Feel-Good Handiwork

With artistry rooted in joyful memories, Hilda Garcia transforms cardboard and crepe paper into vessels of celebration and connection. Her ‘Pinatas with Purpose’ honor tradition while helping families create lasting moments of love, laughter and identity.

Hilda Garcia’s humble childhood sits at the root of her belief that every occasion, big or small, provides a reason to celebrate.

“Growing up, we always had big birthday parties at the park,” she said. “My dad, Aureliano Vela, was a chef, and he was into barbecue, making traditional Mexican carne asada. He went all out.” Garcia does not remember seeing pinatas at her family’s parties, but she vividly recalls how those gatherings made her feel. “My parents invited all their friends, and there was always a bunch of kids running around,” she said. “I have so many happy memories of sharing those times with them.”

Garcia and her husband, Alex, strive to give their daughters, Azul and Marvela, similar memories. The girls share a birthday month, and last summer, Garcia wanted to have a pinata at their party.

“I tried to buy one, but the ones at the store weren’t good, so I looked up how to make a cube pinata on YouTube,” she said with a laugh. “I printed decorations online and used streamers from the dollar store. It was nothing fancy, but the kids were so excited when I brought it out. Unfortunately, it broke apart after the second hit, but they didn’t care when that candy fell.”

“The pinata time brings everyone together, living in the moment. Knowing the family had a good time, that means everything to me.”
Hilda Garcia

Eager to try again, Garcia watched instructional videos from professional pinateros and made a Mario-themed pinata for her nephew’s birthday. Her in-laws were amazed by her work. “They said it was so nice [that] they didn’t want to break it,” Garcia said. “In that process, I found a whole new way of creating. I followed some amazing artists online and fell in love with making pinatas. Every day, I wake up thinking about crepe paper. I told Alex that even if no one ever bought one of my pinatas, I would still make them.”

However, people are buying Garcia’s pinatas, and she gets excited about every new order. She learns what each client is drawn to and studies the requested character before sketching her ideas. Garcia takes her time on each piece, often designing them with removable fronts that can be hung as wall art after the party ends. “I make them with love,” she said. “Some may think, ‘It’s just cardboard. It gets broken. What’s the point?’ But for me, I’m helping create joy, a happy memory of a wedding or birthday. The pinata time brings everyone together, living in the moment. Knowing the family had a good time, that means everything to me.”

Although her craft requires artistic ability, Garcia remains reluctant to call herself an artist. The homeschooling, stay-at-home mom has always enjoyed drawing but believes that all crafts speak to her.

“There’s something about working with your hands. I always told my dad I would be a builder or a mechanic if I were a boy, because I used to help him with his projects. I had a VW Beetle, and I did a tune-up on it and changed the brakes. I was always very daring, always doing things with my hands,” Garcia said with a smile. “Whatever it was, I believed I could do it, too, and always tried.”

Garcia’s memories of working with her father raise mixed emotions. A tough man who faced many hardships, including losing his parents and living on the streets, Vela held to a strict traditional Mexican family model. He provided for his family, but his inflexibility led to anxiety at home. Garcia’s mother, Maria Hilda Estrada Martinez, struggled with her identity within her roles as a wife and mother.

“She did everything in the home, raised us, cooked and worked. My parents divorced when I was in my 20s, and that is when she finally started finding herself,” said Garcia, her eyes filling with tears. “I always wonder as a mother, if I’ve done enough, if I’ve taught enough. I want my girls to see that they can be a wife and mother without losing themselves in the process.”

Garcia’s daughters are artistically talented, and she was surprised to learn later in life that her father was, too. She remembered paintings that hung in their simple adobe home in Mexico but never knew until after his death that Vela had painted them.

“My years with my girls are so precious. I’m big on my kids finding their purpose,” Garcia said. “My parents didn’t instill that in me, but that’s because no one did that for them.” She believes that identifying God’s plan for each of our unique gifts is the key to a meaningful life. It provides the reason behind the “Pinatas with Purpose” name. Her daughters are clearly grasping this truth, perhaps the real treasure hidden inside the vessels she creates. Azul penned this poem about her mother:

“A craft. A release. A gift, that gives. Fingers traveling over the wrinkled, crisp paper. The dried flour stuck to my hands, ingrained in my fingerprints. Your fingerprints are yours, what represents your identity. Same with your craft. It is another part of you. Pinatas, birthed from trees and wheat, molded by ideas and handiwork, defined by laughter and cheers. Pinatas with purpose. A purpose
to be enjoyed, loved and remembered.”

For information, email pinataswithpurpose@gmail.com or visit Pinatas with Purpose on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

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