Today we’d like to introduce you to Claudia Pineda.
Hi Claudia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Our journey with Artesanias Claudia started around 2013 when my oldest daughter, Abril, needed to raise money for a Europe mission trip with her school. After attempts of bake sales, selling chocolate bars, and tamales sales, we wanted to sell something bigger to raise money for the whole group. My father-in-law had a family business of handmade Mexican pottery or “talavera” in Guanajuato, Mexico, and would send some items to us. The idea of sharing this Mexican tradition while fundraising the money for a great cause was what kickstarted our journey. My father-in-law would send a couple of boxes with selected Talavera items such as nativity sets, animal figurines, dish sets, teapot sets, and decor. It was successful at the various fundraisers we had at my daughter’s school, church, and craft fairs around the Central Dallas area that the whole group was able to go on the mission trip. Once our main goal was completed, I decided to continue it with both of my daughters as a small business. We called it “Talavera El Girasol” and we would join various craft shows, art bazaars hosted at high schools and churches, and farmers’ markets around DFW. We gained a following that we went to event sales far out to Murphy, Lewisville, Denton, McKinney, and Crocker Hill, TX. Through the years, “Talavera El Girasol” helped with both of my daughters’ education and with my mother’s medical expenses. In 2020, I became interested in candle making and started with simple glass jars and wax kits I would find at craft stores. My youngest daughter, Nichole, came to me with the idea of combining the candles with a simple Talavera dish instead to make it different. I thought it was a natural way to revive our Talavera small business. We rebranded as “Artesanias Claudia” to include the creative items along with traditional Mexican Talavera, and “who the heart of our small business is” according to my daughters. Artesanias Claudia is a mom and her two daughters working together to share our love of traditional Mexican Talavera, our culture, and our own creativity. Our main items are now 100% soy wax candles that are hand-poured into handmade “tazitas de café” (or coffee mugs) and other Talavera dishes. We are constantly working on bringing more of this traditional art to people and letting them know where it comes from, how it’s made, and how much love has been poured into it. One “tazita” has been designed and made by an artisan, selected by a daughter, and revived by a mother to end up in the hands of someone who will enjoy and appreciate it. We are currently joining pop-ups and small business markets all over DFW and we can be found mostly at @artesania_claudia on Instagram!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It took a while to get to where we are. Having each other does make things easier with our small business. We each contribute, even down to the hand-painted sign my daughter Nichole made. We do this together and I think that’s what makes it successful. When Abril went to college in Austin, TX, she couldn’t help me as often each month because she needed to focus on her schoolwork and the distance didn’t help either. I tried just taking Nichole with me but she was starting middle school at the time and there was only so much she could do to help. Physically, it was too much for me. I was also starting to miss all of us being together. We did take a hiatus of 4 years. All the Talavera was just sitting in my garage waiting for us to start again. When Abril graduated, she came home and we restarted. It was tough to take a break but, in the end, we all needed that time to handle the other things that life threw our way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Artesanias Claudia is a mom and her two daughters working together to share our love of traditional Mexican Talavera, our culture, and our own creativity. We curate our selection of Talavera items we bring to our table and our main items are now 100% soy wax candles that are hand-poured into handmade “tazitas de café” (or coffee mugs) and other Talavera dishes. We are constantly working on bringing more of this traditional art to people and letting them know where it comes from, how it’s made, and how much love has been poured into it.
What do you think about luck?
We try to bring good luck as much as possible. I think my youngest daughter, Nichole, is a lucky charm because things always turn out for the better when she’s around. Overall, it’s more blessings than luck that we have received. We have been blessed many times on our journey with Artesanias Claudia and in life that we honestly just want to pass that down to others too.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artesania_claudia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Artesanias-Claudia-109737774928777
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