Hello you!
I am Adriana, founder, designer (of some) and maker of the items you see here at Adi's Crafts 'N' Things. I was born and raised in Mexico along with 2 younger siblings, and I was born to a family filled with crafters and hand-makers, starting with my mom. She was always really into arts and crafts, which she instilled in me and my sister from a young age.
When I was 16, my family and I moved to California in the US. Although I had learned some crafts when I was pretty young, like embroidery and cross-stitch, it was here were I learned my first strong craft; crochet. Like most crafts I was introduced to, this was taught to me by a close family member; my younger sister. Now, I have no idea who taught this to her, but she taught me some of the basics to what has now become the foundation for Adi's Crafts 'N' Things.
This skill started as a hobby; a way to pass time or try to make some fun scarf for myself. As I grew older, the hobby evolved and grew to become a therapeutic way to reduce stress. This remained the same for many years; through getting married, moving to a different country, and having my first baby. It wasn't until 2016 when I felt I could help spread the goodness of having a handmade item with others and opened my business on Etsy. At first, most of the support and sales I got came from family and friends. Many of them kept encouraging me to promote and grow my business, but I couldn't bring myself to do this while looking after my first newborn baby. Let's face it, being a first-time mom is exhausting! But, slowly the business started to evolve as well. I decided to build up some of the other skills/crafts I had learned but hadn't pursued much, like quilting and embroidery. Then, about a year after the birth of our second baby, I felt confident enough (and much more rested) to start teaching crochet.
Now, I don't why I waited so long to get started with in-person classes! I found this to be the best way to promote and teach a craft that could help many with their mental health, especially after the numerous lockdowns our world went through after 2019. But, I couldn't stop here. I still wanted to reach more people and share with them something that has constantly brought me happiness. So, now I am happy to share not only my handmade items, but also designs I have created (mostly inspired by my love of all things Jane Austen as well as musicals), and by now doing both in-person classes and YouTube tutorials for most things yarn related.
Thank you so much for reading and for all your support! I know I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you all!