by Linda Castillo
Wrapping up my articles for Earth week, I am excited to introduce Casa de Gitanas (House of Gypsies). They refer to themselves as a young female tribe, a close-knit group of four friends who are creating beautiful, handmade pieces of jewelry and home accessories. The clan consists of Mama Bear Cathya, Virgo Warrior Diana, Grow with the Flow Michelle, and Baby Spice Bury aka Marielena.
In my mind, their jewelry represents mother Earth from their use of stones and metals, to how they creatively give items new life in their jewelry design. Their hearts, souls and free spirits are apparent in their designs and brand. And talk about originality, I mean how could you not love the pieces from the ‘My Granny Made It’ section displaying embroidery accessories made by their abuelitas.
Here is a glimpse into the lives of these creative Latina entrepreneurs and some of their beautiful, one-of-a-kind jewelry and home accessories.
How did Casa de Gitanas come about?
It all began with a vision of living freely and creating quality, wearable art with intention. We consciously handcraft each one of-a-kind piece to not only adorn the individual, but also help them radiate positive, uplifting vibes wherever life may take them. We effortlessly sold our first Casa De Gitanas collection at Reggae on the River in Humboldt County. We attracted our first customers by setting up what we call the infamous Casa De Gitanas “Cuddle Puddle” right on the foot of the river and we’ve been evolving and growing our vision since then.
What inspired the name Casa de Gitanas?
We are a collective of 1st generation Mexican Americans and we truly exemplify the Gypsy lifestyle of always exploring and absorbing a plethora of influences from our direct environment which we turn into our personal ideas of what beauty is and then offer it to the world. Casa De Gitanas translates in English to “House of Gypsies”. We chose to honor our roots as Latina’s by deciding to keep our name in Spanish. We are the Good Vibe Tribe and we love to spread love, and happiness everywhere we go.
You describe yourselves as a female tribe. Who are you and how do you know one another? What are your backgrounds?
Our female tribe consists of Mama Bear Cathya, Virgo Warrior Diana, Grow with the Flow Michelle, and Baby Spice Bury aka Marielena. We are a band of do-it-all sisters and we are involved in every single aspect of running and growing this business. Each and every one of us brings in an abundance of creativity, positive energy, and a wealth of information and this is why we have been super successful doing what we do. We rely on each other for love, support, and inspiration and we honestly couldn’t do it without each other.
Our backgrounds range from Environmental Awareness, Business Development, Multi-Media Marketing, Sustainability, Entrepreneurship, Art, and anything pertaining to expanding a creative vision. We believe that great ideas deserve to be put out into the universe and eventually we see ourselves helping other creatives launch their BIG ideas.
Tell me more about Casa de Gitanas design style?
Each one of us handcrafts special pieces that reflect our individual style, but we all love playing with Crystals, Shells, Re-Purposed Items, and lots and lots of wire. We love getting together to craft and often collaborate on pieces where we each get to add our personal touch. We create unique gypsy gems and mermaid treasures that are full of good vibes!
This week is Earth week, tell me how your pieces are a reflection of our mother earth?
You mention that your pieces ethically & consciously made, any of your pieces use recycled materials? We are so grateful for everything that Mother Earth offers us everyday from the air we breathe, to the materials that it provides for us to use in developing our own creations. We love incorporating repurposed items and giving them new life by transforming them into our own visions of beauty. Sustainability plays a major role in our business as we choose to opt out of mass production, and utilize all or most of our materials to minimize the waste we create. We try to support other businesses as much as we can, some of the ways that we are able to accomplish this is by sourcing from local gemstone mines, purchasing materials in small batches from local vendors, and also by giving more than we “take”.
What are you favorite materials to work with?
Copper wire, Shells, Gold, Druzy’s, Handblown Glass Pendants, Raw Healing Crystals — some of our fav are Amethyst, Citrine, Quartz, Lapis, Fuchsite, and Labradorite.
Tell me about your newest pieces and the inspiration behind them. Any favorites in particular?
The newest pieces that we have been working on is a collection of handcrafted rings made with magical, healing crystals. We love playing with rings because they are the perfect accessory to wear everyday, and it also makes it so that you can carry your crystals with you throughout your day to get the most out of the positive energy that they emanate. The Quartz ring is especially handy to carry along on your everyday adventures! Crystal Quartz is the perfect stone to attract good luck, energy, healing, protection, purification, CLARITY, guidance, and wisdom. It is truly a stone of power and it brings forth energy along with harmonizing the flow of life energy. Also, it is a purification stone and is used to transform bad energy into good/positive.
Where can Modern Latina readers purchase the jewelry?
Modern Latina readers can purchase their very own handmade treasures at our Gypsy Marketplace at www.CasaDeGitanas.com ♦
Note: All images courtesy of Casa de Gitanas.
Linda Castillo is the Founder and Executive Editor of www.ModernLatina.com. She writes on topics that empower and inspire Latinas including art, motherhood, green living, culture, travel, and issues transforming the Latino community. Linda has earned a B.S. in Business and a M.S. in Mass Communications from San Jose State University.