etsy- check. events- couple checks. blog- here we go!

So I guess I start by saying hi?-

so.....

 "hello"

A little background to "Herrdoghouse"

13-ish years ago, my mom took my younger brother and I to New York to visit my aunt and uncle, both very very creative and amazing hard working people. At that time, they both were designers and had phenomenal pieces ranging from hair accessories, to dresses, to scarves and even jewelry. During that trip, my uncle sat down with me and we worked on a little "project" he gave me. He taught me how to work with beads and I was immediately on my way to creating my first work of art- a swarovski crystal and silver beaded lariat necklace. I remember my uncle telling me that I was making the piece for a collection he was going to be selling but when I was finally done with the necklace, he surprised me and let me keep it. To this moment, I still have that necklace and I still use it for all my special events. Now, 13 years later I am sharing the detailed bead work designs with the world. 

Growing up, my parents always encouraged me to be creative, but it wasn't really until my uncle sat me down to teach me how to make something out of a mess of beads and beautiful crystals that I realized, I had some kind of gift. So a huge thank you to my amazing aunt and uncle (my New York mom and dad) for ALL of the support and encouragement you've given me. 

Why "Herrdoghouse" and who made that AWESOME logo?

The easiest way I can explain is to break it down: 

Herr - Yes, I know how to spell correctly, but I added the extra "r" for my last name; Herrera. 

Dog House- First off, one of a few reasons the  business started is because I wanted to have an income to feed my "kids" (my dogs) and pay for the meds that my chocolate lab needs daily. Secondly, I (and the family) are major dog lovers. At the moment we have 5 dogs; 3 chihuahuas and 2 labradors. 

As for the logo, it is an uber amazing piece of art made by Darcy R. If you have a chance, you need to check out the phenomenal work this young beauty creates at PasmalDarcy. I also have some shots of her remarkable pieces from the Rose City Rocks festival in Pasadena in this album.

So why did I start the business 13 years later?

I worked in corporate america for the past 10ish years and its been a ride with too many "downs" that have burdened all of the "ups". I found myself missing my dogs while I was at work being fed TO the dogs and truly not enjoying the political b.s. that was going on everywhere. After 4 years of working hard I found myself being told I was getting laid off so I decided it is time to be my own boss and take control of my schedule, my life and truly enjoy what I do, not what others tell me to do. I have two kids I can now enjoy daily; my two 2 year old labrador retreivers, Bosco & Mia. 

One afternoon, after spending the day on careerbuilder and job searches, I was browsing online trying to find a fun and unique collar for Mia, not having ANY luck. I remembered I had a vintage black Brighton co. leather belt in my room and decided I would try to make that into a collar. I started working on it and adding beautiful swarovski crystals to it, finally turning this old belt that didn't fit me (not even if my life depended on it) into her beautiful new collar (the purple one in the picture below). 

(you can check out more pictures of the others at the online shop or on my facebook page)

After a couple of days of creating different collars of different vintage leather belts for Mia, mom asked me to make her an eyeglass necklace and pretty soon, one thing led to another and women's jewelry got thrown into the mix. The point? Herrdoghouse was created! 

                                                   

So what's the point of the entire blog?

Aside from sharing my custom work and to share the ride of a new growing company with you... 

I want to share the beautiful work of other amazing up and coming artists, designers, boutiques and business owners that work hard to make it out there. You never know what someone else is going to consider something to be  a "masterpiece", therefore, I just want to share everything I can with the world. I hope you will join me in my new adventure and keep up with my new projects as well as the new artists that I meet. Hopefully I can get to meet everyone one day and in advance thank you for all the support. 

Have a great night! 

Ninfa

p.s. A very very special thank you to my Tio Hugo for all of the support you have really given me. I love you Tio and appreciate everything deeply.