Cielito Creations, is the creative expression of Cielo Quintero Restrepo a native of Medellin Colombia. I was born and raised in Colombia, but followed love and my Australian husband to Melbourne, Australia, where we have made a new life together.

I arrived in Melbourne in late 2011 with a formal education in Agricultural Science, and a background in event management for International Exhibitions.

I arrived here with rudimentary English so rediscovering my love for art-crafts became part of adapting to my new life here in Australia.

Since in the beginning, the language barrier made finding work difficult. Learning a second language takes time, but after a visit to the local markets sparked childhood memories of my mother at her sewing machine, I realised that maybe I did not have to rely on someone else to give my work – I could make it for myself – and that is how Cielito Creations was started in 2015 by me. . A wonderfully creative solution to generate solutions to my new change!

During this rediscovery I got involved in the art of Eco-Printing. It involves many facets of nature and various natural materials and invariably a lot of experimenting along with good old fashioned trial and error.

I am very passionate about sustainability and I have a background in agriculture in my home country. I enjoy working with leaves and natural dyes to make my beautiful and unique scarves in naturally luxurious fabrics like silk, cotton and wool. Following this method of production is not only environmentally friendly, it also infuses the scarves with the exquisite perfumes like of the eucalyptus and another essences from the nature.

The name for my business harks back to my childhood memories as well. “Cielito” is an affectionate colombian nickname meaning “little Cielo”, and is overflowing with impressions of warmth, love and Colombian culture –these feelings and memories are fused into every fibre of my cherished creations.

The designs you see are inspired by the native vegetation of the Australian native species as well as some exotic species to introduce some vibrant Latin American colours to the melting pot of creative inspiration.

As well as I own beautiful creations, I also resell traditional handmade products of some indigenous Colombian cultures that I purchases from vulnerable people back in my home country. This helps me feel connected to my family and community back home, provide financial support to communities in need, and help support the continuation of traditional crafting skills.