For centuries the healers of our cultura have been crafting for the wellness of their families, for prosperity of their families and for the fires within their soul. We as Indigenous people are truly artists, we are the Curandero’s of wellness, the ancient creators of ritual, the laborers of craft, the makers with heart.
Hispanic Heritage Month is a great place to feature some of our favorite Latina Makers! Over the next few weeks we will be sharing on Instagram about this multidimensional comunidad. As Latinx we show up in various ways, through art, through words, through advocacy and through medicine making. We celebrate ourselves every day of the year, we hope you will too. Find out more about these amazing Hermanas below and a special giveaway we are hosting this month!
Make & Mary— Founder, Yvonne Perez Emerson
Make & Mary are artists of whole plant wellness creating luxury vegan botanicals for body, bath and soul. We believe in living a life that is highly inspired. One that is abundant, creative, wild, humble, sexy, kind, magical & beautiful.
Founded in 2016 by Yvonne Perez Emerson, a first generation Mexican American. Yvonne is drawn to the ancestral world of medicine making as a folk herbalist. Her process of working with herbs is inspired by her grandmothers & abuelitas craft. They were the folk Curandos from so long ago.
Yvonne has always been a creative person. She loves making with her hands and embracing what nature has to offer. As a kid she was always drawing, playing music and concocting potions. As a young mother she was called on to learn more about the plant world. This passion would inspire her to become the healer of her own family, much like the women before her.
Yvonne has been crafting folk remedies for over 20 years and raised her family on tinctures, salves and natural beauty products she made at home.
Marisol Ortega, Artist, Letterer, Designer
Marisol Ortega is a first-generation Mexican-American designer, illustrator, pattern maker and letterer living and working in Seattle, Washington. Known for her vibrant flora and fauna illustrations that play with texture, linework, bold color palettes, and organic shapes. Her work reflects an exploration of her cultures, and she pulls inspiration from childhood memories of visiting her abuela’s home in Michoacán, Mexico.
Marisols work is vibrant and beautiful. Her fearless use of bright color ways, interesting texture and range of mediums make her work uniquely hers.
"I come from a family of makers and was constantly surrounded by creativity in some form."
The Crafty Chica — Kathy Cano-Murillo
Kathy Cano-Murillo is The Crafty Chica, a former syndicated newspaper columnist and now a full-time creativepreneur.
She has authored several craft books and novels, recently, “Forever Frida: A Celebration of the Life, Art, Loves, Words, and Style of Frida Kahlo”. Kathy has a new book releasing in December, and has new product lines debuting this year for HSN, Bisque Imports, Madison Park Greetings, and Riley Blake Fabrics.
Kathy’s life’s mission to inspire others to bring out their inner sparkle – and to see the sparkle in others. She believes in paying it forward and setting a positive example. She uses CraftyChica.com to share all the little and big things that make life sweet!
“A crafty version of Selena-meets-the Hallmark Channel-with a dash of Oprah optimism = Crafty Chica!”
Sugar Stone Shop—Jolene Velasquez
Jolene Velasquez started creating with clay about a year ago and fell in love with designing and making statement earrings.
In 2020, when the pandemic hit, Jolene knew she needed to pivot from her day job to do something new. She began making earrings and then sharing them with her family and friends. Her passion project bloomed and now she finds her self making them daily!
She custom mixes all of her own colors, which makes each pair unique. Her attention to detail and the love she puts into them comes through in each and every one.
Xula—Karina Primelles & Mennlay Golokeh Aggrey
Xula is a Latinx and Black-owned CBD brand born in Mexico City. They fuses ancestral herbal knowledge and modern scientific understanding into all of their products. Their CBD even comes from their own hemp farm, ensuring the highest quality.
Karina’s professional background consists in theoretical and practical knowledge of the human experience and the use of substances and practices to help unlock this potential. Cannabis has become her focal point in recent years and it is through this that Xula was born.As a queer woman, she sees the importance of living comfortably in our own skin and envisions herbs as a way to seek the inner balance we crave to live.
Mennlay is an author and interdisciplinary cannabis professional. Through her visibility she hopes to help navigate a more inclusive industry. She currently resides in Mexico City, where her work explores cannabis, food-ways, and the diasporic connections between Africa and Latin America.
MCV Textiles—Maritza de la Vega
Maritza de la Vega is a slow maker of lovely things. She stitches, knits, weaves, sews, gardens and makes photographs. Her maker journey began with a knitting class that helped her learn to slow down and enjoy the process.
Maritza has practiced the art of slowing-down ever since. Her current obsession is natural dyeing with plant extracts. MCV Textiles are handmade items created with intention, love and nature's bounty.
Born in Cuba, Maritza emigrated with her family to New York City at just two weeks old. She currently resides in New York's Hudson Valley with her husband, two daughters, elderly father and rescue dog.
Nopalera—Sandra Velazquez
Sandra Velazquez founded Nopalera as a way to elevate and celebrate Latin@ Culture. Their bath and beauty products are inspired by the beauty and richness of Mexico, and the nopal cactus, an ancient symbol of Mexican culture.
