About me

In my family, the women crocheted. Hands moving in the evenings, projects passed between aunts and cousins, finished pieces given without ceremony.

I'm Gabrijela. I'm 42, originally from Croatia, an aunt since I was nine. For almost a decade I taught children in elementary school. Then I moved to Amsterdam — and at some point, the crochet I'd grown up watching became the thing my own hands wanted to do.

GALA Creatives is where that lives now. The first piece I ever made for it was Val's Mobile — a hot air balloon, a cloud, a helicopter, an aeroplane, and a tiny mouse tucked into the basket. I knew, finishing it, that I'd found the work I wanted to do.

What I make now are crocheted pieces with sleepy-eyed faces, in muted natural tones — loveys, rattles, mobiles, name garlands, small companions. Some are made for the newborn months. Some for the curious in-between. Some for toddlers who already know exactly what they want. Each one made by my hands in my Amsterdam studio, in OEKO-TEX certified yarn, slowly enough that I notice every stitch.

Some pieces are ready to ship. Others are made to order — for a particular child, in particular colours, with a particular name. Both are made the same way, by the same person, with the same care.

If you're here, you're probably looking for something to give to a baby you love. I hope you find it.

— Gabrijela