Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Blanco.
Hi Stephanie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Stephanie Blanco and I am the owner of Matemi Creations. A small business where I use the art of using a hook to turn a ball of yarn into something magical. I was born in Delaware, grew up and currently reside in Utah, and come from a beautiful Mexican family.
I hope you enjoy getting to know me and what my business is all about! I’ll rewind some time ago and dig into the details below! My passion for crochet started almost 8 years ago when I was expecting my first baby, Noemi. Growing up I always loved anything art and was always in art classes or drawing at home anything I could think of. So when I first saw crochet baby items I was immediately intrigued! The art of turning yarn into almost anything you can think of? Yes, please!
I remember starting to look and putting in my cart a million and one baby items for my baby girl. Then one day, I thought to myself, “You know what would be even more special? If I handmade items like these for her. How much more love would that add to the items she’s going to be wearing?”And so I did! I watched YouTube videos. One after another after another. And after a few days of trial and error, I had my first crochet baby items for my baby! All handmade by me!
My first items included baby booties and headbands which I had her wear whenever I could! After that, the busy life of a new and first-time mom took over and I never made any more items again until my next pregnancy. In 2019, I found out I was expecting my second child, Mateo. I saw crochet shoes, crochet hats, and crochet rattles and I knew I wanted to have special items for him as well.
This time around though I posted my items on social media and out of nowhere they blew up! People started asking me if I would make items for them to buy from me and I said, why not?! An order here, an order there, and before I knew it I was actually scheduling orders out weeks in advance because of how popular they were becoming! Yet at this point, it was just a “hobby” in my eyes.
My pregnancy was harsh and I spent most of it alone. If you’ve been there you know how much anxiety and stress that can cause. Then I realized that aside from becoming fascinated with the joy and love my items brought to my customers, crocheting was now also helping me manage my anxiety. It became my passion, my medicine, and my opportunity to make an impact in others’ lives simply through handmade baby items.
After having my baby I continued to crochet but finally, in October of 2020, I started an actual business and named it after the two anchors in my life; my kids. Mateo and Noemí inspired me to start Matemi Creations. It was finally official and I couldn’t believe it! I was a single mom using her passion to provide for my little family.
I was spreading joy to more and more people as more and more orders came through. And now currently adding more items to my portfolio, learning more and more every day, and even attending pop-up shops where I get to showcase my creations!
Looking ahead I have many goals and dreams for Matemi Creations. It started as crochet baby items and now also offers flowers, tops, dolls, and more! I also have a ton of new items in the making including crochet hairpins, bucket hats, and purses. What started as a hobby has grown into a small business and I’m not stopping there! I am currently working on having an actual store both online and in-person.
I am working on getting a certification where I can continue to grow my skills and provide the best quality items I can. This will also enable me to become an instructor where I dream of helping other single moms grow a business like mine even if they’ve never held a hook and yarn in their hands. Bringing to life a flexible business that allows them to provide for their family as it does for me.
I stand for positivity and hunger. Use what life throws at you as fuel to build something better for yourself and your family. Whether you’re a single mom like me or have had other obstacles in life, I want to inspire you to dream big and find something that fuels your soul, and use it to become someone better!
I stand for love. Doing everything I do with love and making every creation with love to give it that touch of magic. I stand for being a person of service. Always providing without expecting anything in return and using my skills and knowledge to help others reach their dreams too. Matemi Creations is a mix of everything I stand for and I will continue to build and create on top of that.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know me and my business. If you’re ever looking for a unique, handmade, and special gift for your loved ones, we are always here! I’d love for you to continue to watch my business evolve and be part of our journey by following us on Instagram @matemicreations.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As a single mom of two kids, there can be many struggles in building your own business from scratch. Always on a time crunch, you only have two hands, and everyone always needs your attention. But the biggest struggle that I’ve learned to overcome is my mindset.
The single most important thing that can set you up for a successful business is your mind! For the longest time, I sold my items but I always feared what other people would say or think. I let fear hold me back for months until I realized that other people’s opinions can only hurt you if you allow them to!
The most important and valuable things in my life are my kids and that’s why I wake up every day with bigger dreams and bigger visions. They may not have a “normal” family but I’m gonna prove to them that momma handled everything the best she could and made something out of herself so that they never had to worry about anything.
Along with demonstrating to them and leading by example that you can become anything you want to if you work for it and do everything you do with love.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Matemi Creations specializes in crochet items all handmade by me from scratch. Most items are made to order by looking at various inspo pictures and bringing the customer’s creation to life exactly how they want it! I started with baby items like baby hats, shoes, clothing, teethers, and rattles.
Now I also make flowers, arrangements for special occasions, women’s tops, dolls/amigurumi, and more! I’m known as the crocheter that loves to salsa dance! Being myself and doing everything I do with love is what sets me apart. I pour my heart into every creation because I know it’s always going to be for someone special.
I’m most proud of my growth. Both business and personal. Growing up, I’ve always been very shy but my hunger for reaching my dreams forced me out of my comfort zone and helps me grow in all aspects of my life. I love to be vulnerable and share my true story along the way to inspire other women like me to dream big daily!
What are your plans for the future?
I plan on Matemi Creations growing in several directions. First and foremost always continue to work on my skills. I plan on getting certification in the next couple of months to learn all the techniques you don’t learn on YouTube and online (lol).
Second, I plan on having Matemi Creations Patterns. Designing items from things I’ve created so that other passionate crocheters can recreate my items!
Third, I want to have Matemi Creations stores both online and in person. Always having new abs improved items available. I also look forward to continuing to be part of pop-up shops with other small businesses.
Side note: I also am keeping track of each state I’ve shipped items to. A small and fun goal of mine is to have Matemi Creations in all states!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @matemicreations and @stepphy.b