Nopal cactus is one of the most sustainable, nourishing, and resilient crops in the world. You can eat it, make textiles from it, and use it to hydrate your skin and hair. Growing up, nopales were everywhere. Sandra's family would frequently cut them from their own yard to cook.
Nopalera was born from this idea. They now create artisan bath & body products with a message that is loud and proud, and with no apologies.
Sandra was raised by Mexican immigrant parents in California near the US/Mexican border, and founded Nopalera to celebrate her culture.
Becalia Botanicals—Jasmine Guerrero
Jasmine Guerrero has made a commitment to craft intentional, effective products with your story at the center. As a first generation Mexican-American, her family loved and knew something about her that she didn’t even know existed
As a child, she was always welcomed to sit at the grown-up table with the women who raised and inspired her— her Abuela Rebeca, her mom Otilia, and her Tia Celia. These three women would teach her the importance of transparency and work ethic that she brings to the values of her brand now. Jasmine is who she is today because of the insight, words, sacrifices, and love they nurtured in her.
Shop Mi Vida— Noelle Reyes
Noelle Reyes created the Mujer Lifestyle & Apparel brand inspired by our Vida, Resistencia y Cultura. Mi Vida es nuestra familia. They fully support DIY ideology and hand-crafted artwork, jewelry, fashion and home decor. They’re Chicano team is all about craft and design hecho con amor. They design, print and manufacture all of their products in Los Angeles which represent the love of our cultura and our cuidad in its every essence.
From Housewares to apparel and even kids clothing, Shop Mi Vida has something for everyone, they even host events and workshops!
Wapato Island Farm—Jennifer Rose Marie Serna
Jennifer Rose Marie Serna is a Latina folk herbalist, mother, regenerative farmer, land activist, skill educator, and owner of Wapato Island Farm. Learning from her great abuelita, Grandma Mary, a Mexican yerbatera and family matriarch, Jennifer began her journey with plant wisdom, healing, and food as nourishment at a young age. She has been learning herbalism for most of her life, which has deepened and grown into a practice of curandera, ancestral healing, and folk tradition practices with food, medicine, and deep soul work. Jennifer's vision is to continue supporting BIPOC communities within the framework of healing justice, identifying holistic responses to generational trauma and violence.
Currently, Wapato Farm is focused on working with migrant field workers and black + indigenous farmers to reimagine and build new food systems that foster food sovereignty within these communities. Jennifer is dedicated to honoring and protecting these sacred land she tends with her family and the people that come to Wapato Island Farm for healing, learning, medicine and wisdom.
GRL Collective— Kristine Rodriguez
GRL Collective is a Latina founded lifestyle brand for grls that give a f*ck. They design and manufacture their own products and believe in ethical, sustainable and fair-trade practices. This means no sweat shops, only the best materials, and eco-friendly packaging.
GRL Collective also believes in giving back to their community far and wide. That's why they donate a portion of their profits every month to important causes they value.
Pear Mama—Denise Silva
Denise Silva is an artist and a story-teller. In 2016 she started the family blog, Pearmama. It is a place where she shares her unique brand of spiritual medicine in the form of art.
As a Chicanx, Denise's heart has always belonged to Southern California. As an artists she inhabits many places and realms.
“ I am a woman, a mother, artist, storyteller, writer, the perfect water sign in both the sun and moon.”
Her mixed-medium work is a combination of paper collage, painting, abstract expressionism, multi-layered and inspired by the Chicano art aesthetic, our connection to Mother Earth and divine feminine energy.
Now's Your Chance To Win Something From All Of These Fabulous Latina Makers!
✨ ???????? ✨ Latina Maker Giveaway✨ ???????? ✨
This is an epic Soulful Self-care Giveaway with a little something from all these Chingona Makers! The winner will receive 22 items of goodness made by these amazing Latinx brands. The giveaway starts today 9/15/21 and ends on 9/30/21
It’s easy to enter, here’s how: Head over to Instagram!
- Like the post
- Tag three friends
- Let us know why you need this
- Follow us there and the other brands too
- Bonus points for sharing in your stories or reals.
Giveaway Includes:
- @themakeandmary Soulshine Cannabis Candle, Mini Face & Body Serum, Earth Sister Moisturizing Wand, and our new Love Note Bath Bomb
- @marisolortega Snake & Moth Riso Prints + 3 Beatle Enamel Pins
- @craftychica Los Floras Hand Painted Heart Earrings and Sparkly Virgincita Earrings
- @sugarstoneshop Haute Link Tortoiseshell Handmade Earrings
- @xulaherbs 750mg Moon & Mood C B D Tincture
- @mcvtextiles Hand-dyed Cotton Bandana
- @nopalera.co Flor de Mayo Cactus Soap & Noche Clara Cactus Soap
- @BecaliaBotanicals Coco Leche Milk Bath Soak & Horchata Facial Polishing Grains
- @shopmivida Virgencita Protection Tote
- @wapatoislandfarm Smoked Herbal Bath Salts & Smoked Shroom Salt
- @grlcollective “Mind like Frida, Moves Like Selena T-shirt
- @pearmama— The Offering is You Tee
Giveaway rules: Must be 18+ to enter, our apologies US entries only.