Today we’d like to introduce you to Colleen Duarte.
Colleen, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My love affair with embroidery (and flowers) began when I was a little girl. The summers of my youth were spent digging in the dirt, working at a local flower shop and stitching away. My first embroidery piece was a cross stitch pattern featuring colorful barn animals. 30+ years later and I still have that piece hanging in my house today.
As life continued, I grew up and things got busier and busier, leaving me less time for these simple joys. I had lots of adventures – I went to college, built an eCommerce career, traveled all over the world, fell in love, got married and had my babies. And as with all people who live life to the fullest, I also experienced my fair share of heartache, loss and frustrating moments. It was during those times that I would make my way back to embroidery as a way to ground me and rediscover a slower, simple calmness.
So, it is on that note, that I opened my business. I want to celebrate all of life’s adventures – from the bright and shiny moments to the moments of everyday magic as well as the moments that hurt. There is beauty in all of it. Because, after all, those adventures combined are what represents a life well lived.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In so many ways, the growth of my business has been very smooth. And I definitely don’t take that for granted. I just focus on creating pieces that inspire me and are true to me and my style. And I think that focus has allowed me to have clear direction on what I want to create and where I should spend my time.
However, with that said, I am big think-out-loud sort of person. Nothing energizes me quite like having someone to toss ideas around with. But, I don’t really know anyone else that is doing what I’m doing, much less anyone in DFW. Other artists, yes. But other hand embroidery artists, no. So sometimes, I struggle with that.
Every other struggle is really just par for the course when you are running your own business – not second guessing myself, taking on too much at once, making bad decisions, dealing with shortages of supplies, dedicating enough time for both the running of the business and the creative side of the business. It all just kind of comes with the territory I think. But honestly, I love running the business just as much as I enjoy the creative side of it; so that helps.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about And Other Adventures Embroidery Co. – what should we know?
And Other Adventures Embroidery Co. specializes in all things hand embroidery. I love creating one-of-a-kind, hand stitched items that have a modern romantic feel to them. I really pride myself on carefully crafting each piece so that it is worthy enough to be an heirloom.
I’m probably best known for my custom wedding bouquet portraits where I take a photo of a real wedding bouquet and then recreate its likeness with fabric and thread. While the real bouquet will wilt and fade, the embroidered bouquet lives on as a reminder of that beautiful wedding day. Bouquets are definitely my favorite pieces to work on for so many reasons – when you spend as much time as I do with each bouquet, you really get to know not only the flowers themselves but also about the couple, the wedding day and the person giving the gift. The stories that come out of these conversations are so uplifting and filled with love that I consider myself beyond lucky to be able to do this for a living. My favorite conversations are those with the husbands gifting this embroidered bouquet to their wives. Romantic and quite hilarious at times, they serve as a reminder that romance is alive and well.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Most definitely my friends and family. They are my biggest cheerleaders and there is no way I could do this without them.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.andotheradventuresco.com
- Email: andotheradventures@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andotheradventuresco/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/andotheradventures
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