We had the good fortune of connecting with Teresa López and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Teresa, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Balancing my 9-5 accounting career, this small business of mine (D|C|D), mom life, family, and everything in between that life likes to throw at us hasn’t been easy. Following your dreams is NEVER easy but it is so worth the extra sweat and tears. And, trust me…THERE WILL BE TEARS (lol). My life has changed in the sense that I choose to practice and become better at my craft on a daily basis rather than settling for my current state. If we’re not growing we’re standing still. I strongly believe my work/life balance has progressed for the better even though it means less sleep. I’ve crossed paths with so many other local creatives in various fields that encourage me to keep pushing forward. Their hustle inspires my hustle whether they know it or not. Plus, I want my daughter to see, first handedly, that your dreams come true if you MAKE THEM come true. So balancing work and life becomes easier to do the more fuel you add to the fire.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I began scrapbooking when my, almost teenager, was born. I wanted to document EVERYTHING!!! Then, her first birthday came around and I decided to make her party invitations myself. I love little details that no one else would pay much attention to. So, this led me to making my own party decor for her birthday parties that followed. Until one year, she asked me for a “pineapple themed party”. I searched every store I could think of for anything and everything that had a pineapple. To my surprise, I had no luck. Weird huh?! Well, I went home and started creating my own. I even bought a hamburger piñata and somehow transformed it into a pineapple. Of course, the following year pineapples were a “trend” and started popping up everywhere. But, THIS was the moment that the lightbulb turned on for me. I asked myself, “What if I’m not the only one struggling to find what I (my child) wants?”. That is when my love of crafting slowly but surely evolved to what is now, Dream Create Designs. I started out making custom invites. Throughout the years I’ve had the privilege of planning events for family and close friends, to coordinating candy/sweets bar for weddings, to dipping my toes in floral wedding arrangements. From there it led me to to the realization that I primarily loved and wanted to focus on personalized party decor. It wasn’t easy to convince myself that it was worth giving it a shot. With Pinterest and DIY being a huge trend these past years I doubted myself a lot. But, I’m so glad and feel 1,000% blessed that God gave me the courage to finally decide to move forward with this because it has been such a rewarding journey. When you place an order with me, I want it to be known that I pay as much attention to detail as if it were my own. Every order is made with so much love and dedication.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate this feature to my wonderful parents. They came to the U.S. to give my siblings and I a brighter future. My dear father has a hustle like no other. As a kid, I watched him work hard year after year. From having to wake up at 4am, to work for 30+ years, to finally retiring, and STILL waking up early to tend to house duties is just a small glimpse of the hero that he is. There is nothing he’ll leave for “later” that needs fixing. This is the same energy I feed off of when focusing on my small business. He is my biggest motivation and the reason why I refuse to give up on my dreams and will continue to hustle as he continuously does. My lovely mother is the reason why I love to craft and who I owe all my creativity to. From going all out for our small intimate birthday parties to making everything for my sister’s and my quinceañera (Sweet 15) right down to our dresses, and every other family event in between. I owe her this and SO MUCH MORE. She continues to empower me tremendously with her actions and the love she has for her family. Coming from a strong independent mother has molded me into the woman/mom/small business owner/creative I am today and pray I continue to evolve so much more. To say I have the greatest role models, motivators, & the best parents in the world is an understatement. Los quiero mucho mamí y papí. ~Tita

Website: www.DreamCreateDesigns.com
Instagram: @dream_create_designs
Facebook: @DreamCreateDesigns
Other: Email: DreamCreateInvites@gmail.com

Image Credits
Headshot: Alex Gonzalez (IG: @AlexGonzalezHair) Loteria Themed party: client photo All other photos by me, courtesy of my iPhone. 😉