Why Dandelions

  

¡Hola!

I am Mayra. I am the artist and creator of Dandelions Handmade. I am Puerto Rican, a full-time mom and wife, and Biz Owner. Making dandelions (polymer clay earrings) keeps me grounded and sane from my daily shenanigans.

The other day I made a customer cry! Hey, it was not my intention at all! I didn't even know she was going to be that touched. While participating in a fall market as a vendor, this beautiful customer stops by my space and start admiring my earrings. Then she asked me "Why Dandelions?", I quickly took a deep breath and started telling her the back story of it.

In April of 2019, my family and I got the amazing opportunity to travel to Italy due to my husband's job at the time. We stayed a little over a week at a beautiful and picturesque town called Cesano Maderno. Our hotel was right by the cutest park called Parco Borromeo, a park full of art, trees, flowers, a huge fountain, gardens and even a palace called Palazzo Borromeo.

One day, we had to stay through the day at the hotel until my husband finishes his workday, but I decided it was going to be good to be out of the room and have the kids moving and wasting some of their energy at the park. The plan was to explore the whole park and the palace. Once we got there the kids started running like crazy everywhere and exploring every inch of the park. There was one huge grass area perfect for them to run around and as soon as they got there, they noticed the field was full of dandelions. They just started grabbing the stems and running to each other to blow at it and see the seeds fly through their faces. They spent hours just doing the same thing and I was sitting at this wooden bench looking at them, admiring at their happiness while doing the simplest thing, blowing the dandelions and running after the seeds. They were so happy that such happiness made me feel extremely happy myself. That day is photographed and videoed in my head as one of my happiest moments as a mom. The feeling was so overwhelming and satisfying that I just wanted it to last for a long time.

I am sure my customer understood the feeling as I was describing it and she just started crying right there at my table. It really touched me she got it. After that, she picked her special pair of earrings she liked and took them with her. Making these pieces is about sharing the happiness I experienced back then with every woman I encounter each day. 

This beautiful project was born from that magical day. Looking at the name and working on each of those pair of earrings, take me to one of the happiest moments of my life as a mother and as a woman. My creations take me to that field with my children.  To be able to travel so far with my whole family was a huge blessing. This moment also marked the ending of a very stressful and depressing season for me after struggling with chronic migraine attacks. Right after this trip I got to give form to Dandelions Handmade and since then I have blessed with my earrings so many amazing women out there and while doing so, I feel I have been healed from my depression and migraine attacks. 

My customers, the wonder women out there, are my purpose to continue bringing beauty, hope, happiness and joy to them and making them feel inspired and blessed. I wish for everyone to think of that happy moment, it doesn't have to be related to children, any moment of happiness and hold on into it to feel inspired to achieve anything they want. This is why my customers are wonderful!

If I am not creating, I am spending time with God, time with my family and friends, traveling, enjoying nature, and love trying new things.

If you want to know more about me and my small business, contact me filling out the information below. Thank you so much for being here and for your support. God bless you in great ways!

Mayra