Meet Kenia Escobar of Broken Mariposas Fly in Sweetwater

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenia Escobar.

Kenia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My journey to Broken Mariposas Fly began with my first steps into motherhood. After 13 years of being married, my husband, Andres, and I were ecstatic to find out that we were having a baby! Overcome with the excitement of having a little girl, I began planning my baby shower right away and decided to make beaded bracelets as favors. I had always loved making bracelets for myself, so I wanted to create a gift that was full of meaning and love; a little treasure that my family and friends would cherish forever in honor of our greatest blessing, Andrea.

But then, in a heartbreaking moment, our plans for the future (actually, our world as we knew it), changed. Our baby girl arrived early…too early. Born at 21 weeks and 6 days, she was only one day short of being legally recognized as viable and was therefore unable to receive life-saving medical care. Our Andrea went to Heaven on the same day she was born: December 14, 2013. After she passed, I remained in the hospital for 30 days due to labor complications from when my spine had been punctured with the epidural. It was during that time of reflection when I was inspired to gift my baby shower bracelets to the nurses who took such good, loving care of me. Me, a first-time mom who could only hold her daughter in her arms for one hour. Me, a grieving mom who felt lost, lonely, devastated and completely broken. Me, an angel mom who now needed to learn how to honor her daughter in Heaven.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In the months after Andrea’s passing, I found myself in a heavy fog of grief. One day, my husband and a friend of ours took me to visit Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami. It was a much-needed outing. The garden has a butterfly exhibit and as we were leaving the green house, a beautiful butterfly rested gently on me…and wouldn’t leave! It just kept fluttering and moving from one place to another on my body. This continued for some time; a park attendant even tried to catch the butterfly in a net, unsuccessfully. In one brief moment, I got a close-up glimpse of the butterfly: she was flying with a broken wing. I began to cry. Undoubtedly, it was a heavenly message reassuring me that although I was extremely broken, I would be able to fly again.

A few months later, a friend asked me to do bracelets for an event. I did. While making them, I realized that it made me smile again. I attended the event and, to my surprise, all of my bracelets sold! I continued to do them as a form of therapy to help me through my grief. With this newfound hope and the clear, heavenly message from the broken butterfly, I decided to move forward and continue creating bracelets, this time with a different vision. Broken Mariposas Fly (originally named Maripoza Romantika) led me to my purpose, which is our daughter Andrea’s purpose. I use 10% of all sales (often times more) to create care packages for broken mommas who have sent their babies to Heaven. It definitely has not been easy; quite the opposite really. When I first started my business, there were many times that I attended art fairs and returned home without making a profit at all. The easy and safe thing to do would have been to quit at some point. I thought about it…more than once. Persistence was the key. I crafted every single moment I could. Late nights. Early mornings. During lunch breaks at the office. Slowly but steadily, I began to witness the fruits of my labor. My business was blooming and growing. It’s been a complete transformation, as recently I made the difficult decision to resign from my secure, full-time job to focus 100% on my little shop. By not giving up, I have been able to share my purpose with thousands of supporters and build a strong, solid foundation of loyal clients who have become friends.

Broken Mariposas Fly – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Today, what makes me most proud is that I’ve been able to gift over 300 care packages to broken mommas whose little angels have joined our Andrea in Heaven. Along the way, I’ve met many other fellow crafters who own small businesses similar to mine. For me, it’s more about having a sense of community rather than competition. We support one another; I purchase from them and they purchase from me. I am extremely thankful to everyone who supports the Broken Mariposas Fly purpose, our Andrea’s purpose.

Do you feel like there are certain traits that increase the likelihood of success?
Absolutely! There are so many positive, powerful attributes and my advice is to find what is most motivating to you. Personally, I strive to always stay true to my calling through strong determination and persistence. Holding strong to my faith has brought me many moments of joy in these last few, dark years. Yet none can compare to achieving the sweetest success on July 20, 2017 when Andres and I were blessed with our rainbow baby, Andrea’s little sister! Emma has brought our family so much happiness! While it’s been the best and busiest time of my life, I have vowed to continue sharing my testimony through social media in an effort to restore faith, hope, love and forgiveness to those who are bravely facing any type of grief. I have always loved creating bracelets, and through this craft, I have found peace, healing, and light. I want to transmit the same feelings to others by bringing “ear-to-ear” smiles to those who are touched by my story. Like the butterfly, a part of me will always be broken, but I will fly.

Contact Info:

• Email: Brokenmariposasfly@yahoo.com
• Instagram: @brokenmariposasfly
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/BrokenMariposasFly/
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BrokenMariposasFly

Image Credit:
Wee Love Photography

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