Meet Erika Arzaga of Chunky Monkey Creations in East Valley-Queen Creek

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erika Arzaga.

Erika, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Hola! I am Erika Arzaga, a wife, boy mom and maker who is a proud native of sunny Arizona. I am a former 6th grade teacher, with a Master’s degree in Education. After eight years of teaching and after the birth of our second child I took a leave from the teaching field to be a stay at home working mom (SAHWM) and raise our two beautiful boys-Maxim (8) and Jaxon (5). I am married to my High School sweetheart and aside from running Chunky Monkey Creations, I am also co-owner alongside my husband, of our family residential and commercial painting business. In short, let’s just say life has been productive!

So, how did it all start? Let me take you back to 2011. I was now over-the-moon in love and INSPIRED… Crafting and creating was a hobby that instantaneously became a passion. It all started with small crafts, here and there for personal needs, gifts and just for fun. It was when I began to hear the same question being asked, “Why don’t you sell that?” My response had always been the same: “I just love making things; it’s just something I do for fun!” I understood creating things was just something that I loved to do, I never realized how much I loved it until the biggest of life’s blessings happened to me: I became a new Mommy! It was then that everything new, every phase, and every new challenge, EVERY little thing our handsome guy would do triggered a new idea! Since then all I have wanted to do is CREATE! I was now over-the-moon in love and INSPIRED! I mean, how could this happen, I was a teacher, a 6th grade teacher at that; it was MY job to inspire!

So I thought, what’s there to lose? I have always dreamt of being self-employed, a small-business of course, with family, maybe it was a possibility? With encouragement and support from my husband it was clear to me it was time to pursue my self-employment dreams. Knowing that there would be many challenges along the way, I knew I wanted to take it very slow, and see where word-of-mouth takes this, kind-of slow.

But wait! I had to take a few steps back, what would I name my creations? It was a must for me, to have a name, a description, where the creation originated. After many late night conversations with my husband there lit a light bulb! It had to represent our little men–yes, at the time we had TWO little men. My husband and I are fortunate to now have THREE beautiful boys. An angel in heaven (our 1st born) and two angels on earth–First came, Cristian, then Maxim and now Jaxon. At that time, (before our Jaxon) I knew I wanted to incorporate Cristian & Maxim’s names in some way, they were who INSPIRED me! Bouncing ideas off each other, CM Creations was developed. Our little Maxim after birth soon inherited the nickname Chunky Monkey, as of course, you can imagine month to month fit perfectly! Our Jaxon followed in his footsteps. While brainstorming, CHUNKY MONKEY CREATIONS just clicked, it had everything we wanted and more, it was the perfect description of who inspired my creations; everything is made specially and custom or as I say… Handmade with love.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Smooth road?! Is there such a thing?! I knew from the start it was going to be a learning experience from marketing to accounting, engaging with my customers to the creating process. It’s a daily struggle, there is always a learning experience. I’ve met amazing individuals along the way. From my accountant who is extremely knowledgeable and experienced to my actual customers who know exactly what they want from me and have provided me with honest feedback. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to learn. I can’t tell you enough how much information I intake daily.

I would have to say that the most challenging of all struggles for me has been determining what items I want to sell, which would be my favorite creations, In other words, just finding my niche’. I love creating everything, DIY’s are my kind of thing so wanting to always learn new ways of creating has always made it difficult for me to pinpoint exactly what direction I wanted CMC to go.

There is a niche for me, and the items I’ve narrowed down to be my favorite creations. I’ve been on the road of discovery and it’s been a great journey thus far. It’s been a work in progress but man have I learned! As my boys are growing and our lives are ever-changing, so has CMC. But I feel that I am it at a point where it has evolved into exactly what I envision for myself. I love home decor and we love our home. Everyone should love where they live and that is exactly what I plan to help enhance-by creating beautiful custom creations that will help turn a house into a home.

Please tell us about your business.
Chunky Monkey Creations is just a small business owned by a girl who loves creating all things pretty with a specialization in handmade wreaths. In short, I am a maker of decor for a house turned home and all things custom. This ranges from my specially made wreaths to small Spanish mantra hanging wood signs to Mama gear for the inspiring Moms. All of which is inspired by the life that fills my home.

There is something to be said about a custom made-to-order creation and due to the nature of the craftsmanship used to create my wreaths I can honestly say that each wreath is custom made, making each a unique piece of decor for the home where no-two wreaths are ever exactly same! This most definitely is a quality that sets my items apart from others.

I do currently own and run an Etsy shop that is active and open for business, where all of my current creations are available for viewing and purchase.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
The future of Chunky Monkey Creations, this is something that is always evolving. This includes adding new creations to my shop and primarily in the upcoming year I plan to take my teaching background and use it in combination with my making skills. I have plans of hosting workshops where fellow Mama’s or interested DIYers will join and create beautiful creations for their home. I love decorating my own home and adding those custom touches that just scream us my family. I want to share that skill with others, I want to teach, lead and make. So, stay tuned!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CMCreationsSHOP
• Email: chunkymonkeycreationscmc@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chunkymonkeycreations/

Image Credit:
Sandahl Rose Photography

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