Lula Flora immediately caught my eye. Fun party supplies with a Mexican theme using modern colours and designs are all beautifully handmade right here in Montreal by owner Christine Lucas.
I have an affinity for all things Mexican after a six-month stint in Mexico during my wilder days. I also love cut-paper (Rob Ryan anyone?) so was surprised to see so much of this beautiful art on owner Christine Lucas’ Etsy site. Turns out that this craft is called Papel Picado and is considered a Mexican folk art. It’s really gorgeous and could be used even if you weren’t considering a Mexican theme.
Planning a party to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Throw in some beautiful decorations to up the fiesta feeling. Besides use for weddings and other fiestas, I find that piñatas at a children’s birthday are always popular. What kid doesn’t love giving the piñata a big bash? Mini piñatas as treat bags are also completely adorable.
I thought I’d share this little gem of a find with all you guys and find out a little bit more about Lula Flora from owner Christine Lucas.
Q&A with Lula Flora owner Christine Lucas
Tell me a bit about yourself.
My name is Christine and I make piñatas.
This is not something I thought I’d be saying on a regular basis but after having zero luck finding tasteful, quality and modern fiesta decorations for our destination wedding in Mexico, I made my first mini piñata and papel picado flags and haven’t stopped since. Life these days can be summed up in a few words: confetti and glue, tissue and tape, piñatas and paper. Fiesta forever!
Tell me a bit about Lula Flora.
I started Lula Flora knowing that there had to be other girls like me out there, looking for something special and different for their fiestas. I launched my Etsy shop with my mini piñatas and have since added thank you tags, papel picado banners, cake toppers, table numbers and just recently, invitations.
I design and assemble every item, with the help of a couple of die cutting machines and my amazing “piñata engineer” husband who created our one of a kind (and top selling) mini donkey that allows you to “fill and spill” the piñata from a little trap door.
What has the response been like?
The response to the shop has been incredible. Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner and we’re swamped! My “Fiesta Forever” and papel picado banners have been really popular. Clients are planning big fancy fiestas and love that they can customize the wording and chose from a ton of colors to match their themes. Everyone knows that it’s not a fiesta without a piñata and the minis make great decorations. They also make really unique and fun party favors as you can fill them with candy, confetti, tequila… whatever!
On top of Cinco de Mayo, wedding season is gearing up so I’m looking forward to a busy summer of working with more amazing brides, party planners and fiesta lovers! But first I need a much anticipated escape from this awful never-ending Montreal winter weather. It’s back to Mexico to recharge the creative batteries in May!
Do you also do regular pinatas in addition to your minis?
Yes! I get requests for full sized piñatas and am happy to create whatever you need! I have made numbers, letters, shapes and the classic Burro (donkey). Some are to fill and smash and a popular idea for the younger kids is a pull string piñata. I’ve made cat piñatas, a 16” metallic pink diamond and a purple unicorn! Possibilities for piñatas are endless!
Tell me about your favourite place in Mexico and why you love it.
Fiesta is in my blood and Mexico is in my heart! I first visited Cozumel in 2008 and several trips later, we got married in Playa del Carmen in 2012. We’ve also spent 6 months in 2014 living on Isla Mujeres, a tiny island off of Cancun. We fell in love with the cities in the Riviera Maya for the wonderful people, laid back lifestyle, festive atmosphere, history and sights and food! We now love going back because we’ve made friends there, have clients there and it feels like a second home to us.
My newest connection to Mexico is this business. So many of my clients are having destination weddings in the Riviera Maya and it is so fun to chat with them about it! I love that I send out these little pieces of my work, of me, and they are going right back to Mexico!
Thanks to Christine for answering all my questions!
Check out Lula Flora’s Etsy Shop
Also find her on: Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and the Web
Michelle Little
Writer & Photographer
