About us

My mama painted the way some people breathe — naturally, necessarily, without much fuss about it. She didn't call herself an artist. She just made things beautiful. Color came through her hands the way light comes through a window — you don't think about it, you just feel it in the room. I grew up in that light. And somewhere along the way, I realized I was made of it too.

The name Araceli has been passed down — carried by her, carried by me, and now carried by a little girl who is already proving that creativity skips no one in this line. Three generations, one name, and a shared inability to leave a plain surface alone. We consider this a gift.

Years later, our own kitchen table became the heart of something new. Surrounded by wood blanks, brushes, and bursts of inspiration, we began painting furniture, designing kits, and eventually creating our own ChicaTiza Clay Paints — born out of the same curiosity that started it all. That same table still holds projects in progress, and many of the pieces we offer are dreamed up, built, and packed by hand right here at home. We are still building a life layered in color and care.

We believe in functional art — pieces that are lived with, loved on, gifted, and treasured. Some of what we offer is handcrafted from scratch. Some is reclaimed or thoughtfully reimagined. But every piece is chosen with intention and tells a story.

The Stilwell House is stitched together with people we love. My mother-in-law, Lois, had a fondness for ceramic chickens — the kind of fondness that turns into a collection before anyone notices. Some still roost happily around our house, perched on shelves and tucked into corners like little guardians of joy. We kept them because this house needed them. Because she would have wanted them here. Because sometimes the things people love become part of the place they loved, and that feels exactly right.

Our family is also deeply connected to the Deaf and DeafBlind community, and that sense of inclusivity and belonging threads through everything we do — in how we communicate, how we create, and who we keep a seat open for.

We stay intentionally small so we can create with heart, collaborate with fellow makers, and keep a seat open at our table for anyone who longs to make something meaningful.