretty sad to see it go, but I'm sure its new home will love it a lot! It's built in a BLO SC (back-loop single crochet, for those of you who don't speak crochet), which is a classic technique. My mom has had a BLO SC afghan since before I was born! I actually found a great tutorial on YouTube for this chevron pattern. I'm going to give it a shot on either a lap or a baby afghan soon (Christmas colors might be awesome!), because I finally finished the massive ripple afghan I've been working on for over a year now! Behold: The color in this photo isn't good because one of my bedroom lights is out. Still, you can see, it covers my queen size bed no problem because it's actually more like king-sized. In any case, it's a fantastic blanket that my hubby loves a lot, a...

Handmade Crochet Afghan - Cream, Mint Green & Coral - 46X63 - Twin/Throw Price : $ 12.70 [View Detail]

Handmade Crochet Baby Afghan - Blue, Green, Yellow & White - 31" square w/fringe Price : $ 8.00 [View Detail]

It's officially September, which is totally weird, because I swear it was just barely May like two days ago. Strangely enough, I'm actually kind of excited for the cold weather this year. Perhaps because I turned 29 this year (the first time), the novelty of summer wore off more quickly than in previous years, and now I'm actually excited for the cold weather! That never happens. I'm a summer baby (literally), and I've worshiped the sun my whole life, but now I'm ready for cozy sweaters and warm food and, mostly, HALLOWEEN! Can. Not. Wait. Anyhow. August was an amazing month for The NWB! I'll admit that I was starting to lose faith at the beginning of the month, thinking that this whole online retail thing was too much work for not enough reward. Well, I was wrong. Gloriously, awesomely, thankfully wrong. Five vintage afghans and one handmade baby quilt were sold between eBay and Etsy in August, plus a few pieces of clothing that I happened to have layin...

You guys. I might be freaking out a little. Three blankets, including one that was made by The NWB, sold today on eBay! And one that shipped this week from a sale last week... The blue one sold last week and shipped out on Monday...count it! I can't tell you how excited I am! Crossing my fingers that the trend continues... Thanks for looking, Loves! Always Yours, The NWB

Handmade Quilt - Vintage Calico Fabric - Rainbow Bright Time left : 2d 20h 34m Price : $ 20.00 Bids : 0 [View Detail]

Handmade Crochet Afghan - Cream, Mint Green & Coral Time left : 2d 20h 3m Price : $ 15.00 Bids : 0 [View Detail]

Handmade Crochet Baby Afghan - Green & White Crochet Thread Time left : 23h 56m 28s Price : $ 8.00 Bids : 0 [View Detail]

Handmade Crochet Baby Blanket - Popcorn Stitch - Pink Blue Green Yellow White Time left : 4h 32m 2s Price : $ 10.00 Bids : 0 [View Detail]

Handmade Crochet Chevron Afghan - Shades of Gray w/Dark Red Time left : 23h 58m 12s Price : $ 8.00 Bids : 0 [View Detail]

Handmade Quilt - Vintage Calico Fabric - Rainbow Bright Time left : 2d 2h 27m Price : $ 20.00 [View Detail] This beautifully bright handmade quilt is built in vintage calico fabric. The front is green, red, yellow and orange pinstripes on white, back is solid red. Hand tied in white acrylic yarn. Measures 41.5" by 51" and is fully washable. Cotton polyfil inside.

Vintage Handmade Crochet Throw Blanket - Antique Handmade Afghan - Light Blue Time left : 6d 11h 48m Price : $ 8.50 [View Detail] So beautiful and very, very soft! This light blue throw blanket is perfect for any couch. Loose shell stitch design makes for great temperature control. 26 X 60 inches. Acrylic, so it's going to last forever. In fantastic condition; practically new! Likely 1970s or 80s. No holes, tears, pulls or stains. Might as well come out of a high-end vintage shop: a steal at this price! Washable and very clean. Freshly laundered and ready to ship.

Handmade Crochet Baby Blanket - Popcorn Stitch - Pink Blue Green Yellow White Time left : 6d 11h 36m Price : $ 10.00 [View Detail] This handmade crochet baby afghan is seriously gorgeous! Shades of pink, blue, green and yellow in a popcorn stitch that gives it bulk and a great texture. This gem makes for an amazing baby shower gift. The acrylic yarn is durable and completely washable - must haves for babies! Measures 32" by 36" and in perfect condition. No pilling, tears, stains, pulls or holes.

Handmade Crochet Afghan - Cream, Mint Green & Coral Time left : 2d 3h 8m Price : $ 15.00 [View Detail] This beautiful vintage throw is so pretty! The color combination is just right, and the condition is perfect! No tears, stains, holes, pilling or pulls. Likely acrylic. Long twin sized, 46" by 63" plus six inches of fringe on each side. Perfect thrown over a couch or on the end of any bed for extra warmth.

Vintage Zippers - Mixed Lot of 20 - Various Lengths & Colors - Mostly Talon Time left : 1w 5d 2h Price : $ 18.00 [View Detail] Mixed lot do vintage zippers includes 20 like-new vintage zippers from the 60s and 70s in various colors and lengths. 17/20 are Talon brand self-healing with original packaging. 3/20 are J & P Coats brand. Ranging in length from 9" to 22" and various purposes. 9 Inch (4): Talon for Dress Plackets Dark Green, style 222 Talon for Dress Plackets Turquoise, style 333 Talon Skirt or Neckline Black, style 25-1 Talon Skirt or Neckline Brown, style 25-1 11 Inch (1): Talon Metal Trouser Zipper White (col 020), style 335 12 Inch (3): 2x Talon Dress or Neckline Nylon Coil Navy, style 20-1 *Talon Dress Magic Tab White, style 20 14 Inch (5): Talon Dress or Neckline Nylon Coil White, style 20-1 *2x Talon Dress Magic Tab White, style 20 Talon Neckline Placket Smoke Grey, style 110 J & P Coats All Purpose Flex Zip 319-A Spanish Ti...

Handmade Quilt - Vintage Calico Fabric - Autumn Leaves Time left : 2d 2h 28m Price : $ 25.00 [View Detail] This beautiful handmade quilt is newly-made in vintage calico fabric. Orange, yellow, red, green and brown leaves, backed in solid olive green. Hand tied with white acrylic yarn. Cotton polyfil inside. Fully washable. Measures 42" by 54".

Handmade Quilt - Vintage Cotton - Dark Green, Yellow Gingham Time left : 2d 2h 28m Price : $ 20.00 [View Detail] This beautiful newly-made quilt was created with vintage cotton fabric from the 1970s. The dark green has a subtle leaf design and the light yellow is gingham. Backed in the dark green. Polyfil inside, tied with white acrylic yarn. Measures 38" by 39", fully washable. Pre-washed and ready to go!

Vintage Crochet Chevron Afghan - Shades of Gray w/Dark Red Time left : 5h 39m 54s Price : $ 8.00 [View Detail] Perfect for any boy's room or mancave! This chevron throw in shades of gray is capped with dark red on each end for an unexpected pop of color. The texture is wonderful, and the condition is excellent. Light pilling, no tears/stains/holes or pulls. Measures 47" by 49".