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Crafty Chica

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Kathy Cano-Murillo[edit]

Kathy Cano-Murillo (born Phoenix, Arizona, United States) is an artist, author, influencer and Mexican-American digital entrepreneur. She is known for her work as a premier crafter, blogger, novelist, and product developer.

She is recognized as the founder of Crafty Chica, an online magazine dedicated to self-help topics, art and handcrafts that combine Latin and North-American insights. This project has allowed her to win different awards and an excellent reputation in the media, due to contributions made in the Latino community of the United States.

Earlier years[edit]

She began her career in 1988 when she launched a jewelry line that was sold in local Phoenix shops. In 1990, she and her husband Patrick Murillo were represented by a team of sales reps for their Latino-centric home decor line of handmade goods which were sold in Bloomingdale's By Mail, Target, and more than 300 independent gift shops around the country.[1]

However, the business grew faster than Kathy and Patrick could keep up, so she went to work as a part-time Features news clerk at The Arizona Republic in 1994.[2] In the spirit of entrepreneurship, Kathy managed to juggle both jobs while making and fulfilling the last of the art orders. In 1997, she began to write entertainment and local interest articles and eventually a weekly Saturday craft column in 1999. The column was picked up for syndication by Gannett News Service in 2000, and ran in 200 papers across the country, and she began a weekly morning craft segment on KPNX Channel 12 in Phoenix.[3]

Digital Entrepreneur, Product Designer, Speaker[edit]

 Given her success, she began to have a presence in national media, where she appeared as a special guest or as an innovative business model. CraftyChica.com garnered press from The New York Times,[4] USA Today[5], The Washington Post[6] and many other national press outlets. Additionally, Kathy began to appear on a number of national craft shows for the DIY Network and Lifetime TV.

Around the time Kathy left the newspaper, the new age of digital influencers[7] was launched. Kathy incorporated her crafts in a clever way in campaigns with Kmart, Neutrogena and Best Buy. Her success has led her to work with well-known brands such as Coca Cola, Disney, Central AZ, HP, among others. Her in genuity, light-heart candid shares on social media has garnered her the title of being one in a group of savvy social media superstar by Mashable[8] and NBC News. [9] Given the need to reach her followers through the languages ​​and platforms they use, Kathy has presence on Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube and through her own personal website, Kathy Cano- Murillo. 

 Beyond her writing and crafts, Kathy also works as a speaker for the topics of business, motivation, social media and creativity. She actively speaks at conferences, meetings, and social events about the benefits of entrepreneurship and pursuing lifelong dreams. Her message resonates across many platforms, such as the national BlogHer[10]event, a yearly conference for bloggers, vloggers and social media influencers, and local events in her home state of Arizona.[11]

 Kathy’s most recent Crafty Chica product line is with Sizzix[12]and her second round of designs debut in retail stores nationwide Fall 2017.[13]

Writing Career[edit]

Since a young age, Kathy aimed to be a writer. The first time she realized she wanted so was in 5th grade, when the teacher assigned them to draw a picture and write a story about it. She decided to represent a family scene with some cupcakes as her plot, and she was applauded. This impulse led her to study feature writing, entertainment journalism, and fiction. To date, Kathy has authored seven craft titles and two women’s fiction novels. 

The books that Kathy has authored are:

Novels:

Miss Scarlet’s School of Patternless Sewing: A Crafty Chica Novel

Waking Up in the Land of Glitter: A Crafty Chica Novel 

Crafts and Motivation:

Crafty Chica’s Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Projects for the Everyday Crafter

Crafty Chica’s Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life

Crafty Chica Collection

The Crafty Diva’s Lifestyle Makeover: Awesome Ideas to Spice Up Your Life!

The Crafty Diva’s D.I.Y. Stylebook: “A Grrrl’s Guide to Cool Creations You Can Make, Show Off, and Share”

La Casa Loca: Latino Style Comes Home: 45 Funky Craft Projects for Decorating and Entertaining

Making Shadow Boxes and Shrines 

Short Story:

Rubina Chinchada and the Enchanted Dresser

Book Contributions:

Signature Styles: 20 Stitchers Craft Their Look by Jenny Doh

Chicken Soup for the Latino Soul: by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Susan Sanchez-Casal

Collage for the Soul: Expressing Hopes and Dreams Through Art by Holly Harrison, Paula Grasdal

Angel Crafts: Making Angels, Ornaments, Dolls by Hand: Step-by-Step Instructions for 47 Projects

Gifts from the Southwest Kitchen by Judy Walker

Bead Simple by Susan Beal

DecoDen Bling: Mini decorations for phones & favorite things by Alice Fisher 

Kathy has received positive feedback about her two novels from New York Times[14] and Kirkus Reviews[15], and has been featured on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday.[16] 

Upcoming Projects[edit]

Kathy is the not the only creative entrepreneur in her family. Kathy’s husband, Patrick Murillo, works as a full-time artist and musician. Their daughter, Maya Murillo, has followed in her mother’s footsteps by starting a blog at the age of 16, which has expanded to a full-time job at Buzzfeed’s Pero Like channel.  Their son, DeAngelo, runs his brand, TheGeekLyfe.com, a cosplay and gaming site. The three of them have created a creativity powerhouse by generating appealing and relative content, producing one-of-kind art and bringing their followers the happiness of living their life. 

Kathy’s most ambitious objective is to break the stereotypes built around the identity of the Latino community in the United States. She wants to become a mirror of positivity through her own work. As she stated to the Phoenix New Times: “I grew tired of seeing our community portrayed as gangbangers, gardeners, and maids on TV and in movies. I thought if I showed a slice of my life on a regular basis, it could change perspectives. I aimed to be a force of good.”[17]

References, Resources and Press[edit]

Awaiting response from 7/9/17 submission[edit]


This article "Crafty Chica" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Crafty Chica. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

  1. "Bio - Crafty Chica™". Crafty Chica™. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  2. "Newspapers.com search". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  3. "Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona on May 4, 2000 · Page 162". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  4. Walker, Rob (2009-02-25). "Happy Medium - The Craft Chica". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  5. "AZ Storytellers celebrates our Latin and Caribbean friends, family and neighbors". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  6. "Kathy Cano-Murillo chats about crafting and Halloween decor | Home Front". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  7. "Hispanic Influencers on Social Media: Meet the Top 25". IZEA. 2017-05-24. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  8. Telemundo, Ivan Ardila for. "5 Latinos who have become social media superstars". Mashable. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  9. "6 Social Media Savvy Latinos on Why You Should Join Snapchat". NBC News. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  10. "KATHY CANO-MURILLO". BlogHer. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  11. "Arizona Storytellers Project: Be dazzled at 6th Annual Holiday Spectacular tonight". azcentral. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  12. "Crafty Chica". www.sizzix.com. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  13. Inc., Big Lots,. "Big Lots Increases Online Presence To Connect With Hispanic Customers". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  14. Walker, Rob (2009-02-25). "Happy Medium - The Craft Chica". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  15. MISS SCARLET'S SCHOOL OF PATTERNLESS SEWING by Kathy Cano-Murillo | Kirkus Reviews. Search this book on
  16. "Kathy Cano Murillo, 'The Crafty Chica'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  17. "How The Crafty Chica Stared An Empire With A Blog The Phoenix-Latino Community and A Lot of Glitter".