Where did the idea come from?
Hi! I’m Ingrid & my biggest passions, other than science & dancing, are giving back to the community & doing Arts & Crafts. Growing up in Bogotá, Colombia, I remember my tia’s artistic self. Always creating something, whether it was knitting beautiful sweaters, making homemade soaps, or weaving jewelry! Nonetheless, she was always dreaming of owning a School/Academy for young children.
Fast forward to 2006, after all her hard work, my Tia’s dream finally came true! The Grand opening of Jardin Infantil Bambini, her very own School/Academy for young children, took place! I wasn’t there to celebrate with her in person as I had moved to the States to reunite with my dad two years before that. I did, however, get to visit Bambini & met all the cute little students a decade later during a short visit to la tierra querida.
Unfortunately, in 2020, due to the pandemic everything became difficult. Extended quarantine, schools closing, parents unenrolling their children from Bambini, teachers not getting paid as a result. The only choice was to close the School. The past couple of years have not only been difficult financially, but emotionally for her, my tio, & my primos.
After what happened to my tia’s School, after dealing with a personal matter with my immediate family, after having to put aside my love for Arts & Crafts to focus on my career, after thinking of how much I’ve been wanting to help the community on a bigger scale. The idea came to me, why not use our love for Arts & Crafts to create a handmade jewelry small business inspired in Colombian culture with a twist of American culture. A small business where some of the profit would be used to do charity work or donate to non-profits. A small business where we can grow, learn, & inspire others! Thus, River of Colors Handmade Jewelry was born!
There’s an immense amount of amor that goes into designing & creating each piece of jewelry. Gracias for being part of this adventure & for supporting our creativity & our community!
Where did the name for the Small Business come from?
The name of my small business was inspired by Caño Cristales, a beautiful colorful river located in El Meta, Colombia. Caño cristales is also known as the Liquid Rainbow or the River of Colors. Some of these colors are due to an aquatic plant called Macarenia Clavigera. The best time to visit is during the rainy season, which is between May & November. The Disney movie Encanto features the River of Colors in a couple of scenes, one of which takes place almost at the end of the movie where Abuela truly embraces Mirabel, saving their magical casita.